NEI Moulds

[happyret65]

I'm still waiting for a mould from NEI, that's way overdue! Anybody else having problems with NEI?

[RobS]

Well mine came to me in a reasonable time frame about 2 or 3 weeks, but the quality was poor. I called them and they said they would rework the mold, but I ended up lapping the rough cavities myself since it casted bullets (within specs though) a touch undersized for my bore.

[GLL]

My last NEI mould was a custom design. Took forever ! Recut once !

It is now used as a fishing weight ! Useless piece of **** !!! :( :(

Years ago NEI made beautiful moulds ! NO LONGER !

Jerry

[Blammer]

happyret, I'd call and ask for my money back and get something else.

[happyret65]

Thanks for the replies! I somehow knew the answer, but hoped for the best.
I appreciate the assistance.

Jerry

[oksmle]

Happyret .... What mold were you wanting? I have several NEI molds that I no longer use. They were all made when Walt was still alive & the quality is execellent. If I can help I'll try.

[Edubya]

oksmle, that is what makes this board absolutely the best! People that are willing to share! They share their thoughts and experience and even their material goods.
Thanks to all for the good natured side of mankind.
EW

[happyret65]

Happyret .... What mold were you wanting? I have several NEI molds that I no longer use. They were all made when Walt was still alive & the quality is execellent. If I can help I'll try.

I was wanting 30 cal., 6.5 cal, 8mm, if you have any of these then we talk about the size and weight. Thanks, Jerry

[oksmle]

A couple other members PM'd me asking about the molds. Off hand I know I don't have 6.5 or 8mm because I don't cast for them. I have several .30's, & .303's of different weights (don't remember whether they're 2 or 4 cavity), & at least one 148/150 gr SWC in a 4 cavity. Tomorrow I'll dig in the ammo cans to be sure, then get back with you.

[oksmle]

happyret65 .... I was lucky, the NEI's were in the first ammo can I opened. Heres what I have which I no longer use:
NEI #72 - .311-155 GC, 4 cavity aluminum
NEI #83 - .313-165 GC, 4 cavity aluminum
NEI #150 - .358 - 150 PB, 4 cavity aluminum
Current prices on these are $160.00. So cut that in half & say $80.00 each. They have had thousands of cast boolits run through them, but are in very good shape. This deal is only for you & the other three folks who PM'd me. I'm not actually trying to sell the molds... just helping you guys out if I can.

[happyret65]

I really appreciate your efforts to help me, but I already have a #72 and I'll pass on the offer.

Thanks again,

Jerry

[wallenba]

I'm still waiting for a mould from NEI, that's way overdue! Anybody else having problems with NEI?
I had been waiting since Oct 8th for a #42, I called and talked to Joel on Tuesday (Dec 1), he said he was packing it up as we spoke. I got home today as the postman was walking away from the porch, 8 weeks from day of order. Joel seemed a little frustrated with his machinists, did not get specific, but he knows they are slow.

[wallenba]

Update on previous post. Have not cast from the mold yet, but visually....I've seen better work. Also I did not get: Lyman top punch=$12, mold prep=$7, or the sprue plate lube=$7.
Now I have to make ANOTHER call.

[.41LC]

I ordered a double cavity in .41LC Oct 11. I emailed Nov 16 and was told they blew my mold and had to make another. Still nothing nearly three months later. I just sent off an email, though I may just ask for my money back as my rapine from CH4D makes great bullets and I haven't heard good things in terms of QC from NEI.

[Trey45]

I don't know if this has merit here or not. I called NEI a while back trying to get some info about an old NEI/SSK mould and got an ear full of bad attitude. I wouldn't buy from them now if they had a fire sale.

[Wayne S]

happyret65 .... I was lucky, the NEI's were in the first ammo can I opened. Heres what I have which I no longer use:
NEI #72 - .311-155 GC, 4 cavity aluminum
NEI #83 - .313-165 GC, 4 cavity aluminum
NEI #150 - .358 - 150 PB, 4 cavity aluminum
Current prices on these are $160.00. So cut that in half & say $80.00 each. They have had thousands of cast boolits run through them, but are in very good shape. This deal is only for you & the other three folks who PM'd me. I'm not actually trying to sell the molds... just helping you guys out if I can.

OKsmile, I'm interestred in the # 72 & 83, let me check their catalog to see if they are what I think they are

[357maximum]

Amazing what can happen when one person/owner leaves/dies or whatnot. :cry:

I have been employed for a company while it went through this ugly transformation from single family owner to a board of greedy coorporate owners from out of state. It can be all bad...for the customers as well as the employees. Even extremely dedicated and loyal long time employees that are now getting raked over the coals and are now taking paycuts etc, etc, etc, simply do not do as good a job. When the unofficial company motto becomes "they do not pay me enough to care now" bad things are going to happen. Long time help is going to leave and inexperienced workers from off from the street are going to fill positions thay are not neccessarrily qualified to do. They might have the schooling, but they might not have the experience.

