Beginning to cast bullets - pot selection?

[Sirius1963]

Good morning all,

I'm starting out on casting bullets for a couple of rifles (.577 Enfield, and 45/70 Sharps - both modern replicas). I'll be shooting approximately once or twice per month, and probably no more than 12-15 bullets on each occasion.

I've been told that the Lee 10lb pot is too small to consistently form these larger bullets, and also that a portable electric ring and metal paint pot, using a ladle is an alternative.

Id value any advice on this matter, the more straightforward the better!

Ill be using a RCBS mould.

Many thanks

[oley55]

Ladle casting with the Lee 20# Magnum Pot sounds right for you.

[Sirius1963]

thanks very much

[BK7saum]

While I use the Lee 4-20 pots and bottom pour most of my boolits, I think that ladle casting sounds like it work best for you with the large bullets. If you had any interest in pouring smaller pistol bullets, the suggestion might be different.

I still pour large boolits occasionally with a ladle, but have learned how to get better bullets with the bottom pour after ladling and going back to the bottom pour.

[HATCH]

The Lee 4-20 is a good size. Not sure what the step up above 20# is besides the Magma 40# units

[Carrier]

I have cast a lot of 45/70 bullets up to 525 grains with a Lee 10 lb pot with no issues.

[GregLaROCHE]

I’ve used a 20# bottom pour for years. I cast a lot of 400-500+ grain bullets. It works fine for me except now that it is getting older, it likes to drip a lot. Doesn’t seem that you will be casting much in the beginning, so a smaller pot could work. If you get a ladle type pot, you won’t have to worry about it dripping.

[Bent Ramrod]

I used a 10-lb Lee pot for 30 years for everything. Until it burned out, it did fine within its limitations. The only luxury I could afford at the start was the temp adjustment knob.

I replaced it with the ~18-lb (nominally 20-lb) Magnum Melter (ladle only) from Lee, and I am happily abusing it the same way I did the little pot, recovering scrap, burning off flammables on lead sheeting, melting Youguessium mystery metals, alloying, casting range scrap, etc. It's holding up fine.

A 20 lb capacity obviously allows more boolits per pot fill, but also allows the mould trick where you alternate two moulds once they get up to temperature, for quicker casting and more output. Ten lb capacity just doesn’t have the heat or capacity to do that. If you want to get in for cheep and only cast a few boolits, the 10-lb will do fine. Your shooting might increase in the future, and a bigger pot might be worth thinking about. Up to you.

[Winger Ed.]

If I was single, I wasn't casting any more than that, I'd get a deep Iron pot, a ladle,
and do it on the kitchen stove with a fan running to carry the fumes and smell out.

I'd make an evening of it, cast up a couple hundred, and put the pot & ladle away till next year.

[MOA]

The Lee 4-20 is a good size. Not sure what the step up above 20# is besides the Magma 40# units

This is the next step up from Magma's 40# pot. Only serious casters need apply. Lol

https://i.postimg.cc/28twDYnH/Screenshot-2022-03-07-11-39-54.png (https://postimg.cc/PPmZWB3Z)

[oley55]

I may be missing something, but the Lee 10# pot seems to cost more than the Lee 20# Magnum pot. For that matter the Lee 4-20 Pro is only $13 more than the leak-o-matic Lee Production 10# pot.

https://www.titanreloading.com/product-category/lee-precision-reloading-equipment/lee-melters/

[gwpercle]

I wish 40 years ago someone would have told me to get a 20 pound pot and the nice 20# Lee Magnum Melter would have been available .
With your large caliber boolits ...go big . You waste more time waiting for lead to melt with a 10# pot than you do actually casting . The Lee Magnum Melter holds a bunch , doesn't drip , is wide and deep and a joy to cast with when using a dipper and is affordable .
Look at the Lee Magnum Melter 110 volt Titan Reloading has them on sale fo $58.49 ...I bought mine several years ago ...on sale for $60.00 then ... For the price it's worth every penny and will melt a pot full of cold ingots in 20-30 mins . I use a long shafted Lyman dipper , with the little spout , the pot is deep and a short dipper wont work when the lead level gets low .
Gary

[GregLaROCHE]

As Ed said, there’s nothing wrong starting out with a cast iron pan and a soup ladle. I know some old timers, that have only ever done it like that.

