Lee lead pot falls victim to Friday the 13th

[bulletstuffer]

Started casting early this morning and one of the pots sprang a leak from the bottom and put about 15 lbs of hot lead on the table.  The burner was not heating very well before anyway.  Is there any use that I can get out of that pot or does it just go into garbage?


Still have two other lee pots running but the 20 pounders arm assembly has come apart and I just use it to fill my 10 lb pot to cast from.  Is there a way to get the 20 pounder I have left working?   I think I am done with lee at this point.



Thanks for the help.

Bulletstuffer

[Conan The Librarian]

That's worse than my experience. Sounds like a real mess. I have a Lee 20 pounder also, in dust gathering mode. I hate that thing and it's been nothing but trouble since day one.

[pastorp]

Lee has some real fans, & they work fine for limited use. But my experience with lee is if you want heavy duty equiptment for heavy use you better buy something else. 

Regards,

[calvon]

I made a dipper pot out of a leaky Lee bottom feeder by sealing the orifice. I put a self tapping metal screw in it.

[Gun Runner]

like calvon I made a dipper pot out of my 20 lb pot when it gave up the ghost, I also had a 10 pounder that started leaking and filled the hole with J B weld, and it has held up for a year so far.

Gun Runner

[bulletstuffer]

The one that the bottom burned out was being used as a 20lb dipper as is the other 20 lb pot.  They were both being used to fill the 10 lb pot. 


Has anyone been using the RCBS lead pot?  I think that is the direction I am heading.


Thank you,

Bulletstuffer

[calvon]

I have the 40 pound Magma Master Pot. It has a good spring loaded bottom feed valve that doesn't leak, at least it hasn't leaked now for about five years. The newer models come with a digital temperature control that is supposed to have a swing of plus or minus one degree.


The only downer is the price, as they are spendy.

[bulletstuffer]

WOW!  That Magma Master looks like it can kick out bullets as fast as I can shoot them    Does that machine work as well in real life as it does in the video on their website?  Looks like a good upgrade from the lee pots!


Thank you,


Bulletstuffer

[hornady]

Over the years I have babied three Lee pots. The last one was just that, I sprung for the RCBS pro-melt. It is expensive but RCBS has a rebate running till the end of the year. It should be about $50.00 on the pro-melt. The only regret I have is playing games with the Lee pots all those years. You do need to decide if you cast enough too justify the cost of the better pots. I have molds for 7 pistol and 5 rifles I cast for, so in my case it’s a no brainier. For me the RCBS is worth every penny I paid for it.

[D Crockett]

I have cast and shot thousands of bullets made from a master caster. I had a lee drip o matic gave it away to a kid that wanted to make fish sinkers with. with the master caster I have made 4000 bullets in one day lots of times.  the most I have made in a long day was 6000. you can make a bunch of bullets quick with out getting as tired as you would if you were using a hand held mould . and I can add up to a 5 lb ingot to it with out having the spout freese up on me . D Crockett 

[bulletstuffer]

6000 bullets in a day    I might even learn how to shoot with that kind of volume  


Won't ever look at those Lee pots the same way again


Thank you!




Bulletstuffer