H & g 38 148 wc ?

[jetsfan-24]

ok guys I,m getting a h & g 6 cavity 38 148 wc I don,t know much about casting yet can anybody fill me in about this mold ? thanks

[Le Loup Solitaire]

You did not mention which H&G mold number it is, (there are a couple of different designs) but 148 grain is close enough. The 6 cavity molds are a bit heavy to work with over a long period of time, but the quantities of bullets turned out are enormous. Once you get it up to the right temperature and your rythm is set the H&G is a joy to use. It has the "trench" that connects the cavities...use it with generous sprues to ensure feeding of each cavity to counteract shrinkage as it cools. Use a wooden dowel,rawhide hammer, wooden mallet, a plastic mallet to open the sprue plate, or a gloved hand if you wish or a lead hammer if you have one. Store it well when not in use. Good luck with your mold. LLS

[jetsfan-24]

just an update he says it has a 50 on the side of it

[jsizemore]

Takes a bit to get the mold to casting temp and keep it there. You may need to up your alloy temp, inrease your casting pace or add a little more tin. If you are used to casting with an aluminum mold then you should get the hang of it pretty quick, except for the weight. Once you got it to temp you'll rain WC's.

[bhn22]

You'll probably want to preheat it on a hotplate to get started, then cast very quickly with it to keep it hot enough. Thats a lot of metal to keep hot!

[MtGun44]

H&G 50 is a great mold. Most recommend only lubing the bottom groove, but I haven't
tried it myself yet, rarely load WCs. I have always lubed all grooves, but will try the
the single lube groove trick the next time I make up some. Don't overthink this. Clean the mold
well, scrub with a toothbrush and Comet (gently) and dry. Use wheel weight alloy with a bit of tin and
cast fast, keep your pace up and do not stop to inspect or admire them or your mold will
cool down.

Bill

[jetsfan-24]

I,m hopeing to use it on a lever action rifle do u think it will feed ok ?

[bhn22]

Each gun is a rule unto itself, but most lever actions don't seem to appreciate full wadcutters. You may be able to juggle seating depth and get it to feed, but you'll need to be patient, it doesn't often work out.

[dubber123]

H&G 50 is a great mold. Most recommend only lubing the bottom groove, but I haven't
tried it myself yet, rarely load WCs. I have always lubed all grooves, but will try the
the single lube groove trick the next time I make up some. Don't overthink this. Clean the mold
well, scrub with a toothbrush and Comet (gently) and dry. Use wheel weight alloy with a bit of tin and
cast fast, keep your pace up and do not stop to inspect or admire them or your mold will
cool down.

Bill

I always lubed all grooves, and finally broke down and tried some back to back tests last year, and I'll be darned if they didn't shoot better with only the bottom groove filled. I shot some up to about 900 fps. (4" bbl.) and they still only needed the single groove filled. YMMV.

[dubber123]

I,m hopeing to use it on a lever action rifle do u think it will feed ok ?


My Marlin fed wadcutters fine.. Sort of. One in the magazine fed fine, but any more than that and the short OAL would let another try to slip out of the tube while feeding the next one, jamming the rifle. If used as a 2 shooter, (1 in chamber, 1 in mag), it is fine. It's worth a try with yours in case something is different.

[jsizemore]

I always lubed all grooves, and finally broke down and tried some back to back tests last year, and I'll be darned if they didn't shoot better with only the bottom groove filled. I shot some up to about 900 fps. (4" bbl.) and they still only needed the single groove filled. YMMV.

I gotta try this.

[Shooter6br]

My #50 4 cav is my favorite

[MattOrgan]

The H&G #50 one of the best designed wadcutter molds, love mine. I've gone to tumble lubing mine in 45-45-10, shooting as cast as they measure .359 cast from .22LR bullet trap scrap. My only experience with lever action 38/357 rifles was a Winchester 92 converted to .357. I found that seating wadcutters out and crimped in the bottom grease groove in .38 Special cases would allow it to feed, occasionally requiring a slight "double clutch" with the lever. With light loads of Bullseye this rifle was quiet and very accurate.

[Fishman]

I just go through casting with my 4 cavity wadcutter mould about an hour ago. It is the #9 I believe. Preheated it on the hotplate and the first ones out of the mould were good. It was the last in a marathon 50+ lb casting session and it was the easiest casting of the lot. This included several custom moulds from other makers which cast well too, but are still getting seasoned I guess LOL
I clean the oil off my moulds with a nylon brush, dawn dish detergent, and hot water. I towel it dry and preheat on the hot plate, generally spue plate down.

[dverna]

I had one with 10 cavities. It turned out a lot of bullets. Like a fool I sold it when I needed the money. I think it ran at 1000 bullets an hour.

You will not need to worry about heat - quite the opposite. I would place the sprue plate on a wet towel to cool it down and increase casting speed.

Don Verna

[gmsharps]

I still have one of the 10 Cav beasts. It takes awhile to get them to operating temp but when you do they pump out the bullets. I use a glove on the holding hand and that seems to help as I get a calus or blister on that hand when using the 10 cav. I usually only can cast for an hour at a time before I wear out but that usually yeilds mighty close to 1,000 bullets with very fews culls.

gmsharps

[Dale53]

I have the H&G #50 in a four cavity mould. I can empty my RCBS 22 lb. bottom pour pot in about an hour and a half after starting to cast. There will be VERY few rejects (half dozen or so in 20 lbs of cast bullets). I pre-heat my mould on a hot plate while the pot is coming up to temperature.

http://i269.photobucket.com/albums/jj80/Dale53/HG50BB-1402_900x1200.jpg (http://s269.photobucket.com/user/Dale53/media/HG50BB-1402_900x1200.jpg.html)

Here's what they look like loaded:

http://i269.photobucket.com/albums/jj80/Dale53/HG50BB-1399_1600x1200.jpg (http://s269.photobucket.com/user/Dale53/media/HG50BB-1399_1600x1200.jpg.html)

I also have a six cavity H&G for the dbl ended w/c #251 (here is a picture of a four cavity mould for that bullet):
http://i269.photobucket.com/albums/jj80/Dale53/251.jpg (http://s269.photobucket.com/user/Dale53/media/251.jpg.html)

The six cavity mould weighs nearly five pounds and, frankly, is a bit much to handle at my advanced age. However, it too is a fine mould and I can empty that pot in just a touch over an hour.

My favorite is the #50, a truly classic target wadcutter. I, too, only lube the bottom groove. Here is a target I shot, standing, with my 6" Smith Model 686 at 25 yards:
http://i269.photobucket.com/albums/jj80/Dale53/img038_1294x1200.jpg (http://s269.photobucket.com/user/Dale53/media/img038_1294x1200.jpg.html)

I have tested this bullet extensively and from the Ransom Rest it benefits from a bit more powder than is typically recommended. I use 3.2 grs of Bullseye for groups under an inch at 25 yards (from the rest).

FWIW,
Dale53