Hollow Point Molds

[ACC]

I have three questions:

1. Just how hard is it to cast hollow point boolits? REALLY

2. The hollow point service debated here some times do they do a good service?

3. Will they do their service on Lee molds?

ACC

[fredj338]

It depends on the mold. Single cav with a pin, pita. Modified molds with the pins integral to the mold, pretty easy. Yes HP mold service will do some Lee, He does great work.

[redriverhunter]

the only hollow points i have used are N.O.E. and MP molds. As for getting a lee mold hollow point I can not say as how well they work, I do know that mp and noe hp's work great.

[Larry Gibson]

Since my normal shooting cast bullets don't require a HP I don't cast HP bullets for that purpose. I have several Lyman single cavity HP moulds. I also have a multi cavity mould with the HP pins but mostly use it with the FP pins. I also use a Forster HP tool to HP bullets in cartridges that will be used for hunting. With the standard HP pin diameter, the 1/16th or 1/8th Forster HP tool along with counter sinks I can adapt the cavity for the desired expansion. Thus, for the small amount I use for hunting, vermin and SD, I don't find casting HP bullets with the single cavity moulds or using the Forster HP tool a pita. With multiple cavity moulds and the varied pins available I find HPs no more difficult to cast, with an appropriate alloy, than any other type of cast bullets.

[johnsonian09]

I use noe and mp hp molds. Both work well but in my opinion the mp mold I have works noticeably smoother

Sent from my SM-J337VPP using Tapatalk

[OS OK]

Hollowpoint mould service is a great place to do business. Thank God for folks like him in this big Corporate world...you can actually get what you want there.

I wanted to experiment with 3, 4 & 5 sided cavities...Erik returned my email quickly & answered my questions & gave me his suggestions from his vast experience with HP moulds.

erik@hollowpointmold.com

His service was fast and friendly and I was happy as can be.
He modified this 2 cavity combination mould...

https://i.imgur.com/Fc1wwzZ.jpg

and now it throws 6 different HP's.

https://i.imgur.com/fdD78en.jpg

Just thought I'd put in my 2¢ for Erik, he is one of few artisans we have left in this industry.

charlie

[megasupermagnum]

I have three questions:

1. Just how hard is it to cast hollow point boolits? REALLY

2. The hollow point service debated here some times do they do a good service?

3. Will they do their service on Lee molds?

ACC

#1, not that hard. A single cavity with a pull pin mold can be slow, but it isn't like it's hard to do. With one of the inset bar molds, say a 4 cavity, you really aren't that much slower if at all from a non-HP mold. A NOE mold with the tipping pins really seems to depend on the design. Some are not the slightest bit of trouble, some can be frustrating until you figure out the right cadence.

#2, I'm assuming you mean Erik Ohlen, of hollowpointmolds.com. Fantastic, top of the heap. I've had 3 handgun molds, and 1 shotgun mold done by him. A better HP mold simply can not exist than an aluminum mold from Accurate molds, that has been inset bar converted by Erik. I personally don't like brass molds, so I'd steer clear of those. I had my shotgun slug mold made of brass, and converted by Erik. Great job by Erik, but brass is not as good as aluminum. Steel is good too.

#3 He lists Lee molds on his website from time to time, so I'd expect he will convert a Lee mold. Me personally, for the cost of his work, I'd get an Accurate or Arsenal mold to convert. Also don't do one cavity, you will regret it. If you have a 2 cavity mold, HP both cavities.

[ACC]

Hollowpoint mould service is a great place to do business. Thank God for folks like him in this big Corporate world...you can actually get what you want there.

I wanted to experiment with 3, 4 & 5 sided cavities...Erik returned my email quickly & answered my questions & gave me his suggestions from his vast experience with HP moulds.

erik@hollowpointmold.com

His service was fast and friendly and I was happy as can be.
He modified this 2 cavity combination mould...

https://i.imgur.com/Fc1wwzZ.jpg

and now it throws 6 different HP's.

https://i.imgur.com/fdD78en.jpg

Just thought I'd put in my 2¢ for Erik, he is one of few artisans we have left in this industry.

charlie

OK, exactly how does this mold work. My feeble mind cannot comprehend how it works.

