There is also the Hassle Factor, especially when starting out on a budget. A bottom pour pot needs very clean metal going in; any impurities will get between the shutoff plug and the spout, resulting in leaks, drips and bits of this and that in the castings. Even the normal oxidation of the melted lead can do this, so more maintenance is required on a bottom-pour pot.
So unless you plan to buy certified metals for starters, and stick with them, you will need another pot right off the bat for what is miscalled “smelting” around here; i.e., melting down range scrap, wheelweights or other lead findings, skimming off the dirt and oxides, and pouring clean ingots to use in the bottom-pour pot.
A ladle pot can do double duty this way. I abuse my Lee pots shockingly, alternating “smelting” and casting. My first, a 10-lb’er, only lasted thirty years doing this. When it conked out, I was so disappointed in Lee’s product quality, I bought a 20-lb Lee Magnum Melter to replace it.
I save all the skimmed-off dross until I get a potful, cook it to salvage the last few ounces of lead contained therein, and then shovel out the dross with a big spoon, add more lead and cast. When the ladle gets coated with lead, I bang it on the edge of the pot to dislodge the clinging gunk. Even with this treatment, the new Lee pot will outlast me, of that I’m certain.