Been sorting stuff out a bit at a time, since I moved, and will be moving into a new house/shop in the next 6 months.  My goal is to get a handle on my hoarding/accumulation, get rid of extra stuff, and have a somewhat orderly shop.   

Been going through a bunch of molds that I acquired and saved for who knows why/what???  In that lot is an unusual, small mold.  It is marked Barnett, Sp-7, .3228-.318, Barnett, 316-342-7257.  It has the metal part of a pair of handles on it, but no wood handles.  I'll have to make some handles to use it.

I presume it is a 32 cal mold, tapered from .318 to .3228 (you can see the taper in the grease groove depth) and that the last # was his telephone #.  I have no idea where my machinist/measuring tools are, so can't do any measurements.

Anybody have more info on the mold?  It is a 6 band/groove bullet with a small flat nose.   

I think I was saving this for a .32-40 Schuetzen.  I don't think I even have a .32-40 any more, but will probably build one; I've got a couple high wall schuetzen double set actions saved for that eventuality.  I may even have a high wall .32-40, been so long since I packed up my gun safe and shop that I don't remember what I had.

Thanks Frank,

I didn't know you had posted that resource; interesting thread, thanks for doing it.  Looks to be a good mold, It will be interesting to try casting with it and see how it does.  I think it goes back in the "keepers".

Found a couple more molds in that bunch that I've been looking for; two .458 molds that cast a gas check bullet of about 375 grains.  I've been needing that for my original Fields .450 Nitro Express; that's the bullet that it is regulated for.  The barrel is so pitted it needs a gas check to maintain 2 inch accuracy at 30 yards, where it is regulated.

Dave, I was fortunate enough to buy a Barnett mould virtually identical to yours and used it in my 32/357 (Dell) chambered Peregrine bench gun that Charlie built.  Keith Foster had found it somewhere but it turned out to be a little large for his needs so he sold it to me during a shoot up at Etna  Green.  It is a great mould and it casts and drops bullets effortlessly.  I think you will find it to be a really useful addition to your arsenal if you build any of the 32 Miller- or Dell- designed 32s or of course the classic 32-40.  I have to use mine with a mechanical breech seater with lots of leverage (from Willis "Singleshot" Gregory) or I would have to have an unusually deep throat job cut in the chamber to seat that large a bullet.  Also, I find one of Charlie's lube pumps to give me the best results, but IIRC, my friend Dale53 was able to pan lube it ok when he used it for a while.  I know Willis was recently making a continuation of Charlie's pumps, and I guess there must be somebody else out there still making them as well.  Congratulations on the great find... organized people never make the great discoveries I make, and I guess you must have some of the same! 

Froggie

Thanks you for the additional information.  It looks like a good mold, and the information I found on google searching had a high opinion of Barnett molds.  I'll keep it for the eventuality of a .32 rifle; I have a Mos tapered pope and a few lymans or ideals also if I remember right.

If anyone's interested in a 38 caliber mold, there is a new listing for a 38 - 4. Its not in the catalog that I have in the sticky but, it looks like the length would be plenty short for a 18 twist rifle. The base is listed as .3775 and the nose band .373. I have nothing to do with it. 

Frank

JLouis wrote on Jan 4^th, 2017 at 7:41pm:


Ebay, of course.

Frank

I also prize my Barnett molds. He was a very nice gentleman. I am fortunate to have four of his molds.
Kurt