LEE bottom pour or ladle pot?

Skyhawk said:
Canuck Bob, I was just poking a bit of fun. It seemed you were coming across as a bit "elitist" due to you insinuating that we folks who "make do" with Lee products are somehow inferior to you. Your post was "if it's not the best, it's not good enough for me and I'm not making do. Therefor I'm not casting any bullets at all!". That's silly and to be honest rubs me the wrong way somehow. It's like saying the Mercedes SL-Class isn't the best roadster, so I'm not driving anymore until I can afford better.

I do think you're taking the Lee quality issue a bit too seriously. They sell a lot of pots and molds. While I don't have sales figures, I'm not surprised that they would have some negative reports about their products given their volumes. The good thing is that Lee is pretty good about setting things right if you do get a lemon. And getting a lemon is a lot rarer than you likely think, because the most likely folks who post about Lee products are posting when things go wrong - not when they go right. I own 2 Lee pots (one is over 20 years old as I said) and over half a dozen 6-bangers, including a fishing sinker and shot mold. I've had to deburr a couple molds (took 5 seconds per bad cavity), but they dropped perfectly after that. I think that's likely to be most people's experience.

If you want some fancy designer custom mold instead and decide you don't like your $40 6-cavity mold after producing 10,000 bullets, at least its paid for itself several times over. Meanwhile you've saved yourself some cash and learned how to cast bullets.

And yes I do pay for my bullets - the amount of electricity used while casting, the gasoline to bring the wheel weights home, and the propane to melt the WWs into ingots. Per bullet? Likely 0.01 cent. (I really don't know, or care an awful lot!)
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There are many kinds of elitists. You simply can't say custom mold but must add "fancy designer" adjectives. The fact you think I'm making judgements about your inferiority on an internet thread is simply not my problem but yours. Or if someone wants to discuss casting economics you go straight to snide comments about being proffesional as if it is a sin to work hard and be successful, and then snotty comments about shooting clays from a yacht deck. I grew up on a northern Alberta homestead in the 50's and 60's. We got electricity in 1954. We got running water and indoor plumbing in the mid 70's, I suppose now I'm a elitist hillbilly with a good job, guilty.

I'm not bad mouthing Lee as I own a number of thier products. I am refering to making do with hotplates, junk pots, and pan or hand lubing rather than buying proper tools which I cannot afford. I would buy an RCBS pot if I could over a Lee. I quess the fact that I don't shoot 2500 cast bullets a year I don't make your grade. Bullet Barn can supply my bullets for .08 and I support a Canadian Entrepeneur that is important to our sport.

My shooting volumes don't warrant the tooling involved due to volume of shooting. This is not a silly decision. Rather elitist to claim I'm silly because I did a value estimate using accurate numbers. You have rubbed me the wrong way so lets agree to dislike each other and drop this.
 
Paulinski said:
I cast with Lee 20# pot using ladle - works for me....
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Yes, but the bullets cast from molten alloy from a pot several times the price are much more accurate :p

Kidding of course. A visit to the castboolit forum will show that thousands of casters have no problem with Lee pots, especially the 20# Lee pots for ladling. Melted lead held at a certain temperature is melted lead at a certain temperature. The brand name on the pot might make you think your bullets will be more accurate, but that's just plain and simple BS.
 
I have used both. For large weight bullets the bottom pour does not do very well. I also have had problems with the bullets from the bottom pour being poorly formed. I now only use a 20 lb and use a ladle. The bullets come out 9 out of 10 keeps instead of 3 or 4 from the bottom pour.

Just my experience.
 
Folks on the cast bullet forum(like me) used to do group buys from Lee, but the problems were so numerous that other outfits started taking care of the group buys, now there is no mention of the Lees for GBs. The products from the other makers have made most forget about Lee.
 
You can cast quality bullets with a wood fire and a cast iron pot if you pay attention to the temp and flux your pot frequently.You can cast a lot more bullets if you have a clean supply of lead ingots and one of the production pots.Which one is better is a matter of personal taste.As a professional leadmelter(I'm a plumber)either will work just as well.To say that you need a certain pot or mold is just conjecture.Pay attention to temperature and smoke your mold and you can cast like it's the easiest thing going.Fill your mold with crap and that's what your going to get.As to the lee pots and how they leak just what kind of dross did you put in them?Buy a good thermometer and sort through your lead and get rid of the bits and save yourself a little bit of grief.
 
I have used two 5 lb Lee bottom pour pots for years. One is mostly for melting wheel weights and the other I use mostly for pouring bullets. Of course, I don't know what I am talking about.:p

To add even more insult to injury, I cast Lee Tumble Lube bullets!:eek: After reading Dean Grennell's article on tumble lube bullets, I started casting with all Lee stuff. Worse yet, I cast rifle bullets and put the lube on with my fingers!:eek:

I have a nice shiny new bigger Lee pot that I haven't used yet. I am still struggling along with my two old 5 lb'ers. If the spout dribbles, I give the slotted screw a few twists, and away we go again.
 
kjohn said:
I have used two 5 lb Lee bottom pour pots for years. One is mostly for melting wheel weights and the other I use mostly for pouring bullets. Of course, I don't know what I am talking about.:p

To add even more insult to injury, I cast Lee Tumble Lube bullets!:eek: After reading Dean Grennell's article on tumble lube bullets, I started casting with all Lee stuff. Worse yet, I cast rifle bullets and put the lube on with my fingers!:eek:

I have a nice shiny new bigger Lee pot that I haven't used yet. I am still struggling along with my two old 5 lb'ers. If the spout dribbles, I give the slotted screw a few twists, and away we go again.
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I feel for you, man. Haven't you heard Lee makes lousy reloading/casting equipment? I bet it takes you ten hours to cast/lube 100 TL boolits and then your boolits can't hit the side of a barn from the inside. So sorry with your Lee experience. Dump that 20 lb bottom pour, it's a POS:D
 
The way I see it - ladle casting from 20# Lee pot works for me...

However I have been spoiled by quality molds like Miha / Noe etc and purchase them for a bit more cost over Lee.

I'm currently on 9 group buys over on Cast Boolit forums which is a great place btw....
 
Heres what I'm waiting for

1) Miha .45 (.454) 200gr Cramer HP - 4 Cavity - ***
2) Miha .502 - 600gr Cramer HP - ***
3) Miha .502 - 600gr 6 Cavity Flat Point - ***
4) Noe - John Ross Design - 400gr - 450gr - ***
5) Noe - John Ross Design - 500gr - 550gr - ***
6) Noe - John Ross Design - 600gr - ***
7) Miha .502 - 400gr - 4 Cavity Alley Cleaner - ***
8) Noe - 202gr Round Nose - .316 ***
9) Noe - 230gr Round Nose .454 ***
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Do yourself a favour and get a bottom pour. If you don'e you will allways wonder. If it drips, pick up the "stalagtites" or whatever every 30 mins with your pliers and put them back in the pot.
 
:p then your boolits can't hit the side of a barn from the inside

I can so hit the barn when I am inside....but only if I'm standing close to the wall.:D

Before I started casting, I asked an older fellow what was involved in casting bullets. Whew! When he got done, I decided that was not for me. Then I read Grennell's article. I was hooked, and have never regretted starting casting. :)
 
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