NEI Molds is out of business...I just noticed

[pls1911]

Gents, FYI:

NEI is Out of Business due to the passing of the machinist/owners. Wife Patti was entertaining reasonable offers on gear and remaining stock.
It might be worthwhile to check the website and check into what's left and/or the current status.

I have several of their molds and they were first rate.

Cheers.

[JonB_in_Glencoe]

Yeah, They stopped taking orders over a year ago.

http://castboolits.gunloads.com/showthread.php?349603-Nei-bullet-molds-not-taking-orders

[dkf]

Sad but we have NOE and Accurate which IMHO are superior. (I own several of each as well as NEIs)

Opinions vary. NEIs are my favorite molds to cast with and I have numerous NOE, Accurate, Lee, HM2, Lyman, MP, ACE etc.

[megasupermagnum]

The NEI molds I have are on par with my Accurate and NOE molds. The only thing I don't like is that they are iron. I much prefer aluminum. I have both the 38 and 44 caliber SSK designs made by NEI. I'd go so far as to say they cast easier than Accurate. For whatever reason, I have to concentrate more with Accurate molds to keep the base filled out fully.

[lightman]

Thats sad to hear but thats the way thing go. They had a good run.

[Sig556r]

another good business gone...got a couple of NEI aluminum, work great

[ABJ]

It is sad to see an old school business go away. Walt was a great mold maker and knew how to tweek his machines to get what he/we wanted. It will be a shame for all those cherries not to be used, but like said earlier the CNC technology of the current mold makers is a new generation of precision in mold making now. Accurate Molds turns out some absolute works of art and can customize it any way you want for a reasonable price. I have molds from Lyman/RCBS/Saeco/ Magma/NEI and Rapine. All good molds but all my new ones come from NOE,Accurate and Arsenal because I can tweek the as cast size to get what I need. NOE doesn't do custom but most of his designs are made to throw bigger vs Lyman throwing smaller than what we generally need.
Tony

[GunStuff]

I got burned by NEI. Joel took my money but did not send the mould. In spite of his "Glory to God" logo that he used to represent himself, he was untruthful and kept stringing me along.

[Don Purcell]

That "Glory to God" should have tipped you off.

[GunStuff]

That "Glory to God" should have tipped you off.

Yes, but it wasn't used until they had my money. You are right that when people use their religion to gain one's confidence in their "business" it should alert you to be extra careful.

[Jack Stanley]

Those I bought from Walt were first rate , those after his passing were sad examples of how to waste aluminum and money .

Jack

[fatnhappy]

I have a couple mould from Walt that are works of art.
http://castboolits.gunloads.com/attachment.php?attachmentid=51190&d=1266682049


as of now:
NEI going out of business is a favor to bullet casters.

[M-Tecs]

That "Glory to God" should have tipped you off.

I never had any dealings with NEI, however, due to past experiences I will never do business any company with the Christian Fish Symbol or that proclaims how "Christian" they are unless they are specifically selling religious items. I not sure why but they (in my experience) tend to be some of the most dishonest businesses the I have ever dealt with. It might have something to do with the idea that they will be forgiven.

[dkf]

I have a couple mould from Walt that are works of art.
http://castboolits.gunloads.com/attachment.php?attachmentid=51190&d=1266682049


as of now:
NEI going out of business is a favor to bullet casters.

I think I have one NEI mold that was NOT made by Walt. I bought it on ebay. It has the NEI stamp on it but quality was nowhere close to Walts molds. Sprue plate and sprue plate screw design was not consistent with Walt molds. I didn't cast with it yet because I have to make a new sprue plate before I trust casting with it.

[baileyboy]

One of my many NEI favorites. 450-400 No.1 also in 400 Whelen, 400 H&H, 40-82 (.411 custom rebore). Have it's twin in 35 and 30 as well. Love the "DD" boolits.

235209

[LynC2]

Those I bought from Walt were first rate , those after his passing were sad examples of how to waste aluminum and money .

Jack

Walt was a standup guy and a heck of a good machinist. When I lived in El Paso, I used to go down to the shop and ** with him about a new mold design If he thought it was good idea he would do a cherry and add it to his catalog. That was many years ago. Too bad they went down hill after his death.

[lead-1]

Not to start anything or call out anyone but some people might not want to buy anymore Hodgdon, IMR or Winchester powders as Hodgdon works under a Jesus fish also, it's in their mission statement.
“Hodgdon Powder Company operates following Biblical principles to honor God. Our Mission is to provide quality products and services in a manner which enhances the lives of our employees, families, customers and our communities. In doing so, we will deal with integrity and honesty, reflecting that people are more important than dollars and our purpose is to bring credit to our Lord Jesus Christ.”
If this makes you not want anymore of those products that just means there will be more for me.
I've been ripped before and I'm sorry you got a raw deal from NEI, that is the first I've heard of that happening there.

