Are you a dipper?

[Old Caster]

I only dip with my Rowell ladles when I need to. Too slow going for me! Only 3 of my many molds are fussy and need to be used that way. Otherwise, I crank 600-800 perfect boolits with bottom pour and 6 cav brass molds.

And do not forget "pressure casting" using the 4-20. By forcing the Pb into the mold under its own head pressure in the pot, you can many times get excellent drops and forget the ladle slow-down. Just put the nozzle right down in the sprue hole..................and watch out for squirting Pb!!!!!!!!!!

This is correct and also important when pressure pouring from a pot is the speed the alloy comes out of the pot and how high the lead level is. If the stream is too fast it may give you a void in the base and if the pot is too full, it may squirt out past your connection between the mold and the spout. For large BPCR bullets, I always pressure pour with a homemade ladle that holds quite a lot of lead for more pressure and if shooting in competition with pistols I always pressure pour my pistol bullets from the bottom but for just typical shooting, I bottom pour without pressure but even then, temperature, which bullet size, alloy, bullet length, and what the mold is made of matters. After a while you can get to where you can decide what is necessary and make your changes as needed.

[GregLaROCHE]

Dipping was the only way I stopped smoking 20 years ago, now if only I can stop dipping. At least I gave my lungs a break.

BTW, I only cast boolits from the bottom, save the ladling for rendering wheel weights.


Slim

A good friend has been on his last can of Copenhagen for the twenty five years.

[LarryM]

Started casting 20 some odd years ago with a small cast iron pot on an ancient Coleman stove converted to propane. Did pretty well for years casting with a dipper. Scored a well seasoned Lee bottom pour furnace in a trade deal and gave it a try. Second time I used it , it damn near electrocuted me, back to the cast iron pot. 7-8 years ago I bought a new Lee 4-20 pot and got comfortable with the bottom pour but the dripping just kept getting worse over time no matter how much I fussed with it. I also started casting big bullets for .45-70 BPCR loads and bottom pour wasn't getting it done. took the bottom pour mechanism out of the Lee pot and sealed the hole with a big screw, back to dipper casting.
Now that I'm retired I'm looking at getting a bigger Lyman or RCBS furnaces and just can't quite make up my mind on a bottom pour or dipper furnace.

[iron brigade]

I used the Lee 10 and 20 lb bottom drippers for about 20 years. I did what I could trying to keep them from constantly dripping and eventually seized up and just used them as ladle casting.

About five years ago I bought the rcbs easy melt. It is a ladle casting pot and has been excellent. Set to your desired temperature and cast away.
I think there is a place for both, I mostly shoot military rifles so it works for me.