Casting With Bottom Pour or Ladle?

[GregLaRoche]

I read that it was best to cast round balls with a ladle and not use a bottom pour pot. Do others agree? Do I need to buy a ladle? Any difference between Lyman and RCBS ladles?
Thanks

 

[Cruzatte]

I there's no difference. A ladle is nothing more than a glorified spoon.

 

[Coalforge]

Why is it better to use a ladle rather than a bottom spout pot?

 

[QuinnTheEskimo]

I find a ladle best for me, but that’s only because I don’t have a bottom pour pot.

 

[EC121]

Some people say that a ladle pours better balls. That hasn't been my experience. I have done it both ways. Now I use a bottom pour pot. It is really a chocolate and vanilla thing. Use whatever you like. A bottom pour might drip a little but it is easy to put an ingot mold or pie pan under the spout and catch the drips. I use a pair of needle nose pliers to put the drips back the pot.

 

[Griz44Mag]

I read that it was best to cast round balls with a ladle and not use a bottom pour pot. Do others agree? Do I need to buy a ladle? Any difference between Lyman and RCBS ladles?
Thanks

Thanks to one of our elite "experts" that fallacy seems to continue to be perpetuated.
I have been casting for over 50 years, ladle, gravy dipper, soup spoon, bottom pour pot.
use what you are comfortable with, use what you have or buy what you want.
As long as the mold is hot, the lead is hot and you do your job it will make good balls or bullets.

 

[hawkeye2]

I have never been able to reliable cast minies of any weight or configuration with a bottom pour furnace but I have no problems at all casting round balls or bullets with one. whether I use a ladle or bottom pour often depends on what alloy I need and what is in the bottom pour at the time. When I was young and poor I cast hundreds of balls on the electric range with a stainless sauce pan, stainless spoon, brass bag mold, side cutters and a leather glove (when my parents wern't home). I use a Lyman (egg shaped) ladle that's far older than me and I understand the new Lymans are quite different. I bought an RCBS ladle probably 30 years ago and though it works just fine I don't care for it and don't use it. If you go with a ladle and there's no reason not to, I recomend you get a furnace without bottom pour capability as the lever and rod is constantly in the way. I find that it is a little frustrating to dip from a 10 pound furnace and recomend a 20 pound one (see the Lee Magnum).

 

[Phil Coffins]

Casting round ball may not matter how you do it. For compation bullets I’ve tried every way of bottom pore and can’t get the quality needed, only ladle will make the grade. I’m as lazy as any and if I could hold 1 grain in a 525 grain bullet you can bet I’d bottom pore!

 

[hanshi]

Starting in the 1960s I cast with a ladle and much later with a bottom pour. I really couldn't tell any difference in accuracy or quality between the two methods.

 

[curator]

Melt temperature, alloy cleanliness, casting speed, and technique are vastly more important than bottom pour or ladle casting particularly with round balls. Casting hollow-base minie' balls of consistent quality depends on all of the above plus attention to base plug temperature.

 

[BJHabermehl]

Melt temperature, alloy cleanliness, casting speed, and technique are vastly more important than bottom pour or ladle casting particularly with round balls. Casting hollow-base minie' balls of consistent quality depends on all of the above plus attention to base plug temperature.

I agree I’ve cast thousands of round ball using a bottom pour furnace. Minee bullets might need a ladle. I cast a few and had a ton of culls. Don’t bother with them any more.

 

[Pete G]

Starting in the 1960s I cast with a ladle and much later with a bottom pour. I really couldn't tell any difference in accuracy or quality between the two methods.

Reflects my experience also.

 

[tenngun]

I never had a bottom pour pot. And cast over the kitchen stove. Or over a fire in my brazier if it’s none to hot or cold outside.
Pouring a bit of lead over the mold keeps it warm for casting good ball.
One grain difference? I’ve never weighed a ball I’ve cast, so I don’t know.

 

[Rifleman1776]

I used a Lyman bottom pour happily for quite a few years. But, sadly, it rusted away in storage. Replaced it with a Lee bottom pour. Bad news. Now I dip from it and ladle pour. Have also ladle poured right from my big pot I use to melt down scrap lead into ingots. Do yer own thang.

 

[mushka]

I cast bullets for unmentionables, no round balls any longer. I use a bottom pour lee. Only reason I use the bottom pour is that it is faster than the ladle. I have two old round ball moulds, both .36 cal that haven't been used it twenty years.

 

[Bassdog1]

Mushka if you decide to let those 36 molds go i would be interested

 

[Greasecookie]

Like any liquid with surface tension, molten lead wants to be round. If the mold is up to temperature, just about any technique works. For minies, a ladle is necessary, for me at least.

 

[pat i.]

I ladle cast and prefer the RCBS ladle over the Lyman.

 

[bisleyjohn]

Lee 20lb bottom pour for me, both ball and bullet. I used to make too much mess with a ladle :-(

 

[nhmoose]

I started casting with a ladle but when lee came out with the 10 pound bottom pour I stopped using the ladle. I have had no problem casting minnie's with the bottom pour when I need them.