H&G #503 vs. RCBS 44-250 K

[Lefty SRH]

How similar in boolit dimensions are these two molds? I am wanting a to replace my RCBS 44-250K mold with a 4 cavity mold but I'd like the boolits to be as identical as possible.

[white eagle]

Mp molds has a mold that is an exact copy of what the Boss
had in mind .....I have been using that with real good results
Tom @ Accurate also has some good molds that are similar

[W.R.Buchanan]

I have the Mihec mould and the redeeming factor on it is that it makes Boolits that are .433-434 in dia.

These can be sized to any size necessary for .44's and as an example my Marlin rifle needs .432's and my pistols all use .431's.

The Mihec moulds also offer a variety of HP pins for a given mould. Mine will cast 3 HP's and a solid as well Which pretty much covers everything in .44 that I do.

The RCBS moulds are typically going to drop boolits smaller with wheel weights, and as such they aren't as versitile. However the external dimensions are virtually the same and any differences are not going to affect anything as far as performance goes.

Lyman 429421, H&G #503, RCBS .44-250K ,,,, They are all classed as Keith style boolits.

Randy

[Lefty SRH]

Mp molds has a mold that is an exact copy of what the Boss
had in mind .....I have been using that with real good results
Tom @ Accurate also has some good molds that are similar

Which mold would that be?

[Dale53]

Well, there are a number of bullet moulds that are "like" Keith moulds. Keith, himself, stated the H&G #503 was a true Keith. The Mihec is a direct copy of that mould (I furnished the dimensions from an original H&G two cavity #503 for Mihec to use). Longbow made the cad cam drawings.

Lyman has made some good Keith bullet moulds and some not so good. It's a sad fact that you cannot make a decision simply by the mould numbers (as it should be). The Lyman design has wandered all over the place.

The RCBS bullet looks like a good one but I, personally, have never used one.

If you have a chance to get the Mihec #503, I CAN recommend it without reservation for the reasons that W.R. Buchanan spell out. Mihec furnished those in either .432" or .434" buyers choice.

Dale53

[Mal Paso]

Which mold would that be?

The H&G 503 although MP432 256 is stamped on mine.

I'm casting the one right now. I have the Brass 4 cavity 432 version and it will cast at least .432 down to almost pure lead.

[Lefty SRH]

Alright, then the MiHec #503 it will be then! I like the RCBS and have shot it awhile now. But its a 2 cavity and the boolits it drops are 262gr and 268gr. I shoot alot of these and the 2C mold just isn't getting the job done quick enough plus seperating two different boolit weights.
Thanks

[GabbyM]

Ballisti-Cast has dropped there price on the four cavity iron molds.
A have the #503 in two MiHec molds. One is a two cavity brass with hollow point pins. Makes a wicked looking boolit. Slow as molasses in January though. That’s why I bought the six cavity also. MiHec molds are well made but the Lee design aluminum is not in the same class as the H&G of Ballisti-Cast. I think both are good but dollar for dollar the H&G is IMHO a better long term value. Big price difference up front. You get what you pay for.

Ballisti-Cast also has the LBT style wide flat nose designs.

[Dale53]

>>>You get what you pay for.<<<

Not always...

I have several original H&G moulds. They are GOOD moulds. However, my Mihec moulds are the best moulds I have ever seen. I have one aluminum, six cavity Mihec mould that drops all six bullets within .0002" (two tenths of a thousandth) in diameter and within .2 (two tenths of a grain) in weight. I have never seen any other mould with that consistency.

If you prefer brass or iron moulds, then the Mihec brass will give you what you want.

Hollow point moulds, simply because of the hollow point, are slower. My two cavity Mihec hollow point moulds will give me 20+ lbs. of match quality high performance bullets in less than two hours. My solution to "slow" is to have a matching four or six cavity solid point bullet mould. That way, I have volume for practice and performance for "real"...

Just a thought or two...

Dale53

[Lefty SRH]

Oh I know about MiHec mold quality. I have one of his 4 cavity 45-270 SAA for my shorter .45 colt and that guns loves it!

[Mal Paso]

I'm running that 503 brass mold hotter now and have dropped the 95/3/2 Alloy down to 680 degrees out of a Lee 4-20 with PID control. Yesterday I was casting 15/minute, excellent quality. Perfect fillout at a lower temperature than I thought possible. Much kinder to the mold, with a little Sprue Plate Lube the lead smears (from previous experimental runs) went away. I'm sure others have taken it further but for me this is Smokin.

