GTA
All Springer/NP/PCP Air Gun Discussion General => Projectiles => Boolit and Pellet Casting => Topic started by: rsterne on April 04, 2022, 06:19:44 PM
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I got a call from Al today, asking for updated drawings for a lot of the stuff that has been in the pipe for the last couple of years.... He is going to "block off some time" for airgun molds, including some new designs.... Good news, considering the rough patch they have been through!.... 8)
Bob
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Fantastic Bob !!! any news on steel molds ???
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8) Now I have to decide where my .20 Lw barrel is going to get mounted. Might need to buy a project gun ;D
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I've got one vintage Sheridan that I bought new in 1977, I basically just keep it because it doesn't owe me nothing and don't really use it anymore at all.
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Most excellent new!
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I have never heard anything about steel molds.... but then I have never asked!....
Bob
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I have never heard anything about steel molds.... but then I have never asked!....
Bob
It was put out in an email recently.
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What's wrong with aluminum?
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Steel is for people that want to cast with zinc. I don't know if any of you follow FullLeadTaco on Instagram but he got his hands on a steel one from NOE already. He's an airgunner and a PB guy.
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OK, didn't know zinc in aluminum was an issue. I would expect the same or worse issues with zinc in brass.
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Thanks! I am looking for a .30 cal slug mold with a reasonable air gun weight.
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One of the drawings I just sent to Al was for a BBT in .308 cal that is 105-112 gr.... However, that is much too heavy (and too big) for a .30 cal.... Have you looked at the 63-68 gr. BBT?....
https://noebulletmolds.com/site/product-category/bullet-moulds/308-311/300-68-fn-bi3/
It is currently out of stock, unfortunately.... Perhaps start a thread on the NOE Forum to encourage them to make more?....
Bob
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Steel is for people that want to cast with zinc. I don't know if any of you follow FullLeadTaco on Instagram but he got his hands on a steel one from NOE already. He's an airgunner and a PB guy.
Lyman molds are steel for muzzle loading stuff, I really do like steel molds, they hold the heat good. I'm really surprised that most mold makers here in the U.S. don't bother with making airgun molds. I hope that Al does make some of the air gun molds in steel I'd really like to try one to see how well they work.
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Steel is for people that want to cast with zinc. I don't know if any of you follow FullLeadTaco on Instagram but he got his hands on a steel one from NOE already. He's an airgunner and a PB guy.
Lyman molds are steel for muzzle loading stuff, I really do like steel molds, they hold the heat good. I'm really surprised that most mold makers here in the U.S. don't bother with making airgun molds. I hope that Al does make some of the air gun molds in steel I'd really like to try one to see how well they work.
Steel would be nice but if I have choice, I'd buy one in steel and one in aluminum just to be sure. Small caliber in steel mold seems a new territory to cover whereas aluminum or brass molds work.
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One of the drawings I just sent to Al was for a BBT in .308 cal that is 105-112 gr.... However, that is much too heavy (and too big) for a .30 cal.... Have you looked at the 63-68 gr. BBT?....
https://noebulletmolds.com/site/product-category/bullet-moulds/308-311/300-68-fn-bi3/ (https://noebulletmolds.com/site/product-category/bullet-moulds/308-311/300-68-fn-bi3/)
It is currently out of stock, unfortunately.... Perhaps start a thread on the NOE Forum to encourage them to make more?....
Bob
TBH, I had terrible luck with the .25 cal BBTs. It could have been my nonchoked barrel or speeds, but I actually sold that mold. It wasn't the HP version which I understand does better.
I have had good luck with the 249-39-RF-E6 mold in .25 cal. I don't know if it is possible to get a .30 cal mold designed like that one. That would be a sure sale if so. I would be willing to try the BBT again in .30 cal if an HP version. I can push 47gr at 950 FPS comfortably so may have some room for a 68gr but it wouldn't be an ideal weight, IMO.
(https://i.ibb.co/0yGJPnk/NOE-39gr.jpg)
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Steel is for people that want to cast with zinc. I don't know if any of you follow FullLeadTaco on Instagram but he got his hands on a steel one from NOE already. He's an airgunner and a PB guy.
Lyman molds are steel for muzzle loading stuff, I really do like steel molds, they hold the heat good. I'm really surprised that most mold makers here in the U.S. don't bother with making airgun molds. I hope that Al does make some of the air gun molds in steel I'd really like to try one to see how well they work.
I believe that all Lyman molds are steel, the 357 molds that I have from them are both steel. They both work, but I have better luck with aluminum molds, far less picky with temperature.
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I know that I'm sure glad that there is a reputable mold maker for airgun pellets/slugs like NOE, I think they do a fantastic job. Made in U.S.A. too 8)
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I am impressed with Accurate, but he can't do the smaller sizes. The mold I bought from him is really a step above what I've seen in even the Lyman which was similar price. Nothing against NOE, but the Accurate turned out good results on the very first pour, I probably could have used them. But habit says toss the first two or three pours to make sure stuff is warmed up. I did switch to using a hotplate to warm mold pre-cast.
