best bottom pour pot?

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Billythreefeathers

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best bottom pour pot?

I have the Lee bottom pour that has developed an annoying drip. Is there a better pot or do they all do this? Sometimes the drip turns into a run away pour that requires several open/close to get it to stop. And other times it pours like a champ,, but still the drip, drip, drip,,,
 
stir up the bottom of the pot with a spoon, adjust your flow and turn the rod several times.
ive bean using one for years with no problem. (LEE 4-20Pro i think)

ive seen RCBS melter, they look good, but cost 10times a LEE.
 
I used my first 10 lb pot for at least 10 yrs. It always leaked a little. I just learned to live with it. After about 20,000 bullets it just quit getting hot and the temp control swtich was stuck (welded?) at #7. My second 10 pounder also leaked both from the spout and also along side it from a manufacturing defect. It was replaced with a 20 lb production pot which doesn't leak very often. Keeping only clean metal in the pot is very important. I bought a 2nd 20 pounder which is not bottom pour to do minor "smelting" jobs. Ironically I also have a 20 Lyman pot which I plugged up somehow the first time I used it about a year ago. I haven't got around to cleaning it out yet.
 
I use 2 Lee 10 lb. pots. One is mostly for melting wheelweights, so it gets lots of crap. Simply turn the needle a few times when it is hot to seat properly. I have poured a wicked pile of lead with these poor old pots, and they still work just fine.

I think it is just a matter of using and maintaining them properly. But, it does seem to be the thing to do - whine about Lee stuff.
 
I have the RCBS melter...been using it for 31 years now.It gets used summer and winter every year. It has never skipped a beat,no dripping,warms up fairly fast . I have no idea how many 10"s of thousands of pounds has gone thru it...but she still keeps on going!!
 
if you are on a budget the Lee 20 lbers are great value. If you can afford it the RCBS 20 lber is great, I could not but got a used one on Ebay for $175.00 back when the were close to $300 new. If a 20 lber is not big enough, Ballisticast offers bigger and better pots at a much bigger price.
 
buckbrush said:
if you are on a budget the Lee 20 lbers are great value. If you can afford it the RCBS 20 lber is great, I could not but got a used one on Ebay for $175.00 back when the were close to $300 new. If a 20 lber is not big enough, Ballisticast offers bigger and better pots at a much bigger price.
Click to expand...

that sums it up nicely.
 
Watched a video last night and showed a guy sticking paperclip up from bottom to fix this problem with LEE and he also adjusted the screw in and out a few times. Was a tips and tricks video on YT for bullet making. As someone who is starting new, I will be getting the LEE, dispite all the bad reviews I read.
 
The lee pots are the best value period, and I would wager the most popular. My 10lb pot dripped, but so far my 20lb hasn't.
 
I put a dab of valve grinding compound on the needle and spun it a few times. That helped stop the drip. Mostly.
I just deal with it when it does drip. I leave one of my angle iron ingot molds under the spout which lets me rest the bullet mold the same distance from the spout every time, and catches the drip without letting it run all over the table.
Sometimes being lazy is better than spending money. Sometimes.
 
Lionel said:
I put a dab of valve grinding compound on the needle and spun it a few times. That helped stop the drip. Mostly.
I just deal with it when it does drip. I leave one of my angle iron ingot molds under the spout which lets me rest the bullet mold the same distance from the spout every time, and catches the drip without letting it run all over the table.
Sometimes being lazy is better than spending money. Sometimes.
Click to expand...

I did the grinding paste trick but had no luck getting it to stop leaking. I think the tip on the valve is wasted, time to order a 20lber. I can't complain as I got it used 8 yrs ago & it was well used when I got it for $30. Might date to the early '90s.
 
I've had my Lee for just over 30 years, 1981 I think. Have cast tens of thousands of bullets, and in one weekend alone processed over 500 pounds of WW. Another time over 500 pounds of pure lead. It drips a BIT. I just let the drip build until it's a big enough pile and then just toss it in. If I will be a few minutes (cooling molds) I leave my ingot mold under it. Generally a spin with a screwdriver stops the drip. There is usually a "sweet spot" where there's no drip. I love it, I'd buy another in a minute if this one ever broke.
 
I have 1 30 yr old 10 pounder and 2 new 20 lb bottom pours.............................and I still haven't spent the price of an RCBS or Lyman............and I use a lot of both their products! I can live with a minor drip with the 10 pounder.
The twenty's don't leak at all!
Mike
 
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Spawn-Inc said:
The lee pots are the best value period, and I would wager the most popular. My 10lb pot dripped, but so far my 20lb hasn't.
Click to expand...

I found the same. 10 pounder leaked a little, 20 pounder has been pretty much leak free. Clean alloy has a huge influence on how much a pot will leak.
 
Bought my Lee Pro Pot IV slightly used at a gun show. Price was right, leaks on occasion, no big deal. Have it set on a baking sheet to contain the lead when it happens.
 
When you are finished casting and the pot is cool wash it out with vinegar this removes all the "yellow lead slag" from the bottom and sides. At the end of casting season I will take the rod out and polish it and it's resting spot with valve grind compound. This is regular maintenance. I have used Lee for over 40 years and not one pot has owed my anything I get hundreds of thousands of casts. I'm shooting larger .458's now so I pre-heat alloy on a gas stove to keep production up an running. I always run three moulds.
I am well aware of the dreaded drip and have a tinsel shirt to prove it. It is my badge of honour.
 
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