Sage outfitters bullet molds

[Gunlaker]

I've been thinking of ordering one of his molds to experiment with next year. Has anyone had significant experience with these molds? I'm interested in how they compare in quality with Brooks, Jones, or Buffalo Arms molds.

thanks,

Chris.

[Don McDowell]

Unless he's changed mould makers, the outfit that was making the moulds for him has closed their doors, and left a lot of folks holding empty promises on moulds already paid for...

[Chill Wills]

Don, Thanks for the update on the outfit that was making them for Sage. I thought something like that was going on but lost track. A Shooter here in Colorado ordered a mould more than a year ago.... much more than a year ago, from Sage and was waiting more than a year to receive it and I never did know if he was refunded by Sage or got his mould.
The molds and blocks were first rate based on the only one I saw and held. I had a sample Harlin supplied me to give as a door prize at the 2014 American Creedmoor Cup. I made the man who won it promise to cast with it and let "us" know what he thought of it - BUT, like these things go, I did not hear back from him.

Of course, It is more than five years I am waiting for a mould from one of the well known top of the line mould makers and I wont ever see that one. By-By $$$.


PS - durn snow is keeping me from match shooting!:cry:

[Gunlaker]

Thanks for that information. I'll look elsewhere.

Have you guys got a lot of snow? Here I can still shoot, but we've been getting a lot of heavy rain. Often visibility is not good with apertures so I've mostly been shooting with scopes. Soon the longest,darkest day of the year will be behind us at least.

Chris.

[Don McDowell]

I'm home today as well. Kenny W and I were going to go to Cody's match this morning, but when we started getting the forecast a couple of days ago we decided to not go ice skating... As to the moulds,, yup I'm out 200$ from someone else that I had ordered one of those moulds from...
Chris not a lot of snow today yet, but it was warm enough that it rained first during the night and that turned to ice covered with about 2 inches of slush...

[country gent]

I have several Old West moulds by Bernie Rowles that are first rate and cast great bullets. But I havent been abble to contact him here the last few months either. I have Bernies 45 cal 3 groove 547 grn shilouetter bullet in 2 cavity and also his 40 cal 400 grn nasa bullet in both 1 and 2 cavity. Both are in His brass blocks. Findig good desighns in properly made moulds can be tricky at times.

[Gunlaker]

I'm not a big fan of slush :-). We get our fair share of it here on the coast. I'm envious of the shooters who live near Phoenix right now.

Country Gent I've generally stuck with a small number of mold makers, mostly Brooks, Baco, and Hoch for the short range stuff. I'm going to think about it a bit more. Basically I need a couple of Money bullets that are a bit different than the off the shelf stuff. I'd like a version of the Kidwell .40 cal money bullet with a little change to the lube grooves, plus something for a last ditch effort to make one of my old CSA 1885's shoot well enough to compete with. I might just use an elliptical nose instead and talk to Steve Brooks. He has no problem with customization of that sort.

Chris.

[Chill Wills]

Country Gent,

Bernie is a friend of ours and he has shot our silhouette matches for a lot of years when I was putting them on at Rifle, Colorado. Yup - a town named Rifle.

Anyway, that bullet you speak of is a fine bullet and it is very good in some rifles, especially rifles with long throats to fill. He cobbled that bullet cherry up early in 2004 and showed it to me at our match. I said that looked to be just right for a 45-90 rifle I was shooting at the time. I asked him to make me a single cavity mold cutting it as deep into the base shank as he could, making a thick base and heavy bullet. Mine casts about 565-570grains. That summer I won match one of the two day NRA creedmoor national with it and the Arizona state silhouette championships that fall using it. That is still one of my favorite bullets to cast and shoot. And I like to cast bullets in brass blocks too!

If you are going to shoot a faster than 18 twist 45 barrel that is an especially good bullet to try. In its regular length 18T is great too. The Pedersoli is an example of a chamber that works well with this bullet chambered in 45-70.

Michael Rix

[Chill Wills]

Chris, Just about the time the snow and mud clears up enough to drive out on the range road we get another snow and we are out of luck again for a while. Getting stuck up to our axle sure puts a damper on doing that a second time.

[Gunlaker]

I think there is a definite advantage to living and shooting in a warm climate. :-) I just had a look at the weather near Byers. Are you anywhere near there? Definitely colder than I have it. Mostly I've been shooting at a covered 200m range, but in heavy rain. I'm not a big fan of being stuck axle deep in the mud. I am fortuate as the two ranges I use in winter have excellent roads and are usually plowed if it snows.

The only thing good about this time of year is that I can do a few experiments with rifles that I haven't got shooting very well. That and dream up ideas for new rifles and bullets. :-)

Chris.

[Don McDowell]

Chris, Brook's "new postell" nose is very similar to the money bullet.

Michael if the weather forecast for the next week stays good, there won't be anymore sinking in the mud, sliding on frozen ground maybe,,,

[Gunlaker]

Don if I go with Brooks again I'll probably stick with his elliptical nose. I have one of his elliptical bullets in .38 and it's really good. I think it's a super slippery design. I keep meaning to order a PP one for my .45-70.

