Best casting equipment for the buck?

[crabo]

I have some unused equipment that I am going to sell and will have some extra "mad" money.

Not counting molds, what you recommend as far as a pot, lubri-sizer, and accessories?  I don't have to have the best, but I don't want to buy anything that I will be wanting to upgrade in the near future.  I do not have any casting equipment because in a moment of insanity, I got rid of it because I wasn't using it.

Thanks,

Crabo

[jhalcott]

 RCBS Pro-Melt Furnace 110 Volt
Product #: 209097
Status: Available
Our Price: $294.99
Average Customer Rating:
Read the Review(s)
  Of course you could get the Lee pot for a LOT less An Rcbs lubrisizer is nice too.

[JBMauser]

The answer to your question can only be given with more data on what you are casting.  Any pot will get hot and melt lead or alloy.  If you are going to cast a large bullet in a 6 bullet mould you need a large pot to keep the temp even when you are feeding the beast.  If you are casting a double cavity mould you can go with the small lee pot.  They all get hot.  As for the sizer.  I have two SAECOs and I like them fine.  I also have a few Lee push through sizers that I use with tumble lube with liquid alox lube.  they cost near nothing and work well with tumble lube or dipped with a cookie cutter.  I will tell you this, for high volume casting the Star design push through sizer has no equal for speed.  Otherwise the other three all do the job. I run two sizers because one has a lube I have mixed for black powder which is a lot softer and wet than my higher velocity smokeless powders.  I just picked up an old lyman sizer with dies and I plan on setting it up for 6.5  Now I have to get a mould..... it never ends.  you can't go wrong.  put you plan out for others to give you their advice or just buy what makes you happy.  best of luck..  JB

[crabo]

This info is helping.  Please don't stop if you have more info to give.  The number of bullets in the mold vs the size of the pot, makes a lot of sense.

How about the difference in the quality of the molds?  I see them from $20 for the Lee to $125 for the LBT.  I guess I will try to find a good mold to match the bullet that my gun shoots the best.

What brands/ metals are good, and are there any to stay away from?

Thanks,

Crabo

[HEAD0001]

It really depends on what type of casting you want to do.  I cast several different types of bullets.  I use pure Pb for ML's.  I use straight WW for a few different applications.  I add some tin to some of my larger bullets with more grooves(for a good fill), then I cast a 50/50 mix for higher velocity bullets.

I have six different pots.  I use the small Lyman pots with a ladle for each type of Pb.

I do not cast for speed, I cast for enjoyment.  So turning out tons of bullets is not necessary, I am more concerned with the quality of the bullets.  I would suggest you buy a small pot with a ladle first.  Learn how to cast with that setup.  If you decide later that you want a production pot-then go ahead.  I am sure you will still use the small one for other casting.  Tom.

[Lloyd Smale]

I think i replied to this on another forum but ill do it again here. As to a pot DONT cheapen out there. Get a good lyman or rcbs or if you have extra money buck up and get a magma pot. Youll never regret that purchace. A good pot will make casting alot easier and more pleasurable. Youll never understant this unless you cast with both side by side. I like a star sizer. there just so much faster then anything else and set up right dont suffer from the lube on the base problem the others have. They also size nose first and thats a good thing for accuracy. Bottom line though if budget is a problem thats where to save money as a lyman or rcbs will size your bullets just fine. It just takes a little more monkeying around. Another thing and one i know you didnt ask about is molds. DONT cheapen out wiht molds especially as a beginning caster. A good quality mold like a ballistic cast, lbt, rcbs or seaco will last you a life time of casting and be much easier to make good bullets with then a cheap mold. Guys balk at spending big bucks for good equiptment but think of it this way if you decide you dont like casting. The good stuff sells eaisly used and holds it value better then the cheap crap most people start casting with. I appaud you for wanting to start out right. Most people buy lee junk and get frustrated and give up the hobby before they give it an honest try.

