Bullet casting is something I think I will really enjoy doing. I do not hunt, but I enjoy going to the shooting range and firing my Springfield XD handgun. I recently purchased a Lee Hand Press Kit to make my own bullets and now I would like to start casting. What is the cheapest, best way to get started with this? I suppose I am looking for a list of materials and the best place to get them. My local shooting range does not seem to be a very good resource for this. Thanks for any advice!

Lee melt pot, Lee molds, Lee sizing kit, Lee's Alox bullet lube. Oh did I say I was a lee fan?

Here's my setup. I cast for the 38/357, 40 S&W, 41 mag, 44 mag, 45 ACP, 45 Colt and 32 rifle, all Lee molds. The Lee sizing kit will allow you to put gas checks on bullets that need them.

http://i136.photobucket.com/albums/q172/faucettb/Reloading/Leemeltpotandmolds.jpg

Bob's advise is as good as you will probably get.Lee's equipment is acceptable and less expensive then any other brand that I know.
Except for custom molds and used olds,all my new casting equipment is Lyman or it's parent, Ideal.
Frank

I too started out with Lee because I didn't want to have a huge investment in case I didn't like it or it just didn't work out. Well, I have stuck with Lee casting equipment pretty much and am still improving my bullets with improved technique without having to go in debt to buy more expensive equipment. That's not to say other well known brands aren't as good or better. I just haven't needed a custom mold yet to improve my shooting. So start with the Lee casting stuff and you can't go wrong. I would suggest getting something other than their smallest pot though. I did that and quickly found I needed a bigger pot. I cast for 9mm, .38/.357, 44 magnum, .45 ACP, and .308 Winchester. Just stick with the safety rules for casting and you will be hooked.

I too started out with Lee because I didn't want to have a huge investment. Wound up selling it on ebay back when we could, and replaced it with good ol' iron moulds from RCBS. Just seem to work consistently better for me.

:)