What is your preferred ladle and why?

[WickedWillie]

I used to have a Lyman ladle...but can't find it. (Had to move my reloading/casting equipment to a "man cave" shed and may have misplaced it or worse yet, tossed it unconsciously.)

I have four Lyman 4 cavity molds and the rest are two cavity and one or two single cavity. So...Lyman, RCBS, Rowell #1 or "2 or ?...and why?

Thanks in advance.

[GhostHawk]

The Lyman was my first and prefered. If I lost it I would replace it.

I do have another similar, but larger in size. It now lives with my smelting pot for making ingots.

[Greg S]

I believe mine is a Lyman with the hole enlarged alittle. It has served me well.

[Mitch]

I have one.think it may be a lyman with the hole drilled out.i got it on a box of stuff years ago.All i did was clean it up and use it.It works great for me.I have not tryed anything else but am thinking i need to try a rcbs.it holds a bit more lead and is kinda designed like the one i have.

[lightman]

I don't ladle anymore but I started out with a Lyman. The hole was pretty rough and I drilled it out. I only increased the inside diameter enough to drill out the roughness.

Rowell makes some really nice ones but I'm not familiar with the smaller ones. I use a larger one for smelting.

[Chill Wills]

The Lyman is fine. I like the old Rapine which must come from the same vender that the RCBS comes from. I doubt either company really makes them. They are slightly larger with the square back.

I have the two sizes of Rowell ladles, 1lb and 6lb for pouring ingots.
Twenty five years ago, on reports that the #1 Rowell poured great bullet too I tried it for any number of casting sessions. P U !!! I will stick to the Rapine and RCBS as they are much more adept at pressure casting molds that like that treatment and still pour just fine for the few molds that need to be poured to avoid whiskers or fining.

[country gent]

I use both the lymann and RCBS for casting both have the spouts opened up to ,200 dia and a stop added to the shank. I prefer them either or. I have a rowel #1 thats on the big side for casting. The lee ladle is more a spoon and too small for multi cavity or big bullets. Is also lightly constructed so it dosnt hold heat as well. Things to look for in a ladle heavy cast construction, this holds heat and is mire stable. a well placed spout. The ability to change from right to left hand used. A comfortable length handle. A means of hooking the shank on the edge of the pot to keep handle way from heat.

I have an rcbs ladle I converted to 2 spouts for my double cavity moulds. took some learning to use but I can pour 2 cavities at a time and the over pour. Speeds casting up a lot, but also will overheat most moulds faster di to the metal going in faster and hotter. Instead of 550 grns 2 its 1100 grns once and the over pour.

[Mk42gunner]

Before I really started casting seriously, I read a lot of Dean Grinnell's books and articles, (still do). He recommended the RCBS over the Lyman because of the fin on the bottom being useful to clear a spot in the dross film to ensure you were dipping clean alloy.

It made sense to then, and still does.

When I actually purchased my ladle the store had both the Lyman and RCBS in stock so I compared them side by side, I ended up with the RCBS. It is slightly larger than the Lyman, which really doesn't matter that much, but I do like the fin.

I think either would be acceptable, its just that I find the RCBS more acceptable.

I have no experience with the Rowell bottom pour ladle.

Never bought the Lee, it was too small and didn't appear as useful as the $2.00 Walmart soup spoon that I started with.

Robert

Robert

[DHDeal]

I'm an RCBS ladler. I do have a Lyman that I used a couple times, but as my hand was already used to the RCBS, it has stayed in my casting box for about 17 years.

I also have a Rowell that I read was the "best" for casting big BPCR bullets, and it is used for making ingots only. A friend gave me an older aluminum RCBS ladle that holds even more alloy than the steel version, but it doesn't have the fin (which I do like for clearing a space) and it feels different in the hand.

FWIW, I've put probably 3 wood handles on my RCBS over the years and had to weld up the steel rod where it meets the threads. Assuming that the actual ladle doesn't split/break/wear out, I'll never need another. Like others mentioned, I opened up the hole many years ago for faster flow on all but that blankedy blank Rowell.

[winelover]

Guess, I'm the odd man, out. I have a #1 and a #2 Rowell ladle. Mostly, the #2 gets the nod, when casting multiple cavity moulds. Why............because it holds the most lead, approximately two pounds. No need to stop pouring to refill. Better to have more lead than not enough. After filling the cavities, excess lead is allowed to run down the front and sides of the mould, back into the pot. Keeps the mould at the optimum casting temp. Look at it from the point of view.........of pouring heat.. Bullets have more consistency and less rejects, from rounded bases.

The only modification necessary is to shorten the handles on the Rowell. Way too long for casting. Easy enough fix, since they are made of threaded rod. Cut and retread with appropriate die. BTW, I have the RCBS ladle but don't use it. What I did do was re-purpose it's shorter handle for the Rowell #1............the #2 has a larger diameter rod.

The #1 holds approximately one pound of lead. I use that ladle for the smaller two cavity moulds and/or for bullets of smaller diameters.

Winelover

[Idaho Mule]

I use the Lyman. Serves me well, but I don't cast much over 250 grains. JW

[engineer401]

I use the Lyman ladle. It works well for my 4-cavity 358 molds.

[adcoch1]

I have been using the rcbs dipper, and I am glad it isn't smaller. I looked at the Lee and the Lyman but bought the RCBS. When I get a bigger lead pot I'll probably try out the Rowell #2 for my 6 cav 44 moulds, but for now I go thru alloy fast enough.

[gwpercle]

The new Lyman ladle ...the one that's reversible for right or left hand operation .
It has a longer handle and a longer shaft than my old circa 1967 Lyman ladle .
Smooth it off , inside and out and enlarge and polish the spout pour hole just a little .
It fits well into a 20# Lee Magnum Melter ...the old one was too short for the larger 20# pot .
I have one 4 cavity mould ...best to pour 2 cavities then refill ladle and pour the other two .
Usually when trying to fill all 4 the last cavity gets short changed .
I can do all three cavities of a 3 holer if I'm careful .
I don't get a larger ladle because of lacka hand strength ...the old hand gets tired faster the bigger the ladle is .

I'm glad to hear there are still some of us who dip ...we gotta stick together.
Gary

[dangitgriff]

My favorite ladle is the gravy ladle. [emoji39]

[Gobeyond]

I was using a Lyman and liked it for two cavity molds. Then I always wanted to try the Rotometals type ladle. It just looked good and held more lead. But it pours kind of fast and cools a little fast, so that my bullets didn’t fill out completely. Everything else the same. Nothing was hot enough that day , except the weather.

[RedHawk357Mag]

Guess, I'm the odd man, out. I have a #1 and a #2 Rowell ladle. Mostly, the #2 gets the nod, when casting multiple cavity moulds.

Winelover

You wouldn't by chance know the difference in diameter of these two different ladels, would you? Thank you.

Sent from my SM-G986U using Tapatalk

[William Yanda]

I believe mine is a Lyman with the hole enlarged alittle. It has served me well.

What he said, except I am certain.

[winelover]

Bowl diameter of the #1 Rowell is 2 1/2 inches.

Bowl diameter of the #2 Rowell is 3 inches.

Add another half inch for the spout, on both of them.

Not a big difference in diameter, capacity is due to the depth.

The #2 will fit in a RCBS ProMelt and a Lyman Mag 25, both of which I own. A dedicated ladle pot, like the RCBS Easy Melt is much better.

Winelover

[Slugster]

I started with the RCBS ladle 35 years ago, have never seen an improvement to that design. Still using it.

[RedHawk357Mag]

Thank you, much appreciated. Can't remember which I am using.

Sent from my SM-T387V using Tapatalk

[RogerDat]

Lyman casting dipper. Right or left handed. For most molds I don't fill it, trying to recall mold with heaviest bullet having the most cavities I have used it with. For sure 4 cavity 220 grain bullet. As someone already mentioned I also "pour heat" by letting extra lead flow over mold if I think mold needs more heat. I cast from a Lee Pro Melt. That's right the only "drips" are from my ladle.

I have a stupid large collection of ladles. Started with Lyman for filling molds and thrift store ladles for making ingots. Then picked up some scrap yard finds, eventually bought a couple of Rowel bottom pours.

Rowell 9 pound for ingots, Rowell 2 pound for when I just don't need the "bucket on a bar" capacity and weight. Can never get to bottom of pot with the big ladle so sometimes smaller pot = smaller ladle.