ACC

[megasupermagnum]

@ACC, that is an inset bar mold. When you open the mold, the bullets stay on one side. You tip the mold over, and as you do, the assembly slides out with the bullets, and they fall off the pin. You can even have linkage installed that will mechanically pull out the pin assembly, but I'd not recommend that for hand casting.

[OS OK]

OK, exactly how does this mold work. My feeble mind cannot comprehend how it works.

ACC

Just like a MP mould...

https://i.imgur.com/gpTO8Al.jpg

[Bigslug]

1. They're a PITA compared to solids. If you have a design you really like and have to have it as an HP, I would consider getting two copies - one as a solid and the other as HP so you don't have to deal with the extra hardware when making your plinkers. The Cramer/MP/HP Mold system I think is superior to the NOE.

2. Never done one through him.

3. I wouldn't sink the investment into a Lee mold. The HP system works well with brass molds the really hold heat, and I suspect it would work well with iron molds where everything is the same material. An aluminum mold will be radiating off your heat faster. I've made HP's successfully off the NOE aluminums, but the experience has so far been such that I need a REALLY good reason to pick it up over an aggressive flat point.

[OS OK]

It's hard to say whether I like brass over steel or vise versa...but I do like the new line of 'Cast-N-PC' moulds...sprinkle a dash of PC in the cavity and wha'laa'...pour'em & take'm to the sizer...

https://i.imgur.com/zTk53mz.jpg

[Golfswithwolves]

Mr. ACC- I can only provide an answer to the first question based on my experience: I don't find it difficult at all to cast good HP bullets with my Lyman 358156 and 358439 hollow point molds. Mine are single cavity molds, so they take longer to cast a bunch of bullets. But who cares? I hope this helps. Bob

[ACC]

It's hard to say whether I like brass over steel or vise versa...but I do like the new line of 'Cast-N-PC' moulds...sprinkle a dash of PC in the cavity and wha'laa'...pour'em & take'm to the sizer...

https://i.imgur.com/zTk53mz.jpg

And where do you get that stuff?

ACC

[MT Gianni]

A good start is a hard evaluation of how many HP bullets you would need to shoot or carry in a year. For most of us the answer is less than 10. I have integral pin molds like the NOE RG series and conventional pin molds. The internals are easier, but spend most of the time with solid points or dished points in them. My conventional pin molds are backed up by multiple cavity molds that get the most use.

[Mk42gunner]

I have only cast HP with the Lyman style. I didn't find it all that difficult, but there are certain steps that have to be done in the right order for any kind of volume production.

For example, I found it best to pull the HP pin before cutting the sprue. Sometimes it needs a twist and pull to get it to release the boolit. If you have already cut the sprue, the boolit just turns in the cavity.

I am leaning heavily towards Larry Gibson's way of using a Forster HP jig. I just haven't remembered it while ordering anything yet.

Robert

[rintinglen]

I cast a lot of HP molds, using MP brass or NOE Brass or Aluminum. Mine are all multi cavity, either 2 or 4 cavities. I totally disagree with the "I only need a few crowd" and consider the Lyman singles to be one of the worst scams ever foisted on an unsuspecting public. In side by side testing of MP H&G 68 molds, both 4 cavity brass, I found I could cast about 10 hollow points per minute versus 12 conventional.
I have only used one of Greg Olen's conversions and it was first rate, but when you factor in the cost of the mold and the cost of his service, I prefer to stick with MP when I can get what I want from him, or NOE if I can't.

[Petander]

Just got a new MP mold in today.

I can only answer OP:s question #1: HP:s drop just the same as FN:s RF:s or RN:s from these molds. I like the easy options with pins.

I wouldn't customize a Lee mold, it's still a Lee mold, no matter how much money and effort you spend on it. Not bashing Lee here, I use many. But NOE, Accurate, MP... we have all these great options right there, casting good HP:s with ease.

https://i.postimg.cc/Hs6p9y3M/IMG-20211025-WA0001.jpg

[megasupermagnum]

I would not sign up for an MP mold hollow point right now. I'm still on the list from 2019. The last hollow point mold it appears he made was a 45-70 back in July 2019. That's not unusual either. The guy always has made snails look fast.

