Lee 6 Cavity - Ladle or Bottom Pour

[30yrcaster]

I'm making my first venture into a Lee 6 Cavity mold in 9mm. Saw a video on Youtube of a guy using the bottom pour and making 120 in 8 min. I've got closed dippers and open larger ones (1lb). My Promelt does well with bottom pour and doesn't drip. Which method would serve me best to get good bullets with this mold and which one does most people have best success with?

Thanks

[sqlbullet]

6 cavity molds are for speed in my shop, and a bottom pour helps that along.

I also have a hard time keeping my cadence high enough to keep a 6 cavity mold hot if I am dipping. Maybe more practice would solve that problem.

None-the-less, I would bottom pour a six cavity.

[Suo Gan]

That's easy, bottom pour for me. If you have both, you have not tried them both to know for yourself what suits you best?

[mold maker]

With LEE 6 cav molds of small caliber, the bottom pour is my pick. It's hard to cycle the mold fast enough with smaller calibers to get and keep it up to casting temp. Regulated speed is very helpful.

[ku4hx]

A six cavity is for quantity production; 100% bottom pour.

[GRUMPA]

I only have 1-6 cavity mild and wish I had more money to get more. I had a harder time keeping the 10lb pot full at all times and getting the temp back up where I wanted it. Bottom pour is the way to go.

[thegreatdane]

Bottom pour without question. I find better casts with a reduced flow rate.

High flow can create turbulent pours which may contain voids and less than completely fill the corners.

[376Steyr]

I agree that you should try both methods and see what works for you. I have great succuss using a Rowell 1 lb. ladle with no problem keeping the mould warm, but that is with 38 and larger caliber handgun bullets. To really crank out the castings, get two identical (so they cool at the same rate) 6 cavities that drop easy, preheat moulds and ingots on your hot plate, and go to town.

[thegreatdane]

Shoot, I have trouble keeping the 9mm 6-cav from overheating when using a bottom pour valve.

[williamwaco]

I own several Lee 6 cylinder molds. The idea of using a six cylinder mold is production. Why would you want to slow it down with a ladle? Seems counter productive to me.

I do use the ladle for the longer rifle bullets in two cavity molds.

[30yrcaster]

Bottom pour without question. I find better casts with a reduced flow rate.

High flow can create turbulent pours which may contain voids and less than completely fill the corners.
Flow rate was going to be another question. Thanks for answering that.

Thanks for everyone that responded.

[Mk42gunner]

120 boolits in 8 minutes with a six cavity = 15 per minute = 24 sec cycle time. Seems kind of slow to me, I normally get three to four fills per minute when things are goiung good with my six cavity molds.

I have one of the GB 314-120 molds that I can run acceptably fast either way. The RCBS ladle gives fewer remelts, but is slightly slower than bottom feeding it.

I go with what I feel like that particular day. I like ladle casting better, but I just got a RCBS Promelt to replace my Lee 4-20.

Robert

[Bret4207]

In the larger multi cav moulds like my 358-240 Bator 6 banger Lee I find a ladle works best for me. With the 10 cav H+G a ladle is the only way to go. I fail to see how a proper sized ladle would limit your speed. A BP is much slower for me.

20 cycles out of a 6 banger gives you 120 boolits. 8 minutes to do that is kinda slow. But the important thing is quality. Better to go slower and produce 120 keepers than go real fast and get 180 with 100 keepers.

[btroj]

I think much of this depends pon which method you use normally. Bret likes to ladle cast- I would expect him to be much quicker at it than I would be since I use a bottom pour.
I don't ink changing up your pour method is a good thing. Find what works for you and stick with it. That is the only way to develop a good system and good rhythm.

[GLynn41]

btw some of us-- at least me-- have not used and do not have bottom pour- it is dipper only -- I have been eye balling a Ranch Dog mold but that is all so far-- it was good to hear what all was said

[DLCTEX]

Bottom pour. I'm dipper challanged.

