MiHec 30 Sil brass four cavity solid

[JonB]

I've heard good things about this mold.

So, I was working the one and only annual local gunshow, I always put together a table of junk, that looks more like garage sale items (of a sporting nature). A friend and fellow caster has had a table at this show as well (for the last three years), He sells his excess casting stuff, for the most part. I generally buy most of his molds that he puts out, except for this year. This year he had 3 or 4 MiHec molds...one was a 4 cav that was marked 311-180. I asked him if it was the famous 30 Sil by 45 2.1 ...and he couldn't recall the details. Well, I just bought it anyway, not knowing for sure and hoping it was the 30 sil.

After coming home, and a quick search of the GB archives at YouknowWhere
It surely is the 30 Sil mold. Never used, still in shipping box from "Slovenija", complete with allen wrench and top punch. Paid about half price of the original GB ...and feel kinda bad for workin' him down on his marked price, now that I know what it is. I hope to get some cast and shot...and will post some reports.

 

[Ben]

I look forward to seeing how it works out for you.

Ben

 

[Brad]

I have shot quite a few of those. Really good bullet.
I shot them in the new departed 30 xcb, the only bullet that rifle ever saw. They are no being used in my 300 BLK.
Only issues I had are the fact the bullets are sometimes hard to get to drop from the mould. The deep, almost square lube groove hangs up a bit. I also had to make a tool to flair checks to get them to seat easily.

I tend to cast mine from plain range scrap and heat treat as needed.

You will find it is a good shooter.

 

[smokeywolf]

Kind of like to see a pic of the bullet or mould.

 

[Brad]

With a check and sized to .311 These are range scrap heat treated, after sizing and checking, to 425 F for an hour.

 

[Phil]

I have that mold. Its spawn shoots great in my M1A with 29 grains of 4895. I use 50/50 COWW/lino, Feliz lube, gator checks and Tula primers.

Mine likes to hold onto the bullets as well. Maybe I'll scrub it with toothpaste. However it does seem to be getting better with each casting session.

 

[Ian]

I know there were at least three of us that got replacements because the cavities were different depths in the blocks, causing hangups. After a bunch of measuring and conversations with 45 2.1 Miha sent replacements right away. I never cast with my replacement but the person I sold it to reports good things. The bullets were perfectly round, but the blocks were cut progressively deeper on one end and mirrored on the other so we were getting hard hangups on left block/front and right block/rear, had to club the moulds hard to get bullets to drop.

Aside from that and the gas check shank being about four thousandths too big, it's a fantastic bullet. Really, it is. Not hard at all to get1.5 MOA at 2300 fps out of a 10" twist rifle.

 

[Ian]

I have that mold. Its spawn shoots great in my M1A with 29 grains of 4895. I use 50/50 COWW/lino, Feliz lube, gator checks and Tula primers.

Mine likes to hold onto the bullets as well. Maybe I'll scrub it with toothpaste. However it does seem to be getting better with each casting session.

I haven't found a better-shooting bullet for the M1A, and many others will agree.

 

[smokeywolf]

Body ahead of the lube groove .301 +/- ?

 

[Ian]

.3125" after a month with 50/50 WW/pure, pot at 720'F and mould at 390'F.

 

[Phil]

I know there were at least three of us that got replacements because the cavities were different depths in the blocks, causing hangups. After a bunch of measuring and conversations with 45 2.1 Miha sent replacements right away. I never cast with my replacement but the person I sold it to reports good things. The bullets were perfectly round, but the blocks were cut progressively deeper on one end and mirrored on the other so we were getting hard hangups on left block/front and right block/rear, had to club the moulds hard to get bullets to drop.

Aside from that and the gas check shank being about four thousandths too big, it's a fantastic bullet. Really, it is. Not hard at all to get1.5 MOA at 2300 fps out of a 10" twist rifle.

Did you do anything to your mold to make it drop bullets easier? For grins I tried another casting session this morning and it is worse than I remembered.

I suppose it is probably too late to get a replacement from Miha. Think I'll shoot him an email anyway.

 

[JonB]

Did you do anything to your mold to make it drop bullets easier? For grins I tried another casting session this morning and it is worse than I remembered.

I suppose it is probably too late to get a replacement from Miha. Think I'll shoot him an email anyway.

Yeah, keep us informed, as my mold has NEVER been used.
I wonder if lee-menting would help ?
Probably applying downward pressure while lee-menting,eh?

 

[45 2.1]

All brass molds hang onto bullets when they are too hot.... it's a fact. I use a thermometer in my 35 pound capacity iron pot with the smallest Rowell bottom pour ladel. Get the melt to somewhere between 700 and 720 degrees (I don't know the conditions any of you cast in, so somewhere close to that will work) and the mould up to casting temperature..... when you do, they shuck like peas with no sticking. You will know when the mold or melt get too hot.... the bullets will stick.

 

[JonB]

Thanks for that info. I do have a few brass molds, all pistol bullets, a couple are MP.
this will be my first brassnrifle bullet mold, I'll be trying it a few times before I try to "fix" it
Hopefully it is fine.

 

[fiver]

you'll also want the inside of the mold to patina [turn brown/oxidize]
run a couple of short runs through the mold heating it up and cooling it down 4-5 times before making a bigger run of booits.
I do this same thing with my aluminum molds and it generally takes 4-5 runs to get things settled down and running well.

 

[Phil]

Mine has a nice patina but still very sticky. This AM I was running at 730 with a PID and the devils stuck like mad. I do not believe the mold was too hot as I did not use the hotplate to pre-heat and just cast to heat up the mold. Suckers stuck all through the mold heat up period.

I have 7 other brass molds. This is the only one giving me travail.

Earlier today I sent a note to Miha. I bought it in early 2013 so a bit late to be complaining to him.

 

[Ian]

Bob, I have 12 brass moulds and the MP 30 sil is the only one that gave me fits. Joe and Tomme also had fits as you'll recall, we had this discussion. Joe and I both took detailed and accurate measurements and compared notes to find we had the same issue, taper to the blocks and cavity centerline being skewed with the parting line. All of us reported the same sticking pattern I mentioned above, left side away from the sprue plate hinge and right side adjacent to it, assuming you mount your blocks with the hinge end closest to you. The replacement I got apparently doesn't have that issue, but I never cast with it.

Phil, I got rid of both my moulds because I didn't see a fix for the problems either one had (check shanks measured the same on both moulds, too big for Hornady to work correctly and seat square without a LOT of extra processes and fiddling) so I sold the replacement down the river and gave the other one to my neighbor who has time to futz with it if he chooses to.

 

[Brad]

I just loaded 50 of them, lubed with Ben's Red, into 300 BLK cases with some 1680 for shooting tomorrow.

My mould is a bit touchy to get bullets to drop freely from. I haven't noticed a real pattern to it. I put up with it because the design shoots well. It is not my favorite mould to cast with, it is a bit of a pain in the ass.

 

[Rick]

I wonder if Erik could alter the lube groove on these molds by putting a bit of an angle to the groove. Many decades ago it was learned that square grooves do not release bullets very well. Might be worth an email to him to find out.

 

[smokeywolf]

Lower wall of lube groove wouldn't be a great chore to put a slight taper on. Upper wall would require a bit of finesse.