hollow point pistol mold

[porthos]

wouldn't hollow point pistol bullets be more difficilt to remove from the mold? and what is the advantage of the hollow point pistol bullet over a flat point??

[Wheelguns 1961]

Hollow points may be slightly more difficult to remove from the mold, but I haven’t had any problems. This is because of the mold design. Mp and NOE have different designs, but they both work good. I prefer the MP design because the bottom of the mold is flat, making it easier to hold square on the mold guide.

Hollow points benefit from increases expansion. This is good in many applications. It has been said that a hp will dump the majority of its energy into the target, thus greatly reducing the possibility of collateral damage from an errant projectile. Hollow points also tend to leave a larger wound channel, which is beneficial in hunting.

Hollow points are great for a variety of applications, but the size of the cavity, and the alloy hardness, must be matched to the velocity of the round, and the application. There are some guys on here that have done some great work testing hp’s. Flat points also shine in certain instances. When you need a good bit of penetration on heavy boned animals, I would go with a flat point. The bigger flat point the better.

Of course, this is just my thoughts on the matter. Other people’s experiences may bring them to a different conclusion.

[porthos]

well: since i'm only shooting paper; i will refrain from buying a hollowpoint mold. for self defence; i use storebought ammo.

[Larry Gibson]

I've not found they are more "difficult" perse, they just require a slightly different technique when emptying.

The advantage is as mentioned, they kill quicker because they cause more energy to be expended in the game animal and damage more tissue. For example; a 310 gr hard cast bullet in a 44 Magnum giving 3-4 times + the amount of "penetration" needed to penetrate any reasonable shoulder/heart/lung shot on a 150 + pound deer isn't needed IMHO. I've found a softer cast bullet in the 230 - 270 gr range pushed at 1350 - 1450 fps out of a 6" + barreled revolver is a better choice. The same with 357 and 41 magnums along with other handgun cartridges capable of 1000 or more fps.

[gwpercle]

After 50 years of pouring lead and shooting boolits in handguns ... for 99 % of the time a solid nose does just fine . I cast a lot of Hollow Points with Lyman moulds and except maybe for hunting ...that other 1% ... don't see an advantage . Paper targets , Tin cans , steel plates and most other targets I shoot at don't require them .
For the few large game I've hunted with a handgun I either had a old Lyman 1-hole HP mould or scrounged some J-word hollow points .
That said ... NOE makes moulds that have pins that can cast a flat / solid point , hollow point or a deep penta-point ( HP on steroids ) so you get three boolit designs with one mould , simply by changing out the pins !
How cool is that ...
Gary

[megasupermagnum]

Sometimes hollow points are more accurate, possibly from a shift in balance. Hornady HAP is an example of a bullet that was designed purely for target, and they are hollow pointed because they are more accurate that way. Some bullseye shooters have found a hollow point version of the H&G #68 is more accurate than the solid version.

[stubshaft]

A couple of years ago I bought a MP C 358-165-RF NLG (no lead groove) mold to PC. Without the lube grooves it is one of the fastest molds and easiest releasing molds I have ever used. Especially with the "Penta-point" HP pin installed.

[Recycled bullet]

Hollow point pistol bullets look can look absolutely fantastic and can shoot extremely accurately and can perform excellently on game and cycle semi autos etc.

My mp hollow point molds are what I use with my handloading experiments versus paper plates.

It feels good to know that my target practice is zeroed with a practical hunting bullet, and and and..... hollow point bullets even save economy on lead usage!!!

[BJung]

This is the best group I've printed with my MP Mold 40-160gr bullets so far. The distance was around 18 yards.

[Bigslug]

Hollow points and hollow bases are a bit more of a time-intensive PITA to cast than solids.

You also have to bring a bit more of your "A" game with regards to determining if your alloy is appropriate for the intensity of the load behind it, AND also appropriate to expand at the distance/velocity you expect it to strike at.

A flat point won't deliver the drama of a hollowpoint performing in its intended range, but it does have the advantage of consistency of performance (generally deep, straight-line penetration) across a much wider velocity spread.

There are some theoretical balance/accuracy advantages to HP's in terms of more weight toward the base or more rotating mass toward the outside, but that's likely going to be on a design-by-design basis.

Having used both, I find the MP system for making hollow points (or bases, in my case) to be preferable to NOE's.

If you're only punching paper, I would avoid the extra effort required to make HP's and go for the easy volume production of solids.