MP cavity brass mold. Nope, won’t work for me.

Brother_Love

Well-Known Member
I recently purchased a very nice 4 cavity MP mold in swap/sell. It is the 35 caliber with the Penta point inserts. I was tickled to get it but I cant use it. After 2 rotator cuff surgeries and arthritis I cant handle casting with it. It is too much for these old arms and shoulders. I like it but as Harry Callahan said, “A man gotta know his limitations.” From now on it either 2 cavity or for 4-6 cavities, aluminum only. I cast for enjoyment and I don’t want it to be like work!
 

Rick

Moderator
Staff member
I can relate quite well to that Brother. In years past I was mighty pleased at buying all those 4 cav Miha molds but more so every year now I question the wisdom of that. Dang, they are exactly the same molds as when I bought them but they sure have put on the weight somehow. :confused:
 

Brother_Love

Well-Known Member
Yes, it is a beautiful mold but too heavy for me. However, I tried 2 new double cavity molds this morning and was pleased with the results.

That big ol 35 spire point has always intrigued me and I hope to get some accuracy with it at about 12-1400 FPS. The 30 cal is the SAECO look alike from NOE. I got it in a HP this time. It has a little flash around the HP pin I will have to investigate.
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fiver

Well-Known Member
I liken some of those molds to balancing a bowling ball on the end of a ruler.
I used to just flip those 4 cavity Lymans around like nothing.
now I'm shortening the handles, and figuring out ways to operate them without picking them up too much.
I'm glad I started out with 2 cavity molds and have stuck with them for the most part over the years.
 

Brad

Benevolent Overlord and site owner
Staff member
Lots of twisting and turning with those HP moulds. They make really nice bullets but they sure do wear me out. The 2 cav brass aren’t bad, the 4 cav brass are a pain. I find that I need to limit the number of pours in a session because of fatigue.
 

fiver

Well-Known Member
I bet the top punch will straighten out that little bit of flashing in the size die.
 

JWFilips

Well-Known Member
I had one MP brass mould ( .35 cal & HP also) Yes it was a real work of art and a precision piece!
I just had to work too hard to make good bullets. Please understand it was not the mould it was me. At that time I just didn't have enough experience! However I still probably would want to own one because they are not for me because I am me and not because the product is bad.
I do far better casting with Steel & aluminum moulds!
 

Wiresguy

Active Member
I'm down to a half dozen or so MP 4 cavity brass molds, some HP and some Solid. A few I bought because they were "group buys" and I thought I might want them some day and should get them while they were available. Quality? Of course, but they are HEAVY, so I have been switching over to Accurate aluminum molds.

Don't need any HP for paper punching. The ones I like too much to sell, even though I hardly use them: H&G 503, H&G 68, and 270gr Ohaus SWC.
 

358156 hp

At large, whereabouts unknown.
My 2 cav. MP mould dealt me fits until I realized that it really needed to be run at really high mould temps, and that the sprue plate needed to be preheated as much as the blocks did. That straightened out a lot of the issues. BTW, I don't have enough wall outlets in the garage to run the pot and a hotplate along with the lighting I need. Plus, the entire garage is wired through a GFI circuit off a bathroom. Since I live in a rental, no changes are possible. So I preheat manually, just like in the olden days.

All this effort for one mould. All the others, even my 4 cav. Lymans are simpler.
 
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