Lyman 358395

[sealer]

Just bought one of these molds and from what I have read, you need to have a separate heat source to keep the hollow base pin hot between pours. If that's true, what does everyone use to accomplish that goal ?
Thanks, Dennis

[zubrato]

From what I've read, most stick HP/HB pins in the melt to get them up to temp. Great catch on the mold, been looking for one myself!

[TCFAN]

I pre heat my 358395 on a hot plate while I wait for the lead to melt. Then I just cast fast and have no problem with the hollow base pin which is large compared to a hollow point pin. I have cast thousands of these hollow base wadcutters.......Terry

[sealer]

zubrato,
One on Ebay right now.
Dennis

[Le Loup Solitaire]

I used to have to heat the pin for a hollow base 41 mag wadcutter. I made a holder out of a wooden base and some coat hanger wire that was twisted into a "coil"...into which the pin was held. The base was weighted with a couple of ingots. When the pin was threaded into the coil I would heat the pin with a propane torch. It was a crude setup and a slow process, but it worked. it was the only way that I could keep the pin up to temp so that it would not cause wrinkles. LLS

[sealer]

Seems like that could get expensive, burning a torch continuously during a casting session.
Dennis

[runfiverun]

you could make the same thing to dip the pin in your lead pot if you kept a pretty constant level of alloy in it.
once the pin is up to temp and every thing works freely you might be able to cast quickly enough to keep the pin hot enough with the alloy to not need the extra heat.
probably wanna run the alloy a bit warmer too.

[sealer]

Been casting with the new to me mold for 2 days. The pin and the mold are no problem to keep up to temperature once they get hot. It's just slower casting being a single cavity with the extra steps involved.
Dennis

[bedbugbilly]

sealer - I have never cast with that mold/size - but as you found out, when your mold is up to heat as is the base pin, it shouldn't be a problem. My molds with base pins are primarily Lyman/Ideal 575 molds for casting several different designs of boolits for .58 cal. rifled muskets. One of the molds I've been using for over 50 years and all I've ever done is place the base pin in the mold and set it on my gas hot plate so the wood handle on the base pin is away from the heat/flame. By the time I'm ready to pour, I may have one pour where the skirt is not completely filled. After that first pour, it's never been a problem. Using a mold with a base pin does give you and extra step but once you get your cadence going, keeping a base pin hot shouldn't be an issue.

[Forrest r]

The lyman 358395 makes a lllooooooonnnnnnggggg bodied button nosed bullet.

http://i162.photobucket.com/albums/t242/forrestr-photo/dc44d532-2147-4b13-a1e3-ea78e83a02a6_zpslae3gtad.jpg (http://s162.photobucket.com/user/forrestr-photo/media/dc44d532-2147-4b13-a1e3-ea78e83a02a6_zpslae3gtad.jpg.html)

I have 14 different hb molds, wc's/swc's/fn's & shoot then in anything from a 9mm to the 45acp. The 358395 really shines in my custom 1 in 10 twist 38spl/357 bbl's. I don't know what alloy you're casting those hbwc's with. I like to use a alloy around 9bhn that is high in tin and low in antimony.

Enjoy you're hbwc's

[sealer]

Yes, I noticed that the bullet was very long.
Dennis