Using a ladle with Lee molds?

[Slufoot]

I got a Lee 440 grain mold for the 500 S&W and reading the paper that came with it told me not to use a ladle designed to start the pour in the horizontal position. It said something about causing a hot spot on the side of the aluminum mold and the bullet wouldn't fill out right.
It said to use a bottom pour pot or the Lee ladle with their aluminum molds. I thought I would just buy the Lee ladle but after reading the reviews on Midways sight I don't think it would work. The reviews say the ladle capacity is too small for anything but very small bullets and that it's really only good to stir and skim crud off the top of the pot.

The only ladle I have is the RCBS and I was wondering if there is a way I can use this ladle and hold the mold in the upright position?


I haven't cast my first bullet yet but I'm trying to learn all I can before I get started.

Thank you very much!
Slufoot

[stimpylu32]

Slufoot

I've been using a Horz pour for my 300g 45LC mold as well as my 405g 45/70 , both of which are Lee molds and have never had a problem with hot sopts causing the bullet to fill out .

I have done over 200 of the 405s and my biggest problem has been feeding the pot to keep enough lead up to temp . 

stimpy

[mechanic]

Slufoot,

I use my forge to heat my lead in a cast pot, and a cast ladle to pour it in.  Just get the mold hot before you begin.  With a cold mold the first two or three pours will leave voids.  No problem, just dump them back in the pot.  Never had a problem pouring this way.

Ben

[torpedoman]

same here no problem after the mold is warmed up.

[Swampman]

I've cast thousands of balls & bullets using ladles and Lee molds.  Most of my ladles are homemade.

[jhalcott]

  I really prefer the bottom pour pot to ladling. I have done (and do) it both ways. I tend to use a higher heat when ladling, maybe 100 degrees. I don't mind frosted bullets.

[ftlupton]

I use ladle for my .30 cal 150gr. and my 200 gr. .45 as well as round ball, no problems. I have laid literally miles of cast iron pipe up to 6", mostly 4", pouring lead in joints so am pretty good with a ladle.

[Jim_Ole_Timer]

Slufoot,

I use my forge to heat my lead in a cast pot, and a cast ladle to pour it in.  Just get the mold hot before you begin.  With a cold mold the first two or three pours will leave voids.  No problem, just dump them back in the pot.  Never had a problem pouring this way.

Ben

This is my experience as well. A cold mold will make useless bullets. The hotter the better. When I'm casting bullets I pour excess lead over the mold and let it run off just to make sure thats its filled all the way and it works fine. If you wait too long between fills your bullets won't turn out right, hot is good.

[Idaho Ron]

I am using that mould for my paper patched bullets for my Muzeloader.  I was using the bottom pour pot and to be honest the spout just didn't fill the mould fast enough. The mould was not filling out right. I am using pure lead. My bullets were 456 grains with the bottom pour. When I went to a RCBS ladle I am now getting 460 grains. An added bonus was my target weight of 460 was VERY easy to hit since it was filling out proper. Accuracy was even a little better, in all if you ladle the c-501-440-RF you will be happy. Ron

[Slufoot]

Thank you all very much for the replies!

Idaho Ron since you have the same exact mold and RCBS ladle would you please tell me how you use them.
Do you hold the mold in the horizontal position and then insert the ladle spout into the sprue plate and then turn the mold & ladle quickly or slowly to the vertical postion?
I'm a greenhorn at this so anything you can tell me will help.

Thanks!
GOOD SHOOTING!
Slufoot

[Idaho Ron]

PM sent back.    Ron

[zoner]

Slufoot,I have not cast bullets but have cast oodles of leadhead jigs and these guys are right,when you start casting the mold doesn't fill out well cuz it needs to warm up,cast a few and throw em back in the pot..when the temp gets right they will start coming out perfect. the other thing that worked good for me was trying to get the flow of metal exactly down the middle of the sprue hole

[mdi]

I have a bottom pour melting pot, Lyman ladle, and Lee ladle. I started with the Lee and made a few thousand .44 cal. 250 gr. bullets before I was told the Lee dipper was no good! I think the problem may be that "free pouring", that is pouring without the ladle/dipper touching the mold, is sloppier for some, they can't hit the hole . Maybe the lead cools a bit exposed to air for that split second between the ladle/dipper and the mold. I even "free pour" with my Lyman ladle as I find it easier than twisting around with the mold and ladle connected, and my bullets don't know the diff. I bottom pour, or use the Lee ladle, or use the Lyman ladle depending on how I feel at the moment.

IMO Lee gets a bad rap because of the price. "Anything that cheap couldn't possibly work".  I am a mechanic in a large heavy equipment shop and I see a lot of "tool snobbery". No tool can be any good unless it says Snap-On on it (or MAC, or MATCO, or Proto, etc). I buy equipment that works, not by the name or color.

[Lloyd Smale]

heres my take on it. i bottom pour because its so much faster and my bullets are just as consistant. But theres nothing wrong with ladle casting and even with big bullets it works fine. Where you run into problems with lee molds is ladle casting there 6 cavity molds in larger calibers. YOu usually dont have enough lead in the ladle to fill them all and your not doing it fast enough to keep the lead temp consistant between holes.
  The hots spots will come with any large cavity molds but aluminum ones are even more apt to show the problem. What causes it is the same reason you flux when you solder. The lead is differnt then aluminum and they kind of repel each other in a mold. The hotter you get the more it will happen and believe it or not high tin content alloys are even more apt to show this problem. What i do with a large cavity bullet is cast a two cavity mold as a one cavity or with a six cavity only fill every other hole and rotate each time which ones i skip. Its all a balancing act that you will get a feel for. With small bullets you can cast about as fast as you can with a 6 cavity but when your casting large bullets its best to go real slow. what i will do is cast at least 3 molds at a time when casting big bullets so you get production and still allow for cooling without twidleing your thumbs.

[Darrell Davis]

Bottom pour ladle

Yep, the bottom pour ladle is far and away the best casting method I have seen and/or tried.

For me the bottom pour pot didn't cut it, AND I can cast circles around the pot with the bottom pour ladle.

I use a rather large pot, really an old castiron kettle, and that with the bottom pour ladle keeps me casting for quite awhile without stops for anything but fluxing.

With a bottom pour pot I would constantly be waiting for metal to melt so I could continue pouring.

I run anywhere from 3 - 6 molds at a time, depending on the outside temp. and if I am casting by myself or with a helper.

A bottom pour pot just doesn't begin to keep up with my casting rate.

Unlike reloading, I don't sit down to do it just for the fun of it. 

So when I set up to cast, my goal is to produce as many good bullets as I can, and do so ASAP.

The Bottom Pour ladles, come in a number of sizes from small to very large two person ladles used in commercial cast/molding operations and as I recall, the company name was something like Car Mover Company.

The "car mover" is a tool used to manualy move Rail Road cars around in a RR yard setting.

So anyway, my other ladles only get used for skiming or casting ingets and the RCBS ladle never.

Keep em coming!

CDOC

[mechanic]

At work we cast components and cables for industrial batteries as used on forklift trucks.  Some of the parts I cast weigh over a pound each.  I use a fish cooker with a cast iron pot, and heat 50# or more of lead at the time.  The "ladle" I use is also cast iron, with a 2' handle, and will hold almost 20# of lead.  I have been know to slip in my bullet molds while casting.  I can crank 'em out fast with that setup.  At home, I use a cast iron pot on my forge, and I pour with a ceramic ladle.  I use the same ladle to cast and clean silver, etc. You can use just about anything if you keep the heat right.

[AtlLaw]

Any man that has an anvil like that and uses it as his avitar KNOWS what he is talking about!