Squibb ala Hensley

[madsenshooter]

Woo hoo! My George Hensley 20312170 arrived today at about the same time the alloy in my pot got up to temp. This particular mold has a band forward of the upper lube groove. I'll speculate that it was put there to make the bullet fit the long throat of the Krag rifles, which were probably being used a lot when George first started making the mold. By 1940, the front band was gone. That front band mics .311", the other two come in at .313". At 1.051", it's a smidgeon longer than Belding and Mull's version which is 1.027". I think the Hensley would weigh less cast in the same alloy, which the pictured bullets are not. I'm hoping that front band will allow me to get a little more speed with accuracy than I get from the B&M, which accuracy-wise seems to top at 1550fps. The Hensley appears to have it's balance point further forward, with more weight to the rear than the B&M too. I don't know what alloy George used to get his weights, but what I'm using comes in way below 170, 153.6gr. The same alloy comes up 7gr short on an Eagan 169 and he used lino. B&M on the left, Hensley on the right. I'll get some more pics of the mold and get some idea of just how it'll throat up, and shoot, in my Krags to continue the post. One more little tidbit for you H&G collectors, there's a number 4 stamped on one corner of the mold. Has no meaning to me, but might to someone in the know. I added a pic today, lets call it the Squibb ala Hensley, modified, type 1. It was an accident, I was trying to make a proper fitting top punch using one that I had previously used for the Lyman 308239. The glue stuck in the wrong place and now I have what looks like some Canadian "Sabre Tip" bullets I bought through Shotgun News. That must've been 20 years ago, they had a white plastic tip, the forerunner of the Ballistic Tip.

[madsenshooter]

First casting session in. It's a very easy mold to cast with, least with the alloy I'm using. Excellent fillout, nice square bases. It heats up very fast, even quicker than a Lyman single cavity I think. It doesn't take long to get it overheated either. If my Krags like it, I think I got me a keeper!

[HARRYMPOPE]

I had a BM (or Bond i cant remember) marked Squibb It never shot well above about 1450 for me either.I have an ideal 308375 that looks like the 311413 but with more foreword bearing that does good to 1800.I am curious what your HG will do.

[madsenshooter]

Is that the 308375 you have pictured Harry? The B&M has a tiny band forward of the front groove, measures .304. I'll be sure to keep posting. I can't wait to give it a spin, I can get the 169gr Eagan up to 2150fps with very good accuracy, but because it's tapered, OAL exceeds magazine length when I'm into the rifling. No big deal in CBA matches since we single load, but I want to shoot cast at Camp Perry this year. I've got some heavies, but my bony right shoulder doesn't like them. I'd prefer a middleweight that I can keep below max magazine length for rapid fire. Hoping this is it.

[HARRYMPOPE]

yes its the 308375 pictured

[madsenshooter]

I got some loaded today. I decided not to ***** foot around, it'll either do what I want, or it won't. So I used the same charge of SPP-210, a Swiss made 4198 equivalent, that I use to get 2160fps with the Eagan, 28gr. I'm going to predict 2250fps or so. I tried loading some with the front band at .310, and I wasn't satisfied with the way they throated up. The bullet was in the throat, the unrifled portion that all Krag chambers have, but I wanted to see rifling on that band. Seeing as how I had Smokem Joe make me a bump die a long time ago, I bumped that front band down to .308, the groove diameter of that particular Krag. What a difference in the OAL that .002 in diameter makes (about 1/8")! I can see rifling imprinted on that front band now, and it is barely below the maximum magazine length. I recently got to see what overlubing your boolits can do, so I left that front groove without lube. I've got to tell you all, I'm cheating, I'm not using ordinary lead but a lead based babbitt that casts at around 24-26BHN, and I'm water dropping them. At that BHN, I don't think nose slump will be an issue. I'm not hunting anything but paper, so who cares what they cure to, as long as they don't break while feeding. Firing will be done Wed or Thurs after the holiday crowds have left the range. I don't think these molds are iron. If they are, it's an alloy much denser than that of a Lyman mold and it retains heat better. I'm casting the babbitt at its recommended pouring temp, 750, and the mold overheats in no time.

[madsenshooter]

Made it to the range today, my velocity estimate was spot on, 2250fps. It is not a 2250fps bullet. It shot a typical, "you're going too fast" pattern. Back to the loading bench.