Ladle casting

[cigg52]

I am fairly new to casting. (2yrs. maybe 8-10 casting sessions) Anyway I use a Lee 20lb pot and a RCBS ladle.

The only bullet that I have cast with so far is 400gr. single cavity Lyman mold. I just bought a 45-70 Marlin and going to order a RCBS 325gr. two cavity mold for it.

My question is do you think the RCBS ladle will hold enough lead, 650gr. to cast in one dip with that mold?

One more question, when ladle casting a two cavity mold do you fill one cavity first then the other, or alternate between the two until they are both filled?
Thanks cigg52

[Frozone]

It'll hold plenty.
1 cavity then the other.

For the really big stuff in .45 - .50 and heavy, I like to enlarge the hole in the ladle a little to pour a little faster.
I keep 2 ladles around, 1 for the small stuff , 1 for the big.

[Recluse]

It'll do fine--and the suggestion about enlarging the hole is a good one.

I normally bottom pour most of my pistol boolits, but ladle pour all of my rifle boolits. Just seems to work better with a ladle.

On days when I'm feeling particularly nostalgic, I'll ladle pour my handgun boolits.

:coffee:

[cigg52]

Thanks for the quick repiles guys, I would like to get a the RCBS bottom pour, but the $300. + is the only problem.

[awaveritt]

I would like to get a the RCBS bottom pour, but the $300. + is the only problem.
Have you looked at the Lee bottom pour pots. I love my 20lb. pot and it was less than $60.00 from Midway.

[BABore]

Big boolits and ladle pouring were made for each other. You'll be way more constant like that. The last RCBS ladle I got had a bigger hole in it than earlier ones. Didn't even have to drill it out. I think it was over 0.165 IIRC. On my first one I drilled out to 0.180" and it works great. When you start casting smaller boolits in 4-6 cavity molds, don't feel you have to go to a BP pot. Get yourself a Rowell 1 lb bottom pour ladle. File a shallow vee in the pour spout and go to it. You can pour as fast as a BP pot and even see what your doing.

[Bass Ackward]

I have several brands of bottom pours.

Irregardless of pot brand or the mold material:

1. If it goes over 400 grains or 1" long no matter the weight, then it gets laddled. Period.

2. If you just care enough to send the very best in any weight or caliber, it gets laddled. Period.


Question is, how good is good enough? Verdict is still out on that one.

[mooman76]

Even the lee ladle will do that with a sc mould. I do it for my 520gr mould.

[Three-Fifty-Seven]

I only use a ladle . . . pour each all at once, then move too the next one.

[Rusty W]

If the RCBS mold is like the one I have, the one on the right, you'll like it. Might I suggest a Lee 340gr though, the one on the left. It's a plain base where as the other is a GC, a little cheaper to shoot. I have to seat it a little deeper than 2.55 due to the way my Ruger #1's chamber is cut. The ogive of the Lee boolit hits the rifleing if I seat the boolit to the crimp groove. The RCBS fits perfect right on the crimp groove.

I have a ladle and have tried several times to use it but I just can't get the hang of it. I wind up with more lead on the bench than in the mold. The few I did get to cast turned out nice but it took about 30 minutes and a bunch of tries to get 4 good boolits. The ladle just isn't for me, maybe someday... I like the bottom pour. I have a Lee 4-20 complete with the automatic drip attachment. I can deal with the drip better than I can use the ladle so I just stick with what works for me. I don't know if it makes any difference or not but I fill the one near me first, let the sprue puddle, then the next.

[copdills]

I have a Lee 4-20 complete with the automatic drip attachment

Rusty I have the same model and they didn't even charge me for the auto drip attachment either , got to Love that LEE [smilie=s: