Hensley & Gibbs #32 question

[LeadHead72]

Guys, I have a chance to pick up a near-new H&G #39 6-cavity mould with handles; 38/357 RN.
With me being more familiar with Lyman & RCBS moulds, what can you guys tell me about it, and what should I expect to have to give for one in such condition?

[fc60]

Greetings,

From the H&G Collector Website...

"#39 - .38 S&W Special and .38 Super. 158 grains. "Standard" round nose. One large rounded grease groove, one crimp groove, round nose. Similar to Ideal #358311, for customer. Available in plain base or bevel base or gas check base. Note that for .38 Super #39BB should be used, to be able to seat to full depth. December 10, 1941."

Price? They sell on eBay from $100.00 to $300.00.

Taken care of, they are hard to wear out.

Cheers,

Dave

[LeadHead72]

Greetings,

From the H&G Collector Website...

"#39 - .38 S&W Special and .38 Super. 158 grains. "Standard" round nose. One large rounded grease groove, one crimp groove, round nose. Similar to Ideal #358311, for customer. Available in plain base or bevel base or gas check base. Note that for .38 Super #39BB should be used, to be able to seat to full depth. December 10, 1941."

Price? They sell on eBay from $100.00 to $300.00.

Taken care of, they are hard to wear out.

Cheers,

Dave

Thanks, Dave. I know it's a 158 RN but perhaps my post wasn't well-worded. Was looking more for opinions on the mould design based on personal experiences, and what people think of it.

[jsizemore]

Standard old school duty ammo bullet. Easy to load in your revolver and use for close personal protection. It should be in pristine condition and San Diego for upper end price. Not a high demand design or rare. If it's a good friend I'm buying it from than $150-175 for any era that's in good shape. Condition is everything. How much work do you have to do to make it produce good, consistent bullets? If you plan to cast with it than a detailed clean, adjustment and lube is in order. If it's rusty than run away unless you like a challenge. H&G molds are user friendly as long as you do your part.

[LeadHead72]

This one appears to be in new or near-new condition. At this time I'm not sure of the vintage.

[jsizemore]

San Diego or Murphy. Balloon head screws or flat. Skinny handle slot or big. serial # or size with mold #.

Go to the H&G sticky.

https://castboolits.gunloads.com/showthread.php?38421-The-complete-list-of-Hensley-amp-Gibbs-Bullet-Molds

and more

https://www.hensleygibbs.com/

Texasflyboy spent a bunch of time compiling this info. Lots to learn. Also read the owners manual to know how to keep your mold, actually all your molds, in great condition.

[LeadHead72]

Maybe these will help. Sorry I don't have better pics.

326644

326645

[FISH4BUGS]

I cast with the exact same mould. There is nothing weird or strange about that mould. It is your standard old school 38/357 round nose.
A few things -
1) if you decide to get it, the handle screws on the bottom of the mould should be flush or inset to the mould body. The mould is heavy and really NEEDS a mould guide to effectively not have your forearm looking like Popeye's after a casting session.
2) The output of a 6 cavity H&G is wonderful. You really need a Star sizer to size and lube even two or three casting session's output. It is not unusual to do three two hour casting sessions and wind up with 1000 bullets.
3) I like that bullet for the Winchester 92 in 357. It feeds well and shoots well. Snubbies like it too. It is an old school bullet design.
4) How much to pay? I would suggest $150-$175 TYD would be a decent deal. A bit more if you REALLY want it. $200+ gets into pristine condition H&G moulds. This one is NOT in that category IMHO.
5) Pay once, cry once, and use it for the rest of your life. Take care of it and hand it down to your kids.
If it is within your budget, get it. You will not regret it. Even if you pay a bit more than you wish, you will forget about it over time.
H&G moulds are a treat to cast with.

[LenH]

Leadhead that mold will be a pot drainer for sure. I have 3 H&G molds and the 6 & 8 cavity mold will make a big pile of bullets
in a couple of pots of lead. The 6 cavity is not as heavy as the 8 cavity but I only cast bullets for 2 pots worth of lead.

The H & G molds are great molds and are a casters dream to own.

[jsizemore]

I used to get small wood handle brass brushes to clean my iron molds. They are great at keeping your H&G molds in great condition. Like these:

https://www.google.com/search?client=firefox-b-1-e&q=small+wood+handle+brass+brush

You can roll it over and use the wood handle too. Great for scrubbing on gun parts too. A little anti-sieze on screw threads makes it easy to disassemble in the future too.

[Texasflyboy]

It's my favorite .38/.357 design to hollow point. Erik Ohlen converted several two and four cavity moulds in this design to hollow-point and they all work fantastic. I have a two cavity gas check model converted to hollow point that I drive very fast with explosive results.

[Jack Stanley]

When I was looking for a round nose .38 bullet I would have been very glad to find that one for $180 . All of my H&G molds have worked flawless , including the one abused by a major law enforcement agency .

Jack