Tried ladle casting for the first time

[JeffG]

I've been using a bottom pour Lee 10# pot since 92 and that has served my needs very well. Yeah, it drips sometimes and all that hubbub, but I really have no complaints about it, and a lot of lead had gone through it. I had picked up NOE 326471 for use with a K98 Mauser and was struggling trying to find the right technique to get it to cast right. There would be finning or not enough fill out, etc. I tried angling the start of the pour so it would not fin on the nose and made some headway but it was a struggle. Finally last weekend I managed to get a fairly good technique will it and was getting good bullets pretty quick and they were consistent in weight within 1/2 to 3/4 grain. I had decided to order a Lyman casting ladle about 2 weeks and it showed up this past week. Today I tried ladle casting for the first time, and surprisingly it was easier to cast with than I thought it would be. For being a novice with the ladle, I was surprised to find I was getting good looking bullets almost right away, though it was still possible to get a little finning. I'm guessing I may be holding it vertical a little too long or turning it to vertical a little too quickly. We'll see. All around a good experience and I can see this possibly working better for me on some bullets.:D

What are your experiences?

[DeanWinchester]

I've ladle poured every boolit I have ever cast. I tried a bottom pour for about five minutes. I'd rather buy jacketed or plated bullets than cast with one.

[country gent]

I used a bottom pour lee pot to pour most handgun bullets years ago and had good results doing it, cast bullets up to around 250 grns. When I started bpcr and the bigger rifle bullets I had issues with the lee pot and fill out at times. I went to a ladle and bigger pot over a weed burner for these bullets from 20-1 mix. I still cast at around 700* - 750* but have a bigger mass to draw on ( 100lbs compared to 10) and with my rcbs ladle s spout opened up I get a faster fill on the mold. I also have went to vented sprue plates on most of my molds. The bullets Im casting now run from 400 grns - 575 grns. 40 cal to 45 cal.I find fluxing often and the lrge mass helps with the consistency.

[sidecarmike]

I started ladling from a cast iron kettle on a Coleman stove. I moved up to a bottom pour. First a ten pound, then went to a Pro 4 20 when my brother wanted some diving weights and the mold wouldn't fit under the old one.
As time went on, I have moved back to a ladle. Here is the thread (http://castboolits.gunloads.com/showthread.php?234323-Turned-my-LEE-Pro-4-20-into-a-Magnum&highlight=ladle)

[357maximum]

I started out ladling, thought I was missing the boat and bought a pro4-20......had that about 1 year and I was not happy in the least.....went back to ladling and I can make the safe bet that I never return to being a bottom sucker.

Ladling just gives me better/more consistent/more accurate boolits.

[wv109323]

I was just wondering: Does any one ladle cast with four or six cavity molds? I can see one or two cavity especially with heavier bullets.

[JeffG]

I'm casting a six cavity 9mm round that so far has only been with the bottom drop furnace. I plan on trying exactly that at a point when it's time to cast more.

[sidecarmike]

I was just wondering: Does any one ladle cast with four or six cavity molds? I can see one or two cavity especially with heavier bullets.

I am. Nearly all my molds are 6 cavity. That was the biggest reason for converting my furnace. I had trouble bending down to see what was happening.

[gwpercle]

Had the same experience with a 2-cavity Lee C312-185-1R 303 Enfield mould. 10 lbs from a bottom pour and 90% were rejects. Put all of them back in a regular pot and got out the Lyman ladle. This time only a few weren't keepers. I don't know why but some moulds are just particular about how you handle them. Some times I cast with two moulds, usually the steel ones, because they take longer to cool. Usually the Lee 2-cavity alumnium moulds cool faster so I don't need to.
I find long 30-32 cal. rifle boolits seem to do better with a ladle , at least for me.
My experience with bottom pours has been just like 357 Maximum's, got one that doesn't get used much...I keep trying, but usually wind up back with the ladle. One day I will get the spout welded up and have a 10 pound pot to ladle from.


Gary

[tg32-20]

I like so many above started out with a pot and a ladle. It worked great for many years but you just heard all the talk about a bottom pour pot and just have to try one.
So I bought a 4-20 Lee pot, it sat there for a few years before I even tried it out. I find that it works great for 22 &25 cal that I cast for. Maybe that is because I can fill the cavities of a 6 cavity
mold faster with it. But when I go to 30+ cal molds there seems to be nothing like a ladle, it just works better. I seem to have a lot more control of what I am doing, I can pour from a distance or pressure pour and immediately see the results. There is just something about seeing the lead flow out of the ladle into the mold that is special.

Maybe that is just a lot of BS but it works for me.

Tom

[JeffG]

I like so many above started out with a pot and a ladle. It worked great for many years but you just heard all the talk about a bottom pour pot and just have to try one.
So I bought a 4-20 Lee pot, it sat there for a few years before I even tried it out. I find that it works great for 22 &25 cal that I cast for. Maybe that is because I can fill the cavities of a 6 cavity
mold faster with it. But when I go to 30+ cal molds there seems to be nothing like a ladle, it just works better. I seem to have a lot more control of what I am doing, I can pour from a distance or pressure pour and immediately see the results. There is just something about seeing the lead flow out of the ladle into the mold that is special.

Maybe that is just a lot of BS but it works for me.

