i've cast a few bullets for my 357 in the past, but i have a new 44cal ruger, and i want to cast for my m94 30/30, and maybe for my 356win. i have been using an old coleman stove, a lee cast iron lead pot, and an rcbs side pour dipper. is this set up good enough for the lee aluminum molds? i've use lymans in the past. how good is the quality of the lee production pot? does the bottom pour really work that much better? thanks for your time.

Both the Lee Production Pot and their other electric furnaces work very well and give excellent value for their modest price. The bottom pour feature does work, but it can "freeze" up. The cure is to use a propane torch to melt the stoppage. However, you may find that ladle or dipper casting works better, in which case you can remove the bottom pour apparatus and plug the "spout" with a hex-headed self-tapping screw.

I use a bottom pour exclusively and think the advantages outweigh the ladle method. Less movement and fatigue, no fluxing once your started up [covering the melt with generic kitty litter] and also the ability to use two molds simultaneously if you want. I suppose you could with a ladle too..

Ladle castings' advantages are uniformity of pour force [alloy stream speed] and 'over pouring' to keep the alloy molten slightly longer and therefore allowing all the air to escape. These techniques can be duplicated with a bottom pour-- if one needs.

Of recent I've been making 500 gr 45/70 slugs and monitoring my QC with a scale. I found staying inside a .75 gr window doable once I found the routine that worked for me. And this with a small blocked Lee mold. It might require more attention to DE-tale than a ladle.. but I don't have to stand to cast.

356,

Darn! I didn't mean to quote the whole thing like
that.

The old colman stove is how lots of us got started. They work OK, but pretty soon you'll want a better outfit for lots of the jobs that come up in the casting game.

I recommend you get one of the single-burner propane burning fish-cookers presently on the market, modify it to fit on your bench top such that it'll hold not only your 10 pound casting pot but a 100 pound rendering pot for those times you'll be wanting to melt down a batch of wheel weights or other souce of bullet alloy.

There is NO WAY any of the electic pots will be able to do these kinds of jobs, all in one package.

Don't bother with the bottom pour pots, stick with ladle casting. This method is MUCH more controlable, plus you get to stand up while you're casting.

Good evening,
Forrest

I feel that I cast better bullets with a bottom pour than with a ladle though everone is different. You will benefit with one big pot to melt alloys in and a smaller one to cast in. I like the RCBS 180 gr fp in the 30's and shoot the 358627 215 gr LY swc in my 356. It is tough to find but an excellent bullet for the 35 bore. Gianni.