Who is using MP 452-374 Hollow point mold?

[Bagdadjoe]

I just ordered it, makes about my 5th Mihec mold. I prefer a little heavier, little wider .45 boolet, but this was available.
Anyone using this mold? How do you like the boolets as far as accuracy and expansion?
I may run some really soft with plain-base checks.
Those have worked well before...got 'em..might as well use them.

[mnewcomb59]

Try them out for expansion and penetration! That is all that matters. You can't control either expansion or penetration, other than making it soft enough to expand or too hard and doesn't expand/ beginning to expand. Once it expands, you get what you get for penetration with each depth HP pin.

My guess is it will be pretty big compared to a HST, Gold Dot or XTP. That has been my experience with HP molds. Since they expand larger, they usually penetrate less.

My NOE 250 HP (265-WFN, 1-.5-98.5 alloy) barely penetrates 3 milk jugs at 1000 fps but expands to 78 caliber, 100% weight retention. It doesn't even dent the back of jug 3. That equates to about 10" ballistic gel or a single lung on a broadside deer. However, this one still expands with 4 layers of denim, and since the HP is shallower after being plugged with denim, it penetrates 5 jugs and only expands to .65 cal. 250 XTPs penetrate 5-6 jugs at the same speed, but it gets to only 58-62 cal, and the edges of the mushroom break off leaving around 240 grains.

The cup point version 262 gr (1-.5-98.5 alloy) at 1080 fps mushroomed a little bit less than the deep hp even though it had 80 more fps. But it still only dented the back of jug 3 and the front of jug 4.

My 9mm needs harder alloy so I run 2-2-96 AC and it too is only a 3 jug load. This is the NOE 124 TC smooth sided. The cup point that came with this mold comes to a razor edge on the meplat and it casts like **** all scalloped around the edge. If I put a large bolt in my press and bump the scalloped noses against the bottom of the bolt they even out, but I shouldn't have to do that on a $140 mold. For that reason I have only cast with it twice but my penetration tests were impressive. 5 jugs and .44 caliber. If that is anywhere repeatable, that is a deer and hog load.

All the best jacketed, high powered rifle deer loads penetrate 16-26" of gel, 4-7 milk jugs or 1 deer on a pretty hard quarter-almost Texas heart shot. 180 Core Lokt 30-06 5 jugs at 50 yards. 170 gr Core Lokt 30-30 7 jugs at 50 yards. .243 Win Core Lokt 3 jugs at 50 yards. Notice the .243 penetration is nowhere near the .30-30. If your load only does 3 jugs and you wanna hunt deer, avoid leg bones and quartering shots, no matter the energy or momentum your gun might have. Penetration kills. Hard cast 158 SWC penetrates 8 jugs at 1450 fps. Hard cast .452 200-rf penetrates 11 jugs at 1200 fps. Hard cast 255-RF penetrates 13 jugs at 1100 fps

Once you figure your accurate alloy that is soft enough to expand, your penetration test will tell you what it is suitable for. Usually they tend to penetrate 1/3 of a similar flat nose.

Loads that pass FBI penetration specs for duty penetrate and stop in about 4-5 milk jugs full of water. Cast hollow points usually expand pretty big because there is no jacket to control the expansion.