MP H&G #50 HBWC Loads

[Mitch]

This mold was offered in a group buy a while back,it is still listed on the MP site.So I have some of the HB cast and ready to load.there is a lot of info on 148 HBWC but nothing I have found for the 125grain HBWC that the MP mold makes.I have a good supplie of bothe 38 and 357 cases.I would like to hear what sort of loads you all are using for this bullet.Thanks

[NyFirefighter357]

I own this mold and can't find any good data either.

[Forrest r]

I've cast/swaged a couple of different bullets that were hb bullets in the same weight range (110gr to 130gr) for the 38spl's & 9mm's.

What don't want to do is cast them with too soft of an alloy. You'll get into the blow the skirts off territory/game. I cast mine out of 8/9bhn range scrap and water dropped them. Water dropping them helped protect the hb bases from getting deformed and brought the bhn up to 11/12bhn.

As far as data goes, use the lyman 358091 wc data & work up for accuracy.
Starting loads
700x 2.9gr
bullseye 3.1gr
titegroup 3.1gr
AA#2 3.1gr
231 3.7gr
unique 3.7gr
clays 2.7gr
reddot 2.8gr
N320 3.1gr
zip 3.5gr

When you're not sure about a bullet/load combo, look around. Speer uses a heavier 148gr soft lead swaged hbwc that is seated flush. Heavier bullet, seated deeper made out of a softer ally.
Max loads from the speer manual for the swaged 148gr hbwc seated flush
reddot 3.0gr
231 3.3gr
bullseye 3.1gr
700x 2.9gr
AA#2 3.1gr

A secondary data point/cross reference, lyman 3rd edition 358495 141gr button nosed wc
Starting loads/ some are stupid low (700x & 231)
700x 2.2gr 8,300cup
231 3.0gr 8,500cup
reddot 2.8gr 9,500cup
unique 3.8gr 10,300cup

I've been thinning the herd of hb molds I have, down to 12hb molds that cast bullets for the 32cal/35cal/41cal/44cal/45cal's. I shoot more of the Mihec 148gr hbwc/american select (3.0gr/13,500psi+) combo then the others. Need another #4 jug of am select (9,000+ rounds per jug) or I might switch to clays.
https://i.imgur.com/u3hwbYQ.jpg

Don't be afraid to heat your hb bullets up. There's a huge difference between a soft swaged lead hbwc and your cast hbwc's. Did a little testing with cast hb bullets in a snubnosed 44spl.
https://i.imgur.com/fo57jjU.jpg

The bottom left & top right bullets are 2 of the main bullets I use in that ca bulldog. The top right bullet is a Mihec 220gr 44cal hbwc that was cast with 8/9bhn range scrap &water dropped making it to hard/brittle & didn't expand. Same bullet/load, this time the 8/9bhn alloy was air cooled.
https://i.imgur.com/td95NhG.jpg

The top left bullet is a lyman 429422 hb swc that was cast out of 8/9bhn range scrap & air cooled. Then a forster hp tool was used to make the hp. The bottom right bullet was cast from a raphing hb fn mold. I initially cast some air dropped 8/9bhn bullets for the test along with pc'ing them red. I already had some 15bhn/water dropped bullets cast & coated red. Of course I grabbed the super hard bullets and used the foster hp tool to hp them. The recovered bullet didn't even deform but it did go thru 12"+ of wetpack @ 25ft.

Why all this?
Because with my cast hb bullets I run them in the 13,000/14,000psi for target work & +/- 18,000psi for sd loads.

Like I said at the start of the post, I'd use the 358091 starting data.

[rintinglen]

I have used it with 3.3 grains of WW-231, and 3.0 grains of Bulls eye with good accuracy. For revolvers, you can use any load listed for a 148 grain HBWC that provides 750 fps or more. I have not managed to get around to trying this in my S&W 52 yet, so I can not speak to that yet.
I originally bought this mold looking for light recoil target loads, but I have a hard time getting this mold into a sweet spot to cast good boolits. There seems to be a very thin line between poor fill-out and damaged boolits from opening the mold too soon. It is hard to match the production I get from my old H&G 50, though both are 4 cavity. I hope to find time this weekend to run off some more.

[Mitch]

I have used it with 3.3 grains of WW-231, and 3.0 grains of Bulls eye with good accuracy. For revolvers, you can use any load listed for a 148 grain HBWC that provides 750 fps or more. I have not managed to get around to trying this in my S&W 52 yet, so I can not speak to that yet.
I originally bought this mold looking for light recoil target loads, but I have a hard time getting this mold into a sweet spot to cast good boolits. There seems to be a very thin line between poor fill-out and damaged boolits from opening the mold too soon. It is hard to match the production I get from my old H&G 50, though both are 4 cavity. I hope to find time this weekend to run off some more.