Have a couple of cast iron ladles that do around a pound, Some steel ladles that do 2 and 3 pounds. Think one might be a 4 pound. The guys at the scrap yard used to keep an eye out for them and set them aside for me. <warm fuzzy feeling here>

I have some from Salvation Army thrift store. Couple of soup ladles, one with handle bent so that with handle straight up out of pot the bowl is at 90* to the bottom. Good for getting that last few inches. Plus a small ladle such as you see in salad dressing on salad bar. I use that with my small pewter mold. I will say if one can find all metal stainless ladle from thrift store for a cheap price they are great. The ones with plastic handles will melt the handle loose over time or if left in the pot. All metal don't do that. The handle will get hot. If left in for a bit they will get really hot.

Two spoons from table service bent and shaped to skim dross made by a deceased caster, shape is perfect :-)

Typically I use the Rowell bottom pour to make ingots, a soup ladle with bent handle to get the last of the lead from the pot. For speed I sometimes pour using the largest steel ladle (around 4#) into bread loaf pans to make 12 - 16 lb. flat bars. Shorter handle and less weight than the Rowell so faster to work with. Those slabs are simply storage until I get around to casting it into finished Cast Boolit ingots.

I think what works depends on what one uses for a casting or smelting pot, how one casts and what one casts. Some of my ladles are from when I used a smaller smelting pot, the larger ones were acquired when I switched to Dutch oven for smelting. The Rowell 9# was when I purchased a bunch of Cast Boolit logo 2.5 lb ingot molds and finally got my scrap and WW's into ingots as a project. Sort of big and tends to drip but making a couple hundred pound batches a day and working through several years of backlog...

For someone who casts with two molds and in large volume they may want a stainless steel soup ladle with a small hole in it that they can dip in a large pot and use as a bottom pour for speed. For myself the Lyman dipper has worked very well for everything from large hollow base Minnie Ball molds to tiny 70 grain .223 mold. Anything I have wanted in between.

[cstrickland]

I use the lyman as well. As others have stated the pour spout is slightly reamed out. I just like it more than the RCBS. It will boil down to a personal thing for you, and how they feel. Otherwise both are pretty equal.

I have thought about the Rowell #1 but it seems a little to big . I wish they would offer a lyman ladle with about 50% - 60% more capacity

[ascast]

I use both, but tend to go RCBS for the big heavy 45 rifle, like 450 grns and up. I think it hold a bit more lead, never really measured scientifically, like weighing it. Neither will do a 6 cav in 1 dip of any size; maybe some 30 cals, but 44 pistol is pushing it. I have an open top BELL Telephone dipper I some times use for 4-6 cav heavies. It holds about 5 pounds of melt.

[stubshaft]

RCBS with a shortened handle for better control.

[RogerDat]

The issue with the Rowell Bottom Pour is they are cast iron and pretty thick at that. Weight is not insignificant. Not a large factor in the big ladles they are heavy due to capacity and the longer handles give one leverage. In the smaller ladles with repeated pours into a bullet mold rather than many fewer pours into an ingot mold the weight is an issue.

Some of us have the same issue with bullet molds. Larger bullets and 6 cavity molds are a workout to handle for a longer casting session. In many cases I have opted for a 4 cavity when I wanted increased production in a still comfortable to use mold.

One can get some really nice ladles from Salvation Army With all metal and wood handle construction. Hit the handle with propane torch till it glows and bend bowl at right angles to shaft and viola a nice larger capacity ladle.

At the risk of repeating myself a nice ladle with a hole drilled in the bottom of the bowl (seem to recall 3/32 was the right size) can be used like a bottom pour pot to run stream of lead into larger molds. Need to cast over a pot large enough to center the mold over so any drips or run off goes back into the pot. If doing a larger batch of bullets is acceptable then this approach may server you well. Just cast the bullets before you pour a bunch of ingots from the big pot.

[Ozark mike]

I used to use a homemade ladle but now i use a homemade bottom pour much nicer and quicker

[Landy88]

NavyVet's posts here and FortuneCookie45LC's YT videos sold me on the drilled ladle bottom pour. It is so easy for a beginner to learn to use and cast with, and has real advantages beyond ease of use.

[Hahndorf1874]

I use a ladle made from a CO2 canister, sofa fountain size, nice and light, not as tiring as most larger bought ones.