George A Hensley #68452200

[gray wolf]

Hello ,

I got this mold about a week ago. I would Like to know a little about it.
I will give as much info. that I can. My wife found it at a gun shop and we paid $40 bucks for it. Oh it is a 4 banger.

The mould is in 85% good shape. The cavity's are fine, no rust, no dents or dings
and the handles are fine. The mold cast and drops bullets Like a champ.

The Handles say: Geo. A. Hensley -San Diego.
The mold is hand punched with the #68452200 on the top half of the right hand block. The lower half of that block is with a lighter stamping and Say's
Geo. A. Hensley- San Diego.
The screws that hold the block to the handle have the wood screw type top on them, with the side cut so they blend with the blocks. No whiteness dimples on the screws.
The left hand block has the #1 stamped on it.
The vertical vent lines that separate the cavity's are not strait up and down.
They go off to one side a little.

thank you

[454PB]

Here is a good reference site for H&G moulds, and the owner is a member of this forum:

http://hgmould.gunloads.com/casting/hgmoldchart.htm

[gray wolf]

Thank you, I have been there and there is very little info on just molds made by G.A.Hensley. Or am I missing something?? Were the molds marked with both names. Or is my mold older than when they joined up.
Every thing seems to be about Hensley & Gibbs molds. I can find very little about just Hensley. My mold is a fine piece and I am thinking it is quite old.

[Firebird]

Gray wolf - if you go to the website 454PB linked to and look at the links under the heading "Tools to Help Identify Moulds" there are a bunch of links to pictures that help identify molds. Yours is probably from the 1930's as it's marked with only George Hensley's name on the handles and the numbering scheme is the mold # (68), the bullet diameter (452) and the bullet weight in grains (200).

[gray wolf]

Thank you Firebird

[floodgate]

gray wolf:

PM our member "texasflyboy". He has access to a lot of information from the Geo. Hensley period, but hasn't got it sorted out yet to the point he's ready to post it. But I'm sure he will be able to help you with good information on your specific mould; he's helped me a lot with the couple of later H&G's I have.

KEEP THAT WIFE! She got you one heckuva good deal there. Several of us would double your money in a heartbeat (and I'm a Lyman / Ideal, not a H&G collector).

floodgate

[gray wolf]

Thank you, Floodgate I got in contact with texasflyboy and he responded with a very, very nice letter. He seems to be a real gentlemen and was very helpful.

Thanks

[Yance]

Gray Wolf;

Congratulations on such a find! I have the two cavity version. The number tells you everything. Design #68 by George Hensley early in his mould making career. He was in his 50's when he started and partnered with Gibbs in 1938 IIRC. The #68 is still copied today because it's one of the best target 45 designs anyone's come up with. The 452 part of the number is diameter, and 200 is the weight.

I'd gladly let you double you money and even pay shipping.<G> Hang on to that one! If you don't have a 1911, get one just to shoot that boolit!<G> Try a Google search for George A. Hensley.

If you do decide to part with it, don't try and "milk" it by separating the handles from the mould. The early ones had the handles individually fit to that particular mould and a serious collector ($$$) won't give it a second glance. It'll bring a better price together than the sum of the two parts.

[Dale53]

Gray Wolf;
You have made a seriously good find. I have one of H&G moulds (four cavity #130) in perfect shape but I would rather have the #68. It is THE classic .45 ACP target AND IPSC mould. I don't have a lot of experience with it but shot 75,000 rounds in five years of it and the similar Saeco #68 moulds (or rather the bullets from those moulds). I also have a six cavity .38 WC but frankly, it is a bit too heavy for my tastes. In steel, four cavities is enough for these tired old hands...

Dale53

[Petander]

Gray Wolf;
You have made a seriously good find. I have one of H&G moulds (four cavity #130) in perfect shape but I would rather have the #68.


My thoughts and words exactly. #130 is a good boolit,too - but my Colts like to feed #68 better. I have the H&G #130 mold, it´s a pleasure to cast with but I´d prefer #68 , the original #68 like the one you just found. I use an RCBS 68 duplicate now.


#68 is very very accurate , feeds 100 % in my pistols. Just the right size lube groove, no leading, not much to clean bla bla bla...


Congratulations! :drinks:

[Dale53]

The H&G # 130 shoots extremely well and also functions properly in my tuned autos. It does NOT cut as clean a hole in the target as the #68.

What is not generally known, is that the #68 was carefully designed so that the chamber contact points (even tho' it's a SWC) of the bullet were exactly as the service round nose bullet provides. THAT is why they feed better than a lot of similar bullets. It is a great piece of design work.

The #130 bullets just fall out of the mould and I can make seriously good production with it.

Dale53

[gray wolf]

YES, YES, AND ------- YES.
I love this mold,Sometime I just get up and go and hold it for a while.
I was told that it is a late 30's mold from the description I gave him.
The uneven stamping of the #'s and the screws with the wood screw heads
that hold the handles on. The blocks are pristine and it cast like a champ.
I won't sell it, My Springer 1911/A1 loves the bullets.

[Yance]

I also have a six cavity .38 WC but frankly, it is a bit too heavy for my tastes. In steel, four cavities is enough for these tired old hands...

Dale53

Heavy?? THIS is heavy!:roll: http://i77.photobucket.com/albums/j45/Yance_2006/Hall%20Mould/10cav-f.jpg

[Petander]

Oh man I&#180;ve never seen a ten-holer before, not even in a pic. Great, thanks!

About #130 vs, #68 : I was in heaven when I found the #130. Still am. But since then I got more active in IPSC and no matter what I try (usual OAL tweaking etc), I never get #130 work absolutely 100% with ALL my pistols and ALL my magazines. A different OAL for each gun is not what I call practical but that&#180;s how it it in my case when I use #130. So it&#180;s in use for my bullseye Gold Cup only now.


With #68 it&#180;s easy to make everything work for me. That design is clever.

[Dale53]

Yance;
I don't even want to THINK about using that 10 cavity mould - just hurts to think about it:roll: .

Regarding the #130, I am mostly using it with my 625-8 these days but I have two 1911's that they work perfectly in. I also have two four cavity Saeco moulds in their version of #68 (slightly different but close) and they also work well. They have the slight advantage of cutting a cleaner hole in the target paper.

Dale53