Hollow point cast bullets are very much in vogue right now. I would wager that never in recent times have so many affordable moulds producing HP projectiles been so available. We have the likes of NOE, MP and Accurate to thank for this but less so from the mainstream manufacturers. Lee list no HP moulds at this time and the same goes for RCBS though Lyman is still making a limited number of pistol moulds and one rifle bullet with HP facility.
Historically Ideal used to offer a large variety of HP bullet moulds arguably the most famous of which is the Gould Express 457122 330gr still offered to this day by Lyman. Available to download from the CBA web site are old Ideal catalogues and the 1929 version shows a great many HP options from .22 through .45 calibre. Sadly they have gone the way of the Dodo bird and much of that is attributable to introduction and availability of jacketed hollow point bullets from commercial sources.
Historically Ideal used to offer a large variety of HP bullet moulds arguably the most famous of which is the Gould Express 457122 330gr still offered to this day by Lyman. Available to download from the CBA web site are old Ideal catalogues and the 1929 version shows a great many HP options from .22 through .45 calibre. Sadly they have gone the way of the Dodo bird and much of that is attributable to introduction and availability of jacketed hollow point bullets from commercial sources.
So why cast HPs? Original HP lead alloy bullets were for hunting purposes with the intent of greater knock down power and bullet expansion. Velocities at the time were topping out in the region of 1600fps with most around 12-1400fps so it is easy to see how the hunters of the time would have benefited from binary lead/tin HP alloy bullets (30-1, 20-1, 16-1). Take for example the classic .44-40 bullet, 42498, 210gr FN departing the woods hunter at 1300fps. Nothing to sneeze at but now replace that with the obsolete 42499 with a deep HP the terminal effect on light skinned medium game it is significantly better.
Two designs of nose pins for casting HPs exist. The traditional method utilising a single cavity mould with a pin manually inserted into the base of the mould prior to pouring then upon solidification of the alloy removed before the mould is opened and bullet ejected. The other design lends itself wonderfully to multiple cavity moulds where pins are fixtures in one half of the mould and swing out upon opening allowing the bullets to clear the cavity and fall free of the forming pin. MP moulds favour this method – see the 452-374 below.
For those that have an existing traditional mould they would like converted to HP Erik Ohlen of www.hollowpointmold.com will take your mould and add either a traditional Ideal style pin or Cramer style bar for multiple cavities. Erik converted a Lyman 225462 for me creating a devastating small game pest control bullet for my .223 Remington.
Alloys for HPs can be critical depending on the impact velocity, internal size of the HP and required performance. Binary alloy of lead/tin is fantastic as the molecular cohesion of Pb and Sn is superb; essentially the two metals cling together so well they deform without shedding material. Once we begin to add antimony to the mix the alloy will become increasingly brittle in direct correlation to the percentage of Sb added. In the case of my small game pest control bullets fragmentation is not an issue as rapid dumping on energy is desirable so clip on wheel weight metal can be used allowing for respectable velocities (2300fps) and convincing terminal results. On heavier/larger animals where penetration and expansion is required it may be prudent to ‘water’ down such metal with pure lead to reduce the percentage of antimony, use a binary alloy or keep the impact speeds down.
Alloys for HPs can be critical depending on the impact velocity, internal size of the HP and required performance. Binary alloy of lead/tin is fantastic as the molecular cohesion of Pb and Sn is superb; essentially the two metals cling together so well they deform without shedding material. Once we begin to add antimony to the mix the alloy will become increasingly brittle in direct correlation to the percentage of Sb added. In the case of my small game pest control bullets fragmentation is not an issue as rapid dumping on energy is desirable so clip on wheel weight metal can be used allowing for respectable velocities (2300fps) and convincing terminal results. On heavier/larger animals where penetration and expansion is required it may be prudent to ‘water’ down such metal with pure lead to reduce the percentage of antimony, use a binary alloy or keep the impact speeds down.
One major factor in producing quality HP bullets is running HOT. Hot mould, hot alloy and most importantly, a hot HP pin. When ‘running ball’ with my Ohlen converted 225462 I am sure to keep the pin resting on the casting furnace or in the alloy between pours. This ensures the very small diameter pin is keep at alloy temp consistent to avoid HP defects.
Cast lead alloy hollow point bullets. Not a new idea but still as useful and relevant today as they were over 100 years ago. Give them a go.
Jeff
Cast lead alloy hollow point bullets. Not a new idea but still as useful and relevant today as they were over 100 years ago. Give them a go.
Jeff