I have a good supplie of 231 so that will be the powder i use.I have not shot may wad cutters in the past.i want these bullets for about the same reasons
As for casting with the mold.I have the same problem with the narrow window where it like to make good bullets.i run my temp at 720 with a pid heat the mold on a hot plate .the key seems to be the speed od of your casting a go as fast as i can.this seems to work for me.still this is the worst casting mold i have ever cast.

[NyFirefighter357]

But it make pretty bullets!

https://i.imgur.com/QZt77ln.jpg

https://i.imgur.com/IdiwL8K.jpg

[NyFirefighter357]

And lots of them too!

https://i.imgur.com/jOgzLrE.jpg

[NyFirefighter357]

And they dress nicely!

https://i.imgur.com/56gqHpi.jpg

[Mitch]

Thanks for posting the pics NyFirefighter357 .NyFirefighter357 bought the molds I cast with them .I am the caster.He is my tech guy lol.Both bullets are from MP 4 hole molds from group buy.The powder is from Smoke.

[NyFirefighter357]

I've cast/swaged a couple of different bullets that were hb bullets in the same weight range (110gr to 130gr) for the 38spl's & 9mm's.

What don't want to do is cast them with too soft of an alloy. You'll get into the blow the skirts off territory/game. I cast mine out of 8/9bhn range scrap and water dropped them. Water dropping them helped protect the hb bases from getting deformed and brought the bhn up to 11/12bhn.

As far as data goes, use the lyman 358091 wc data & work up for accuracy.
Starting loads
700x 2.9gr
bullseye 3.1gr
titegroup 3.1gr
AA#2 3.1gr
231 3.7gr
unique 3.7gr
clays 2.7gr
reddot 2.8gr
N320 3.1gr
zip 3.5gr

When you're not sure about a bullet/load combo, look around. Speer uses a heavier 148gr soft lead swaged hbwc that is seated flush. Heavier bullet, seated deeper made out of a softer ally.
Max loads from the speer manual for the swaged 148gr hbwc seated flush
reddot 3.0gr
231 3.3gr
bullseye 3.1gr
700x 2.9gr
AA#2 3.1gr

A secondary data point/cross reference, lyman 3rd edition 358495 141gr button nosed wc
Starting loads/ some are stupid low (700x & 231)
700x 2.2gr 8,300cup
231 3.0gr 8,500cup
reddot 2.8gr 9,500cup
unique 3.8gr 10,300cup

I've been thinning the herd of hb molds I have, down to 12hb molds that cast bullets for the 32cal/35cal/41cal/44cal/45cal's. I shoot more of the Mihec 148gr hbwc/american select (3.0gr/13,500psi+) combo then the others. Need another #4 jug of am select (9,000+ rounds per jug) or I might switch to clays.
https://i.imgur.com/u3hwbYQ.jpg

Don't be afraid to heat your hb bullets up. There's a huge difference between a soft swaged lead hbwc and your cast hbwc's. Did a little testing with cast hb bullets in a snubnosed 44spl.
https://i.imgur.com/fo57jjU.jpg

The bottom left & top right bullets are 2 of the main bullets I use in that ca bulldog. The top right bullet is a Mihec 220gr 44cal hbwc that was cast with 8/9bhn range scrap &water dropped making it to hard/brittle & didn't expand. Same bullet/load, this time the 8/9bhn alloy was air cooled.
https://i.imgur.com/td95NhG.jpg

The top left bullet is a lyman 429422 hb swc that was cast out of 8/9bhn range scrap & air cooled. Then a forster hp tool was used to make the hp. The bottom right bullet was cast from a raphing hb fn mold. I initially cast some air dropped 8/9bhn bullets for the test along with pc'ing them red. I already had some 15bhn/water dropped bullets cast & coated red. Of course I grabbed the super hard bullets and used the foster hp tool to hp them. The recovered bullet didn't even deform but it did go thru 12"+ of wetpack @ 25ft.

Why all this?
Because with my cast hb bullets I run them in the 13,000/14,000psi for target work & +/- 18,000psi for sd loads.

Like I said at the start of the post, I'd use the 358091 starting data.

Thanks for the info Forrest r

[rintinglen]

I should note that I load mine flush with the case mouth, OAL approx. 1.16".

[Mitch]

Thanks for the replies.i still nooed to load some up and try themIt was good casting wether and now a bit cold in my garage.And the holiday season is here lots of things to do.ill pot here when i get some loaded and shoot them.