[AnthonyB]

I love HP moulds in all flavors, having Ideal and Lyman singles; Ideal, Lyman, NOE and RCBS two-cavity moulds with one cavity HP’d using the old Ideal pin system, BRP singles, and NOE and MP multi-cavity molds. I prefer the MP Cramer design in the multi-cavity moulds, but the NOE system also works well with a little experience. The single cavity Ideal and Lymans were the only ones I could find for years, and I still enjoy using them and find no difference in casting other than removing and re-inserting the HP pin.
I understand the lack of patience with the MP delivery schedule but don’t ‘get’ it - sign up and wait to be told when to pay. There is no money up front and the moulds are almost too pretty to soil with lead. I haven’t used any of Eric’s conversions but have heard nothing but good things about them. As others have posted, I would not pay that kind of money to convert a Lee mould and would buy an Accurate iron mold to convert instead.
I figure the wait from MP for something I didn’t have before is firmly in the category of no issue - I didn’t have it for 54 years so will survive another couple in the same situation.
Tony

[megasupermagnum]

Sure, there's no money upfront with MP, but when I sign up for one of these buys I'm taking his word that this will be done, and he has mine that I'll pay. Taking 3+ years to cut some holes in a block of metal is breaking a promise. I can't believe people still defend this guy. If he made just a single mold a day he would have them all out in a timely manner. From what I'm seeing, he uses these buy lists as a fallback for when his regular job doesn't pay out. A good side hustle is a good thing, but this is just ridiculous.

[Good Cheer]

Erik recently modified a .41 SWCGC mold to make it a wide flat nose / hollow point.
The plug is the hollow base plug he had previously made for a .40 paper patch mold with adjustable length interchangeable tips (hollow base configurations, plain base).
Beautiful workmanship.

[AnthonyB]

MSM; we see things differently on the wait, but MP has never ‘broken a promise’ to me. He has shipped moulds I didn’t order and wanted no payment, replaced one mould that dropped bullets out of round, and re-cut another set of blocks that didn’t match the design drawing at no charge. I know going in that his delivery timeline varies and am content to wait; what is there to defend? I am in several group guys now and will continue to order HP designs I can’t get anywhere else or for close to the same price.
Tony

[megasupermagnum]

You can order a mold from Accurate, shipped straight to Erik for $100, then have Erik do the conversion for $100. For around $250 you can have anything you can dream of sitting on your door step in about a 1 1/2 to 2 months usually.

So MP is about $100 cheaper. Is that really worth letting him jerk you around for 3+ years?! If we were talking 6 months, then maybe, but his wait times are lunacy from the days Lee custom was the only game in town.

[OS OK]

And where do you get that stuff?

ACC

"Es una broma!"

That's Tex-Mex for: "It's a joke."

[Petander]

Well I saw 477 in stock and ordered my MP mold last thursday and DHL brought it yesterday,that being four days from order to casting . As usual.

MP slow? Are you people talking about group buys? Miha clearly shows what he has in stock and ships right away. Group buys are a different thing, I recommend shopping directly. I've been in a MP slug group buy for almost a year now I think.

Accurate turnaround time is seven weeks atm, I have an order in.

[AnthonyB]

MSM; I am not trying to convince YOU that a mould from MP is right for YOU. I am trying to provide an assessment of MP moulds to inform new buyers that counters your delivery time is everything argument against them.
Let’s take your example of an Accurate design HP’d by Eric a little further and compare apples to apples:
1. Accurate 4-cavity brass mould is roughly $160. I will stipulate the MP price is about the same to make the comparison easier.
2. Conversion from Eric is $75 per cavity for his inset bar design. Eric says it is better than the Cramer design; I have never used the inset bar and have no opinion. So $300 for the conversion of a four cavity mould.
3. Eric charges $20 per cavity for extra pins that are included in the price of the MP mould. My last several moulds from MP included small, large, hex, and solid pins. Cup pins are sometimes included as another option. Four pins at $20 each times four cavities equals $360 in pins alone.
4. My math says that is $660 in the conversion cost alone.
Again, I am not trying to convince YOU. This is for others considering an MP mould. MP does not “jerk” anyone around; a little research on previous group buys clearly provides the information on delivery timelines for a group buy. I will not include the in-stock molds Petander mentioned that can be delivered in a week; apples to apples.
You are entirely correct that Accurate can provide almost any design I want, and I don’t have to wait for several of my internet friends to agree with what I want and move the design to the active list. However, $160 plus $300 plus $360 does not equal the roughly $160 price of a mould from MP and is far from your $250 example.
The ill-defined delivery time is a deal breaker for you. I understand that. It may not be for others, and to dismiss MP based solely on the timeline does new buyers a disservice.
As for the reference to the old Lee buys, I served as a honcho for some of them, and there is no comparison between Lee and MP as far as quality is concerned.
I maintain my opinion that MP offers a very high quality mould at a price unavailable anywhere else if you have the patience to wait. My point is that ALL of these factors should be considered in the decision making process.
Tony

