Opinions on the best reasonably priced bottom pour pot

[birch]

I have had a Lee production pot IV that has served me well for a few years. In fact, It really got me hooked on casting. I recently got a huge surprise when I began a casting session by getting a full pull of 110v for a couple of seconds. I posted a thread, and it seems that others have had the same problem from their lee pot because of either a heating element short or a thermostat malfunction that caused a reroute of current.

I have been thinking about buying another bigger pot for a while, and since I am not an electrician, I plan on sending the ol' girl to the bone yard.

I am just looking for some opinions on what is the best pot to buy for my needs. I don't blow through thousands of rounds a month, but I do look forward to hour long casting sessions. The lee pot heats up quick, but since it was only a 10 pounder, I spent alot of time refilling and waiting for temperature stabilization. Here is what I am looking for: at least a 20 pound pot, bottom pour, and some sort of ledge to rest the mold on that is adjustable. Any and all advise is appreciated.

[VHoward]

RCBS Pro Melt has all those things. It is a little expensive, but should last you 30 years or more, not just a few years. I bought one of them. I started with the Lee Production pot IV. The RCBS is way better. I don't consider the RDBS pot a waste of money.

[birch]

I have had my eyes on one of those babies for some time, but I just can't afford one right now. I'm really looking for something in the 150-200 dollar range, and the cheapest I have found the pro melt for was 380.

[mroliver77]

I like my Lee 20 lb pot. I use my Lyman more but the Lee is fine.
J

[Mk42gunner]

A Lee 4-20 technically meets all of your requirements, and is roughly a third the price of an RCBS. If you lap the rod and seat before use, the drips aren't too bad.

The RCBS Promelt is a lot better pot then the Lee, with a better designed mold guide. Is it worth the difference in price? Only you can decide that. I finally got mine at an estate auction for $80.00. I haven't cast a boolit with the Lee since I got the RCBS.

Robert

[birch]

I have heard that the lee 20 is much better in quality than the production IV. I do know they also drip. Would you suggest a lapping compound and a drill, or is there a better way to lap the channel?

[el34]

I'm 'content' with my Lee 4-20. The drip is negligible, maybe the luck of the draw, and I put a little condiment cup under the spout to catch any leaks.

The temp control absolutely sucks, so like many others I'm doing a PID. I hooked it up to test it, it works great, and now I'm making a housing for it that the pot will sit on. It'll serve the other purpose of jacking up the pot to my eye level in my setup.

The flow on-off adjustment also sucks bigtime, at least on mine. If I adjust it to produce a reasonable non-gush flow, the adjusting screw is forced out of and below the groove cut in the needle shaft, screwing it up even more. I did something with coat hanger wire (as valuable as duct tape) to limit the upward travel of the control knob but I have a better idea in mind.

Other than those things, which I'm correcting, it's a great pot at a great price!

[mroliver77]

I lap the rod in all my pots with valve grinding compound. Adding a weight to the Lee linkage helps big time.

[detox]

Lyman has a new bottom pour pot coming out that i think is in your price range.

[MT Chambers]

Open nrgh: I've never seen a pot used for casting that is so clean, do you polish it after use? I use and would recommend the RCBS but mine is a mess compared with your pot!!

[Frozone]

A Lee 4-20 technically meets all of your requirements, and is roughly a third the price of an RCBS. If you lap the rod and seat before use, the drips aren't too bad. .....

I just bought a new lyman mag 20 - it drips Far more than my LEE #20ers do. I'm rather disappointed!

I'm Very convinced that those who have major drip problems with the LEE 20# are just experiencing operator error.

[VHoward]

Lets see. I had both the Porduction pot IV and the 4-20 pots. Both leaked badly. I buy an RCBS Pro Melt and have no dripping at all. I see my operational error was buying the Lee pots in the first place.

[OpenNRG]

Open nrgh: I've never seen a pot used for casting that is so clean, do you polish it after use? I use and would recommend the RCBS but mine is a mess compared with your pot!!

I think that was taken when the Lid was done so I could add it to the site. Doesn't always look like that. I'll try next time I'm casting to take some dirty pictures.

[Frozone]

..... I see my operational error was buying the Lee pots in the first place.

Well, it maybe that RCBS pots are just more FOOLproof.

[detox]

LEAKproof maybe, but not FOOLproof.

[shadowcaster]

I just bought a new lyman mag 20 - it drips Far more than my LEE #20ers do. I'm rather disappointed!

I'm Very convinced that those who have major drip problems with the LEE 20# are just experiencing operator error.

I totally agree with Frozone.. operator trouble is the cause of most issues. I have 2 Lee pro 4-20's and no dripping. After a quick lap and some weight added to the handle they are a pleasure to use. I run them side by side so I can cast with one while the other one heats up more alloy. I use a thermometer in each pot and have not had the problems that others complain about.

Shad

[Mk42gunner]

I have heard that the lee 20 is much better in quality than the production IV. I do know they also drip. Would you suggest a lapping compound and a drill, or is there a better way to lap the channel?

It has been a few years since I got my 4-20 (brand new) and I think I used either 600 grit or 800 grit lapping compound and an electric drill. a few times forward and reverse and I was satisfied. I never had any deluges, just small drips that would eventually build up to the spout and self limit the drip while ladle casting.

Also, once I got the flow adjusted to where I could fill the majority of the molds I had then, I never touched the adjustment again; the one on mine was very touchy. It would go from barely flowing to just right to about a pound a second in about ¼ turn of the screw, or so it seemed.

Honestly, if you have the money, get the RCBS. If you don't mind a bit of extra work, get the 4-20. Mine held the temperature close enough that I never had any problems casting boolits with it.

Robert

[el34]

Shad, you got me thinkin'. My two complaints are temp control and flow control. The PID will take care of temp, but the flow control may be my error- when you screw the adjustment screw clockwise, does that reduce or increase flow? I'm just realizing CW might result in raising the knob/bracket upwards towards its upper limit, thereby reducing how far it can raise the valve and reducing flow. Izzat right?

[Dale in Louisiana]

Just got the RCBS in last week, relegating my old Lee pot to the shelf.

Yes, the RCBS is, in comparison, expensive. I've used it for one session so far. Never leaked, not even once. The temperature adjustment appears to be a lot more stable.

If I was on a tight budget, I think the Lee is just fine. One must be aware of its quirks, but it will do quite well. Like may things having to do with handloading in general and cast boolits in specific, it required fiddling about.

Set it on a cheap cookie sheet, because it is apt to surprise you the first time it fails to seal off after a pour.

dale in Louisiana

[VHoward]

Well, it maybe that RCBS pots are just more FOOLproof.

Not foolproof. Just higher quality and it works like it is supposed to right out of the box. No fiddling or fixing it so it will work and not drip or leak.