Received my Mihec 359-125 4 Cavity Cramer Mold yesterday!

[novalty]

Got home last night to find my mold had arrived from MP. What an excellent piece of machining. Only have one issue I am waiting for Mihec to follow-up on--ordered with blank and Large HP pins, and received with the Large HP and Penta Pins.
http://i100.photobucket.com/albums/m11/novalty1970/Reloading/Casting/MP359-125Cramer2_zps49a9f86a.jpg (http://s100.photobucket.com/user/novalty1970/media/Reloading/Casting/MP359-125Cramer2_zps49a9f86a.jpg.html)
http://i100.photobucket.com/albums/m11/novalty1970/Reloading/Casting/3472c837-6520-4435-bbab-ca49978e2da7_zps02f99bf1.jpg (http://s100.photobucket.com/user/novalty1970/media/Reloading/Casting/3472c837-6520-4435-bbab-ca49978e2da7_zps02f99bf1.jpg.html)
http://i100.photobucket.com/albums/m11/novalty1970/Reloading/Casting/MP359-125Cramer6_zps4410cfac.jpg (http://s100.photobucket.com/user/novalty1970/media/Reloading/Casting/MP359-125Cramer6_zps4410cfac.jpg.html)

[usmcscout]

how long did it take? I sure wish I could get in on a GB with that same mold gosh darn it. keeping my eye out. I am in on one for .22cal 75 gr prob going be awhile. how long did it take after GB CLOSED


from your pics it looks like thing of beauty !

CONGRATS

[novalty]

usmcscout, I got in on the most recent GB after it closed. The notice was placed on 03/24/13 that the GB was closed but Mihec had extra blocks. I sent a message on 03/29/13 indicating I wanted a mold, and received it yesterday 04/24/13.

[armedmoose]

I requested one of the extra molds as well.. :( you are lucky sir.

fantastic looking mold.

[Boolseye]

What a beauty. I am looking forward to the day that I own a MiHec.

[novalty]

I am excited and apprehensive about using for the first time casting. Have read about it needing a lot of prep, and specifically a hot plate to bring it up to temp. Plus the mold is very heavy, so it will test my endurance with my arthritis.

[Boolseye]

Don't be afraid to dip the corner (just a corner!) in the alloy to get it up to temp. I use a hot plate also, actually a no-stick skillet on a gas burner, but dipping is what really gets them up to temp, in my experience. I have a similar mold (128 gr. HP, .358") by NOE in aluminum, which helps the weight issue somewhat. If the brass is too heavy and you want aluminum, we could work out an exchange. The NOE uses a different HP pin set-up, but it still works great.

On another note–did you mean that this is your first time casting, or your just the first session with this mold?

[novalty]

Last night, I cleaned the mold and pins with soap and water, then heated in my toaster oven up to 400 degrees, then cooled down, and heated a second time. Some of the pins go in really hard, and I even put some of the supplied lube on them--but still managed to slightly hairline scratch one cavity as one slipped trying to be inserted. Put a slight amount of lube on the sprue plate which moves well-and doesn't seem to have and burs.

[Boolseye]

I think a little scratch in one of the cavities is part of the break-in process:-?

[CPL Lou]

If you loosen the pin screws a quarter turn they will run smoother. As you use the mold for a bit, you can tighten them up and all will be well [smilie=w:

CPL Lou

[novalty]

Well worked with the pins loosened as suggested and gave the mold a second try tonight. Got a lot more keepers, found my RCBS Pro-melt needs to be set somewhere near 725-750 on the dial. Experienced some sticking on the solid flat nose cavities, so haven't gotten it completely figured out. The HP cavities were dropping the bullets nicely, just by gently tapping the pins in. Overall, it was good to see I got some keepers, even though some are frosted.
http://i100.photobucket.com/albums/m11/novalty1970/Reloading/Casting/IMG_6748_zps6c6753ea.jpg (http://s100.photobucket.com/user/novalty1970/media/Reloading/Casting/IMG_6748_zps6c6753ea.jpg.html)
http://i100.photobucket.com/albums/m11/novalty1970/Reloading/Casting/IMG_6751_zpsc7d02cc7.jpg (http://s100.photobucket.com/user/novalty1970/media/Reloading/Casting/IMG_6751_zpsc7d02cc7.jpg.html)

Here is my work around for the mold guide to clear the penta pins that stick out the bottom of the mold.
http://i100.photobucket.com/albums/m11/novalty1970/Reloading/Casting/IMG_6749_zps7c7061ee.jpg (http://s100.photobucket.com/user/novalty1970/media/Reloading/Casting/IMG_6749_zps7c7061ee.jpg.html)

[novalty]

Here are a few pics from my casting session last night.

