H&G 50 Ten Cavity Mod

[Michael J. Spangler]

So I have a few of these old moulds

Most of which were rode hard their whole lives. I have one gem that must have been a backup because it’s in OK condition compared to the others. I’ll keep that one original.

So I decided to mill one down a couple lube grooves and make about an 80 grain waductter from one of the ugly moulds.

Let me tell you it wasn’t worth it 😂. Shave off 1/4” of steel and the mould still weighs a metric ton. Damn near through out my shoulder each time I filled the mould. The end result is serviceable but the mould is so beat that it’s not a really pretty bullet.

I guess I need to find a modern brass mould in a 75 or 112 grain wadcutter

I had some flashing on the bases but I didn’t really pick the nicest sprue plate. I have half a dozen spares to choose from and this one was on top of the pile. I think cleaning that up a bit could solve some issues.

Anywhere here’s a zoomed in pic of bullet taken under an LED bulb with lots of glare but you get the idea.

[Michael J. Spangler]

Wow I figured someone would have beaten me up over milling down this old mould ��

[jdgabbard]

Well, in my defense, I just saw your post. But you are in need of a beating!!!

J/k, your molds, do as you like. I hate to see those Cadillacs wrecked like that, but they're your's to do with as you please. I personally LOVE H&G molds. They really are super nice molds. But they're just too dang heavy for me these days. I can get an 8cav MP Mold for $80, and do all the casting I need to without the fatigue of using those heavy molds of the past. I still have an H&G #50 in a 4cav. I haven't used it in years. I might break it out if I ever start worrying about target shooting again. But my shooting preferences have changed, and I prefer to shoot something that is more of a traditional 158gr bullet these days at working pressures. Which, the MP 158gr SWC-BB works for fine for over 5gr of Unique.

I actually had a post talking about this not too long ago... I've moved over to Aluminum molds for some of my higher capacity shooting needs simply due to fatigue at the casting pot... Part of getting older I suppose...

[Michael J. Spangler]

Hahahaha.

I agree with you. If this mould wasn’t so beat up I would have kept it original. I have 1 more that’s best just like this one and 1 that is in very good condition. That one is a keeper.
If I do decide to shoot more wadcutters I’ll go 6 cavity MP brass.

I can cast with 2 MP moulds at a time for hours no issues. This 10 cavity had me on the ropes after about 6 casts ��

[jdgabbard]

A lot of guys don't understand how incredibly heavy those molds are. Also, the handles are a little...unique... The ones I have are the plyer type with offset handles. Weird to hold at the pot.... The larger nutcracker style aren't as bad, but nutcracker handles are always a little different when it comes to getting a rhythm down. Even when I was younger those things would wear you out.

[skeettx]

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Z1bp8Cl3L8A

[Michael J. Spangler]

This set has nutcracker handles. Definitely weird.

Skeettx I really like that set up and remember seeing that video a few years ago. That’s the only way to run these without passing out after 10 minutes of casting.
If I run this mold more I’m thinking about setting up something like that.

[Mk42gunner]

I like good condition H&G molds. As you stated in your first post, this one was not. Feel free to modify as you see fit.

Now to give a bit of advice about the miniscule wadcutters. This is a hard lesson learned from using a Lee SC ~75 gr WC. Get the 112 or heavier mold.

With my tiny Lee mold it is a fine line between filling too fast and having molten metal back splashing and filling too slow and getting poor fillout of the bases. Good boolits can be made, but it is so different than any of my other molds that it isn't really worth it to me.

Robert

[Michael J. Spangler]

I figured this would be the same but maybe it’s the massive 5/8” thick sprue plate with a big ol trough that really helps the fill out.

[Forrest r]

My wrists are shot, sold several 10-cavity molds years ago. Heck, sold the steel 6-cavity molds also. About as heavy as I go is a brass 4-cavity mold anymore.

Never had any success with the smaller/shorter 35cal wc's. They tend to rely too much on neck tension to be consistent.

[Jack Stanley]

Build a box to hold the mold while you ladle the lead in . It's not hard and does ease the stress on the body a little .

Jack

[jsizemore]

Wow I figured someone would have beaten me up over milling down this old mould ��

I bought a H&G #34 mold but when I got it had 34BB stamped on the side. Somebody had milled the mold block down to the start of the bevel base. Whoever did an excellent job. The plus was the bullets weighed 200 gr. instead of 230 and used the same seating die adjustment as #68 if I used the round nose seating plug. Some "butcher jobs" are good ones. Could be the tops of the mold blocks were scarred and beat up and somebody came up with a great(in my mind) solution. Casts and shoots as good as any of my H&G molds. Iron mold block tops and sprue plates need some 2 cycle oil treatment too.

[Michael J. Spangler]

[harm]

I like the look of that -- seems to me making a useful mold out of a less-than-useful mold isn't a bad thing. Looking forward to hearing how it casts.

[Michael J. Spangler]

It casts ok. The mould was so beat up that fixturing it properly was a hassle. So it was off by a couple degrees from being flat on top. Easy fix but I’ll never do it. It casts as good as I can hope for given the other issues.

I do have another beater like this that I might have milled down to be more around that 115 grain weight. Just one more lube groove.

[rcslotcar]

For my heavy H&G molds I use a "lab jack" from eBay. The one I use on both my pots are blue anodized aluminum. It can be adjusted for height in seconds and is an arm saver.

[YoungGun88]

For my heavy H&G molds I use a "lab jack" from eBay. The one I use on both my pots are blue anodized aluminum. It can be adjusted for height in seconds and is an arm saver.

I have seen these, and they look like a terrific option for quick adjustments if casting different molds with varying block sizes simultaneously.

Will look out for one on ebay. I'm younger(36) and don't mind working out the forearms a bit, but reduced strain is always something to be concerned with at any age.

[Recycled bullet]

Those gang molds are sure awesome.

[Charliemac]

I have a couple of six cavity molds and they are hard to use for me. I think I would have a real hard time with a 10 cavity. Beings how my hands are wore out.

[jsizemore]

For my heavy H&G molds I use a "lab jack" from eBay. The one I use on both my pots are blue anodized aluminum. It can be adjusted for height in seconds and is an arm saver.

I use one of those to. I've had to make some newer style mold to handle screws so the bottom of the mold is in contact with the lab jack surface instead of hanging up on the old style screw heads. Wipe a lube cornstick across the surface of the jack about twice during a casting session so the mold slides smooth and straight. Takes a bunch of stress off the hands, arms and shoulders during long casting sessions. One of the better casting tools.