Mihec's 44 HP cramer mould

[Springfield]

My 44 HP(429640?) mould arrived to day and I cast a few. Both the hllowpoints are very large, but the penta pin version seems a bit more finicky when it came to getting perfect bullets. I certainly had more rejects in that style when I put one of each version in the mould and cast with it. The pin comes very close to the front edge of the bullet which I think is the main culprit. The mold itself works very well, as is usual for any Mihec mould.

[redneckdan]

I received mine today too. I had heard rumors that the NOE 429421 RG4 (also came today) was having issues with burrs so i was worried about that one. Turns out the 429640 was the problem child. To be fair though, I did heat cycle the NOE on the stove 4 times before casting where as the MeHic mold was run straight from the box. I started with the pentagon pins, they were tight in the blocks. I ran a pot and half of lead through it and still was getting wrinkles, so I set it aside to cool and then cleaned it with brake cleaner. After getting up to temp it started casting decent bullets. About halfway though the 4th pot I started to notice the pins were sliding much easier when I pushed them in with the sprue wackin stick. I applied a little bullshop and the pins slid back and forth under their own weight. :grin: Cast up a couple hundred good ones and the star is heating up right now.

[JesterGrin_1]

With the Brass mold you have to cast HOT around 800F plus. I also found with my Mihec 44/444 mold that for best results with my bottom pour RCBS was to just let the stream hit at the inside lip of the sprue plate and let the lead swirl into the mold. I had much better fill out.

[Three-Fifty-Seven]

I also found that the round ones came out better, but when I went to make the flat noses they released hard . . . I'll probably grind the hex tip off so the mold lays flat when I'm making the flat noses . . .

http://i153.photobucket.com/albums/s220/ShawnTVT/4346406.jpg

Top is dimensions, measured on both sides of the seam (which is hard too see!) and then opposite.
http://i153.photobucket.com/albums/s220/ShawnTVT/Measurments.jpg

Weights of five random samples using approximately 68% wheel weights, 29% recovered range lead, and 3% tin:
http://i153.photobucket.com/albums/s220/ShawnTVT/434640weight.jpg

8.0 gr of Unique, and ready for a walk:
http://i153.photobucket.com/albums/s220/ShawnTVT/434640mobile.jpg

By the way . . . don't try to change the pins while casting . . . it can be done . . . but, is not as much fun as when it is cold!

Gonna see how they fly tomorrow!:Fire:

[Three-Fifty-Seven]

I went out this morning, it was in the high 70's sunshine, and windy (10 - 20 mph) coming from about 1 O'clock . . .

First I shot my Ruger Super Redhawk Alaskan with the 2.5" barrel with the solid boolits into a series of old five gal oil totes filled with water (14" long) I had trouble capturing them, it would penetrate two of them, but not the third . . . I then shot the round hp's and it would only blow up the first jug . . . in the end I loaded up my Marlin 1894 with 20" barrel, first a solid, then a round hp . . . had three lined up, solid penetrated the third jug, and so did the round hp, but I think that because the first just was already half down on water that it really only penetrated two jugs. I found a solid on the ground a few feet past the jugs and to the left a few feet, the one intact round hp I found laying under the third jug appears to be from the Alaskan, as there are pieces and the base from another round hp inside of the third jug, which would have come from the higher velocity of the rifle.

Using approximately 68% wheel weights, 29% recovered range lead, and 3% tin . . .

http://i153.photobucket.com/albums/s220/ShawnTVT/Guns/Waterjugresults1.jpg

The solid shrank in length, notice the loob groove:
http://i153.photobucket.com/albums/s220/ShawnTVT/434640Solid.jpg

The Round HP OK for 2.5" barrel velocity, but for faster, I need harder:
http://i153.photobucket.com/albums/s220/ShawnTVT/Guns/434640RoundHPinwater1.jpg

I'm not a very good shot, but I got them on the paper! My Alaskan is my carry weapon . . . so 6" at 15 yards will do for now . . . but I wish it were better!

Marlin 1894:
http://i153.photobucket.com/albums/s220/ShawnTVT/Guns/Marlin434640RoundHP.jpg

http://i153.photobucket.com/albums/s220/ShawnTVT/Guns/Marlin434640Solid.jpg

Alaskan:
http://i153.photobucket.com/albums/s220/ShawnTVT/Guns/Alaskan434640Hex.jpg

ETA: These cycle much better in my Marlin than the H&G 503 copy . . . I like!