[Lloyd Smale]

im going to make this longer!! People overlook the value of a good pot. I bought two lyman 20lb pots about 15 years ago before i used a lyman dipper pot and a 10lb bottom pour pot and still have them. Ive had a couple bottom pour lees and have given them away and the guys i gave them to have since upgraded. Now in my opinion the rcbs is a step up from my lyman and a magma is a step up from the rcbs but the lyman is a good serviceable pot. Now looking at the cost of my pots. I paid about 100 bucks apiece for them when i got them but there now about 200 so we will use that figure. Both of my 20 lb pots have casted well over a million bullets. Believe me thats a conservative estimate. figureing on 200 dollars as the cost that comes out to .02 of one cent to cast each bullet using a good pot. Approximantly nothing!!! Now both of my lymans went in for a rebuild this year as the therostat went in one and the heating coil went in the other. For a total of 100 bucks for the two of them they replaced about everything on them. The heating coils thermostatats the valve and seat the operating lever even the pots themselves. There basically new pots in old wrappers. To me to figure that every 200 bullets cost me a penny to be able to have a good pot that was cheap equiptment. I have no doubt if i would have bucked up and bought a magma at that time it would have eventually been cheaper yet as im sure the magma would have lasted forever. Only reason i didnt is I like having two or three pots for differnt alloy or using one to preheat lead for the other. Now in my opinion casting with a good pot is like this. You could buy an old 1962 ford pickup and if its got a new drivetrain haul about anything youd want but its sure would be eaiser and smoother in a new one! A lee will cast bullets but once youve used a good pot youll never want to go back to a clunker. there just so much smoother and easier to meter your lead. they hold there temp more uniformly and although will drip if you dont keep them clean are nothing like a lee in those reguards. The lees will drip the first day you have them and that is very agravating. I dont know how long a lee will last! ive never owned one long enough to find out. But i would really doubt if your going to get one to make a million bullets and id about bet if you figured the cost of replacing them when wore out that it woulnd save you a dime. Now granted not everyone casts as much as me. A lee pot will last the lifetime of most caster that turn out a couple hundred bullets a month. But even without figuring the cost i know for a fact that you will make better bullets easier with a good pot. Well worth a few bucks to me. I just wish i didnt have a buddy with a magma as it haunts me everytime i cast a bullet. One of these days im just going to buck up and buy one. Id never get rid of my lymans as there like family members. Theyve just been on the bench for so long. But those magmas are sweet!

[OLDHandgunner]

I'm with Lloyd on this one. I've had a Lyman #20 melting pot for years now. Before that I had a Lyman # 10 pot from the 60's. The #20 pot is so much easier when filling a 4 cavity .44 mould out the bottom. For the single cavity moulds & HP moulds I dip from the top. This has always given me a better quality HP bullet. All my moulding & sizing stuff is Lyman and most of it I've had for 30-40 years with out a problem.

[Lloyd Smale]

those old 10lb lyman bottom pour pots are probably one of the best pots made. I think seaco sold a copy of it too. Mines been ticking away for 20 years without problems and it doesnt freeze up like the 20 lb pots do at the noozle. I wish the still made that old round 20 lb pot as i bet it was a sweetheart!! If a guy doesnt cast alot and watched ebay and picked up a 10 lb lyman that was in good shape hed be set for life. Like you said though for me there a little small.  I still use mine though when im running 2 or three pots at the same time for volume casting.

I'm with Lloyd on this one. I've had a Lyman #20 melting pot for years now. Before that I had a Lyman # 10 pot from the 60's. The #20 pot is so much easier when filling a 4 cavity .44 mould out the bottom. For the single cavity moulds & HP moulds I dip from the top. This has always given me a better quality HP bullet. All my moulding & sizing stuff is Lyman and most of it I've had for 30-40 years with out a problem.

[myronman3]

i started with the lyman casting kit.   it came with a pot,  the lubrisizer,  and a few other things i believe.  after a bunch of use,  my pot shows no signs or slowing down,  but my lubrisizer broke a piece.  i called lyman to buy a new piece,  and they had one to me within a week of the call TOTALLY FREE!!!!!!!!!!!  i didnt ask to get anything,  they insisted on it being that way.   when it comes to casting equipement,  lyman has my business forever.