A few pix of the process (sans hot lead), showing the stages of the pour and positional relationship of mold to pot, would be nice.
Also perhaps further explaination of 'free' vs 'contact' pouring for those of us that don't cast yet.
Well, I can't take pictures at the moment, but perhaps I can make do with words.
A bottom pour pot pours lead out the bottom of the pot through a spigot.
Molds are typically two aluminum blocks that split down the center of the bullet shape, with a sprue plate on top through which the lead is poured in from above. When the lead solidifies, you knock the sprue plate away, which shears off the lead sprue as the plate pivots on its hinge.
The easiest way to pour lead into the mold is to simply let the molten lead pour straight down the hole into the mold. But for some bullets, particularly hollow-base bullets, this often results in voids forming in the bullet.
Sometimes you can avoid the problems by holding the mold block at a slight angle, or by letting the molten lead splash onto the sprue plate before it slides down the hole into the bullet cavity.
Some people hold the mold opening directly against the pour nozzle (either pot or ladle). This is "contact" pouring. Other people let the lead pour through the air before hitting the mold, leaving a little puddle on top of the sprue plate. This is "free" pouring. I prefer free pouring and the resultant puddle because invariably as the bullet cools it sucks down a little lead from above. A puddle on top provides some extra lead for the sucking.
With ladle pouring, instead of holding the mold block vertically, and letting the lead pour straight in from above, you instead hold the mold block horizontally, and the ladle spout is also horizontal. The ladle is basically a bowl with a hole/spout in the side of it, so that as you tilt the bowl lead starts leaking out the hole in the horizontal orientation.
By holding the ladle spout up against the inlet in the mold block, you start the pour while the mold is
horizontal. As you pour you slowly turn the mold, with ladle, from horizontal to vertical, until the mold is full of lead. This can eliminate voids in hollow-base bullets like minie balls.
Steve