[fatnhappy]

I received mine today too. I had heard rumors that the NOE 429421 RG4 (also came today) was having issues with burrs so i was worried about that one. Turns out the 429640 was the problem child. To be fair though, I did heat cycle the NOE on the stove 4 times before casting where as the MeHic mold was run straight from the box. I started with the pentagon pins, they were tight in the blocks. I ran a pot and half of lead through it and still was getting wrinkles, so I set it aside to cool and then cleaned it with brake cleaner. After getting up to temp it started casting decent bullets. About halfway though the 4th pot I started to notice the pins were sliding much easier when I pushed them in with the sprue wackin stick. I applied a little bullshop and the pins slid back and forth under their own weight. :grin: Cast up a couple hundred good ones and the star is heating up right now.

Your experience and mine mirror each other perfectly. I ran an entire pot of WW's through the mould and still haven't gotten a good boolit yet. I scrubbed the mould with brake cleaner and a toothbrush again. I'll give it another workout next weekend. I believe my problem wasn't alloy temp but casting speed. I couldn't cast fast enough to maintain high enough mould temp.

[Three-Fifty-Seven]

I just sprayed mine with brake cleaner, and set it next to my pot to warm up, (I use a coleman propane stove and a pot) started with the 434640 the sprue was still so cold that it would not let me fill the whole cavity . . . plus my alloy was not quite up to temp . . ., I just kept filling it, and after about 20 times, it straightened out, I then added my new 359640 in and same thing, but it went a tad faster as it had more time sitting next to the pot . . . but I find that they like high temps, but let them cool off between pouring otherwise the hp's get messed up . . . So I used two moulds, otherwise I'd just be standing around waiting!

I also found that the 434640 needed a "break" every 10th pouring, as it got too hot, so I'd just let it cool with the cavity empty, and the sprue open, while I ran the 359640 another time . . . the extra 200 grains of hot lead makes a difference!

I also found that with the pins reversed to make the solids, that they tend to hang up, in both molds. It appears that there is a small flash on the nose . . . look at the picture above of the before/after of the solid.

I also used the sprue lube that came with it to lube the pins, but only the part that slides through the block, with it in casting position, I used a Q tip, and did what was showing outside of the block, then I opened the mold, and pushed the pins in like I was releasing the boolit, and carefully lube that section avoiding the actual pin that makes the hp. As in other MP molds I have with some use, they get smoother, I used some 600 grit sand paper to polish them a tad before inserting t hem.

All in all with the heat up problems . . . it took me about 3 hours to make about 450 keepers running two moulds, certainly not fast, but figure also that I changed the pins around in the middle, you think it is fun playing with those tiny e clips when it's cold, don't try it when it is up to temp! But overall an enjoyable way to spend the morning!

434640 on the left - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - 359640 on the right:
http://i153.photobucket.com/albums/s220/ShawnTVT/Todays.jpg

Sure beats going to work!

[45 2.1]

For anyone having problems getting good boolits casting out of anybodys cramer, RG- 2 or 4, or all hollow point mold, do yourself a favor and get a Rowell bottom pour ladel. The smallest one available from Bill Ferguson "the antimony man" will get you the proper volume and pour speed to fill out and keep your mold hot enough with a lot less pot temperature. The bottom pour pots and the smaller Lyman and RCBS ladles will not do it properly unless very hot................

[fatnhappy]

I fired up the pot again today. After my troubles last week, I switched over to the round HP pins and coated them with graphite. I changed my casting technique slightly and since the boolits dropped much easier (faster) I was able to keep the mould temp high enough to frost boolits. I'm happy to report this mould cast like a champ when I got and kept it hot.

I did about 40 lbs of these today.

http://i63.photobucket.com/albums/h152/lhsjfk3t/009-2.jpg

[JesterGrin_1]

Yep FatnHappy you have to keep that mold HOT.

[dragonrider]

I now have both the pb and gc versions of this mold. These two mold cast nothing alike. The pb version is so much easier to get perfect boolits from that it is easily twice as difficult with the gc version. But the gc version will come around I am sure, just need to find the right combo of heat and casting speed. I seldom have problems with fillout, heat and/or proper venting corrects that. I do get problems with wrinkles at times, and sometimes they do not want to go away, this is what is happening with the gc version of this mold. This has happened with other molds at times and on those the only thing that helped was lapping, not a big deal as lapping can be done quickly. I don't undertand why but after a quick lap, great boolits. Boggles the mind but that is what is so interesting about our hobby, different problems to conquer.
Back to the pb version, with the round pin installed the boolits are great and literaly fall of the pin as soon as it is pushed from the mold half, it's like magic. Open, push, close, refill, repeat. I am hoping that Miha attemps to make a 3 or better yet 4 cavity cramer mold soon, even though I can cast quickly enough with the 2 cav, a 4 would be marvelous. Oh and the penta pins I won't be using those in the future, they have too many problems with release that they are not worth the time to use. I have I think six MP cramer molds now and each one exibits difficulty with the penta pins, not worth the aggravation and loss of speed and mold cool off which causes other problems.