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Yeah, Accurate can't do anything smaller than 7mm, and those have to be above a minimum diameter on the grooves and gas-check.... Also, the minimum Meplat is 0.180", and they won't do HPs....
NOE do moulds all the way down to 0.172 cal.... and with their new RG pin system can do HPs in all cavities.... You get pins for flat nose, cup point, and hollow point with every mould.... 8)
Bob
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I really like the RG system.
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Yeah, Accurate can't do anything smaller than 7mm, and those have to be above a minimum diameter on the grooves and gas-check.... Also, the minimum Meplat is 0.180", and they won't do HPs....
NOE do moulds all the way down to 0.172 cal.... and with their new RG pin system can do HPs in all cavities.... You get pins for flat nose, cup point, and hollow point with every mould.... 8)
Bob
I've found that I really like the cup points on a couple (.22&.25) slug molds that I bought from NOE. Both are not the boat tail design but they do shoot excellent with some umph behind them.
(https://i.imgur.com/sX8fCK6.png)
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I wish the 249-39-RF-E6 mold would drop at .250" or larger, it would be perfect for my Eagle Claw. Does Al take special orders? The 250-41-FN BBT is a tad on the heavy side, and I wish I had gotten with the RG pins, but I won't be able to try it till some o-rings get here.
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I wish the 249-39-RF-E6 mold would drop at .250" or larger, it would be perfect for my Eagle Claw. Does Al take special orders? The 250-41-FN BBT is a tad on the heavy side, and I wish I had gotten with the RG pins, but I won't be able to try it till some o-rings get here.
There are tricks you can pull to make the diameter larger. One way is to chuck one of the pins in a drill press and set a depth limit. This will expand the diameters and then you can size for consistency. I have done this with some of my cast and the results I got were very positive. It takes a little more time, but you get what you need.
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I wish the 249-39-RF-E6 mold would drop at .250" or larger, it would be perfect for my Eagle Claw. Does Al take special orders? The 250-41-FN BBT is a tad on the heavy side, and I wish I had gotten with the RG pins, but I won't be able to try it till some o-rings get here.
I have done my .250 mold. I used the green rubber polishing pints for a Dremel. I resize all my casts anyhow and I think my current drops are at .250-.251". the trick is to go slow and easy. I did it mainly because I was having a lot of base deformation during sprue cutting and when sized down to ,249 through the die you could still see pulled areas the die didn't touch. this slug is very effective in hollow point form, and I can hit 208 yards pretty easily through my Impact mk2 700mm
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I wish the 249-39-RF-E6 mold would drop at .250" or larger, it would be perfect for my Eagle Claw. Does Al take special orders? The 250-41-FN BBT is a tad on the heavy side, and I wish I had gotten with the RG pins, but I won't be able to try it till some o-rings get here.
I have made a mold drop a little larger, by .0005-.002" and using a smooth shank #8 self tapping screw into one of your best castings, that has been pre-drill deep.
I than slowly lap it using valve cutting compound until it slips free. I than use a #10 screw, which expands the casting a little larger and re-lap the cavity.
Follow up with a finer grade and polish with a Dremel. This has worked for me. You can maintain concentricity, if done carefully and resized.
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I wish the 249-39-RF-E6 mold would drop at .250" or larger, it would be perfect for my Eagle Claw. Does Al take special orders? The 250-41-FN BBT is a tad on the heavy side, and I wish I had gotten with the RG pins, but I won't be able to try it till some o-rings get here.
I have made a mold drop a little larger, by .0005-.002" and using a smooth shank #8 self tapping screw into one of your best castings, that has been pre-drill deep.
I than slowly lap it using valve cutting compound until it slips free. I than use a #10 screw, which expands the casting a little larger and re-lap the cavity.
Follow up with a finer grade and polish with a Dremel. This has worked for me. You can maintain concentricity, if done carefully and resized.
X2
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I don't have a drill press, dremel, or really any precision metal working tools. If I ever get one of those molds, I may have to send it to one of you! I don't even mind if it drops at .252-.254, because those will still size down to .250 or .251".
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I don't have a drill press, dremel, or really any precision metal working tools. If I ever get one of those molds, I may have to send it to one of you! I don't even mind if it drops at .252-.254, because those will still size down to .250 or .251".
It can be done with a small electric drill at slow speeds without any problems.
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I don't have a drill press, dremel, or really any precision metal working tools. If I ever get one of those molds, I may have to send it to one of you! I don't even mind if it drops at .252-.254, because those will still size down to .250 or .251".
It can be done with a small electric drill at slow speeds without any problems.
Maybe, but I'll have to get one first, and NOE is all sold out. Maybe one of these days Al can get some more employees and get more molds into production. I don't mind paying a bit more for availability.
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12 of this .249-rf mold is in stock at NOE as of 4-7-22 at 1:40pm
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12 of this .249-rf mold is in stock at NOE as of 4-7-22 at 1:40pm
Wow, apparently Al wasn't kidding about making more airgun stuff... What would be easier for slightly enlarging the holes, brass or aluminum?
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Has anyone tried knurling the 249-rf by rolling it between two files?....
Bob