[megasupermagnum]

Well Tony, I can't argue much with that, other than I'd never buy another brass hollow point mold again. Big mistake on my part. The aluminum is cheaper. $244 is exactly what I just paid in July to have a 4 cavity Accurate mold made, shipped to Erik, converted to HP, and shipped to my door.

I just checked the MP website, and I'm blown away that you are correct. They have tons in stock. This doesn't make me feel better. I'm absolutely furious he is this blatant on not giving a rip about us in group buys. It's inexcusable. I'll never even try to buy a MP mold again, he's jerked me around half a dozen times now.

That's all I have to say, sorry to drag this thread down. I'll let it be from now on.

[alamogunr]

I'm not getting into the discussion of long wait times. I've got more molds than I'll ever use. Many of those molds are MP. They have always performed well, sometimes after some fiddling. Those that I use a lot, I may have two copies.

Regarding hollow point molds, I drank the koolaid for a while. Those molds have sat unused. Just this week decided to try one. The mold I chose was the MP .327 Single 7 Mjolnir. I have put off loading for the Single 7 because of oversize throats and too many others that I could cast, load and shoot without problems. I'm going to start by using the blank inserts for a solid nose. If these work in my gun, I'll try one of the HP pins. This mold is the real reason I wanted to try PC. To try to fit the throats of the gun.

A lot of words to say that this thread, with examples of good results, has prompted me to try my HP molds.

[megasupermagnum]

How big are the throats? Most 327's have .314" throats, this is ideal. .315" would be nothing to worry about, most molds should cast that big.

[alamogunr]

How big are the throats? Most 327's have .314" throats, this is ideal. .315" would be nothing to worry about, most molds should cast that big.

When I first got the Single Seven, most were quoting throats at .312-.313. If the MP mold casts as large as .314, I'll either tumble lube or lube w/o sizing. Whichever works best. If it casts smaller, I'll try PC. PC still seems more trouble than regular size and lube.

[megasupermagnum]

I'm sure there are plenty of .313" around. I doubt very many have been made at .312", and that would not be a good scenario for a cast bullet. I have yet to see a 32 caliber bullet mold that did not cast at least .314". Even the Lee 311-93-1R casts .314". I'm sure your MP mold will cast more than .314", and probably more like .315" or .316".

I currently have an LCR, SP101, GP100, and Henry BB. The Henry will take a .315" bullet, the three revolvers all take a .314". I shoot .314" in all of them.

[AnthonyB]

MSM; I enjoy your posts and there was no perception of dragging the thread down on my end! I appreciate the differing viewpoint.
Tony

[Forrest r]

I've cast with a lot of hp and hb molds over the decades. Don't know why but I really like the 640 series hp molds Mihec puts out. The ability to use a lighter weight bullet (hp version) or the solid nosed heavier bullet is priceless to me. Owned 2 cavity cramer and h&g molds that were setup to cast 1 solid nosed bullet/1 hp bullet. The mihec 640 series molds are 4-cavity except for the 44cal.

Never really found it harder to cast a hp or hb bullet with the exception of the h&g #38 "ness" bullet. The hp or hb bullets can take longer to cast but the extra time it take to cast hp/hb bullets is well worth it to me.

Sad to see these types of discussions about wait times for molds. Earlier this year I ordered a mold from accurate. It was a 4 cavity mold with 2 different rifle bullets. I forget what the website said about wait times/turn around times. Nor did I bother them or count the time it took on a calendar. I was grateful when the mold showed up & sill in awe that accurate produces such a beautiful custom mold and delivers it for so little $$$.