[45 2.1]

Do yourself a favor and get the smallest rowell bottom pour ladle that "The antimony man" supplies. All these mutiple hollow point molds benefit from increased pour speeds and volumes, not from greatly increased higher heat.

[WARD O]

We had been discussing "draft" for the flat points nose - could someone explain what is ment by draft please.

I had mentioned that I had great difficulty in getting the FP's to release from the mould and when they did they all had a noticable ridge around the edge of the meplat. I also had mentioned that Hornday gas checks were a very sloppy fit. Sizing to .432, the lube pressure would push the gas check off the bullet. Sizing to .430 was only slightly better.

I took some to the range last Sunday. Shooting the 275 grain solid point version over 23 grains of 300 MP with a Federal 155 mag primer in my 44 mag Marlin 1894 with a receiver sight yielded a five shot 100 yard group of 2.75" with four going into 1.75" - I am pleased with this accuracy. I did not chronograph the load. They were sized to .432 lubed with BCA and the Hornady gas checks were loose.

I ran some of the 255 grain hollow points sized .432 with BCA through my 629 over 12 grains of HS6 with a Federal 150 primer. At 25 yards I was able to break the 2" mark for a five shot group. I tried the same bullet sized to .430 through my 29 Classic with slightly less success.

I hope to be able to tune these handguns loads a bit and it looks like this is going to be a very nice shooting bullet!

On Monday I worked on the mould a bit and tried to open up the gas check shank a little with a wood rod wrapped with a 320 grit sandpaper strip. I also tried to shorten the flat point pins just a bit with a file in hopes the bullets would drop from the mould more easily. I ran another session casting and it appears that I gained some ground on both fronts. The gas checks are snug if I size to .430 but still loose if I size to .432. On my first casting session it took six or more whacks on the handle hinge to get the flat points to drop from the mould. On this second session casting, it was down to 1-3 whacks with only one cavity doing most of the sticking. A little more adjustment and I'll try to give it another go round next weekend.

Ward

[fatnhappy]

I also had mentioned that Hornday gas checks were a very sloppy fit. Sizing to .432, the lube pressure would push the gas check off the bullet. Sizing to .430 was only slightly better.
Ward

I ran into the same issue sizing .431"
Am I to assume you bought a .432" mould too?

Unannealed Hornady checks were loose. Annealed Hornady checks were acceptable. Gator checks tightened things up.

YMMV.

[fatnhappy]

Do yourself a favor and get the smallest rowell bottom pour ladle that "The antimony man" supplies. All these mutiple hollow point molds benefit from increased pour speeds and volumes, not from greatly increased higher heat.

My experience suggests exactly the opposite. The issue as I saw it was the numerous thirbligs and pin hang ups increased cycle time. I reduced the thirbligs, alleviated the pin hang ups and the consequent decreased cycle time improved quality. Pour speed was not a variable I changed.

[hicard]

I guess I now have to order a New SS Blackhawk Flattop 44 Special to go with this beautiful boolit. Been reading a lot of good things about them.

[DukeInFlorida]

As I mentioned in another post, the penta pins would have worked better if they were shallower. That is, if they didn't get as close to the edge as they are.

[longbow]

I got mine a couple of days ago and it is beautiful!

I am up to my armpits in broken down vehicles at the moment so won't get to cast for a few days but I expect this one will cast about like my H&G #503 which likes hot lead.

I had a little trouble with the penta pins as some of you are reporting with this mould but casting hot solved it and they turned out really nice. Do they blow up a milk jug of water ~ wow!

These should do the same and I am looking forward to the 270 gr. solids too.

I will be casting with this mould ASAP. I am betting the Marlin will like it better than the SWC though I have that feeding not badly now.

Nothing like a little variety though! Now if only I could afford to get the 200 grain version as well! Maybe later if there are extras.

Longbow

[longbow]

Well, even though I am up still to my elbows in broken down vehicles, I couldn't stand not casting with the new mould!

I didn't have a lot of time but fired up the pot and put the mould on the other burner to pre-heat.

