I started out with a steel pot and ladle and I cast a lot of bullets with that set up "back in the day"...then I went to a Lee Production Pot IV. I have used it for probably 25 years at least. It does not owe me anything, but it finally died. I had one complaint and it was constant from day one...it dripped lead. It also got restricted with junk. Not bad enough to bother casting smaller bullets {9mm, 357 mag, etc.} but it could get aggravating if casting larger stuff. It seemed like it was a constant fight to keep it flowing full capacity and not dripping. The drip didn't bother me as bad as a partial clog when casting bigger stuff. I really thought if I spent time to render dirty lead into ingots and flux it down real good that would cure my Lee pot problems, but it didn't seem to help much. I still had trouble.
Here's the main question: Does the bottom pour mechanism on more expensive pots {RCBS, Lyman, etc.} work better and solve this problem, or is it even an improvement????
Do many guys not have these pots just because of the expense, or is it that they don't solve the problem well enough to the point that many feel like they are just not worth it????
Do so many casters use {or maybe end up going back to} a ladle because this is a problem that so far has not been satisfactorily solved???? Maybe another way of asking it is, why would I choose a ladle over a bottom spout type casting rig???
Thanks in advance for any information, it is greatly appreciated....especially when I am getting ready to drop $300.00 plus on a lead pot.