[Sirius1963]

Thanks Gary - good advice I think

[Land Owner]

Winger Ed and GregLaROCHE are, imho, spot on, as I vote. Casters of yore used the heat of a campfire to melt their lead, which still works great, but to modernize the process a little, use your grill's propane tank, buy a propane turkey frier, cast iron pot (or old propane tank cut in two), and a long-handled ladle - use these outside though...just my $0.02. The fryer and melt pot/tank, along with a few 3# ingot molds, may come in handy in the future if you melt components to create different alloys.

[Mk42gunner]

Ladle casting with the Lee 20# Magnum Pot sounds right for you.

This sounds correct to me.

I will add to get either the RCBS (first choice) or Lyman ladle to cast with. The Lee is a glorified tablespoon that may not even hold enough alloy for your .577 boolit.

Robert

[triggerhappy243]

Thanks Gary - good advice I think

i SMELT AND CAST WITH THIS SETUP. i CAST BIG MUZZLE LOADER CONICALS 370 GR. AND 435 GR. MY LADLE HOLDS 13 OUNCES OF MOLTEN LEAD.

[lightman]

I would suggest a 20# pot. Lee, Lyman and RCBS offer them. The 40# Magma pot is nice but its $600 or so.

[FISH4BUGS]

I have a 20# Lee Drip-o-Matic that has served me faithfully for 30+ years. I'll keep it for backup or sell it.
Best bang for the buck on the planet.
I just ordered an RCBS ProMelt II for my golden years in casting. Let's hope I can upgrade again in another 30 years!

[charlie b]

I like my Lee 20lb bottom pour. Doesn't leak. Maintains heat fairly well. I use it for the 450gn .50 cal bullets as well as various other rifle and pistol bullets.

[jsanch03]

If you don’t mind used equipment check your local classifieds for a Lee 4-20 downpour or whatever might be for sale. I’d stay awake from the 10 pound pots since you’re casting some heavies with that caliber. I saw a moderately used saeco with the built in temp gauge for $60 on Craigslist. Search hard and you’ll come across something

[robg]

lee 10lb pot has worked fine for me for 20 years .i cast for 22/357mag/308 and 45-70.i cast for about an hour at a time and get about 300 boolits using 2 x 2 cavity molds,the amount your going to shoot the 10lb pot will be fine.

[Cosmic_Charlie]

If you plan to shoot a fair bit I would go with the 4-20. I have casted thousands with mine and it still works great.

[Iowa Fox]

I like my Lee 20lb bottom pour. Doesn't leak. Maintains heat fairly well. I use it for the 450gn .50 cal bullets as well as various other rifle and pistol bullets.

Plus they sell parts for the pot very reasonable. Pretty hard to beat the Lee 4-20.

[white eagle]

I cast with a ladle all the time , never any problems with that or my Lee pot
I cast from 30- to 50 cal use a ladle on all of them, see no reason to change to a drip o matic

[Soundguy]

Good morning all,

I'm starting out on casting bullets for a couple of rifles (.577 Enfield, and 45/70 Sharps - both modern replicas). I'll be shooting approximately once or twice per month, and probably no more than 12-15 bullets on each occasion.

I've been told that the Lee 10lb pot is too small to consistently form these larger bullets, and also that a portable electric ring and metal paint pot, using a ladle is an alternative.

Id value any advice on this matter, the more straightforward the better!

Ill be using a RCBS mould.

Many thanks


Whoever told you that a lee 10# pot can't pour a large bullet .. doesn't have the correct skill to do so.

Casting is a multi operation process. you have your pot.. you have your metal to replenish the pot, and you have the mold. You have to get the mold up to temp.. perhaps almost to frosting to start casting good. I tend to like a mold a hair hot and then manage it by cycle times. hot molds drop better bullets than cold molds. mold material makes a difference in heat.. aluminum heats and cools faster than iron and brass.. etc.
A lee 10# bottom pour pot for sure flows enough lead to fill large cavity molds. I routinely make 500 gr .457 and .69 cal round ball. 14 .457's is a pound of lead....
I keep the next lead that goes into the pot up on the top of the pot to be warm. when that lead goes in it doesn't hit the pot heat like a cold bar will. also.. don't let your pot run low.. low pots loose some of the heating element area.. and have less heat density to share. I never let a pot get more than 1.5# low. And when feeding your pot.. I like to feed it in 1/2 pound or so increments. using mini ingots.. or mini muffins.. vs letting it choke on huge 2.5 # muffin or 1# full ingots. those will suck your heat.

So.. manage your mold temp.. keep the pot topped up.. and keep the pot refill bars warmed. You should have no problem making large projectiles.

