The noses aren't filling out properly. It's a lyman 452374. Do I need to order tin, or get the pin hotter? Google search I found where a guy was even heating the pin with a torch. Or is it just not enough tin in the WW's? Also if I need tin is there anyplace cheaper than rotometals?

I didn't realize the picture was this bad until I got home, but it kind of shows what I'm talking about.

Had the same kind of issues with a mold in 41 caliber.

need to make sure that the pins are hot and stay that way.
Lot of trial and error but you will get it figured out.

As for more tin i have used 95/5 i bought at the lumber yard in the plumbing dept.
My mold is a brass 4 holer.

John Walters is the cheapest source of bulk tin that I've found. Out in OK, try Google for his name + wads.

I usually give the HP pins the same treatment as the moulds: dunk in up to temp alloy until the lead doesn't stick.
It should only take about 15 seconds, max. Any longer and it will ruin the wood knob for sure!

HP moulds must be used all by themselves, to keep the heat sufficient for fillout. I also keep the mould on a hot plate while giving the pin a dunk.
Keep the casting sequence fast on full heat and you should be able to crank out quite a few without re-heating everything.

Tin will also help.

HawkI or anyone else.. Saw this thread on Hollow Point cast bullets.. I would like to buy 200-500 of Keith's 235 grain HP .44's.. From what I see commercial casters do not make HP bullets.. Know anyone who might sell me the cast bullet I am looking for??
Bought 100 years ago in Oregon.. Never could locate any more..

The original Keith mould was discontinued years ago, but some home caster might have it and make you some; commercial casters do have some offerings.

Here's one:

http://www.midwayusa.com/product/20...ter-240-grain-lead-pentagon-hollow-point

Hawk, many thanks, I will order some of these.. Just a novelty thing for me..again thanks..

Thanks guys.

There was a guy over on the CB forum who would convert molds to HP for a few bucks, don't remember his handle but bet you could find him over there. Buy a 429421 single cavity and send it to him. I converted one of my 358156 single cavities at work on my lunchbreak. Really not hard if you have a vertical mill. I made 2 different pins for mine, one large and one small, promptly lost the small one and haven't replaced it. The larger one drops bullets at 142gr with a .100 wide HP.

If you want to convert some mould to HP contact this guy he has convert a couple for me and does great work.


Cast mold conversion to HP

I managed to get a few good ones by running the mold as fast as possible and turning the thermostat all the way up on my lyman pot. Still thinking a little tin will help. I should get more than 25% keepers. Correct?

Good grief, them looks like tea cups!!

One other question. is that small single groove gonna hold enough lube for a 28" barrel at 1300-1400? Or will the rest of my winter be spent pushing steel wool down a barrel?

add a smidge of tin, looks like you need to get your mould a bit hotter and pour fast and leave a good sprue puddle. The lead is hot enough, just get the mould hotter.

I don't recall ever having leading problems due to an insufficient amount of lube, and have shot lots of cast bullets of various designs through a 24" 35 whelen in that velocity range and higher with no issues with leading. The only leading problem I had with the whelen, and it was helacious, was undersized commercial hard cast bullets with a hard crayon type lube.

Even though a single lube groove, it looks like it holds a decent amount of lube. My preference is towards the softer lubes which should help. You could also use lee tumble lube or 45-45-10 in addition to filling the lube groove but IMHO it shouldn't be necessary.

As far as 25% good bullets, I'd give up casting if that was the best I could do. You do have a large hp pin which acts as a big heat sink so you'll just have to get the mold really hot and cast as fast as possible. I'd try by adding 1% tin to see if that helps. Not the cheapest route, but lead free solder is 95% tin, and as I recall a 1# roll is 25' long so add 2 1/2' to a 10# pot of ww's. If 1% doesn't quite get you there, try 2%.

How do those fragile looking noses hold up when pushing them into a sizer, or do you you use a push-through die? I shot a bazillion of those (non-hollowpointed) 452374s over the years and never had a lube issue with that single groove. Granted, that was in pistols though.

Your success rate should improve if you follow the above advice. I doubt, based on my experience with HP molds, that you'll get better than 60-80% good ones.

That's a mighty big hollow point. Wouldn't a smaller hole serve the purpose? I would expect a lot of fragmentation from such a thin cross section of remaining lead. But, perhaps that is the goal.

By the way, how many shots of scotch will one of them hold?

I tripped across a deal on about ten or 15 rolls of that lead free solder a few years ago, and have been adding about that much to a pot of WW's. Get real decent fillout on the bullets.

Stopped at the hardware store today. OUCH! I'll give it another try tomorrow with the tin.

Gnoahh I use a lyman 4500 lube sizer. The noses hold up fine. (The dozen I ran through so far anyway.)

You may not need to "add tin" if you get the mold hot enough. Get the pot up to temperature and scoop the crud off the top. If ladle casting it must be "in there" and full temp, thermometer monitoring. Now, put the corner of the mold in the melt and wait for a little heat-up. Now, lube the mold and pins. Put the corner back into the melt. When it starts smoking, wait 20 seconds or so (amount depending on results, all molds are different), then start casting. Is it pouring evenly or is it coming out clumpy? If so, you can add 8" or so of your solder. No need to mix. It spreads evenly through the pot instantaneously. That's all the tin you will need. Also, 50/50 works best. Otherwise, the noses crack and are brittle.

I added 2.5' of the solder as recommended by 458 lott. Problem solved. Better than 95% keepers.
They group really good too, but I'm not telling you guys the distance because I don't shoot handguns very well.

yes that lube groove is plenty big for any length of barrel

Thank you. It seemed small compared to my other 45 mold. I did load a few in the 45 colt, only because I got all the way to seating the bullets before I realized there is no crimp groove. They probably be fine, but I don't think I could trust them in the tube magazine. I'll just use them in the 1911. I did have one other issue, but I think that's taken care of as well. https://www.24hourcampfire.com/ubbth...05/Am_I_using_the_right_data#Post9515005 Thanks for answering my questions. I've only been casting for about a year and this is my second mold. It certainly isn't as simple as my other mold. Here's those lube grooves compared. The other bullet is lyman #452664.

if you have a proper taper crimp, after you load a round, take it and use your hand and press the nose of the round into some wood as hard as you can and see if it moves.

If you have a decent taper crimp, you will not be able to budge that projectile into the case at all.

You can always crimp a bullet with no crimp groove.