I started casting a little soon and got 30 rejects then all the rest came out very nicely ~ 75 keepers before I shut down. I guess I should have kept going and cast a bunch but I wanted to check them and mike diameter.

They cast very well after lead and mould were up to heat and I did not get one sticker in mould or on the penta pins even before I was at good casting temperature (all cast on the penta pins so far).

Diameter mikes at 0.433" with no detectable out of round except they are a whopping 0.434" at the seam. These will be perfect in my sloppy barreled Marlin which is just under 0.432" groove diameter.

The only mould prep I did was to put a drop of sprue plate lube under the sprue plate, a little on the pin sliders and around the pins then heated the mould. After casting the first 10 or so pours I could see I was still getting some wrinkles and I could see some sprue plate lube around the pins on the mould faces so I gave the open hot mould a shot of brake cleaner.

Another couple or three pours and they came out nice and smooth.

I didn't have any trouble with fillout around the penta pins after everything was up to temperature. Alloy was plain old range scrap so probably a little softer than straight ACWW.

I do like this mould and can't wait to load and shoot some. Milk jugs full of water may become an endangered species around here until I run out of penta hollow points! Oh wait... I'll cast more.

Thanks to Miha for producing another beautiful mould that casts perfectly and thanks to Shawn for all his hard work in honchoing the group buy.

Longbow

[Lloyd Smale]

Like ive said in a couple other posts, I think were getting carried away with the size of the hp cavitys on the molds were having made. Id sure like a set of pins that are shallower and a bit smaller for this mold. From testing of other hp bullets id guess that the round pins supplied are going to be a bit big and its going to be about impossible not to loose the nose on deer sized game and the penta pins are going to be about useless. Im going to contact miha and see if he will make me a set of smaller round pins. By the way ive casted about a coffee can of the round pin bullets and my mold seems to work just fine.

[longbow]

Actually Lloyd I had misread the first post about ordering and had thought the mould came with round and penta pins so I ordered and "extra" set of penta pins to make shallower/smaller HP.

I like the big HP for blowing things up but I also wanted another set to shorten or turn to smaller round.

I really like the three pin set that came with the H&G #503 but I would also like a flat set for solids so the pin isn't sticking out the bottom.

Not complaining though, I am happy with what I got and I've asked Miha if I can order another set of pins or blank pins so I can turn them to a smaller size. If so I will do that and if not I will try making my own or I may turn down the penta pins to smaller round since as you pointed out, both pins make pretty large hollow points.

Next time I will read more carefully. Still happy with the mould though!

Now to get some time to shoot!

Longbow

[Three-Fifty-Seven]

Interestingly you say that Llyod, I had PM'd Longbow, saying that is what I was gonna do that to one of my penta pins, I just got done grinding it down . . . the overall length is now reduced .0692" making a shallower hp, and the diameter is reduced to .1346

http://i153.photobucket.com/albums/s220/ShawnTVT/Guns/434640Pentatoround.jpg

http://i153.photobucket.com/albums/s220/ShawnTVT/Guns/434640Pentamod.jpg

I also had the nose problem that left a little rim on the nose which I believe causes it to release hard, so since I was in the mood, I sanded the bottom a tad about .0008"
http://i153.photobucket.com/albums/s220/ShawnTVT/Guns/434640Solid2.jpg

So I just took some 220 grit paper on glass . . . then finished it with 600 grit . . .
http://i153.photobucket.com/albums/s220/ShawnTVT/Guns/434640Solidnosemod.jpg

BTW there is a tad of some type of thread locker on the pins . . . be VERY careful putting then back in, I twisted off one . . .

I hope to try it today and see what happens . . .Hoping for about 265 hp!

I like the big round hp, should be good for the two legged critters!

[Three-Fifty-Seven]

I'm not 100% happy with how they came out, but I'm gonna load them up and see what they do . . . It is mostly cosmetic . . .

Anyhow I decided that with a shallower hp that even if the nose comes off, that I'm left with a larger base to get the job done.
http://i153.photobucket.com/albums/s220/ShawnTVT/Guns/434640Roundsinmold.jpg

I was cautious with grinding too close to the base of the pentagon as I did not want to mess with the fit of it going into the mold, so . . . you can still see part of the pent . . . I also need to use 1000 grit lapping compound on the pin, as it is a tad sticky, but usually just one wack with a wooden hammer . . .
http://i153.photobucket.com/albums/s220/ShawnTVT/Guns/434640Pent-Round.jpg

I also need to do a little more work on that flat side
http://i153.photobucket.com/albums/s220/ShawnTVT/Guns/434640MRoundFlat.jpg

The smaller hp came out to weigh 261.6gr with about 68%ww - 29% recovered range lead, and 3% tin . . . So I gained about 10 grains of weight over the original round hp.