[Dale53]

I started out with a Lyman 10 lb cast iron pot on the kitchen stove. I was just a teenager with little cash. After I discovered bottom pour, I saved up for a Lyman 11lb electric pot. There was a bit of a learning curve, but soon I was turning out far more bullets (quality bullets) than before. I added a 20 lb melting pot (Saeco) to pre-melt ingots so I could do continuous pour with the Lyman.

Later, I went to an RCBS 22 lb bottom pour pot.

I have 70-80 moulds and most of them are 4-6 cavities. I bottom pour EVERYTHING. I shot black powder cartridge silhouette for fifteen years and bottom poured the bullets for 40/65, 45/70, and 45/90.

It is obvious, tho', that some are comfortable with dippers and some with bottom pour. Use what pleases YOU and don't look back.

I pre-heat all of my moulds, whether single cavity iron, or multi-cavity aluminum, brass, or iron on a hot plate. I control the temperature with a small (6-7") manicurists fan (available at Target or WalMart Stores for just a few dollars).

I cast with a steady rhythm and typically empty my RCBS pot in an hour to an hour and a half. I have very few rejects. I end up with 21# of match grade bullets. I used to continuous cast for several hours. However, with my advancing age, a pot full at a time works just fine for me.

"Back in the day", one weekend I cast 13,000 bullets with a four cavity mould. Those days are behind me, worse the luck[smilie=1:. However, I still enjoy turning out those small, shiny, works of art...

Dale53

[blikseme300]

This was my solution to the pot running dry too quickly: http://bliksemseplek.com/boolits.html

I have never ladle poured so cannot comment on that however it is still something to learn sometime.

Bliksem

[garym1a2]

I like to ladle pour and y Lyman ladle works well for this, it will pour a 6up 200 grain bullet.
The hard thing is for the pot to keep enough lead melted.
P.S.; the lee ladle makes a good stirrer and pot scrapper but a lousy ladle.

[GLL]

I use a modified RCBS ladle (22 pound WAAGE pound pots) and must run two 6-cavity aluminum LEE molds at the same time to keep them from OVERHEATING (even with cooling fans) ! I do not find using a ladle to be slow at all and cast more very nice bullets in one hour than I can shoot in a week ! If you are shooting 2000-3000 rounds a week in a semi-auto perhaps the bottom-pour would be an advantage. To me casting is enjoyable relaxation so producing 1000 per hour for a three hour stretch is not important ! :)

Jerry

These do not eat as quickly as a GLOCK !
http://www.fototime.com/0D88090067F881E/orig.jpg

[mroliver77]

This was my solution to the pot running dry too quickly: http://bliksemseplek.com/boolits.html

I have never ladle poured so cannot comment on that however it is still something to learn sometime.

Bliksem

Very nice pot there!

I poked around your sight some. We think a lot alike. ;)
J

[MikeS]

When I started casting it was with a Lyman ladle. I've since gone to a Lee 20lb bottom pour pot, and had good luck with it. Just yesterday I had to ladle cast some boolits from a Lee 6 cavity mould, and I used a Rowell #1 ladle, and after the first few pours I was able to use the ladle almost as fast as bottom pouring! This would never happen with the Lyman ladle as it just doesn't hold enough alloy. Since that experience I might try ladle casting some other of my moulds using the Rowell ladle!

In my opinion no matter what method you use as your regular casting method, it's important to be able to use a ladle, as electric bottom pouring pots might not always be available (As in a SHTF situation), but with a simple metal pot (steel, cast iron, etc.) and a fire, if you have a ladle, you can cast boolits.

[FAsmus]

Gentelmen;

Feeding the mufti-cavity by ladle is possible but ~ after all ~ we're talking production here.

When the need comes along here in Wyoming I render out a 90 pound pot of suitable alloy on the turkey-cooker heater and run the little 10 pound LEE bottom-pour as kind of a glorified ladle.

The hot alloy from the big pot is used to keep the little 10 pound LEE going without worrying about alloy temperature. Just re-fill it as the bullets pile up.

Good afternoon,
Forrest