One of the great big huge monster mistakes this country has made and is still making is getting further and further from the old apprentice/journeyman system of learning.

I read it in a book only gets ya so far.

[Ben]

I read it in a book only gets ya so far.

Amen to that !

[hammerhead357]

I had purchased moulds from Walt and was happy with them but I haven't heard much good about NEI since Walt passed away. It is amazing how one person can make such a difference. But then I think Walt did all of the machine work on the moulds he sold so that may be the problem. Just my worthless 2 cents....Wes

[stubshaft]

I'm with you Hammerhead. The last mould that I bought from them was from Walt. It was a 4 cav. 260gr Keith boolilt. I am sorry to hear that their quality and service has dropped down so low.

[monadnock#5]

In mid 2009 I contacted Mr. Fragosi about a cataloged mould design, and was told that the aluminum stock they used wasn't available at any price. The mould I was interested in could be had in meehanite for $160.00. I passed. A couple of months later I was able to pick up an NOE 311316 that cast only slightly heavier than what I wanted from NEI. I wish I could be that lucky all the time. NOE makes a beautiful mould.

[.41LC]

I have asked twice now for a refund and got nothing. I will be contacting the BBB shortly.

[old turtle]

I guess about 20 years ago I bought 2 NEI molds and they were excellent. they have a great selection and I have recommended their molds in the past. It is sad to hear that they have allowed quality to slip so badly. The old molds were made by a man who loved what he did.

[vh2q]

I have a 20ga 2 cav paradox mold I bought from NEI when Walt was alive, and it works fine. So when I bought a couple of 12 ga paradox guns recently, I emailed NEI regarding their mold no. 400 (12 ga paradox). I have two of these guns, one requires a 730 dia and one a 740 dia. They finally responded after two reminders, stating this could be done. They quoted $160 for a 2 cavity aluminum mold plus $12 for shipping, and requested a payment of $172 by paypal. I sent that off with a note specifying a 2 cavity aluminum mold, one cavity .740", one cavity .730" and marked as to which is which. After they received my money, they came back and said they could only do a 740 cavity. I then changed my request to a single cavity aluminum mold at 740, which they quoted at $110. I gave the go-ahead and asked them to enclose a refund ($50) with the mold. So far so good.

When I received the mold, it was cast iron, very roughly machined, and the cavity was visibly off center. There was a check for $10 in with the mold, made out to the wrong payee. My bank won't cash a check made out to a non-existent legal entity. I tore that up.

I contacted Fragoso and requested a replacement check for $50. He told me he had no aluminum and had made a decision to use iron, and if I didn't like the mold, to send it back and he would issue a refund. When I inquired as to whether he would refund the round trip shipping (presumably $24) he just reiterated that he would refund my money. He said someone else wanted that mold and that he "had no aluminum". I suggested he just send the $50 and that would avoid a lot of inconvenience. He got nasty accusing me of trying to "get a discount", his email was full of large bold font in red. I gave him a final opportunity to settle the matter before I went to the BB and paypal for resolution, offering him 3 options.

"1. You send me $50 per our contract and that will settle the matter.
2. I will send the mold directly to your customer, you then ship me an
aluminum single cavity mold with a check for $62 (the additional $12 being
the cost of shipping this mold to your other customer, a cost you would
incur anyway)
3. You send me a UPS label to return this mold to you, you then refund my
$160, and you will never ever hear from me again (but my friends on the
internet bulletin boards will)."

(I should have asked for $172 in the last option).

He then got even nastier and said he would not be bullied and he would never do business with me again. He said he would put me on "his list". And he wished me good luck finding a 740 caliber mold anywhere else.

So at this point I have a crappy mold I paid $172 for and I have contacted paypal (who won't do anything - another crappy outfit) as well as the BBB. I am scared that if I send this mold back at this point, I will get nothing. Waiting to see what BBB does.

By the way, at least one other maker does cut this mold (actually they have at least two versions of the 12 ga paradox). It's CBE (http://www.theammodump.com/cbe.php (http://www.castbulletengineering.com/page007.html) and they charge $100 for a brass mold cal .735". I plan to get a couple of these, but they have to come from Australia, so if anyone else wants one, let's try to do a group buy to cut down on shipping costs.

This is one of the worst consumer experiences I have ever had. I warn others to buy their molds elsewhere, if at all possible.