BTW I'm no machinist! I just chucked it up in my variable speed 1/2" drill which I clamped down to a bench, and held a hand file to it, then some sand paper!

[smilie=s:

[longbow]

Shawn:

I am probably going to do something similar except I have a small lathe so that will help.

I will be interested in your shooting results.

Longbow

[Three-Fifty-Seven]

Unfortunately I was not able to capture any in the water . . . I only had three jugs left . . . but . . . here is a video! First shot is from Marlin 1894, second is from Ruger SRH Alaskan:
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=2PnriGeGnb4
(I can't hear very good with my hearing protection in!)

But I did shoot into my mulch rubber trap, and recover them, plus from the original loadings . . .

Left to Right in pairs Round HP from Marlin, Round HP from Ruger, Modified Pent from Ruger, Solid from Marlin:
http://i153.photobucket.com/albums/s220/ShawnTVT/Guns/Rubber1.jpg

http://i153.photobucket.com/albums/s220/ShawnTVT/Guns/Rubber6.jpg

These were all loaded with 8.0 gr Unique, so I'm guessing about 900 - 950 fps out of the 2.5" barrel Ruger, and 1200 - 1250 fps out of the 20" barrel Marlin - just a guess, but the rifle sure makes the mushrooms!

http://i153.photobucket.com/albums/s220/ShawnTVT/Guns/Rubber2.jpg

http://i153.photobucket.com/albums/s220/ShawnTVT/Guns/Rubber3.jpg

http://i153.photobucket.com/albums/s220/ShawnTVT/Guns/Rubber4.jpg

http://i153.photobucket.com/albums/s220/ShawnTVT/Guns/Rubber5.jpg

http://i153.photobucket.com/albums/s220/ShawnTVT/Guns/Rubber7.jpg

http://i153.photobucket.com/albums/s220/ShawnTVT/Guns/Rubber8.jpg

[bbailey7821]

Finally got my .432 GC mold yesterday. Went out right away and started working with it using the penta pins. It does take a really good cleaning and some serious heat to make it work. After 2 heat cycles and 3 cleanings, I got it to throw some nice boolits. Pot temp that worked best was almost 800 degrees F.

I would also like to commend Mr. Prevec on the impeccable quality of this mold. It is a real site to behold! :mrgreen:

[bbailey7821]

Can someone help me get a leg up on this new Mihec bullet? I'm looking for a W296 Full power and a Unique Load. I'm shooting a Super Blackhawk.

[WARD O]

Last weekend I loaded up a few and took them to the range.

I was shooting the solid version at 277 grains with gas check, sized .430, lubed with BCA, cast from 50/50 plus tin I loaded 23 grains of 296, R-P brass, and Federal 155 primer. Through my M29-5 6.5" at 25 yards five shot groups were right around or slightly under two inches. I did not chronograph the loads. I also shot with 19 grains of 2400 and the Federal 150 primer with pretty similar results.

I also shot the HP version at 255 grains with same boolit specs otherwise. Loaded over 21 grains of 2400 and the Federal 150, groups were slightly better than the solid bullet.

I think that next time I may drop the charge a bit on the 2400 loads and see what happens. I am only planning on shooting deer at 50 yards or so and I think I have plenty of power here for that task.

I have also shot some of the solid versions sized to .432 through my Marlin 1894 - There I was using Alliant MP 300 and did a three inch group at 100yards with receiver sights. I was pleased with that performance!

These boolits seem to be quite willing to shoot well! The need more range time....

Ward

Ward

[lead_her_fly]

I would like to take a whack at this boolit before I buy a mould for it. Any possibility of one of you fine folks sending some, 50 or so, and I will pay shipping and whatever you deem necessary.

They don't need to be sized or loobed. I will do that. Just want to try some in the Marlin.

Thanks!

[Three-Fifty-Seven]

I would like to take a whack at this boolit before I buy a mould for it. Any possibility of one of you fine folks sending some, 50 or so, and I will pay shipping and whatever you deem necessary.

They don't need to be sized or loobed. I will do that. Just want to try some in the Marlin.

Thanks!

I got 25 extra of both the round hollow point and the solids . . .

[lead_her_fly]

pm's sent back and forth.

Thanks Shawn!

