Lyman Mag 20 on Ebay-$139.00!!!

[Bret4207]

Buy it now for 139. I'm tapped out.

http://cgi.ebay.com/LYMAN-MAG-20-LEAD-MELTER_W0QQitemZ330221988797QQihZ01
4QQcategoryZ71118QQssPageNameZWDVWQQrdZ1QQcmdZView Item

[dubber123]

Yeah, I saw it. Same problem.. Thats what I paid for mine used 5 years ago.

[Dale53]

That's a much used pot. However, if I needed one, I would jump on it at that price (I already have two RCBS pots).

Dale53

[Kraschenbirn]

Yeah, but the seller requireds "immediate payment" through PayPal (doesn't look like he accepts anything else) so I'd have to pass purely as a matter of principle.

Bill

[94Doug]

Had I read this in time..... I may have jumped on this.

d

[richbug]

You guys are going to hate me. I just scored one for $75...

Question is, are these a good pot? I have been working out of a Lee 10 pounder ever since I started casting.


rich

[Dale53]

The Lyman pot has a good reputation. You should be in good shape.

Dale53

[Bret4207]

Much nicer than a Lee, not quite as good as RCBS especially warranty-wise. You did well.

[fatnhappy]

I just paid $140.38 for one, and thought it was a fairly good deal. Now I wish I could figure out bottom pours. :roll:

[Bret4207]

Tools of the devil, those bottom pours. I'm holding out for an RCBS. If I'm going to leave my lade and go over to the dark side, I'm going first class!

[Dale53]

I had an advantage that many of you do not now have when I converted to bottom pour "Lo, these many years ago". I had no one to tell me that you can't cast good bullets with a bottom pour. So, since I EXPECTED to do well with bottom pour, I worked at it until it became second nature. It didn't take long, either.

At first, I thought that I had to contact the spout with the sprue plate and "pressure cast". Some moulds DO work well that way. However, I have found that many more work better if the "silver stream" falls ½"-1" before pouring into the sprue hole. I generally have better results having the stream go directly into the mould. Sometimes, not often, a mould will give better results if you let the stream strike the edge of the hole. I just ran another 700 bullets from the H&G #130 and, this time, I had a total of about 15 rejects. Day before yesterday, while casting a similar number, I had about 12 rejects. I am VERY critical so threw back what many would have accepted.

One little tip:
I run the stream just past the dribbling stage - I have my "stop screw" on the valve lever loose and I continually adjust this as the level of alloy falls in the pot. This maintains a constant controlled flow just fast enough to be a solid stream (I mentioned this in another thread a day or so ago and it bears repeating, again).

Like other volume casters on here, I have cast, literally, hundreds of thousands of bullets with bottom pours. I could NOT have done that volume of EXCELLENT bullets wilthout using a bottom pour. If at first you have problems (some have no problems at all) just persevere, it WILL get better.

Bullet casting is as much art as it is science. You don't learn to play the piano in fifteen minutes and you do NOT learn to cast properly in fifteen minutes. A friend, who is a champion cast bullet shooter (Schuetzen rifle) made the statement that, "It takes two years to learn to cast match bullets". I find it difficult to argue with that. It IS worth it!!

Dale53

[Bret4207]

Dale, I agree completely with you about the "art" part. But some of us are painters and some sculptors. Until I get a decent pot I'm not going to go through the cntortion I did with that dang Lee BP I tried. I just don't have that much hair left!

[Dale53]

>>>But some of us are painters and some sculptors.<<<

Well put, Bret!:mrgreen:

My first try at casting was a Lyman cast iron pot and dipper on a kitchen range. I did well with it but fifty bullets at a time was a "big deal" to me at the time (I was about 13 years of age). Not long after, I ran into a couple of volume casters and learned that I was just a "piker". I saved up for a Lyman 11 lb bottom pour pot and things started humming. I added a Saeco plain melting pot (electric) that held 20 lbs and used that to "stock" my Lyman. After several years, I realized I needed more capacity in my main pot. I bought an RCBS 22 lb bottom pour (now I have two).

After I learned bottom pour with my Lyman, I never looked back. I can't do long, large sessions casting these days due to physical limitations (getting old is not for sissies:() but I normally run 20 lbs of bullets (one pot full) at a session. My old record will not again be broken by me (13,000 match quality .45's over a week end but I am still enjoying doing what I CAN do). I can still shoot and do, LOTS, so LIFE IS GOOD!:mrgreen:

Bottom pour, forever!

Dale53