.35 caliber Impact and NOE hollow point molds

[Airgun-hobbyist]

Thanks to Mr. Bob Sterne over at the Gateway for pointing out that NOE molds has a couple of good hollow point molds that will cast slugs that will fit the .35 caliber air rifles normally shooting pellets. Looking at the lengths of these, the NOE mold 359-88-RF-S2, will easily lit into the Impact magazine and dump a lot of energy because of the large hollow point. There's a longer 115 grain mold, 359-115-RF-R2, that will fit the single and double shot trays as well. At 109 grains, it will likely be slower than most would like to see out of their Impact's but will definitely hit pretty hard.

 

[mackeral5]

You can order a very similar bullet from GT Bullets as a means of sampling before you invest in casting equipment. Sold as 88gr HP's for .380ACP, but most weigh in the 86-86.6gr range. I now buy them unsized and unlubed. My 1:26 TJ barrel prefers them sized to .357, my 2 Bulldog barrels like .356. I've basically quit shooting .357 pellets and use this slug as my plinking/low power .357 projectile.

Here are a couple pics of expansion at 915fps muzzle velocity into 2 gallon jugs of water at 60 yards

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They shoot very well out of a TJ's 1:26 barrel.

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[Airgun-hobbyist]

@mackerel5 I did not know they sold them there. Good to know, as not everyone wants to get into casting for air rifles. Having bought from GT in the past, is a good place to order from. They give you specific sizing and lube preference when you order too; great for testing what a barrel liner likes.

 

[mackeral5]

I think there are a couple others that sell the same or similar rounds. I use GT bullets for this bullet and a couple of others such as their 130gr HP .357 and 55gr .257. I recently started testing with a 165gr HP that is very similar in profile to the 130gr. I have to turn my BD way up to shoot the 165's in the low 900's, with that tune it only gets 3 shots 900-915-900fps. With the 130gr I can get 5 shots in the mid to high 900's...

Casting is a rabbit hole I have been avoiding, and will continue to avoid for the foreseeable future.

GT Bullets are located over in Augusta GA, so shipping is typically 2 days for me. I started buying their ammo as-cast, got tired of the solid lube gumming up mags and breeches....

 

[Airgun-hobbyist]

@mackeral5 The low 900's is a decent speed for those 165 grainer's, and with a fairly small FPS spread for the first three shots. That is great for hunting and longer range shooting accuracy. Do the 130 grainer's have as tight of spread?

I did go down that casting rabbit hole recently, but only to the extent that I should come close to breaking even on my investment if I don't buy (too much) more slugs or equipment. The reason being, I have a surplus of shot lead accumulated from the money I spent on cast and swaged slugs that I can reclaim.

 

[mackeral5]

If I simply swap the 130's in for the 165's, leaving HST set for the 165 tune, 3 shots go 1008, 1008, 978. I refer to that gun as Bulldog #2. It is the one with a 29" TJ's barrel. My other Bulldog, Bulldog #1, which runs a stock barrel and a different valve configuration, is set up for descending strings. It will do 5 shots starting around 980fps and ending around 910fps. It's across a broad ES, but amazingly POI doesn't vary too much across those shots.....BD # 2 is more pleasant to shoot, BD#1 is somewhat harsh when tuned that way. Typically BD#1 runs a regulated tube, and is set up to shoot 15 shots of 88gr HP's in the low 900's.

 

[RabbitBlaster]

Hi there mackeral5,

I am considering getting a Bulldog, most likely a Pitbull or something modded. I have also been considering the possibility of changing the barrel for a longer/better one, so it is nice to see you have done it. I also am considering putting in a regulator. How hard was it to swap out the barrel? Did you need to put it in a lathe, or did you find something that was the right diameter? Also, what did you do to the valve config?