ETA, I do/did have a NEI mold if I could find it, I have no idea where it went, hope it didn't accidently get tossed in a scrap box on garage cleaning day.

[M-Tecs]

Since is was the one that made that statement I will clarify. I specifically was referring companies that provide a service like machine shops, auto repair, builders and contractors. I have had some less than Christian dealings from these type of "Christian" business. At one time I sought out "Christian" business since I thought they would be more honest and shared my views. In my personal experience it was just the opposite.

My experiences paled in comparison to a very good friend of mine that owned a medium sized machine shop. He was doing very well than he decided to network with "Christian" business. That almost bankrupt him. The amount of deceit and underhanded dealings the other "Christian" business did to him was almost unbelievable. After he dumped the "Christian" networking he again did very well.

You can be on upstanding honest business and be Christian. The opposite not so much. Being a "Christian" business does not make it honest or upstanding.

[lead-1]

I totally understand both sides, and you mention "auto repair", like I said I didn't want to step on any toes. I will never forget the local church that asked my dad to fix their bus since he did mechanical stuff, then stiffed him for the bill saying they thought he was doing it out of the goodness of his heart.
Sorry for any inconvenience.

[dogmower]

some people might not want to buy anymore Hodgdon, IMR or Winchester powders as Hodgdon works under a Jesus fish also.
Who cares? If some company espoused Islamic or Hindu teachings, and had the best product, I'd use it. And, BTW, Christians by no means have a lock on Hypocrisy. My guess with the NEI situation, backed up by the posts here, is that the old man was a good, true Christian, but the people taking over for him weren't. We need to be less critical of the businesses and people who support our passion. We've got enough enemies as it is.

[truckjohn]

Unfortunately (or fortunately as your opinion runs) .. Carpet baggers are going to carpet bag. Wherever there is money - people will show up to exploit customers by whichever way they can...

There is no internal policing within Christianity regarding posting it's logos or marks on your stuff.. There is also neither an association which owns the trademark on the logos nor a government agency which polices it's use...

As such - you have to treat these marks just like any other marks that bear no commercial certification/regulation..

[EDG]

Businesses in general engage in marketing an image to the public in order to gain a business advantage.
Many businesses advertise family and employee orientation to provide a wholesome environment for happy competent employees. Most of the time those are cut throat companies that treat their employees and vendors like dirt.


An Example. An employee suffers a heart attack at work and goes to the hospital. While in the hospital he gets a call from the HR dept wanting to know exactly when the heart occurred. Their goal was to determine when they could get the employee off the clock and on his insurance coverage. They did not ask how the employee was doing. Their only concern was to avoid paying a salaried employee out of payroll when the time off was covered by insurance.

[crowbeaner]

I've been using Hodgdon, IMR(DuPont) and WW powders for over 50 years. I don't care about the Christian statement; I'm a Mason myself. I'm not about to stop purchasing their powders because I know what to expect from what's in the containers.

[krems]

I only owned one NEI mold. It has served me well for over 15 years. Too many good custom mold makers out there now. NEI fell victim to a competitive market. Too bad.

[dondiego]

I only owned one NEI mold. It has served me well for over 15 years. Too many good custom mold makers out there now. NEI fell victim to a competitive market. Too bad.

Actually, the owner, Walt Melander, died and his heirs didn't have his skills to maintain the quality.

[rrob692326]

Bought two of some of the very last molds that he made for my .585 Hubel. A Meehanite 780 grain and a 1150 grain one, two flawless beautiful molds that I think very few people could ever make. Like my custom molds from Veral (sp?)Smith, I will not part with them for ten times what I paid for them, He was a true master at his craft and will be sorely missed.

[475AR]

The NEI molds I have are on par with my Accurate and NOE molds. The only thing I don't like is that they are iron. I much prefer aluminum. I have both the 38 and 44 caliber SSK designs made by NEI. I'd go so far as to say they cast easier than Accurate. For whatever reason, I have to concentrate more with Accurate molds to keep the base filled out fully.
The 38 SSK mold you have is it the 200gr TC mold?

[megasupermagnum]

The 38 SSK mold you have is it the 200gr TC mold?

I think it is listed at 180, as they were made for linotype. Mine casts about 195 grains with COWW. Yes it is the truncated cone.