[bbailey7821]

I'd like to know how it works out in the Marlin. I'm thinking to try 'em in my .444

[Three-Fifty-Seven]

He pm'ed me back that he was only getting 3-4" if I recall . . . I don't still have the pm . . .

This is the best I've been able to do out of my 1894 . . . these are the solids PB:
http://i153.photobucket.com/albums/s220/ShawnTVT/Guns/Marlin%201894/Marlin4346403.jpg

http://i153.photobucket.com/albums/s220/ShawnTVT/Guns/Marlin%201894/Marlin4346402.jpg

http://i153.photobucket.com/albums/s220/ShawnTVT/Guns/Marlin%201894/Marlin434640.jpg

I have a William's peep with the standard aperture .093", I just got a .050: aperture, I'm gonna try, these were all shot off one bag off the top of my car. . . .

They cycle better than the H&G 503 copies, but I'm not sure that the shoot any better!

[2 dogs]

I went and bought a Contender super 14 44 magnum barrel specifically to test if the size of the HP cavity was harming this bullets accuracy potential. My testing showed these bullets holding 1.5 inches at 50 yards from a scoped contender.

[lead_her_fly]

I'd like to know how it works out in the Marlin. I'm thinking to try 'em in my .444

Shawn,
In the pm, I mentioned the particulars about the boolits you sent me. I shot the round HP version and had them going right at 1800fps. My rifle is a tad different than yours in the I have one that has Ballard rifling. The bore still runs big though!

At any rate, they shot as sell as some 200gr LRNFP boolits I cast from a Lee 6 cavity mould, 2" @ 50 yards. Best I could get!

I am going to sell this one rifle, I have two Marlin 1894s in 44Mag. One with a round barrel, the wife bought me as a gift and this one that the son bought then sold when he needed money. It has the octagon 20" barrel. All of my Marlin rifles have scopes on them.

Any one have any experience with the Ruger M77 in 44Mag? That is what I think I am going to get next. They are having a sale on them here in Indiana. It is one of a few rifles that are allowed for deer hunting.

Well, so much for the report.

[Three-Fifty-Seven]

I'm sorry Skip, I was going from memory . . . I have a micro groove 20" round barrel . . . I'm probably gonna sell mine too . . .

[Lloyd Smale]

shot the hp version with some smaller pins id made the other day and with 17 grains of 2400 out of my 4 in 629 it went just under an inch at 25. Also shot the 421429 copy with smaller hp pins out the same gun with the same load it it went about 1 3/4 so it has potential too.

[Three-Fifty-Seven]

The bolt actioned Ruger M77 does have a 1:20" twist, instead of the silly 1:38" of the Marlins, might help accuracy for us leadshooters . . . Only four shot rotary mag . . . but how many do you really need?

[Lloyd Smale]

well i shot the gas checked version again today. This time out of my new bisley 44 special. With 16 grains of 2400 and a cci std primer it blew one hole 6 shot groups at 25 yards.

[bronte454]

hey new to this, is my first time just ordered an mp-mould the 45-270. i am curious about this 44 is the hollowpoint the same as the devastator and I didnt see one on mihas web site. would one of these be available or am i just too late .

[MiHec]

hey new to this, is my first time just ordered an mp-mould the 45-270. i am curious about this 44 is the hollowpoint the same as the devastator and I didnt see one on mihas web site. would one of these be available or am i just too late .

I still have some.....

I will post a list here this evening

[hicard]

Bronte454, Better hurry and order one. They are great molds.

[lead_her_fly]

Anyone have one of these moulds for sale? I would really like to have one. The larger pins are what I am looking for.

Let me know through a PM. Will give you just what was paid for it. If Miha would answer my PM, maybe I could find out if he had plans to run this mould again. I understand he has been under the weather. Hope all is well there now.

At any rate, the offer stands.

[mebe007]

what mold is this and how does it compare to the H&G503? i want a good all around mold for my .44 mag 629. mainly for deer hunting

[fatnhappy]

what mold is this and how does it compare to the H&G503? i want a good all around mold for my .44 mag 629. mainly for deer hunting

This mould is a fair representative of the lyman 429640 HP. It's a very good all around boolit for the .44 mag. (and possibly the .444 marlin with which I have zero experience). The real advantage to this boolit over keith boolits is that it feeds very well in the lever guns and obviously has a gas check which is appropriate for that application.

