AEA HP MAX inbound! Need help picking a good mold

[Mr.P]

Well I couldn’t resist and after watching a bunch of “reviews” of this gun on YouTube (which seemed more like sponsored advertisements than objective reviews) I pulled the trigger and ordered the gun. Sometimes those “look how cool this f%^*ing gun is” videos are fun to watch though! 

I was told that we were having good results with 120 grain slugs, specifically those from NSA.  Someone whose opinion I trust said that really 80 grains is a better weight to aim for.   


I’m wondering if anyone here has any experience or perspective on this and might be able to help me pick a mold try at will cast bullets this gun has a chance of shooting well. 

I have browsed the options through arsenal, mp molds, noe molds and accurate molds so I have a general sense of what my options are, but am not sure which shape and weight to choose.  I see more options in 125-135 grain, but there are also a few in the 80/90/100 grain range albeit with some odd shapes for a few of them that do not look aerodynamic at all…


Any help tracking down a good mold for this gun would be greatly appreciated.

[scion19801]

guessing you asking of the .357 cal. given the weight of the slugs you're thinking of.
be very careful with the factory mags. they don't like cold and will shatter on you. I have a customer that just requested me to make mags for the .357 that are better and stronger than factory units. I have the main bit done. just need to pin the covers and install the torsion springs and send them back to him for testing, but mine matches the factory mags in every dimension, so they should be good to go.

[Lani52]

I am betting .30.  Those weights are too light for a 35 bore.

Regards,

Roachcreek

[Mr.P]

.357 for sure.

Molds from accurate and arsenal start at 80 grains and go up from there. 

Much of the testing I have seen has been with 81 grain JSB pellets.

Assuming a maximum power of 175 fpe or so, my question is, what is a good target weight for a slug?  had to be under 0.59” in length.

Obviously one side of me wants to get a heavier projectile just to extract more power.  Another side of me would like to have something lighter for a better trajectory.

When that gun gets here I’ll do some testing with some manufactured projectiles and get a mold close to the one that feels the best.

[Spacebus]

Get a mold that has multiple cavity types from Accurate. The downside is you have to go elsewhere for modifications if you want hollow points. You could also cast in a lead/tin alloy, or even pure tin, if you need a lighter slug.

.59" length is definitely a limiting factor on mold choices for hollow points as well. Are you opposed to singe loading some of your shots? My AEA .45 big bore likes NSA slugs even though the ones I have are heavier than my cast slugs. Eventually I want to get a mold that has long flat sides like the NSA swaged slugs, that seems to be the ticket to making the most power possible. Testing .25 cal NSA slugs with equivalent weight cast slugs with several lube grooves was closer than my test of NOE BBT .45 cast slugs (basically one fat driving band) vs NSA swaged slugs, so I feel confident in saying more surface area touching the bore is better for making peak power.

[Nomadic Pirate]

.357 for sure.

Molds from accurate and arsenal start at 80 grains and go up from there. 

Much of the testing I have seen has been with 81 grain JSB pellets.

Assuming a maximum power of 175 fpe or so, my question is, what is a good target weight for a slug?  had to be under 0.59” in length.

Obviously one side of me wants to get a heavier projectile just to extract more power.  Another side of me would like to have something lighter for a better trajectory.

When that gun gets here I’ll do some testing with some manufactured projectiles and get a mold close to the one that feels the best.

Where did you see that gun @ 175 FPE ? all the reviews I've seen so far put her in the 120-140 FPE range,......at that power the good old EPP/UG in my opinion is a wonderful bullet,.....Accurate Molds sells them, they are in the .36 page.

[Nomadic Pirate]

This is the mold I'm getting for my line up of .357s
.......this bullet has everything I like, Boattail, 2 narrow riding bands and a good Meplat
https://www.accuratemolds.com/bullet_detail.php?bullet=36-124A

[Lani52]

Personally, I strive to not shoot pellets, I am a bullet caster.

I also cast for power and that is why 122 grains to 170 grains is my weight spectrum  for 357.  It is also why folded bullets that are pellet weight have no interest for me, I have shot less that 5 pellets through my Bulldog, mostly I give them to friends for conservation pieces. My Kratos, Texan LSS and Bighorn are all bullet shooters.

Home made air and  homemade bullets, but that is just me.

RC

[E30_S50]

Personally, I strive to not shoot pellets, I am a bullet caster.

I also cast for power and that is why 122 grains to 170 grains is my weight spectrum  for 357.  It is also why folded bullets that are pellet weight have no interest for me, I have shot less that 5 pellets through my Bulldog, mostly I give them to friends for conservation pieces. My Kratos, Texan LSS and Bighorn are all bullet shooters.

Home made air and  homemade bullets, but that is just me.

RC

Yep. That's the reason I got into the airgun game. Much easier to be self sufficient.

[Lani52]

Amen.

Roachcreek

[Spacebus]

I would also look at the NOE .357 pellet mold, it drops at 80-ish grain with the tallest pin, so it can get a bit heavier with the short pins. Game animals can't tell the difference between a pellet and a slug.