[RobS]

Another NEI mold story gone bad; since Walt's passing NEI as gone down the tubes with quality and customer service. I had them make me a .375 mold and it turned out with rough cavities that I ended up lapping out in order to fix it. I too went with the customer service route and was going to end up paying the return shipping to only HOPE that they could fix things. I simply decided that it was not worth the possibilities of having something worse. You would think that for the money they would cut a perfect mold. A fair price for a NEI mold would be that of under a Lee two cavity mold as the quality is much better from a Lee Precision. Walt is probably rolling over in his grave.

[.41LC]

I started a complaint with the BBB, and wasn't surprised to see them listed when I did a search of their name.

I'll update as to what happens.

[rockrat]

I have ordered my last mould from them. No more NEI moulds, unless I can find one of Walts

[Tom Trevor]

vh2q, If you pay-paled thru a credit card go to your card company directly. If you used a bank account thats a problem. Give it a try.

[vh2q]

It went thru my credit card via paypal ... not sure if that route has any recourse.

[vh2q]

I have located at least 4 other suppliers of a 12 ga Paradox bullet ... Brooks, CBE, LBT and Old West. CBE has 3 variations and Brooks can do HP or flat point. There is no reason to go to NEI for this bullet.

[9.3X62AL]

Sad to hear these stories. I was lucky, I suppose--I bought an NEI #169A about 2 years ago, it arrived about 10 days after I ordered it, and is a well-made tool. Maybe it was old stock, made by Mr. Melander before he passed away.......dunno. With good firms making great moulds (NOE, Mountain Molds, etc), NEI won't be around much longer in their present business model. Too bad--they have a lot of designs made nowhere else. But in this day of Internet communications, bad products have a lot more trouble hiding out than in times past.

[45nut]

The old molds were made by a man who loved what he did.

not the case anymore.

[Le Loup Solitaire]

None of the foregoing reading surprises me, but I am sorry for the members involved. Twenty plus years ago I ordered a 32-40 mold from NEI. It then was already a company that moved at least once address-wise. They never sent me the mold I ordered, nor the $40. back that I sent them. E-mail wasn't around yet and the snail mail letters of inquiry were never answered. I went after them for mail fraid, but the Post Office couldn't find them. I don't care how good any molds that they made were after that....I never did and won't ever do business with them again. LLS

[Changeling]

I'm new and not that all experienced but I did order a mold from LBT once and am getting ready to order again. If you have "ANY" kind of problem this man works with you to get things right or just to answer your questions. His work is the best of the BEST, what more could you ask for.

[vh2q]

I note that the NEI catalog has a footnote "Jesus Christ, The Same Yesterday, Today and Forever".

Given Mr. Fragoso's business practices and general attitude, I scratch my head.

[.41LC]

According to the BBB my mold was shipped but returned by customs. *** would customs return a casting mold for?? NEI said they re-shipped it, I'll update if I receive it.

[.41LC]

Well I did receive it today, it is a two cavity 386200HB for .41 Colt.

It is steel instead of aluminum. Overall it's nice, cavities look okay. The plungers for the hollow base are however very roughly made and the top edges (bottom edge of the bullet) are not machined the same so half my bullets will have a slightly funky bottom edge. I am thinking I could get a new pair made at work on one of the CNC lathes we have.

I really like the fact I was able to find a two cavity .41LC mold with a fixed plunger design, so I will do my best to get this mold to work.

[Jkrice]

I'm still waiting for a mould from NEI, that's way overdue! Anybody else having problems with NEI?

I have never ordered moulds from NEI, but I have from LBT. LBT is very personable. After explaining to Veral, my use, I received a mould that was exactly what I needed. He also has his own mould lube and bullet lube.
Jerry

[RobS]

Well I did receive it today, it is a two cavity 386200HB for .41 Colt.

It is steel instead of aluminum. Overall it's nice, cavities look okay. The plungers for the hollow base are however very roughly made and the top edges (bottom edge of the bullet) are not machined the same so half my bullets will have a slightly funky bottom edge. I am thinking I could get a new pair made at work on one of the CNC lathes we have.

I really like the fact I was able to find a two cavity .41LC mold with a fixed plunger design, so I will do my best to get this mold to work.

.41LC:
Well, I'm glad your mold finally came and it sounds like you have a "good" NEI mold from recent reports. Not what it should be considering the $$$ you dropped into it as I feel their work is now at par with a Lee Mold and in many cases a Lee mold is better crafted believe it or not. Too bad the NEI mold didn't cost that of a Lee then it would have been a good buy for sure.

Good luck with your mold and I hope the bullets it produces fly well for you.

[squid1230]

I bought a 135gr mold that punched out 165gr bullets. Nei quality has declined.

[bearcove]

I only buy older nei stuff on ebay. Mainly the ssk molds. Reduces the risk, their catalog is good for recreational viewing not ordering.

