Howdy gents,
I have been ladle casting for quite a few years now and am very happy with it. I generally cast with 2 cavity molds. I typically only cast rifle bullets or pistol bullets for small game rifle loads in 30 cal.
In anything above 22 cal, I generally stay away from 4 cavity molds. I have a 4 cavity NOE 3118 clone that pours ~115 bullets. I have a real hard time getting quality bullets past the 3rd cavity This could be a technique issue, but from my observations I am just running out of lead on the pour for the 4th cavity. I'm using a pretty standard 1.5oz lyman bottom pour. I do like to pour a pretty big sprue.
Recently I have been getting more and more involved with CMP type formats of shooting and therefore shooting at a much higher volume. So I wish I could start using a 4 cal mold for 180ish grain 30 cal bullets, but I hesitate to buy anything because of my results with the smaller weight 4 cavity mold. I realize I could switch to bottom pour, but that's another whole rabbit hole I'm not willing to go down as of yet. If that's my only option I would rather just stick with 2 cavities for the near future.
So, for you ladle casters out there. Are you able to pour 4 cavities, with low reject rates in something like a lyman 311291 or another basic 30 cal bullet around 180 grains? If so, what are the tricks/tips you are using?