As far as using it in a revolver on deer is concerned, it'll get er done. IMHO there aren't really any significant advantages over a keith. I don't see an expensive gas check as being needed in my redhawk. I have no leading issues and it's dimensionally correct. This boolit shoots particularly well in my pistol so it has earned a place on that basis alone. I guess deciding if this boolit is for you depend on your particular needs and desires. If you see the gaping HP as an advantage by all means this boolit is for you. If you cast it as a solid medium heavy boolit and see it as an advantage, then this boolit is for you. If you just want some flexibility in choices then this boolit is for you. If you just like having a well made dimensionally correct boolit that casts like a dream, this mould is for you. In other words YMMV.

[Maximumbob54]

Shawn,
In the pm, I mentioned the particulars about the boolits you sent me. I shot the round HP version and had them going right at 1800fps. My rifle is a tad different than yours in the I have one that has Ballard rifling. The bore still runs big though!

At any rate, they shot as sell as some 200gr LRNFP boolits I cast from a Lee 6 cavity mould, 2" @ 50 yards. Best I could get!

I am going to sell this one rifle, I have two Marlin 1894s in 44Mag. One with a round barrel, the wife bought me as a gift and this one that the son bought then sold when he needed money. It has the octagon 20" barrel. All of my Marlin rifles have scopes on them.

Any one have any experience with the Ruger M77 in 44Mag? That is what I think I am going to get next. They are having a sale on them here in Indiana. It is one of a few rifles that are allowed for deer hunting.

Well, so much for the report.


I'm sorry Skip, I was going from memory . . . I have a micro groove 20" round barrel . . . I'm probably gonna sell mine too . . .


The bolt actioned Ruger M77 does have a 1:20" twist, instead of the silly 1:38" of the Marlins, might help accuracy for us leadshooters . . . Only four shot rotary mag . . . but how many do you really need?

How do I learn what a good rifle for cast bullets is? I had no idea the twist would be bad for lead. I thought that was all about bullet mass. And here I bought a 336 to start shooting from a Ranchdog mold. Am I hosed on that as well?

[Blammer]

maximumbob54, you may want to start another thread on this topic. You'll get some really good info and some advice I'm sure.

[lead_her_fly]

Bob, another thread is a good idea but let me give you a little info here first. This mostly applies to higher powered rifles but.....

Too fast of a twist rate, too light of a bullet, going too fast, supposedly can cause a bullet to "spin" so fast that it flies apart. Never seen that my self but, done some reading on it.

Too slow of a twist rate can cause a bullet to become unstable and "wobble" rather than spin. In order to be accurate, they have to spin to their "gyroscope" like speed. So they resist the "urge" to tumble.

There is a formula for twist rate. It is all according to bullet weight, caliber and speed, if I remember correctly. 'Course, we all know how reliable that is! :)

[lead_her_fly]

For several years I have been playing around with the 44Mag in carbine rifles. My goal was to make a decent enough hunting round to take large animals out to 100 yards consistently. I had an accuracy goal in mind, 2" @ 100 yards or better. Well, today, I found just that combination.

Oh, I had another goal, I wanted to use my own cast bullets to do it. Since I have no gas checked moulds, I was beginning to worry that it might not be possible with the ones I do have.

The bullet I used is from a Miha 434640 mould and I had the round pins in. The alloy was straight wheel weights and the lube was White Label Lube's Carnuba Red 2700. The bullets were sized and lubed on a Magma/Star luber sizer @ .431". They weighed in at just a tad over 245gr. Very good.

These were also some of the best cast bullets I have ever made as well. Everything went extremely well during that session.

I also introduced another factor into these reloads. Previously, I had used the Square Deal B and the proprietary dies it uses to make my loads. These were made with Lee dies, no FCD, bullet; seated and crimped in one step, and put together on my new to me Dillon RL450B. One thing I did too though, I took one of the powder measures and a die from an XL650 and rigged it up to work for these loads. Worked super!

The SDB dies have a similar affect on the bullet as the LFCD does. The system I used on these did not. I think that played a big factor in the accuracy. Also, these bullets were kind of soft and at high pressure, they must have fit the lands and grooves well. A plus, I am sure.

The powder used was AA#9. Now, in the past I have used H110, W296 and Lil' Gun. Even 2400 didn't give me the results that AA#9 did today. I am pumped!

I also used Wolf Magnum Large Pistol primers for this endeavor. AA#9 does not need them BUT, they were what I had to hand. My load was the maximum for a 240gr lead bullet from the Lee manual. It is over the maximum that Accurate lists so, I am not going to post it. If you want to know, I will reply to a pm.

Chronograph results were impressive as well:
Low 1787fps
High 1802fps
Avg. 1792fps
ES 15.43fps
SD 8.68fps! (That is cool!)

