NOE Hollowpoint mold ?

[brown bass hunter]

I have been on the NOE website dreaming of spending a few $'s on a new toy. I am interested in the 40/45 cal molds with the hollow point pins and flat nose pins. My question is " how difficult is it to deal with the pins each time you knock out your cast boolits?" This may be a silly questions, but I like to weigh out my options. Any input/experience would be appreciated.

[stillkickn]

I have an NOE hp mold in .357 and love it. Keep it HOT. Once I get the temp right and a good rhythm the boolits fall just fine.

[ShooterAZ]

The pins "swing" the boolits out of the block, and they just fall off. The only thing is, you REALLY need to get the mold up to temp first. I preheat the mold upside down on a hotplate. Once it's good & hot, it casts perfect boolits. I have the NOE .453 large HP mold. Use a relatively soft alloy, size to .452, use a good lube.

[SWANEEDB]

It's quite a learning curve but when you get it you'll really enjoy, I have 4 of the NOE HP molds, all like a real hot pour, do what Al says about breaking in and just do it again, you'll not be sorry if you intend to buy one.

[chsparkman]

I have found them to be a pain to get going. The mold usually reaches the correct temperature before the pins, so be patient. Also try not to spill lead over the side as it can get stuck where the pin carriers protrude. Open the mold and lightly tap on the carrier and the boolits should drop right out when you turn the mould upside down. It takes a few trials to get things going right and to create a usable rhythm, but once you do you can consistently crank out some nice HP's.

[canyon-ghost]

The same thing is true of single cavity hollowpoint molds, the pins have to be hot enough that lead doesn't stick to them.

[375RUGER]

Preheat your mould to 400*F or more and 1 or 2 pours is all that will be needed for boolits to drop freely, or with a light tap.
After boolits drop I shake the pins back into their half of the mould then gently close the mould.

[cainttype]

NOE HPs work very well. The flat pins will generally behave so well that they're a non-issue. The HP pins take a little more heat, but are a joy to work with when your cadence and temps are right.
Close your mould in the upright position because the pin's retaining groove design tolerances will allow them to seat slightly deeper if closed facing down, and consistency pays off.
Properly used, the NOEs will produce quality HPs at a rate difficult to imagine until you've seen one in action.

[Bigslug]

They do complicate the process somewhat. The bullets can stick to either the flat or HP pin requiring a little encouragement to drop off, you need to develop a technique for closing the mold to get the pins back in their channels (not hard), and I've noted a tendency for the flat nose pins to settle at different heights sometimes leaving a more or less flat point as intended, and sometimes with a slight cup point. Haven't diagnosed that last one yet.

Are they a huge PITA? No.

Are they more of a PITA than a solid cavity? Yes. Unquestionably. The difference is like that between a modern Camry or Accord with an automatic transmission that you just get in and drive, versus a vintage manual on which you have to pull levers, pump pedals, and shut off one thing before turning on another.

H.P.s are one of those things you'll have to dabble in and make up your own mind on as to whether or not they're worth the extra work and attention to detail. My own thought is currently leaning in this direction: hollowpoints are fine, but there is a time and a place for making a hella-lot of bullets, and an HP mold - even one with the solid pins in - is not going to produce like a simple, solid cavity number. Plan accordingly.

[brown bass hunter]

Thanks for all the experience guys! That is what I needed to hear. Patience and casting experience go a long ways as with any mold. Now if I can decide which mold I need the most. Thanks again.

[Boolseye]

I'm a firm believer in the hardwood stick for all my casting, especially HPs. I use a hefty hardwood whacker to smack the mold handle bolt when I need to release the boolits. My NOE RG4 likes to run hot, too.

[Beagle333]

Spin the pins (with your fingers) while gripping the tips in some 800 grit paper til they're mirror smooth, then reinstall. Then just wipe only the tips of them very lightly with a Qtip slightly dampened with sprue lube, about once every 50 drops and the boolits will jump off if the temp is right.
I love my RG4s, but they definitely have their own personalities that must be learned.

[glockky]

I only have a couple HP molds but have found NOE's pin system to be the easiest to mess with. I have a Mihec 45-70 mold that I have to fight with. The noe 452-230 after being preheated on my hot plate starts throwing good bullets within the first couple pours.

[NVScouter]

Like was said its a learning curve for my 4 gang mold. Al showed me since I wasnt getting it.

1)Preheat twice as long as a LEE mold.

2)Cast 2-3 fils and dump.

3)flip the mold upright close 95% and slightly tap the handle with your stick/mallet. This settle the pins.

4)Close the mold and cast.

Steps 1 and 3 are critical. #3 had me ticked since I was getting boolits with shallow or convex HP pin dimples.

[Boolseye]

The points NVScouter brings up are well taken. That certainly mirrors my approach with my RG4.
Like anything, it takes awhile to get the technique down, and there's just more going on with an HP mold. The NOEs are well conceived and will reward you for the time you put in. At this point, I can probably produce between three and four-hundred HPs in an hour with my NOE 358-135 RG4. That's more SD ammo than anyone needs.

[Blammer]

The points NVScouter brings up are well taken. That certainly mirrors my approach with my RG4.
Like anything, it takes awhile to get the technique down, and there's just more going on with an HP mold. The NOEs are well conceived and will reward you for the time you put in. At this point, I can probably produce between three and four-hundred HPs in an hour with my NOE 358-135 RG4. That's more SD ammo than anyone needs.

BUT that's not enough water jug blasting boolits!

[SciFiJim]

One of the things that I have learned with the RG molds is to go slower.

I am a big proponent of cutting the sprue with the my gloved thumb. When I tried this with the RG molds I found that the HP tips were ripping when I went to dump the mold.

With an RG mold, I have to wait longer for the boolit tips to solidify enough to not rip.

This is long enough that I can't cut the sprue with my thumb and have to whack the sprue plate with my knocker to cut the sprue.

So, instead of casting hot and fast, I found I have to slow down some.

[Maximumbob54]

Don't figure there's a need to start a new thread about the same thing but I have a different issue.

My mold heats up just fine and they drop easy enough but my issue should be obvious:



I've dinked around with how tight the screw is at the base of the mold and tight holds the pins wrong and too loose seems to make it even worse. But I cannot find the sweet spot that holds the pins at just the right height.

Any tips???

[Yodogsandman]

Add more tin to your alloy to get good boolit fill out and maybe heat the mold a little bit hotter.

[220]

Boolit on the left looks like it was when you had loosened the retaining clips and the pins are sitting to low. Boolit on right looks like the pins weren't settled back into position and the centre the same but with poor fill out.
After dumping boolits turn the mold over and jiggle it so the pins settle back into their lowest position. If you close the mold straight after dumping with it still upside down the pins will be high and give the result on the right of the pic.