Bottom pour or Ladle for a beginner?

[dnmccoy]

So Im looking at getting a pot now that Ive got my smelting gear in line and trades in line for some lead, and am wondering which method of pouring might be best for a beginner. Fwiw I am willing to sacrifice some speed for quality, and am planning on using 2 cavity Lee or Lyman mold (Still researching that)

Thanks!

[Marlin Junky]

So Im looking at getting a pot now that Ive got my smelting gear in line and trades in line for some lead, and am wondering which method of pouring might be best for a beginner. Fwiw I am willing to sacrifice some speed for quality, and am planning on using 2 cavity Lee or Lyman mold (Still researching that)

Thanks!

Rowell#1 ladle, hot plate, thermometer, furnace without bottom pouring linkage but with a thermostat and either a 2-cavity Lyman or RCBS mold. Set your thermostat for 675-700F (calibrated to your thermometer) and your 600-700W hotplate to high, allowing the mold to experience a slight color change which will get you in the 450-500F range. You'll also need some sprue plate lube.

MJ

[dnmccoy]

is the hot plate to simply warm the mold?

[canyon-ghost]

Yes, aluminum molds cool quickly. I have been using a ladle for ten years now along with single stage presses. You can ladle two cavity molds and only spend a few afternoons and evenings making enough ammo to supply yourself very, very well.

[mold maker]

That is subjective. I started out bottom pouring (1961) and it's still my favorite. However there are situations when ladle pouring definitely works better. A lot depends on what your casting for.

[dnmccoy]

9mm and prob 30carbine down the road.There will be more down the road, but that's for now. I'd really like to make my own 9mm HP boolits

[L1A1Rocker]

As a noob ladle pouring really did not appeal to me. I watched the online auction sites and found an RCBS bottom pour for 100 bucks. Not typical as they normally go for much more. The stickers had all been removed, the guy didn't know what it was and only listed it as a lead melter. I got real lucky.

But back on topic. I like the 4 cavity molds and the bottom pour - a lot.

[XTR]

I have not yet started casting, but everything I've read seems to indicate it kind of depends on what you plan to cast. If like me you plan to cast 535gr long range bullets for a Sharps then you need to start with a ladle because it's the consensus way to get good bullets. On the other hand, if you are going to cast smaller bullets and multi cavity molds then a bottom may be just the thing for you.

[Mooseman]

I started with Bottom pour pots in 1973 , I tried ladles, I stayed with bottom pour !
Cleaner, smaller sprues to deal with, and I mold stuff up to .69 cal.
BP is also faster IMHO.
I use a pour spout cast iron teapot for my 1 and 2 pound cannonballs because of the sheer volume of lead it takes and it works great for processing WW and other lead into ingots, but it is hard on gloves and can be messy if you arent careful.

[Sasquatch-1]

I am NO expert but I would suggest that you buy a fairly inexpensive lee 10# bottom pour and try it out. If you do not like it you can always remove plunger, plug the hole and ladle cast. I have an old 10# drip-o-matic and I use Lee molds. I am able to cast fast enough,with a 2 cavity 44 cal mold, that I get the molds TO HOT and will have to let them cool. I don't know if it is due to bottom pour or just an inconsistancy of the lead but in a 357 cal bullet I can get as much as an 8 grain difference in weight.

[Jack Stanley]

After learning with a ten pound drip-o-matic and later trying a ladle I still think the bottom pour was easier for me to learn with . Though , after I got the Pro-melt I welded the hole shut on the LEE and used it as reserve capacity . I do have a mold that refuses to make good bullts unless it it ladle poured . It is in the minority ( by itself ) in my clan of molds though . For this mold I'll get the LEE out and use that .

Jack

[btroj]

I learned on bottom pour, stayed with it for almost 30 years now.

Best way for a beginner to go is with whatever an experienced caster who shows them has. First hand learning is best.

I don't think it makes a difference, you still have to cast a bunch to learn. Cast, load shoot. A bunch. That is how you learn.

[dnmccoy]

Just scored a Lee bp in the swap and sell here tonight

[digger44]

I like bottom pour

[David2011]

Like BTROJ, I started on a bottom pour and 30 years later I'm still using the same RCBS pot that I was taught on. I don't know how old it was when my friend taught me how to cast.

David

[Mk42gunner]

The poll doesn't have a both selection.

I have three bp pots, but can make better boolits with an RCBS ladle. On the other hand, it is faster to cast handgun boolits from a bottom pour.

The 20 pound Lee is a lot easier to ladle from than the ten pound versions. I haven't really tried to ladle from the RCBS Promelt, but if there are problems diong it from in front of the pot; I think you could turn the pot 90 degrees to the left and have plenty of clearance.

Robert

[dnmccoy]

Current budget won't allow for multiple pots while I'm learning, maybe one day

[btroj]

Maybe the real question should be do you use the same style as you initially learned on?

I learned on a bottom pour, still use one. Never have really done any ladle casting. I have a feeling that if I was going to shoot 45-70 in competition that I would gravitate towards a ladle.

[Greg B.]

One thing you might want to consider is your lead source. If it is wheel weights they can be pretty dirty when you melt them and can clog up the spout on a bottom pour. I use old dental picks while wearing a glove to gently unplug the spout on my RCBS pot. However I also use an old Coleman stove and cast iron lead pot to do the initial melt and clean the garbage out. You can also ladel out of this setup and keep the mould warm since it has two burners.

[Alchemist]

I learned with a ladle; and even though I now have 2 bottom pour furnaces, I still revert to the ladle if I'm having any trouble getting a mould to fill correctly.

I feel that if you want mass quantities of boolits and can live with a few marginal ones, go bottom pour. If you want picture perfect boolits, ladle 'em.

Let the flaming begin.....:takinWiz: