I just spent almost a full day very gently cleaning up a Hensley and Gibbs six-cavity bullet mould. The blocks throw a nominal 300-grain .431"-ish projectile, and this set of blocks is the only one I have ever seen from H&G for this particular bullet.

The problem is that I got the mould from the original purchaser's son, and as the father aged the mould was allowed to just sit and go downhill. In short, they ended up with a coat of surface rust over the entire set of blocks, cavities included. (I have the same mould in 300-grain 45 that will undergo the same treatment at some point...)

The result is a mould that throws a respectable, very usable bullet, but without that gorgeous mirror finish that the H&Gs are known for.

Here is the question: how important to you is the appearance of a cast bullet, and would you buy bullets with a less than perfect finish, assuming weights and diameter were all within your requirements?

Thanks in advance, guys...

quote:

how important to you is the appearance of a cast bullet, and would you buy bullets with a less than perfect finish

If i wanted less than prefect bullets (God knows that I make enough of them) I would make them myself, not pay someone else to make them for me.

When you say less than perfect do you mean that the bullet has very small marks on it because of the light rust that was in the mold cavities?

I would shoot the bullets. IF they shot good, then I would not worry about it.

you know rust eze removes rust right?

if you got things pretty good and just want nice sides and such but the mold has some pitting.
you can fill those pits with the mold release stuff then lap the mold back to size.
this will remove the extra mold release, but will leave the pits full,making everything good again.

NE, in a word, yes. The bullets are really pretty nice, but they aren't "perfect". I have sold quite a few cast bullets over the years, and I just wondered if cosmetic imperfections would be a deal breaker for most of us. All six cavities are within a grain, and four of them are within four tenths, so all is well, as far as that goes.

And I found after weighing that this mould throws a nominal 325-grain Keith. Pretty darned heavy for the standard .44!

Send me a "few" of them and I will test them for you...

A 325gr Keith in a 44 Mag.... BAD to the BONE.

As good as done... I just need an address!

I have shot a lot of ugly bullets.

I sort the best for my hunting loads the rest I load for short range self defense Practice.

Really dosen't matter at 10 yards and under.

To Some All bullets are ugly but I think there Wrong!!!! A light rusted mold can be cleaned by lapping with JB Bore cleaner or Soft Stuff Cleaner. Clint

With all due respect to those of you who suggest lapping a mould (in this case one worth somewhere in the neighborhood of $400), I say this: I equate that with scrubbing a Picasso with Comet bathroom cleanser.

In short, you just don't do it. Some things are irreplaceable; this mould is one of those things. H&G is long out of business, and I have never seen another of these moulds.

Thanks for the comments.

How can you have a thread regarding "Ugly Bullets" without pic?

Another method to get rid of a light coating of rust is reverse electrolysis plating. You reverse the anode and cathode wires.

I agree with Doubless I wouldn't lap a valuable mold.

Id never shoot an ugly bullet. All of mine are candidates for Miss America. One guy shot a deer with an ugly bullet and the deer spoiled before he could get it field dressed. One guy showed up at the range with ugly bullets and he was the laughing stock of the place and never showed his face again. Ugly bullets are a no no.

IMHO if it casting a bad bullet it not a $400. mold.Your Picasso is in bad shape. Cleaning it with mild abrasive will not hurt it and may help just go slow and careful!! I have cleaned many mold this way and never had any problems. Some mold that others have gave me and swear that there junk. But if your not in your comfort zone do not try it. Clint

If its worth 400.00 find some one to buy it quick then go buy molds that will cast nice looking bullets.

If it was mine I would make Doubless a heck of a deal.

I have cast 10s of thousands of bullets with LEE alum molds they shoot and kill just fine.

It's not how a bullet looks but how it shoots. It gets ugly after shooting it anyways. If it's just a light rusted mold the bullet will just look kind of frosted which won't hurt anything. When you size them the bearing bands smooth out, the lube covers the lube groove, and the only thing that you can see will be the nose.

J, that is exactly how the projectiles turned out... after running then through the Star, they are beautiful, except that the nose has sort of a matte finish, rather than mirror bright.

I am somewhat of a snob when it comes to my cast stuff. I have been doing this for over 30 years and take pride in projectiles that not only are appealing to the eye, they shoot lights out as well.

The sad thing is, the 45 Casull mould is in worse shape than this one, at least visually. I have spent about half a day on one side of the blocks, and you couldn't tell it by looking. I think I am going to heat up the pot, cast a handful or so and see just how bad it really is...

It's just a shame when someone lets a high quality mould go south, especially when they can't be replaced...

ummm a rusty mold that pours crappy boolits is worth exactly $0 dollars.
except on E-bay then it's worth ten times that.

Lamar, why don't you do a search on ebay for Hensley and Gibbs completed auctions, come back and talk? I have seen abused and nglected H&Gs go for much more than I would ever have dreamed of. And it isn't confined to Hensley and Gibbs... For instance:

last weeek a LEE six cavity POS mould in the 55-grain BATOR configuration sold for $280 . I have warped more Lee moulds in my short 30 years of casting than I care to talk about. I won't own one, but some idiot paid almost three bills for the piece of junk.

Now talk to me...

PT Barnum was right.

Well Doubless is going to send me a few of his "Ugly" bullets.

I am going to get my Ruger Super Blackhawk out of mothballs and shoot a pig or two with it, and His bullets.

I am "ashamed" to say how long it has been since I have hunted with the Blackhawk.

But I will say this.

IF his UGLY BULLETS" Spoil my pig meat on impact, I will be most pissed...
As wild pig meat is my most favorite 4 legged game meat...

By the way, what diameter are those bullets sized to?

And for those of you that have never used a Hensley and Gibbs mold, they are the Holy Grail of bullet molds.

Not saying other molds are not good, but the H&G's are Nirvana...

I have also heard that the new Ballisticast molds on the H&G pattern are plenty good as well.

Also I know how many people like the heavy LBT style of handgun bullets.
No doubt they work good...

BUT, a 325 gr KEITH SWC

If remember correctly, ANY 44 cal Keith SWC over 255 grains, has to be registered with the ATF, and the Nuclear Regulatory Commission, as a Destructive Device...

Tony, I sized them at .430". I hope that is sufficient...

And by the way: I cast a handful of the 300-grain H&Gs designed for the Casull just to check the "ugly factor". They drop just fine from the mould, and although Ray the carpet layer wouldn't own them, they don't look too bad after all. Do you have something in 45 Colt? I will send you some of those, too. (Sized to .452" at present. I need to get a .454" die from Magma for the Star...)

Doubless
.430 is just fine, for the "44's".

I have a couple of USFA Single actions in 45 Colt. .452 is perfect for them.

Thanks

They will be in the mail Monday, Tony. Just let us know how they turn sideways upon leaving the barrel, spoil meat on contact, etc.

We await your conclusions with bated breath.

SCS

quote:

I have warped more Lee moulds in my short 30 years of casting than I care to talk about. I won't own one, but some idiot paid almost

Maybe you should learn to use them I been casting over 40 years. I have casts tens of thousands of bullets with Lee alum molds and never ruined a one.

Don't know what you have been doing wrong but it must be something.

quote:

Don't know what you have been doing wrong but it must be something.

I will grant you that. In my estimation, Lee moulds don't have enough metal to dissipate heat well. The moulds are on the small side, and have sigificantly less surface area to liberate heat.

I have other moulds from NEI, P-C Performance, and a couple of others, all of them aluminum like the Lees. They handle extended casting sessions quite well; in my experiences the Lee moulds don't...

I agree with p dog shooter...I too have never warped a mold.

With the small LEE molds you have to definitely have to adjust your casting tempo. I find I can cast pretty fast with the LEE molds.

For as cheap as they are, and made of an aluminum so soft you can carve them with a knife, I have bullets cast from them that have been some of the most accurate bullets I've shot. So do I care about how the LEE's look and stuff? No, but I am anxious to see and use the new design. Add the very fair price for the molds too compared to the better molds you can buy quite a few LEE's.

I do a lot of shooting into a snow bank in the winter. Then I recover the bullets when it melts.

I then sort the good ones out resize and lube them and shoot them again.

I am sure I have shot the same ones acouple of times.

Ugly bullets don't brother me for a lot of shooting.

quote:

Originally posted by p dog shooter:
I do a lot of shooting into a snow bank in the winter. Then I recover the bullets when it melts.

I then sort the good ones out resize and lube them and shoot them again.

I am sure I have shot the same ones acouple of times.

Ugly bullets don't brother me for a lot of shooting.

I shoot 230 grain FMJ 45 acp bullets that I find on the range undamaged from my Ruger Old Army!!!

Well I got Doubless's "ugly" bullets today...

I think "ugly" is an overstatement. You can definately see on the noses of the bullets, where the mold was slightly pited.
I use HG molds myself and the noses of bullets from an unpitted mold look like a mirror.

Most of the "pits" on the shanks on these bullets, once sized, have been ironed out.

I do not think that the condition of his molds will effect the shooting or performance of these bullets.

I am going to load some of these bullets in the next few weeks and give them a shoot.

I predict no Drama with them.

And I will add, that these heavy Keith SWC's look BAD TO THE BONE... BBABBABAD TO THE BONE.

From what I'm reading above, I would love to try a few, maybe get more if I like them in my Marlin .44 mag. What kind of price would you be looking to get for them?

Dan, PM sent...

I was once given a .30 rifle mold that was covered with fine rust. Figuring I had nothing to lose, I bead blasted it. 30 years later it is still casting dandy bullets, and is one of the most accurate bullets for me, too.

Tony, did you ever get a chance to try out my ugly bullets?