Here is my 100 yard group. It measures "one thumb" length! Minute of thumb @ 100 yards! Just to let you know, I measured my thumb at home, it measures 1 1/2" from the end to the first joint.

http://i142.photobucket.com/albums/r115/Sackettwannabe/Boolits/44%20Caliber/0827111611.jpg

As I was leaving the range then, a groundhog meandered into the line of fire. He was either deaf or one that wasn't meant to reproduce! ;) I put the sneak on him anyway, waited until his head was down and let fly. 50 yards with these bullets @ almost 1800fps ruined his day!. He was laying flat on the ground as they do while they are eating and I hit him on the right side just in front of his shoulder.

http://i142.photobucket.com/albums/r115/Sackettwannabe/Boolits/44%20Caliber/434640firstcast5.jpg

Here is a closeup of the wound: If you are squeamish, don't go down any further! You have been warned! :eek:










http://i142.photobucket.com/albums/r115/Sackettwannabe/Boolits/44%20Caliber/100_4581.jpg

It opened him up pretty good. I did an autopsy and couldn't find the bullet. Skinned him all the way out on the belly too. Rubber gloves and the whole 9 yards, investigated all through his intestines and all. They were exploded pretty well but the bullet did not travel through the stomach cavity. Shock, I'm guessing!

So, all in all a good day shooting! Now to tumble some brass, fill them back up and top them off with some of these missiles! Oh yeah!

[phaessler]

Beautiful job lead_her_fly. Great write up too, I have been using the hollow point version in my inline muzzloader with a sabot , with similar sucess, pass thru's though, but lots of shock damage, and visually, well lets just say its "topsy tervy", or acrobatic in nature.

Pete

[bcr]

Well, this is digging up an old thread, but I just got mine recently and have been extremely pleased the the results I saw today. This is the 434640. It's my first time ever casting HPs. I filled my pot with 50/50 WW/pure lead. Put two penta and two large round HP pins in the mold. Got the mold very hot on my hotplate. It was so hot I think it took the sprue at least a solid minute to harden. I've never seen anything like it, so I figured it was too hot. I think the first boolits dropped out with little trouble. I cooled the mold a little and got the two round HPs to drop but the two pentas were stuck. Since I was showing my father how to cast for the first time, I switched over to my trusty MP H&G #68 clone and cast up about a hundred or so with that. By then the 434640 was cooled down. I switched to all large round HP pins and smoked the cavities with a match. I heated the mold again and set to work. After that all the boolits dropped perfectly and beautifully. I cast about 125, and discarded probably 15 that had slightly rounded bases. They would have shot fine I think, but they were so easy to cast, I figured, why not shoot only perfect boolits!

I tumble lubed these in 45/45/10, sized to 0.430" (cylinder throats in the 696) and then loaded 50 over 7.0 grs of Bullseye and 50 with Skeeter's standard load of 7.5 gr. Unique. These were to feed my new S&W 696 that I haven't had a chance to shoot yet, and if I remember they're pretty squarely in the "Category 2" section of Brian Pearce's loads for the .44 Spl. I don't want to push this nice gun very hard and the 7.5 gr. of Unique is probably as hot as I'll go, it seemed plenty hot anyway, but the cases ejected nicely and the primers looked fine. I guess these are moving around 900 fps or so, maybe 950, but I don't have a chronograph so can't say for sure. Barrel is mag-na-ported and recoil was very manageable, but noticeable with the Unique loads.

I sighted in the 696 about 2" high at 10 yards or so. The shooting conditions were not great, it was very windy, but I didn't have any trouble holding these into a one-hole group at that short range. After it was sighted in, I popped one into a row of milk jugs full of water. It penetrated three of them and then bounced off the fourth one and we lost it. The second boolit stayed in the third milk jug. A few minutes later we found the first boolit on the ground in the mud. Both of them mushroomed beautifully, as you can see in the picture below. The second one is dirty because it fell in the mud. The third boolit is a .45 ACP Winchester Ranger from my Fusion Commander. (If someone can arrange a group buy for these in a Miha brass 4-cavity, I'll take one [smilie=l:]). Both the .44s mushroomed to about 0.8", and the Ranger is just over 1" at the tips of the petals the way it is now. I wouldn't like to have any of these things moving through me.

I couldn't be happier with these results. First time casting HPs, no problem. First time loading for .44 Special in a new gun, no problem. Alloy and velocity combo worked on the first try to give me good expansion in the water jugs. Hooray! I'm rarely successful with anything on the first try.

57346

[Michael J. Spangler]

i love this thread