[MostlyLeverGuns]

I have the Lee Magnum Melter 20 lb for ladle casting and the Lee 4-20 bottom pour. Both work very well. My past, 1960's, included a Lyman 10lb pot on the kitchen stove or a Coleman single burner stove with a Lyman ladle, back then single cavity molds were standard and double and four cavities expensive and limited. For ladle casting you want a Lyman or RCBS ladle, a small RotoMetals MIGHT work. The Lee 10 lb would probably work but the 20 pound is just easier to work with, maintaining temperature and needing less wait time when adding lead, not much more cost. A lead thermometer is a valuable investment in getting started, long ago, BEFORE THE INTERNET, information on casting was scarce. This the best of times for bullet casters, except for wheel weights.......

[Mountain Meadow]

Hi, I'm new to this forum and just joined. I am in the same boat as Jsancho3. Just getting started. Thanks for all the great information on pot sizes and ladle vs bottom pour.

I'll add the question of what size ladle to get and where? Midway has mostly 1 1/2 oz ladels.

I just came into 225 lbs of mixed lead and want to first melt some down into clean ingots and then cast. I will be casting for 400-500 grain .475 bullets and .562 round balls.

Does anyone make a bigger ladle that still fits the 4" opening of most of the above pots?

Mountain Meadow

[triggerhappy243]

Hi, I'm new to this forum and just joined. I am in the same boat as Jsancho3. Just getting started. Thanks for all the great information on pot sizes and ladle vs bottom pour.

I'll add the question of what size ladle to get and where? Midway has mostly 1 1/2 oz ladels.

I just came into 225 lbs of mixed lead and want to first melt some down into clean ingots and then cast. I will be casting for 400-500 grain .475 bullets and .562 round balls.

Does anyone make a bigger ladle that still fits the 4" opening of most of the above pots?

Mountain Meadow

This is my bullet casting and melting pot. I cast 370 and 435 gr. maxi-balls and use a larger ladle. 13 ounce capacity ladle I made myself. I found that larger bullets need to be cast filling the cavity faster to eliminate premature freezing.......... which is what causes wrinkles. What you are looking at, is a turkey fryer burner, a 6 quart cast iron dutch oven and a standard BBq propane bottle. Each batch melts 60 pounds of alloy at a shot.

[Mk42gunner]

Mountain Meadow, Welcome aboard.

The RCBS ladle will be fine for casting your bullets.

For making ingots, something on the order of a soup ladle will work better. I use a one pint sauce pan as a ladle when making ingots with my angle iron ingots (about 2-3 pounds). Of course to use a big ladle effectively you need a bigger pot than a twenty pound one to dip from. Mine is an eight inch section of 8" schedule 80 iron pipe with a bottom of ¼" plate welded on.

Robert

[Land Owner]

Furthering triggerhappy243's post, my pot for LARGE melts is one half of a propane tank. The rest is the same. I make 100-pound alloy melts of 50% lead and 50% clip-on wheel weights that are poured into 3-pound ingot molds. To the 20-pound pot I add 2% tin by weight.


https://i.postimg.cc/GtHCkGjg/IMG_0806.jpg


https://i.postimg.cc/gj4R0vtd/Ingots_002.jpg


https://i.postimg.cc/bvGq5ghF/DSCN1872.jpg

[John Guedry]

I have only got a Lee 10# pot. Given to me by a friend who is notorius for his "devil may care" attiude about care of equipment. I have dropped this thing from about waist high (it wasn't hot) still works fine but only bent up and super UGLY. I'm not casting the quantities ya'll are talking about,but have no problem with 405 gr. hollow base 45/70 bullets.

[Soundguy]

My Lee 10# bottom pour is super ugly..but works.

[nicholst55]

Hi, I'm new to this forum and just joined. I am in the same boat as Jsancho3. Just getting started. Thanks for all the great information on pot sizes and ladle vs bottom pour.

I'll add the question of what size ladle to get and where? Midway has mostly 1 1/2 oz ladels.

I just came into 225 lbs of mixed lead and want to first melt some down into clean ingots and then cast. I will be casting for 400-500 grain .475 bullets and .562 round balls.

Does anyone make a bigger ladle that still fits the 4" opening of most of the above pots?

Mountain Meadow

Consider a Rowell ladle for casting ingots. They make them in several different sizes, and they're much more durable than soup ladles.

https://www.buffaloarms.com/catalogsearch/result/?q=rowell+ladles