H&g #130

[fstreed]

I bought this mold, a 4 cavity, at a gunshow a couple of years ago. It had a lot of surface rust and some pitting, all on the outside. The cavities looked good and no rust on the faces of the blocks or anywhere that counts as important. I soaked it in Evapo-Rust over night, it cleaned up pretty well except for the pitting. And it came with the handles. I don't remember what I paid but it was fairly cheap, I think the rust scared most people off.

I just got around to using it. It is a real jewel to cast with. Bullets drop free on opening or at most a slight shake. Best casting mold I've ever owned, and I've owned quite a few from Lyman, RCBS, LBT, Lee, and Mountain Molds. Using wheel weight metal with a bit of tin it drops bullets at .454 weighing about 199 grns. I will be loading them in .45 Colt for use in a Uberti clone.

The only negative is that the sprue plate screw keeps loosening up. I'm hoping to fix that with a 1/4" wavy type washer, forget the technical name, to keep some tension on it.

[StuBach]

Kudos on saving a classic. Those old H&Gs are amazing molds but they are disappearing. Good to hear one got saved.

[toallmy]

I only have one h and g but it has a set screw to hold the sprue plate screw once adjusted . I thought they all did .

[lightman]

I have a few H&G molds and they all cast like you have stated. All of mine have a set screw for the sprue plate screw. Maybe your set screw is missing and you just did not notice the hole? Like the others have said, good save!

[avogunner]

... It is a real jewel to cast with. Bullets drop free on opening or at most a slight shake. Best casting mold I've ever owned.....

Hear hear!! My 2C #20 (169gr SP - Squibb) was like that from the first cast. I found this mold on ebay a few years ago and use it exclusively in my 1903. Keeping the speed down to around 1500fps, I get around 1.5-2.0MOA. AND...it hits point of aim @100yds with the leaf sight down so it's great for the informal Garand matches my club has (we only have 100yd capability). Anyway, I can make a pile of boolits fast with this, they just fall out and hardly ever have a reject.
Semper Fi

[jsizemore]

A small piece of solid copper wire (like #12-10 Romex) about an 8th inch long between the set and pivot screw will hold it in place. It'll come loose after first use but then will hold after that. I set my sprue plate tension, without the wave washer, so the sprue plate will open when the mold is turned sideways but doesn't swing. I hope that makes sense. I use antiseize on all the screw threads. That #130 was real popular with the bullseye crowd after WWII.

[fstreed]

Mine does have the set screw that locks the sprue plate screw in place. The plate screw is worn and battered where the set screw engages it. I think a replacement screw (1/4 x 28 fillister) will fix it. And I think I will take jsizemore's advice about a piece of copper or brass to keep it from happening again.

[fstreed]

Replaced the abused sprue plate screw with a 1/4 x 28 allen type cap screw with a wavey (spring) washer, put a small pellet of 10 Ga. copper wire under the lock screw, adjusted and seated it all in, works like a champ. I wanted a new slotted fillister head screw but couldn't find one so I went with the cap screw.

[NoZombies]

I've had several of the #130's (and still do) and they are the best shooting design in several of my .45's.

[StuBach]

Replaced the abused sprue plate screw with a 1/4 x 28 allen type cap screw with a wavey (spring) washer, put a small pellet of 10 Ga. copper wire under the lock screw, adjusted and seated it all in, works like a champ. I wanted a new slotted fillister head screw but couldn't find one so I went with the cap screw.

I have the brownells fillister screw set, send me a pm with the thread dimensions and if I have the one you need I can send it your way.

[Harter66]

I gave $30 for one that looked like that .
220844
220843

It cleaned up ok I guess .
220845
220846

Casts just as described .