[Nomadic Pirate]

When I had the Bulldog in for field testing ( stock gun 150 FPE ) it really loved the 80 some grain EPP/UG

[Mr.P]

This is the mold I'm getting for my line up of .357s
.......this bullet has everything I like, Boattail, 2 narrow riding bands and a good Meplat
https://www.accuratemolds.com/bullet_detail.php?bullet=36-124A

I have been eyeing that bullet in particular as well, funny you should mention it.  Had made all the selections and was ready to buy, but then found an MP mold that looks pretty good and is in stock and at a good price. 96 grains, so that seems like a sweet spot.  I also purchased a .357 sizing bushing since this mold is .358

https://www.mp-molds.com/product/358-640-plain-base-solid-4-cavity-mold/




 

[Nomadic Pirate]

This is the mold I'm getting for my line up of .357s
.......this bullet has everything I like, Boattail, 2 narrow riding bands and a good Meplat
https://www.accuratemolds.com/bullet_detail.php?bullet=36-124A

I have been eyeing that bullet in particular as well, funny you should mention it.  Had made all the selections and was ready to buy, but then found an MP mold that looks pretty good and is in stock and at a good price. 96 grains, so that seems like a sweet spot.  I also purchased a .357 sizing bushing since this mold is .358

https://www.mp-molds.com/product/358-640-plain-base-solid-4-cavity-mold/




 

Every single .357 I've shot likes the .358 better,......I just ordered a .358 Lee sizer from Amazon to size the million of bullets I bought

[Mr.P]

.357 for sure.

Molds from accurate and arsenal start at 80 grains and go up from there. 

Much of the testing I have seen has been with 81 grain JSB pellets.

Assuming a maximum power of 175 fpe or so, my question is, what is a good target weight for a slug?  had to be under 0.59” in length.

Obviously one side of me wants to get a heavier projectile just to extract more power.  Another side of me would like to have something lighter for a better trajectory.

When that gun gets here I’ll do some testing with some manufactured projectiles and get a mold close to the one that feels the best.

Where did you see that gun @ 175 FPE ? all the reviews I've seen so far put her in the 120-140 FPE range,......at that power the good old EPP/UG in my opinion is a wonderful bullet,.....Accurate Molds sells them, they are in the .36 page.

I was watching a video posted by Bin Tac they were just shooting random slugs through the gun when the first got it I guess.  177 fpe with a 120 grain NSA slug - that was the peak in the string, but a couple of shots were 166 and 160 as well. 

Bin Tac said the 130 fpe figure is just for 81 grain pellets. 

[Mr.P]

Personally, I strive to not shoot pellets, I am a bullet caster.

I also cast for power and that is why 122 grains to 170 grains is my weight spectrum  for 357.  It is also why folded bullets that are pellet weight have no interest for me, I have shot less that 5 pellets through my Bulldog, mostly I give them to friends for conservation pieces. My Kratos, Texan LSS and Bighorn are all bullet shooters.

Home made air and  homemade bullets, but that is just me.

RC

Yep. That's the reason I got into the airgun game. Much easier to be self sufficient.

If I could not cast and had to constantly restock projectiles this hobby would not appeal to me honestly. So I have to agree with you 100% as well.

[Mr.P]

This is the mold I'm getting for my line up of .357s
.......this bullet has everything I like, Boattail, 2 narrow riding bands and a good Meplat
https://www.accuratemolds.com/bullet_detail.php?bullet=36-124A

I have been eyeing that bullet in particular as well, funny you should mention it.  Had made all the selections and was ready to buy, but then found an MP mold that looks pretty good and is in stock and at a good price. 96 grains, so that seems like a sweet spot.  I also purchased a .357 sizing bushing since this mold is .358

https://www.mp-molds.com/product/358-640-plain-base-solid-4-cavity-mold/




 

Every single .357 I've shot likes the .358 better,......I just ordered a .358 Lee sizer from Amazon to size the million of bullets I bought

Glad I ordered a .358 then… I have the option to size down.


Here is a video of the hp max disassembled.   This video in part inspired me to get this gun because it looks like a really nice simple basic construction without all kinds of fiddly bits.  It should be very easy to work on I think. Reminds me a little bit of the Air Force guns in that there’s just not a lot of parts in there.

[Nomadic Pirate]

That is quite a jump just buy changing ammo,

That would mean that the gun shoots 850 fps with the 81gr pellet

and then 810 fps with the 120gr bullet,......I don't know but it just doesn't look right to me, maybe tho since the barrel is so short and maybe doesn't get the most out the pellet.

[Mr.P]

I hear you.  I found the video I will post it, obviously I don’t know how they got that, but that is what the chronograph shows.  I saw one video of a person shooting 81 grains at 900 fps by adding a few washers behind the hammer spring.  Maybe they had some washers in there or a bigger spring / hammer. 

Cant wait to get my hands on one and do some testing so I can stop just repeating what I see on YouTube videos

900 fps / 145 fpe with 81 grain:



177 fpe with 152 grain here:

[Nomadic Pirate]

Yeah I can't wait for you to get it and hear what you think, this gun really interests me.