An unpopular bullet that shoots quite well for me

[Ian]

I maintain that excess/variable head pressure is one of several disadvantages to bottom-pour casting furnaces. The orifice must be small to make the stream small enough to manage, and the alloy jets out so fast it creates turbulence in the mould and frothy air pockets. Indeed, one can enlarge the spout and flood a mould so fast the air has no hope of getting out, causing a real mess of voids, so it isn't lack of volume that troubles me. With a Rowell ladle one can dose a cavity full very quickly, but with much less turbulence because the pressure is nil yet the volume of the stream is very high. Casting over a big open pot of lead where one can stream alloy over the sprue plate for a few seconds after the pour is complete and keep the bubbles in the bases washed out is the other advantage....i.e. heat control. With a bottom-pour that would make a terrible mess and use up alloy very fast.

I use both methods and can make either work in any situation, though sometimes there is a clear advantage to one over the other depending on the mould, the metal/alloy, and the particular bullet style being cast.

 

[KeithB]

It's a cinch that no matter how you do it you can't just wish the metal in the mold, there has to be some kind of technique involved.

 

[fiver]

yep, and there are a bunch of them.
funny how some molds take the pressure and others just develop whiskers at the merest hint of pressure.
others you can pour beautiful bullets and have every single gas check base slightly rounded but still hold weights within .1gr for every 50-55grs, of bullet weight.

sometimes I don't even try to understand it I just go with what turns out the best bullets and keep on making them until I can't stand it anymore.

 

[Ben]

sometimes I don't even try to understand it I just go with what turns out the best bullets and keep on making them until I can't stand it anymore.

Best advice that I've heard lately ! !

Ben