358429

Ian

Ian

Notorious member
It's mostly about style anyway for most of what we do with cast bullets. Casting with the really squared-off designs from MPs hollow point moulds is a whole 'nuther thing, it's all about keeping the pace up so the mould and pins stay HOT. The longer the pin, the harder it is to keep it hot. Look in your HPs with a pen light and see how many of them have a big bubble void down at the bottom. If they do, they'll likely also have the rounded band edges from too cool of a mould.

ps a faint haze of soot in the cavities is your friend.
 
Will

Will

Well-Known Member
This was my first run with this mold. Generally molds cast a lot better for me the second round. I had a little trouble with the hp pins sticking in the cavity. To my surprise I didn’t have any trouble with bullets sticking in the cavities.

I tried smoking the pins but it only seemed to help for 4 or 5 pours. Fighting with sticky bullets while the mold is cooling really hurts you with these. Next round should go a lot better.
 
Brad

Brad

Benevolent Overlord and site owner
Staff member
Never, ever look at bullets in photos of you want to think they are good. They say the camera adds 10 pounds, well it also adds 10 defects to every bullet.

That HP should open nicely. With the right alloy it should also stay together
 
Ian

Ian

Notorious member
Will said:
Fighting with sticky bullets while the mold is cooling really hurts you with these. Next round should go a lot better.
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Fighting any kind of sticking while the mould is cooling really hurts you with brass. I didn't have good luck smoking the pins, if they are an issue then take them out, unscrew the guide pins, and polish them to a mirror with drill and sandpaper. Next round should indeed go better, and by the third it should be sorted out.
 
CWLONGSHOT

CWLONGSHOT

Well-Known Member
Bigbore5 said:
Been trying this bullet in 357max with the cup point. The hp was accurate but would blow up on coyotes
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Thats a bad thing how?

I once used some Lyman 155g Devastators in a 10mm carbine. Cast about 30:1. They made a MESS outta two dogs shot bang bang first was on point of shoulder almost facing golf ball hole in-out. Second dead broad side as he tried to turn inside out after my buddy put a 55g V max dead center chest. No exit on second.
The bullet is accurately named.

CW
 
B

Bigbore5

New Member
CWLONGSHOT said:
Thats a bad thing how?

I once used some Lyman 155g Devastators in a 10mm carbine. Cast about 30:1. They made a MESS outta two dogs shot bang bang first was on point of shoulder almost facing golf ball hole in-out. Second dead broad side as he tried to turn inside out after my buddy put a 55g V max dead center chest. No exit on second.
The bullet is accurately named.

CW
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I'm hoping the cup points will expand on deer and hogs but keep together and penetrate.
 
Bret4207

Bret4207

At the casting bench in the sky. RIP Bret.
Spindrift said:
Very nice bullets!
I keep a carpenter’s pencil handy when I cast with HP moulds. Keeping the heat is essential, of course. But if a pin is particularily reluctant to release the bullet, a quick stroke with the pencil often helps.
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Beat me to it, that was going to be my suggestion.
 
Rick H

Rick H

Well-Known Member
Its only a bad thing if you are trying to save the pelts. I use Sierra 55gr SpBt's in a .223R/5.56 and they go in with a 22 cal. hole, explode inside with no exit. Hide friendly most of the time. It anchors coyotes pretty well where they stand as well.
 
CWLONGSHOT

CWLONGSHOT

Well-Known Member
Rick H said:
Its only a bad thing if you are trying to save the pelts. I use Sierra 55gr SpBt's in a .223R/5.56 and they go in with a 22 cal. hole, explode inside with no exit. Hide friendly most of the time. It anchors coyotes pretty well where they stand as well.
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Are pelts worth the effort?? WAS as high as 50$ but last I herd it was about 20$. Not worth it to me.
 
CZ93X62

CZ93X62

Official forum enigma
CWLONGSHOT said:
Are pelts worth the effort?? WAS as high as 50$ but last I herd it was about 20$. Not worth it to me.
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I hunted fur from my teens in the early 1970s until the late 1980s, when the "FUR IS DEAD" compassion fascists helped collapse the fur market.