Don and Michael, how much practicing do you guys manage to get in between now and spring anyway? I'm giving serious thought to Steve R's LR match in March, but I'd be pretty rusty at that time of year. I need as little rust as possible :-) :-)

Chris.

[John Boy]

Unless he's changed mould makers, the outfit that was making the moulds for him has closed their doors, and left a lot of folks holding empty promises on moulds already paid for...



Verifying Don's post ... A new Sage '457' weight mold charged to my credit card May 8th, 2015 and no refund. I understand Harlan is recovering from surgery so I'll wait till after he recovers and contact him again in the New Year. You'll also notice Sage Outfitters doesn't have molds on their website anymore and all his listed bullets are in back order status

[kokomokid]

The mould I got is first rate but the sprue plate is a different story. Ask Harlan if anyone was making a decent sprue plate for the moulds about two months ago and he said his mould maker was kaput.

[Don McDowell]

Don if I go with Brooks again I'll probably stick with his elliptical nose. I have one of his elliptical bullets in .38 and it's really good. I think it's a super slippery design. I keep meaning to order a PP one for my .45-70.

Don and Michael, how much practicing do you guys manage to get in between now and spring anyway? I'm giving serious thought to Steve R's LR match in March, but I'd be pretty rusty at that time of year. I need as little rust as possible :-) :-)

Chris.

Chris I won't get much practicing in now probably until late April, and quite possibly the only "practicing" that will amount to much would be the gong match at Alliance. Someday I'll be old and retired and get to go to the Phoenix match.

[Chill Wills]

The mould I got is first rate but the sprue plate is a different story. Ask Harlan if anyone was making a decent sprue plate for the moulds about two months ago and he said his mould maker was kaput.

Is it not flat? Can you tune it to make the mold useful? Which bullet is your mould for? Sounds like a challenge to me. I better not assume anything :shock: lest I get in trouble.


I think this was the same outfit that was heavy into producing molds for the powder coat pistol discipline - are they still at it and just dropped the BPCR part of it? Making money at BPCR molds is a slow go in a shallow market that is already well covered by a handful of very good makers. Always room for more GOOD makers tho.

[country gent]

I have brooks, Baco, RCBS some lymann and old wests. The old wests are brass and cast like a dream. I cast a few hundred 420 PP money style 40 cals the other day from the baco moud it is also a very good mould dropping bullets and running good. One thing I enjoy in Dealing with Mr. Brooks or Mr. Roweles is the knowledge information base that can be drawn from. A mould maker that actually does what your doing is a big plus.

[Chill Wills]

Don and Michael, how much practicing do you guys manage to get in between now and spring anyway? I'm giving serious thought to Steve R's LR match in March, but I'd be pretty rusty at that time of year. I need as little rust as possible :-) :-)Chris.

We try to shoot a lot here, and that is just a try. We also schedule silhouette matches like BPCR, 22BPCR Cowboy lever and now schuetzen matches year round. Some years the weather cycles catch us just right and we do a lot of shooting. Some years not. Some winters I do a lot of load testing and work with new rifles because I don't like summer heat and the places I like to shoot are too full of crazy people.

[Chill Wills]

One thing I enjoy in Dealing with Mr. Brooks or Mr. Roweles is the knowledge information base that can be drawn from. A mould maker that actually does what your doing is a big plus.

So true!

[kokomokid]

Chill, The sprue is for a 35-40 maynard and a full .250" thick very hard to keep hot. The worst part is the extension of the sprue sticks straight in front of the mould making casting even over a large lee pot messy for a not so neat caster.
The sprue is flat and I keep it sharp just not a Jones or Brooks I normally use.

[Chill Wills]

Chill, The sprue is for a 35-40 maynard and a full .250" thick very hard to keep hot. The worst part is the extension of the sprue sticks straight in front of the mould making casting even over a large lee pot messy for a not so neat caster.
The sprue is flat and I keep it sharp just not a Jones or Brooks I normally use.


OK - I get it what your saying.

On an other subject....
From the rifles - riflemen I shoot with - The 35-40 Maynard is both a good one and can be real finicky day to day - match to match. Is that your experience?
What twist is yours? I think the fast twist - small bores tend to be that way.

[kokomokid]

Chill, I just got this gun built and started working on loads. It is a 10 twist douglas and shoots good enough to kill my new ProChrono which was mot a big loss.

[Hiwall55]

I've got a 35-40 built on a Browning BPCR. It's a hoot to shoot, 10 twist shoots a 345 grain nasa bullet , made by Paul Jones. 46 grains of 1996 goex.I was wanting to try the sagebrush.35 money bullet for a 10 twist. Glad I didn't order a mould.

[Rifle 57]

I've been thinking of ordering one of his molds to experiment with next year. Has anyone had significant experience with these molds? I'm interested in how they compare in quality with Brooks, Jones, or Buffalo Arms molds.

thanks,

Chris.

I would give Tom at Accurate Molds a try you will not be sorry.
Loren.