For a battery grid continuous casting machine with a rotary drum with a mold cavity therein, a casting shoe comprising: a body with a face configured to confront the rotary drum and extending generally axially over at least the axial extent of the mold cavity of the rotary drum; a longitudinally elongate orifice slot in the body and opening into the confronting face of the body and extending longitudinally across the generally axial extent of the mold cavity; a longitudinally elongate molten lead supply slot opening into the orifice slot along at least substantially the longitudinal extent of the orifice slot and upstream of the confronting face relative to the direction of flow of molten lead through the supply slot and into the orifice slot; a molten lead supply passage in the body and communicating with the supply slot upstream of the orifice slot and at least substantially throughout the longitudinal extent of the supply slot, the supply passage having an inlet adjacent one of its ends and an outlet adjacent the other of its ends; a longitudinally elongate excess molten lead return slot separate from the supply slot and opening into the orifice slot downstream of the supply slot and extending along at least substantially the longitudinal extent of the orifice slot; and a return passage in the body separate from a supply passage, communicating with the return slot downstream of the orifice slot and at least substantially throughout the longitudinal length of the return slot, the return passage having a molten lead inlet adjacent one of its ends, a molten lead outlet adjacent the other of its ends, and being configured to receive excess molten lead from the return slot downstream of the orifice slot and to discharge such excess molten lead from the return slot through the outlet of the return passage; wherein the ratio of a minimum cross-sectional flow area of the orifice slot through the confronting face to a minimum cross-sectional flow area of the supply slot into the orifice slot recess is in the range of 8:1 to 15:1. a body with a face configured to confront the rotary drum and extending generally axially over at least the axial extent of the mold cavity of the rotary drum; a longitudinally elongate orifice slot in the body and opening into the confronting face of the body and extending longitudinally across the generally axial extent of the mold cavity; a longitudinally elongate molten lead supply slot opening into the orifice slot along at least substantially the longitudinal extent of the orifice slot and upstream of the confronting face relative to the direction of flow of molten lead through the supply slot and into the orifice slot; a molten lead supply passage in the body and communicating with the supply slot upstream of the orifice slot and at least substantially throughout the longitudinal extent of the supply slot, the supply passage having an inlet adjacent one of its ends and an outlet adjacent the other of its ends; a longitudinally elongate excess molten lead return slot separate from the supply slot and opening into the orifice slot downstream of the supply slot and extending along at least substantially the longitudinal extent of the orifice slot; and a return passage in the body separate from a supply passage, communicating with the return slot downstream of the orifice slot and at least substantially throughout the longitudinal length of the return slot, the return passage having a molten lead inlet adjacent one of its ends, a molten lead outlet adjacent the other of its ends, and being configured to receive excess molten lead from the return slot downstream of the orifice slot and to discharge such excess molten lead from the return slot through the outlet of the return passage; wherein the ratio of a minimum cross-sectional flow area of the orifice slot through the confronting face to a minimum cross-sectional flow area of the supply slot into the orifice slot recess is in the range of 8:1 to 15:1.