Tom

Hi Tom,

This specific mold is my first long bullet in the .326 area, has a lot of lube grooves and I just seemed to be having issue getting consistency. I was either finning it or not enough fill out, etc etc. The third time I cast with it though I got better with it and ended up with a decent number of good ones. The ladle then showed up and I was getting good bullets right away. I need to work on the technique though, a lot. I'll probably cast some Lee 452-255-RNFP this weekend with it and see how that goes.

[tg32-20]

Jeff,

With a ladle I seem to slow down and concentrate more on pouring from the ladle into the mold and how it looks. With a bottom pour, I just seem to be in a hurry to get the mold filled.

Stay with it, you will get great results in no time.

Tom

[cbrick]

I was just wondering: Does any one ladle cast with four or six cavity molds? I can see one or two cavity especially with heavier bullets.

There are a lot of old wives tales floating around, that a 6 cavity mold or large boolits cannot be done with a ladle is one of the stranger ones. The only trick to it is a ladle that holds enough alloy, the RCBS, Lyman etc are on the small side, fine for small boolits and 1 or 2 cavities. I highly recommend the Rowell #2 ladle, perfect size for 6 and even 8 cavity molds. Rowell #1 while a quality product is about the size of the RCBS. Rowell #3 is a bit large for general casting but is a great ladle for casting ingots.

Rick

[Hardcast416taylor]

I started ladle pouring over 50 years back. I went to RCBS bottom pour pot about 30 years ago. I still use both methods as to the whim of myself and the particular mould. I opened up the pour hole on both my Lyman and RCBS ladles for faster pour. The RCBS ladle was a chore for me. I ground off all the fin projections the bowl has and cut 2 1/2" off the rod length. It works better, but I still favor the 2 Lyman ladles I have.Robert

[Hickok]

I have used a ladle pouring for about 40 years. Tryed bottompour, went back to ladle.

Whatever you like, is the best way!

[JeffG]

Jeff,

With a ladle I seem to slow down and concentrate more on pouring from the ladle into the mold and how it looks. With a bottom pour, I just seem to be in a hurry to get the mold filled.

Stay with it, you will get great results in no time.

Tom

Good point, and I expect that is the case with me.

[JeffG]

There are a lot of old wives tales floating around, that a 6 cavity mold or large boolits cannot be done with a ladle is one of the stranger ones. The only trick to it is a ladle that holds enough alloy, the RCBS, Lyman etc are on the small side, fine for small boolits and 1 or 2 cavities. I highly recommend the Rowell #2 ladle, perfect size for 6 and even 8 cavity molds. Rowell #1 while a quality product is about the size of the RCBS. Rowell #3 is a bit large for general casting but is a great ladle for casting ingots.

Rick

I keep eyeballing one of those, just haven't made the leap yet. The only 6 cavity I have right now is 9mm and I've been doing fine with it on the pot. Thanks for the sizing recommendation.

[imashooter2]

I dipper cast on a Coleman stove for 30+ years before I traded for a Lee 10 pound bottom pour. Now I cast everything from a Lee 20. Bottom pour is just too convenient.

[Gremlin460]

I have only cast for 12 months to this point, I use a medium sized cast pot, and a $1 stainless soup ladle that I modified with a panel beating hammer, to make a spout.
This all sits on a propane burner in the doorway of the man cave and with a mug of coffee and the radio, I am quite content for hours... total cost $12, not counting the gas that lasts a few months (20#) bottle.
Electric pot here cost 100's of $ and I would rather put that into powder and primers..

[dikman]

Gremlin, you're right on about the cost here! :shock:. I started pretty much as you, a bit over 12 months ago, and went to the trouble of making a ladle similar to a Lyman. It worked well, but eventually I decided to get a bottom pour. I ended up buying it from the US (a fair bit cheaper than here, even with shipping). Still not cheap, but I have no regrets at all. I cast round balls, and it's great for that, fast and easy. (I just cast 400 .490's and 100 .457's today, took probably a couple of hours including waiting for it to heat up plus a bit of messing around until the molds were hot enough). I can't see me going back to a ladle.

Oh, and I could do it sitting down, which is great for my aging body.

[wch]

I've ladle poured every boolit I have ever cast. I tried a bottom pour for about five minutes. I'd rather buy jacketed or plated bullets than cast with one.

Plus one!

[Hickok]

I took my Lee bottom pour pot and removed all the "do-dads" for the spout, drove a small nail into the spout hole, and use it to melt the sprue when I am casting with a laddle. One pot for casting, the other for the sprue.

[Wayne Smith]

I ladle cast a Lee six cavity 45 caliber 430gr boolit. Yes, I have to dip twice with my Lyman ladle. Not a problem, it seems to work fine.

[kenyerian]

I always use a Rowell #2 ladle when I'm casting for 45 caliber and up and also on some of my six bangers. No particular reason except that I started out ladle casting back in the late sixties . i do use a bottom pour some for the smaller calibers and for plinking boolits.

[detox]

A mould that is vented correctly is easier to cast with...bottom pour or ladle method. RCBS moulds have a verygood venting design. My Accurate mould is probably the most difficult to cast with because some of the circular cut vents skip critical areas to be vented. Cutting more vent lines will help.