Bottom Pour vs. Ladle for longer, heavier, bullets

S

stubbicatt

New member
I've had good luck pouring pistol bullets from a bottom pour pot. Not so much with longer, or longer and heavier, bullets.

I have developed a technique with my RCBS ladle where I place the spout of the ladle into the bevel of the sprueplate, while the whole assembly is more or less horizontal, tip the whole assembly vertical for a count of 2 or 3 depending on the size of the bullet, and gently remove the ladle from the bevel to leave a sprue. I've been getting much more consistent pours as a result.

Thought I'd share.
 
As DaHermit notes... welcome to that exclusive club of
those who've discovered the secret of BigDog success: :D

30cvhjn.jpg


PaulJones 45001 Creedmoor (540gr)
Lyman #2 at 780°
Dipper in contact full 5 seconds
Sprue cut a full 30 sec after solidify
 
Mehavey, you wait 30 seconds to cut the sprue? Dang!

That is a pretty bullet, but generally I'm waiting about 10 seconds. I will try your technique and see if I notice anything different.

What I would like to do is to somehow more closely match the taper of the ladle spout to the taper of the sprue plate. Sometimes I get alloy pouring out around the non-existent "seal".

Another question. I find that this technique only works with single cavity moulds. Any advice for a multi cavity mould and ladle pouring?
 
This is what happens with that heavy a bullet when only 10 seconds cooling times elapses:

2m2j482.jpg


"Sugar Cookie" break. :mad: :mad:

~~~~~~~~ BREAK BREAK ~~~~~~~~~

When pouring a double mould, just hold on the first cavity for a 3-count, then simply move quickly to the second cavity and hold again. Yup you get some spillage, and lead onto the sprue plate, but no big deal. ;)
 
Hm. I've never experienced that break on my 510 grain .460" Hoch bullets with a 10 second hold. If I don't hold for at least 10 seconds, the bullet base will be deformed. I'm going to try your 30 second wait technique.

I don't suppose it will hurt anything, just slow things down a bit, I suppose.

Thanks for the good idea Mehavey.

I tried ladle pouring for 45 ACP bullets in a 4 cavity Saeco mould, and it just didn't work well. I guess maybe the cavities are too close together, but I would inevitably get some spillage into the next cavity, and a ruined bullet. For this application it is bottom pour all the way.

As an aside, I really like the .324" 200 grainer "Pope Style" from Saeco. Really pretty bullets. And they pan lube really well also. My first experiment with tapered bullets.

With 20-1 or 30-1 though, I keep the pot at 725*. And for richer alloys a little cooler than that, as I seem to get less shrinkage. I've read elsewhere that anything higher temperature the tin boils off.

Another aside, I really like my Lee hardness tester. Neat little tool.
 
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In base-pour, bullets tend to cool/harden from the bottom (nose) on
back up to the sprue plate. As I got (get) older, I find I can fairly calibrate
the "Goldilocks" moment by cutting resistance in the sprue plate. Too hard --
waited too long. Too easy -- better not separate the mould halves just yet.

Lead -- 800 dgr
30:1 -- 740-750-ish
#2 ---- 700

In pouring for multicavity, I keep the mould at a very slight angle sitting on the
near-edge of the pot and pour the low (pot-most) cavity first. Coming off that
cavity I quickly move to the next higher cavity, and then next higher, ...etc.
That way any spillage flows over an already poured portion of the sprue plate.
 
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