I've never used a bottom pour . . . I always figured I'd get more lead not he bench and outside of the mold than on the inside! I have cast 50 some years with a 10# pot, a Lyman bottom pour ladle over a propane single burner hot plate.
A big +1 to what the fellows say on casting . . it can be done on a budget and a few hours of casting will give a person lots of lead balls/bullets. I how even cast over a wood fire and hot coals.
The weather has been very pleasant here and I am in the midst of my yearly casting. Between yesterday afternoon and this afternoon, I've run over 1,000 .358 RN for 38 cartridge loading - that's with double cavity Idel/Lyman molds. Tomorrow I hope to knock another 500 out and then switch to RB casting for an afternoon.
OP - if you decide to start casting - Titan Reloading has good prices on the Lee molds which produce a nice REAL bullet. They also have god prices on the Lee pots, etc. If you know any plumbers or similar - they often have soft lead that they removed from cast iron soil pipe joints, etc. Or, a local salvage yard.
Unfortunately, casting can become an "addiction" just like anything else . . . I used to get by with perhaps a half dozen molds . . . last count, I now have around fifty or so and am always on the look out for "new designs" to try! But hey . . . it keeps me out of the bars and brothels . . . so there is a plus to it!