Yes I've bought molds from Mihec's website and had them in my hand within a week. And yes I was on group buys that took over a year. Owned over 20 mihec molds all but 1 of them were either a hp or hb mold. Quality is worth waiting for.

IMHO:
Everyone should try at least 1 hp or hb mold or at least a forester hp tool. There's a lot of knowledge to be gained from using those bullets.

[Cosmic_Charlie]

I found that a hot preheat really helps with my MP mold. And also that it has a narrow temp range where it is happy. Has a tendency to get too hot and won't drop the boolits nicely. I run my alloy a bit cooler at about 680. Got a small computer fan but have not set it up yet.

[JackQuest]

I have had 2 molds modified to double HP, a difficult to find 40 caliber "Cowboy" Ideal 400-43, and a Lyman 356402 (shown). Beautiful machining in both cases. He also trued up a Lyman 429421 4 cavity that my dad rode hard and put away full of Pb. Erik Ohlen did the work and it was great.

As most probably have noted, the mechanism to make these moulds work involves little "C" clip retainers. These can be sneaky and disappeared suddenly.

I've run around 250 good boolits from the 400-43. At the beginning of casting one of those C clips disappear, but was found in my cold water dipping bucket. It got 'glued' using High Temp RTV rubber, the red stuff.317504 Photos show how I pushed the ends of the steel sliders into the red goo, forming a little blob that looks like orange/red ice cream on the rods. Let it cure for 24 hours and see if you keep losing those clips.317505317506317507[ATTACH=CONFIG]317508[/ATTACH

[1eyedjack]

I enjoy casting hollow point bullets! I have 2 MP molds that cast beautiful bullets with no more effort than casting regular bullets. Pre heat , run the pot on the hot side 725ish degrees and rotate the mold upside down when opening the mold so the bullets can fall off the pins onto several layers of old bath towels. I do prefer casting outside when it's cold with a fast tempo .There is a learning curve but each mold has it's own quirks whether it's 1 of my lee or Lyman steel molds.
If there is a question of quality it would surface here as there are few bashful members on this forum,!

[BJung]

I own MP Molds and a Lee HP mold. Neither has given me problems after I learned how to use them. First, you have to make sure your mold is heated. A hot plate will help. And, you need to both graphite the pin. I would also suggest you drop the bullet with the pin facing down so the hole isn't distorted by the pin as the cast bullet falls out. the changeable pins in the MP molds are also quite handy. With a two-cavity mold, the weight of my cast bullets are more consistent than bullets cast with my Lee gang mold. My Lee HP mold works fine too but it's a single cavity mold. I don't have experience with converting molds. Try artfulbullet.com if you don't find a good answer.

[44Blam]

I have several NOE and MP molds that do HP boolits. They generally work great. My most recent one is a 45 cal mold and it makes GREAT boolits!
317554

[Krh1326]

I have several of MP’s molds, and several of Erik’s Lee conversions… actually waiting on two more mods, from Erik, as I type. Have had zero issues with either of them. I have one NOE 356-124-TC hollow point mold, that throws great boolits, but the design I really don’t care for. It is the RG version ( Rube Goldberg) that has the pins extending thru the bottom, and held in place by two metal clips, screwed to bottom of mold. I find it uncomfortable sliding it across the rest, while casting.

Side note: I really do like MP’s mold quality, but I am starting to appreciate the Lee ones, even more. They are cheap enough to just buy two, use one as is, and have Erik mod the other. No mold modification going from solid to hp, and vice versa

[Cosmic_Charlie]

I have several MP HP molds. .38, .44 & .45. Have yet to shoot anything with them. If I lived in the sticks I would at least have been able to test one on a racoon or something.

[T.J.Smith]

MP Molds are very easy to use. They make great HP bullets.317591

[elmacgyver0]

"Es una broma!"

That's Tex-Mex for: "It's a joke."

It's a good one too, had me going for about 5 seconds.
I'm somewhat gullible.

[justindad]

I have an MP HP mold for the Keith style 170 grain .357 boolit. The HP pins help to eject the boolits from the mold, speeding up the casting process.