Geargnasher's posts are most helpful.

[Lefty SRH]

So, is there a difference between the MiHec #503 clone and MiHecs 432-256 mold?

[Iron Mike Golf]

So, is there a difference between the MiHec #503 clone and MiHecs 432-256 mold?

No. Mihec's "#503" is stamped "MP 432-256", or "MP 434-256", depending on what version.

[Lefty SRH]

432-256. Is the 256 the bool it weight?

[GabbyM]

432-256. Is the 256 the bool it weight?

Yes 256 grains is pretty close to what the'll weigh.

[HDS]

With my bullets they are closer to 253, its all up to the alloy. Also they make a real long cartridge, 1.69" easily, didn't think my Rossi would cycle them but it sure did.

[Lefty SRH]

With my bullets they are closer to 253, its all up to the alloy. Also they make a real long cartridge, 1.69" easily, didn't think my Rossi would cycle them but it sure did.

The RCBS boolit make the OAL 1.710" The best I can tell so far is the #503's nose is about .030" shorter than the RCBS version, for what its worth.

[MikeS]

That is about the only criticism I have of the MP moulds. He really should mark them with the number of the mould it's a clone of, either along with, or instead of his normal numbering scheme. I have the #503 clone, as well as 2 of his #68 clones, and I took metal stamps, and marked them appropriately. So now along with his markings they say 503, 68, 68BB and I know which one is which (the 2 68's were originally marked identically, even tho one is a plain base, and the other a bevel base) without having to pull out the mould & opening it to see which one is the bevel based version.

I don't know if the Ballisticast moulds are as good as the original H&G moulds, but I can say that any of the custom mould makers that are making moulds for us (MP,NOE,AM) are easily as good as the H&G moulds. Of course their aluminum moulds might not last as long as their brass ones, but I try and buy mostly brass moulds if I can, as I feel it's the best material for a mould, both due to it's thermal qualities, and due to it's being rust free. As I've said before, I'm not saying anything bad about the H&G moulds, they are excellent moulds, I'm just saying that the newer generation of semi-custom & custom moulds are better.

[Mal Paso]

I get a COL of 1.680" with cases trimmed 1.271" and boolits seated tight to the forward band.

The forward band is full size, longer than Lyman's current 429421, and just enters the throat of my Anaconda when I chamber a round. I shot that gun today with 22g of 2400 behind that boolit. It's my go to Bear Load and I'm glad I checked as the sight had loosened and it was shooting 6" high. Excellent Ruger/Colt level load.

[Lefty SRH]

Well I finally tested my new 432-256 in my 9 1/2" .44mag Super Redhawk, Flat Top Black .44spl, and my Super Redhawk Alaskan.
WOW, my grouped them VERY well and actually picked up a little velocity vs. the other Keith bullet I was loading for it.
The Flat Top .44spl was eye popping. I've never seen this gun group this well. I was considering selling it because I couldn't find a load it liked. I have 2 loads it like now.
My Alaskan .44mag shows great potential but I ran out of test loads so I'll have to make up some more and try again.
I love it when a plan comes together!

[Mal Paso]

Very Cool!

What loads are you shooting?

[Dale53]

In the spirit of "FWIW" I will give my loads with the Mihec H&G #503 (250 gr Keith):

.44 Magnum - Practice load is 23.0 grs of H110 velocity runs 1200 fps chronographed
Hunting load is 24.0 grs of H110 - velocity runs 1300 fps chronographed

.44 Special - 7.5 grs of Unique - velocity runs 950 fps

Since I have several .44 Magnums, I don't run my several .44 Special handguns at "Keith" levels.

The above loads may be a bit conservative but I have run THOUSANDS of these loads through my revolvers and they are still as tight as the day is long. I have taken several deer with the .44 Magnum loads with excellent results (never lost a deer with these loads, either).

Dale53

[GLL]

I may be missing something here ! Although the H&G #503, BC #1103, and Mihec 432-256 are the same design to me they are all three different than the RCBS 44-250-K !
I know of no 4-cavity clone of the RCBS 44-250-K. Anyone?

