Help me understand NOE bullet mold web site options.

[Fastleo]

I am trying to pick a mold design off NOE bullet molds. I think I have picked the mold I want but I am unsure of the 4 different drop down options( top punch, drill for probe, wrench lube ECT)on there site after you select the size and shape. I'm new to casting and I don't know what those options equate to. Help me pick the best for my needs.

Here is a link to one of the molds I want for my 45-70
http://noebulletmolds.com/NV/product_info.php?cPath=42_138&products_id=3415

[dragon813gt]

They're exactly what thu say. Top punch are for a Lyman 4500/RCBS LAM or a Saeco. Drill for probe is a predrilled hole in the mold for a thermometer. And you can purchase Allen wrenches and a bottle of mold lube.

[Smk SHoe]

Kinda starting out with a difficult one there. I heard brass blocks like to be run a little hotter and the Hollowpoint's can sometimes be a challenge. NOE makes some great looking and casting Molds. You will not be disappointed with one. I would recommend getting a Lee two cavity mold in something that would work in you 45-70 and practice a lot. I buggered up a few lee molds while learning. Noe molds are just to Nice to abuse. I am sure others with a lot more experience will chime in here in a while

[Fastleo]

Also am I missing the approximate mold weights with the different pins?

[Fastleo]

They're exactly what thu say. Top punch are for a Lyman 4500/RCBS LAM or a Saeco. Drill for probe is a predrilled hole in the mold for a thermometer. And you can purchase Allen wrenches and a bottle of mold lube.

I'm not sure what a top puch is.

[dragon813gt]

They're for the lubesizer models I listed.

[reddog81]

I've bought a dozen NOE molds and I'm not sure what a top punch is...

All you need is the mold and some handles. The lube and wrenches are handy but Most people probably already have the necessary wrenches.

Like others have said the brass molds with pins is going to be one of the more difficult molds to get good bullets out of for a beginner.

[Wayne Smith]

After casting a boolit it needs to be lubed. For low velocity tumble lube is OK, and you do not need a lube sizer. Many boolits need to be sized down to fit - a boolit cast at .454 will not fit in my ACP's so they need to be sized down to .452. Your options are the Lee/NOE type sizers that only size the boolit, or a lube sizer that does both sizing and lubing. For high velocity and rifle applications tumble lube is questionably adequate. Then your options are pan lubing and sizing or buying a lube sizer. The top punch fits in the Lyman/RCBS type lube sizers and pushes the boolit into the size die without disturbing the shape of the nose of the boolit because Al cut it to fit exactly.

I hope all this answers your questions.

[wv109323]

The top punch is a piece that fits the bullet lube/sizer. The ordered top punch will fit the nose of the bullet of the mold you ordered. The exact fit aligns said bullet straightly into the sizing die. There are three or four companies that make the lube/sizer and the top punch must be compatible with the brand of lube/sizer.
The allen wrenches fit the set screws,sprue plate screw and mounting screws of the mold.
The probe hole is a drilled hole in the mold so that a thermocouple or thermometer can be mounted on the mold to monitor mold temperature.
The lube is for a sprueplate lube.
People that have multiple molds do not need duplicates so NOE in order to hold costs down make them optional.

[Fastleo]

That's exactly what I needed to know guys, thanks.

[kiwi]

With that mould start casting with the flat point pins it is much easier to cast flat points than hollow points in the beginning, I have a 44/40 NOE brass mould casts beautiful bullets I have cast a few hundred FP's so far, the HP's need a bit more care with lead composition and temperature I usually up the tin % a bit and run the casting pot at 775F seems to work ok, you may have to tweak things a bit to the get the best results, mistakes can be returned to the pot for a rerun, it takes a few sessions to get a new mould up and running at it optimum performance if it goes pear shaped just pack up and have a go the next day

[Hardcast416taylor]

About the best advice I can give you is get the mold and a correct top punch for the type luber you have and cast away. Confusion reigns when trying to have too many do dads and trying to learn casting, in short K.I.S.S.!Robert