hollow point molds

[porthos]

when i look at the swappin & selling section; i see a lot of hollow point molds for sale. what is the purpose of a hollow point other that for hunting. is there a advantage in accuracy??. for hunting i would think that a single cavity would be all that is needed.

[AnthonyB]

porthos:
I am a huge fan of HP moulds, both rifle and pistol. This will be a good discussion, but I'll limit my first response to the question.
beagle has conducted enough experiments to convince me that HPs are more accurate. I haven't tried to confirm that; I believe him. A single cavity is plenty for hunting, but not if you want the performance increase in a large number of boolits. That is where the MP and NOE multiple cavity HPs really come into play.
Tony

[fredj338]

I think the theory is a HP moves weight to the rear & makes it more accurate. Most shooters cant shoot well enough to establish this but I dont dismiss it.
I have several HP molds & if you want a lot of bullets for practice, single cav are a huge pita. I use mine for hunting/hunting practice but would also be fine for poop HTF ammo.

[THE_ANTIDOTE]

Imma gonna go with, "HP's are just cool!". I don't hunt, but I do own many molds in single/multiple cavities, hollow points and solids. There is just something about casting 500 45-70 bullets and looking down at all those hollow points. I also have my hollow points because I like to make my own hybrid rounds like fusing a soft lead hollow point nose to a 500 grain solid. Sometimes you just can't find a hollow point in a style you want.

[porthos]

question is pretty well answered. i would hope that they shoot much,much better. never owned a HP mold; but, i would think that they are a pain to use. or, do the bullets drop as eaisly as they do thru a regular mold

[Wheelguns 1961]

Hollowpoints expand when contact is made, therefore they dump more energy into their target. This limits penetration, which can be good in many self defense scenarios. You don’t want to shoot through walls.

[pdgoutdoors]

For me it comes down to a bit of practacility. I have an MP454640 HP mold for my 45 colt and I love it, and it does not cause any issues. I like the fact that it comes with five different pins all making the boolit different weights, ranging from 255gr to 282gr. My SAA hits very low with its fixed sights, so I can cast heavy boolits to make up for it as well as 255 grainers for my Marlin from the same mould if I feel like it. I mainly use the Penta HP for 90% of my casting with it. It is extremely accurate out of multiple guns, and I can load it hot to hunt or light to plink. Overall it is a very practicle investment that gives a wide range of use.

[405grain]

porthos: Casting hollowpoint bullets is just a little bit different than casting other types. There's usually no problem with the bullets sticking in the mold blocks (at least not any different than other mold types). The problem is in keeping the hollowpoint pin hot. The pin that form the hollow cavity in the bullets nose is a smaller piece of metal than the mold blocks, so it looses heat faster. If the pin gets too cool the rim of the hollowpoint in the bullets tip could cast unevenly. also, whenever a portion of the mold isn't hot enough it can cause wrinkles to form.

Some guys recommend having your melting pot at a hotter temperature. That's OK, within reason, but you don't want to be running your pot so hot that you start oxidizing your alloy. Other's have suggested dipping the pin into the pot from time to time to keep it hot. That's all fine and good until you accidentally drop it into the pot. What I do is keep a propane torch that lights with the push of a button handy. If I start seeing defects on a bullet nose I heat up the pin with the torch for a few seconds, then go back to casting. I keep my melting pot at the same temperature that I use for all my bullets, and just heat up the pin when it's necessary. Any defective bullets just get tossed in with the cut off sprue's and go back in the pot later. The hollowpoint molds that I use are all single cavity, so if you're using multi-cavity molds your mileage may vary. I'm just letting you know that the main issue with this type of mold is keeping the pin as hot as the rest of the mold.

[Elpatoloco]

I recently got back into casting and got my first HP mold.
It is a brass mold made by MP. The slugs fall from this mold with less weight variance than any other mold that I have used. Like a half a percent.
I was pit off years ago by the way HP molds were made or at least the way the ones I had seen were made.
All I know is my guns seem to love the profile.

[Land Owner]

It is a visceral preference to load and shoot HP's (for home and self-defense) as it is to shoot WC's, SWC's, and every other profile. Nothing, and I mean nothing, is going to make a bit of follow-on difference if the first shot is well placed. An HP expands on impact, increases its frontal expansion with depth of penetration, either remains intact or separates into petals and core, disrupts internals, imparts its energy, and some or all may, or may not pass through. I like "Keith-style" solid profiles for hunting as they will likely pass through leaving a wound channel to follow - if necessary. Always, a well-placed shot anchors game or foe.

[Coopaloop86]

I like the simplicity of having as few loads floating around as possible. Todays hollowpoint molds from MP and NOE and such will run as fast as cheaper non HP molds so I find a good HP that my guns like and I set it and forget it. My range ammo and my hunting ammo are generally the same whenever feasible, not always possible but I try. This is purely to make it simple on me when casting and reloading for many calibers.

[Bigslug]

question is pretty well answered. i would hope that they shoot much,much better. never owned a HP mold; but, i would think that they are a pain to use. or, do the bullets drop as eaisly as they do thru a regular mold

I think the best way to describe the complexities of casting hollow points and hollow bases is that you need to bring a little more "A-Game Technique" to the party in terms of understanding and management of alloy and temperature. Once you get to that point, they aren't hugely more challenging than solids, BUT you're going to learn some creative phrasing as you develop those skills and break your molds in.

HP's are fun for making water bottles go "SPLAT!", they have some real world applications, and, as has been mentioned, they may have some accuracy perks in the event you are one of the rare birds who are able to exploit what their guns are mechanically capable of.

The MP Molds system is simpler to use; the NOE requires you to be a little more on your toes. Buy brass molds for their heat retention properties when available.

[Good Cheer]

I want my snubby to be happy.

[Super Sneaky Steve]

My MP moulds drop out just fine. I put some "Drop Out" spray on all the pins before assembling the mould. It helps a lot.

Soft cast hollow points have a great advantage over jacketed hollow points when it comes to reliable expansion. Much less energy is needed.

[porthos]

well, i'll never be convinced of they're usefulness other than hunting. and that is only if you want rapid expansion. and as far as accuracy; i belive that it would take a ransom rest to prove that.

[Elpatoloco]

well, i'll never be convinced of they're usefulness other than hunting. and that is only if you want rapid expansion. and as far as accuracy; i belive that it would take a ransom rest to prove that.

Maybe so, I will say that the 200 gr slug from MP is more accurate out of my now, 3 different 350 legends.....than any other factory load or handload that I have come up with. It's the grail of slugs as far as I am concerned. Only 200 more pices of brass and I'll have them all loaded. For paper to critters.

I am 99% of the time a Handgun Hunter. I Can absolutley guarentee that after this little experiment, I will be picking up my favorite styles in .44 and .475 with hollowpoint pins.

Edited to add: I just now noticed in the pic that one of the HPs has a powdercoat booger in it. Will see if it produces a flyer in the group tomorrow.



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