All four are great molds though ! :)

Jerry

http://www.fototime.com/2CB4022C53F7A88/standard.jpg

http://www.fototime.com/926CCD023699C62/standard.jpg

[crabo]

I love the 503 with 12 grains of HS6. Under 2" at 50 yards from the bags. I can consistently hit a 12" square plate, sitting in a chair, and offhand at 150 yards, no problem.

[Lefty SRH]

I bought the MP mold 432-256 to feed 3 of my .44 caliber guns, 9 1/2" Super Redhawk .44mag, .44mag SRH Alaskan, and a .44spl Flat Top Bisley Blackhawk.

The loads for each are quite accurate:
9 1/2" SRH like 23.5gr H110 and does 1450fps
The Alaskan SRH seems (I'm still experimenting a little) to like 12.5gr HS-6 and does 1050fps
The BH .44spl likes two loads, 9.3gr HS-6 at 950fps and 10.0gr HS-6 at 1050fps

I plan on hunting this coming season with this boolit, cant wait! I cast it from straight WW and NO TIN.

[Lefty SRH]

Oh, another plus, none of the 3 guns have any leading issues.

[Whistler]

That is about the only criticism I have of the MP moulds. He really should mark them with the number of the mould it's a clone of, either along with, or instead of his normal numbering scheme.
I have had that wish as well, but I believe he could run into trouble with copyright laws if he marked the moulds with registred trademarks like RCBS and H&G.

[Dale53]

You can write with a permanent marker on the handles. Also, a vibrator scriber will work on the mould, itself.

Dale53

[MikeS]

Whistler - Well, maybe if he actually marked it RCBS he might have some trouble, but for example if he marked the mould SAA-270-434 or #503-434 there wouldn't be any problem. Look at SAECO, they've been copying the H&G designs & mould numbers for years.

GLL - If you want to get exactly the same boolits but in a 4 cavity design, you could cast up a few and mail them to Tom at Accurate Molds, and you'll get exactly what you want. If it's not already in his catalog, after measuring your boolits he'll add it to his catalog. That way you'll be able to get a boolit to drop as close to the desired diameter as you choose.

[Whistler]

Just wanted to share some porn. Yesterday I got this beautiful MiHec 432-256, a copy of the original Keith used in H&G #503.

Just beautiful! Miha's work are true works of art!

http://farm9.staticflickr.com/8444/7809005680_7d785e04a1_c.jpg
http://imageshack.us/a/img62/6578/20121015215838.jpg
http://imageshack.us/a/img189/7287/20121015221004.jpg
http://imageshack.us/a/img560/4976/20121015221127.jpg

The lube is 50/50 beeswax/molybdenum sulfide grease.

[Lefty SRH]

:I have the same mold and I smile big when I shoot the boolits from it.....:mrgreen:

[Worn_Holster]

I lucked out a few months ago and PMed Miha and he had an extra 434-256 4-cavity that he hadn't sold and I bought it from him. It is my first mold and I am still collecting other necessary equipment. My pre-29 throat measures .432 - .433 so this mold should work well for me.
http://i849.photobucket.com/albums/ab52/myHKiron/HampG503_zps567b02bd.jpg

[Dale53]

Mihec's moulds are the best ever available!

I have a number of them and am completely satisfied - make that MORE than satisfied!!

FWIW
Dale53

[Worn_Holster]

His name is Miha Prevec, so I guess that Mihec is a contraction of his first and last names??? Anyway, a very friendly guy and his brass mould looks like a work of art. Will lee 6-cavity handles fit? How to break in brass moulds?

[Dale53]

Miha's moulds work well with Lee six cavity handles (both the four cavity and six cavity) but Miha's steel handles are even better (by a bunch).

At any rate, use which handles you prefer, they both work.

I preheat all of my moulds until just under casting temperature. I want the bullet metal to bring them the final few degrees for best casting. That's the only break in I have needed. You should NO overheat ANY mould but particularly brass moulds due to the possibility of warpage. It's not a problem when casting - just want to keep someone from overheating when pre-heating ANY mould.

FWIW
Dale53

[HDS]

Just wanted to share some porn. Yesterday I got this beautiful MiHec 432-256, a copy of the original Keith used in H&G #503.

Just beautiful! Miha's work are true works of art!

The lube is 50/50 beeswax/molybdenum sulfide grease.

Glad you liked that mold :) It was my first Mihec mold and the only reason I sold it was I got the cramer version of the 503. I need to cast up a good sized batch this summer to last me a while.