Most of my coyote pelts came via use of 22 LR (the Win. 290 I have now) and head shots at under 50 yards inside or alongside citrus groves. Marie and I were both Orange Grove Kids. We were both poor as hell, but didn't know it at the time. Everybody I lived around was like us, so who knew?

My mentor had an actual tanyard, though by the time I was under his and his wife's wings he was just skinning, fleshing, drying, and stretching, and selling them 'raw' to a broker in Beverly Hills. Coyote fur was sold as "Desert Wolf" back in the day, I think those Glitzy Geeks of Glitter Gulch will buy anything.

All that to explain that bullet fragment piercing skin causes the hide holes to expand when stretched.
 
Bret4207

Bret4207

At the casting bench in the sky. RIP Bret.
Rick H said:
Its only a bad thing if you are trying to save the pelts. I use Sierra 55gr SpBt's in a .223R/5.56 and they go in with a 22 cal. hole, explode inside with no exit. Hide friendly most of the time. It anchors coyotes pretty well where they stand as well.
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I'm still using Nosler 55 gr Solid Base in the 22-250. Always 2 holes, I figure it's the base exiting. The fur hasn't been worth anything in several years and it's simply horrible now. What I shoot and trap is strictly varmint control.
 
358156 hp

358156 hp

At large, whereabouts unknown.
Bigbore5 said:
I'm hoping the cup points will expand on deer and hogs but keep together and penetrate.
Click to expand...
The original intention of 358429HP was to expand rapidly at 38-44 velocities, which are a bit slower than full power 357 magnum loads. The first HP 358429HP mould were reported to detonate jackrabbits when shot from 38-44. When the 357 mag came to market a little later, it made the issue worse. I wouldn't be too concerned with expansion from Keith designs, they'll still punch a full diameter hole about as far into, or through a critter as you might need at reasonable ranges. They were designed purely for hunting, and perform well, even without expansion. And expansion can and will cost you penetration.

And Brett is completely correct that there are wide variations in Keith moulds from Lyman. I don't know who made Lymans cherries, but it appears that every time that Lyman got new cherries for cutting moulds, they were from a different near-sighted machinist. Lyman was really bad about not holding their machine tool suppliers responsible for consistency to the original specs. Some were awful!

Edited to correct the first sentence- I intended to write 358429HP, but left off the darn "HP". The original 358429 was designed for 38 SPL/38-44 cases.
 
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CWLONGSHOT

CWLONGSHOT

Well-Known Member
I havent sold any. But shot skinned and tanned hundreds... I have a half dozen here in the living room right now.
A buddy has sold many if ours but i dont think commercially.
Its been couple years since that.
 
Bret4207

Bret4207

At the casting bench in the sky. RIP Bret.
358156 hp said:
The original intention of 358429 was to expand rapidly at 38-44 velocities, which are a bit slower than full power 357 magnum loads. The first HP 358429 HP mould were reported to detonate jackrabbits when shot from 38-44. When the 357 mag came to market a little later, it made the issue worse. I wouldn't be too concerned with expansion from Keith designs, they'll still punch a full diameter hole about as far into, or through a critter as you might need at reasonable ranges. They were designed purely for hunting, and perform well, even without expansion. And expansion can and will cost you penetration.

And Brett is completely correct that there are wide variations in Keith moulds from Lyman. I don't know who made Lymans cherries, but it appears that every time that Lyman got new cherries for cutting moulds, they were from a different near-sighted machinist. Lyman was really bad about not holding their machine tool suppliers responsible for consistency to the original specs. Some were awful!
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The original intention of the 358429 was for St Elmer to have a long range 38-44 bullet. Expansion had nothing to do with it as it was a solid. The HP version came later. the was the 358439 IIRC. The 439 fell by the wayside and HPing the 429 became the norm.
 
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