[rockrat]

If you are waiting for a refund, don't hold your breath. Been waiting over 4 months for mine. Never see it I suspect. If you ever order another, use a USPS MO and get them for mail fraud when they scr$w you over.

[vh2q]

[QUOTE=.41LC;809861]Well I did receive it today, it is a two cavity 386200HB for .41 Colt.

It is steel instead of aluminum. [QUOTE]

This is the same stunt he pulled on me ... I ordered Aluminum, he unilaterally decided to supply steel, and he charged me more than he quoted.

[cliff355]

Four weeks ago I ordered a 6-cavity iron mold from them for their #72 .311GC 155 gr. The order was placed over the phone and the fellow on the other end said it would take 2 - 3 weeks to arrive.

Then I read about all the bad experiences people were having with NEI, and at the end of the third week emailed for a progress report. I got a reply an hour later indicating the mold was done, and had taken longer than usual since an error was made on the first attempt - he had to make another one.

The mold arrived last Wednesday, 3.5 weeks after the order was placed. When pulling out of the package the first thing I noticed was the sprueplate's edges were rounded off unevenly, and there were alot more toolmarks on the outside surfaces than on my Hensley & Gibbs molds and this had me pretty worried.

Well, I cast 1000 bullets with it on Saturday with great results. All bullets fell freely from the mold without any tapping. Afterward I weighed about 200 out of the pile on a digital scale and they were all within .2 gr. which I didn't think was too bad for a 6-cavity. Diameter was .311 as advertized.

So, this is a pretty decent mold which is just a little rough around the edges. The blocks were made by someone who knew what he was doing, so I don't know what the deal is with that sprueplate.

Even so, I would buy another mold from NEI if the need developed and they seemed like reasonable folks to deal with. Maybe they read this thread and decided to pick up the pace a litle bit.

[.41LC]

This is the same stunt he pulled on me ... I ordered Aluminum, he unilaterally decided to supply steel, and he charged me more than he quoted.

Didn't charge me more, perhaps that's why he did such a lousy job on the hollow base pins?

cliff335, you are a brave man to want to deal with them again.

[longranger]

Was about to order a mold from them, I think I'll pass, I will go with Steve Brooks instead.
Thank all for the honest opinions.

[vh2q]

I got my two molds from Old West today. They made me a .432 320 grain two cavity for a vintage double rifle, as well as a 750grain hollow base 12 ga paradox mold. The molds are brass, beautifully made, reasonably priced, delivered quick, and I particularly like how they pin their sprue plates. They include not only instructions for each mold, with special set of tips for hollow-base nose-pour, but also load info for the 444 Marlin using the 432 bullet. I haven't cast any bullets with them yet but will post when I have.

Meanwhile, Fragoso at NEI didn't bother to respond to the BBB, he just ignored their request for a response. His deadline was Feb 16. I don't know whether that's arrogance, stupidity, or perhaps he doesn't care. It seems he hasn't bothered to order any aluminum blocks so perhaps he is winding it down. Who knows?

[Buckshot]

[QUOTE=vh2q;832697]Meanwhile, Fragoso at NEI didn't bother to respond to the BBB, he just ignored their request for a response. [QUOTE]

To me it means he/they just don't care. Why bother with something if it means nothing to you?

...............Buckshot

[Artful]

I really liked NEI - back when before I was married I cast a lot of rifle bullets from Walts blocks and they were excellent - I was sorry to hear of his passing and guess I will stick with the NOE group buys here - it's sad when a company goes thru transition and comes out the other side worse for wear.

[vh2q]

I have located at least 4 other suppliers of a 12 ga Paradox bullet ... Brooks, CBE, LBT and Old West. CBE has 3 variations and Brooks can do HP or flat point. There is no reason to go to NEI for this bullet.

It never rains but it pours. I have found a guy in the USA who will make a correct paradox mold in 20, 16, 12, 10 and 8 bore sizes at around $100 a pop. He is primarily a gunsmith but he makes these specific molds as he does a lot of work with paradox guns and double rifles. I discovered this when I sent him a 12 bore Greener to work on, and we ended up buying a mold as well. So the bottom line is contrary to what Mr. Fragoso of NEI thinks, he is not the only show in town for these specific molds. He has missed his second BBB deadline and I am still out $50 on my purchase. I would have purchased 2 additional molds from him by now, had he not stiffed me on the first one.

[Greg5278]

If you don't mind, who is the person cutting the Paradox Molds for you? I might need another one.
Greg

[hammerhead357]

Bump to top to keep everyone informed about NEI.

[chboats]

cliff355
I think I saw the mold that they made the error on for sale on ebay. It is a #72 6 cavity with one flawed cavity. Listed as a .311-155-GC 5 cavity mold. You could have a second mold for $140.

Carl