74464
74465
74466

[Balta]

What is weight of solid boolits? wich alloy you using!Nice work

[novalty]

What is weight of solid boolits? wich alloy you using!Nice work

I am casting with straight clip-on wheel weights. I didn't weigh the boolits from last night, but in previous sessions I had cast the round HP boolits and solid FN, and the HP's weighed in around 126grs. and the solids weighed in around 134grs. The mold is listed as casting 125gr. HP's and 135gr. solids.

[69daytona]

I got in on the first run of these last year and they shoot very good. The best expansion was from straight wheel weights loaded to 900fps give or take 50fps, with the round HP pin. the penta pin seems to break apart around 850fps. I have only shoot them out to 50 yards and they will keep 3" groups at least for me and my shaky shooting.

[outdoorfan]

I got in on the first run of these last year and they shoot very good. The best expansion was from straight wheel weights loaded to 900fps give or take 50fps, with the round HP pin. the penta pin seems to break apart around 850fps. I have only shoot them out to 50 yards and they will keep 3" groups at least for me and my shaky shooting.


Absolutely nothing shaky about 3" groups at 50 yards. What platform are you getting that accuracy out of, if I may ask?

[novalty]

Ran my test loads with the Mihec boolits through my S&W 5906 last week, before loading up a bigger batch. Here are the results from about 7 yards, with 4 of each boolit. Afterwards I loaded up 100 rounds and used them on my plate rack this past weekend, very miniscule signs of leading if any.
135gr. FN
http://i100.photobucket.com/albums/m11/novalty1970/Reloading/Casting/5906135grMihec_zps9746274e.jpg (http://s100.photobucket.com/user/novalty1970/media/Reloading/Casting/5906135grMihec_zps9746274e.jpg.html)
125gr. HP (Pulled the last one, and it barely notched the paper by ruler)
http://i100.photobucket.com/albums/m11/novalty1970/Reloading/Casting/5906125grMihec_zps56aa339c.jpg (http://s100.photobucket.com/user/novalty1970/media/Reloading/Casting/5906125grMihec_zps56aa339c.jpg.html)

[freebullet]

Finally got a chance to shoot some. I shotem from 9mm tumble lubed. They worked great with 3.8-4 gr of red dot @1.115oal. Also shotem from 357 mag both plain base & with plain base gas checks with Felix pan lube. They worked great in that also over upto 10.5gr of hs-6 @1.590oal.

75944

[novalty]

http://i100.photobucket.com/albums/m11/novalty1970/Reloading/Casting/IMG_7227_zpse782678f.jpg (http://s100.photobucket.com/user/novalty1970/media/Reloading/Casting/IMG_7227_zpse782678f.jpg.html)
http://i100.photobucket.com/albums/m11/novalty1970/Reloading/Casting/IMG_7226_zpsa55337d0.jpg (http://s100.photobucket.com/user/novalty1970/media/Reloading/Casting/IMG_7226_zpsa55337d0.jpg.html)

[DRNurse1]

Don't be afraid to dip the corner (just a corner!) in the alloy to get it up to temp. I use a hot plate also, actually a no-stick skillet on a gas burner, but dipping is what really gets them up to temp, in my experience. I have a similar mold (128 gr. HP, .358") by NOE in aluminum, which helps the weight issue somewhat. If the brass is too heavy and you want aluminum, we could work out an exchange. The NOE uses a different HP pin set-up, but it still works great.

On another note–did you mean that this is your first time casting, or your just the first session with this mold?

I love that mould! I spent a couple of months cleaning the alloy off my mould when I bumped my table and 'dipped' the entire mould, but that said, I still love that mould. Switched to a hot plate after that (coffee can to hold the mould upright and contain the heat).

This is a neat video on firearms but the fellow uses that mould on his porch with a dripomatic...with some success. I am using the paddle trick from him now.


http://youtu.be/CXUBKjhaOxI

You are going to love that mould for the versatility (rabbit hunting loads with the FP, defense loads with the HP, and you can load light for plinking with either too. I even case the round HP, Penta-HP, and FP boolits in the same session when I do not need a lot of any one type.

[dragon813gt]

What an over produced video of nothing. I'm not even going to get into the lack of holster or how he's going to burn his hands if he uses that poor technique with the mold. So much wasted motion that puts your skin at risk. And then there is the tree that he's using to bang on the mold, wow.

All that aside. I love this mold. I have a .357 version that is a solid only and a .359 that's a hollowpoint. I don't bother casting hollowpoints with it though. I don't see a need for them, in my shooting, besides the cool look factor. It rains perfect bullets when everything is up to temp :)