Hollow Point Advice

[pls1911]

Prepping to get into a 4 cavity NOE version of the RCBS 35-200 mold with hollow point plugs. Plenty of experience casting here, but never a hollow point .
Suggestions, advice?
Any tips for handling hollow points plugs, preheating, alloy preferences?

[Larry Gibson]

Prepping to get into a 4 cavity NOE version of the RCBS 35-200 mold with hollow point plugs. Plenty of experience casting here, but never a hollow point .
Suggestions, advice?
Any tips for handling hollow points plugs, preheating, alloy preferences?

Uh, excuse me but I've posted these pictures numerous times the last couple years in response to other queries such as yours. However, I use the Lyman style of HP mould/stem or use the Forster 1/8 & 1/16" HP tool. The 35-200-FNs were HP'd 3/16" deep with the 1/8" HP tool.

I prefer an alloy of COWWs +2% tin and then mixed 50/50 with pure lead. Bullets are AC'd 10+ days before anything is done to them. Lube is 2500+, GCs are Hornady, sized at .360 and loaded over 27 gr 4895 for 2150 fps out of my Shilen barreled M91 Argie......35 Rem of course.

Target shows 2 five shot groups (top)at 100 yards for zero and 5 shots at 200 yards (bottom) after 3 moa was put on receiver sight.

Simple to make wire holder for keeping a Lyman HP stem hot with propane torch.

Larry Gibson

9982699827998289982999830

[USSR]

Run your pot a little hotter than normal, cast fast, and don't take a lot of time looking them over while you cast.

Don

[pls1911]

Larry and USSR, Thank You.
Your responses were just what I was looking for.
Larry, I never saw your prior posts, as I wasn't looking into .35s or HPs.
Your alloy is about what I run now, as it will still heat treat nicely to mid 20s bhn.

[Larry Gibson]

pls1911

The heat treated alloy should do as well, don't know as I have used it. I use the bullets of that alloy AC'd and just clean the barrel every 7-8 shots to maintain that level of accuracy. Otherwise a bit of fouling builds up and the accuracy goes to about 3 moa and holds. Cleaning the barrel is fine for my hunting loads as I don't shoot that many anyway. My practice alloy is the COWWs + 2% tin w/o the lead and the same load is used. I don't HP those. The accuracy holds regardless of the number of shots and the zero's are the same.

Larry Gibson

[Shuz]

pls1911--The NOE hollow point boolit moulds use a captivated system of retaining the hollow point pins with the mould and the system described by Larry Gibson, while good advise for the Lyman method, is not applicable to the NOE or MP mould hollow point methods. Just do as USSR suggests and run your pot a little hotter than normal, but you may not even have to do that. I don't with my MP hollow point 4C mould in .44 cal.

[Blammer]

pre heat your mould somehow and keep it hot, no real need to run alloy hotter, you really need the mould hotter.

[cbrick]

pre heat your mould somehow and keep it hot, no real need to run alloy hotter, you really need the mould hotter.

Bingo!

Run your pot at about 700-725 & cast faster, don't admire any of your new creations while your casting. Keep the mold closed and full as much as possible. Even though the pins are captive they do not have the mass the mold blocks do and can cool quickly. A hot HP pin is a happy HP pin. If you run into trouble with the nose of the boolit not filling out well and the rest of the boolit is your pins are too cool.

For the HP boolits I would forget the quenching if you want any expansion, just use the same alloy air cooled.

Rick