Lee 4# pot

[kmw1954]

Looking for some quick input on a possible purchase.

I have a line on a used Lee 4# pot for a very good price locally but not sure I should jump on this. I really would like a 20# pot like the Magnum or the 4-20 put I am thinking this would hold me for now as I am only casting small 102gr bullets with a 2 cavity mold. So what I am asking is this, has anyone used one of these small pots with a Lyman ladle and how well did it work? With small batches was the pot able to keep up? Was the small pot tight or crowded with the ladle? Is the pot deep enough to use the ladle?

Should I buy this for the interim, until I have more experience and a couple bigger molds or should I wait?

[poppy42]

I used a Lee 4# pot for years before I got my 4/20. It was slow but it worked. With that being said only you can say whether or not it suits your needs . I will say had to 4 pound pot not been given to me I probably would’ve opted for at least a 10 pound pad to start off with . Hope this helps

[kmw1954]

Thanks poppy42, I can get this for $20.00 and it is in like new condition an I know at some point I will move to a 20# pot. Right now I use a 5.5" sauce pan and a hot plate and it is very slow to get started but once everything is liquid it stays at temp pretty well. Also my casting is done outside so not sure how much more I will get to over the winter.

[Dimner]

If it were me, I would go straight for a Magnum melter #20. I think they are like $55 bucks. I have the lyman big dip at 10#. And while I have cast some good bullets with it, I have the best success when I dont go any lower than 1/2 the pot. Then the temp gets all wonky.

I'm going from the 10# lyman to a magnum melter.

Oh and a 4# pot outside in the winter in WI? no way. I don't think it could keep up.

[Mitch]

Never used a 4 lb pot sure seems small to me.nothing wrong with the lee 4-20 cast alot of bullets from one.I now mainly use a RCBS Pro Melt along with the lee 4-20.I am with poppy42 put your 20 buck toward something more use full.Kinda the buy once cry once thing.

[Crash_Corrigan]

I started out with a Lee 4-20 and when it got very leaky I bought another. Then I found a decent deal on a RCBS Pro Melt 22lb pot and I gave in. Now I use the 2 Lee's to premelt my alloy and when the alloy level on the RCBS falls below half full I use a handy piece of steel channel to funnel pre melted alloy into the RCBS from either of the Lee 4-20's. I keep the Lee's on a shelf higher than the Pro Melt furnace and it works out very well as I can keep up with using two Lee six bangers at a very decent rate of production. When you are filling 230 gr cavities you go thru hot alloy pretty darned quickly and you do not want to stop to load and melt new cold ingots as this will break your concentration etc.

I shoot up .45's at a prodigious rate along with 9 MM's and .38's. I also do a lot of .44 Special's and 41 Magnum's as well. The weight of alloy used goes from 135 gr to 250 gr and I utilize a lot of alloy.

[Bazoo]

I have a lee 4lbs pot. It works with the Lyman dipper but it's tight. It is hard to keep up with larger bullets as the pot empties fast. With the lee 358-140-SWC I was able to make a respectable pile of bullets.

Realistically it's usable but you spend a lot of time refilling the pot and letting it come to temperature. If you use a hot plate to keep the mould up to temperature it'll work a lot better.

I use the magnum melter now and it's worlds better.

[LenH]

I started out with a 4# pot in the 70's when I first started out. I also used a Lyman ladle and 2 cavity Lyman molds. I have cast piles of 255 gr. LSWC with that rig.
With that being said, it took a while and it kept me shooting and I still have that little pot and use it occasionally for making crappie jigs.

[Bazoo]

I have a new production Lyman dipper. I removed the left handed nub on mine to make it fit better. I ground it off and then peened the threaded part so it wouldn't screw out of the hole.

[gwpercle]

I used a 4# pot with single and double cavity moulds for years...
the truth is it's like trying to swim with a concrete block tied around your neck ...it slows you down !

Just about the time your mould and alloy are at a good casting temperature...you run out of metal .
So then you have to stop add ingots and wait for the alloy to get hot and then get your mould hot...again ...you spend way too much time heating up alloy and moulds than actually casting boolits.
I wish someone had told me 50 years ago...Get the Lee Magnum Melter , I got one about 10 years ago....Oh Lord...it is so nice to have an ample supply of hot metal.
I did retire my 50 year old Lyman ladle...the new Lyman ladle has a longer shaft for the deeper Magnum Melter pot and works great. Get the 20# pot and Lyman Ladle...I wish I had one when I started all those years ago !
Gary

[Bazoo]

I got my magnum melter off ebay. I gave around 45 dollars (shipped) used for it, and it had 5-6 pounds alloy in it.

I started with a cast iron pan on a propane stove. It worked, as did the 4lb pot. But the 20 pound pot takes a heap of the frustration out of it. The consistency of heat from the volume of alloy is much better.

[tankgunner59]

I have a Lee 10 pound pot and my smallest mold is a 55 grain bullet for my 22-250. The largest is 180 grain for my mosin nagants. This pot is enough for me but I don't have to cast real frequently. If you plan to cast very much it will probably be hard for it to keep up. But this is something only you can decide. If you have the finances it could be a good interim for what you're going to cast for now.

[kmw1954]

Thank you all so very much for your experiences and recommendations.

So this is were I am now. Last night a Production IV pot came up on ebay with a BIN of $40.00 + $11.50 shipping, it looked pretty clean and not all beat up so I bought it. I had thoughts all along that the 4# was going to be small and you all just reinforced that notion. I understand the IV is the same diameter as the 4# pot only the IV is deeper. So I am ready to try this bottom pour technique to see how it works and if I don't like it I'll trade it off for a Magnum Melter.

Looking at this also as a new experience and a chance to learn first hand something new. Can never discount experience!

[Green Frog]

Late to the discussion, but I can’t imagine buying a 4# pot for anything but perhaps doing short experimental runs to test a new mould or some such... but than again, I use bottom pour pots all the time so I’m not sure I’d use the 4 pounder even for that. YMMV, this is just based on my own experience.

Froggie

[gwpercle]

Thank you all so very much for your experiences and recommendations.

So this is were I am now. Last night a Production IV pot came up on ebay with a BIN of $40.00 + $11.50 shipping, it looked pretty clean and not all beat up so I bought it. I had thoughts all along that the 4# was going to be small and you all just reinforced that notion. I understand the IV is the same diameter as the 4# pot only the IV is deeper. So I am ready to try this bottom pour technique to see how it works and if I don't like it I'll trade it off for a Magnum Melter.

Looking at this also as a new experience and a chance to learn first hand something new. Can never discount experience!

When pre heating , melting and casting keep the pot sitting in a large metal pan .

[kmw1954]

Yeup, very large cookie sheet pan

[Bazoo]

I have been hanging on to my 4lb pot, thinking it might do for casting round balls. The way I run a while, was to use the 4lb pot and ladle, but I fed it with a 10 pound bottom pour that was given to me by a nice member here. I decided I prefer ladle pour so I put the 10 pounder in the swap box after I scored the magnum melter.

[kmw1954]

Bazoo I can follow that thinking. Waiting on the IV to arrive so I can give it a try and like you I may just find I prefer ladle pouring over the bottom pour. But of course I won't know until I try. Right?

[44magLeo]

kmw1954, if you don't like the bottom pour you can just tap the hole in the spout and thread in a screw.
Then remove the handle and plunger. Then use it with your ladle.
Leo

[kmw1954]

Thank you Leo I will keep that in mind!