As mentioned the Castboolits site is a wealth of information. The sticky's there will provide you with years worth of knowledge, and in many cases information overload.
Another good site for reference is the
Articals by Glen Fryxell While your there downloads and print out his handbook " From Ingot To Target" and you will find yourself looking into it a LOT over the first year your into it.
My biggest recommendation is to get a casting thermometer (works), or invest in a PID controller (best), to control the heat on your pot and to note what temps your alloy and or molds produce the best bullets at. I realize there are literally thousands upon thousands of folks who NEVER used a thermometer to pour bullets, and they aren't wrong in doing so. My reasoning is the fact if you control the temps you get more consistent results from your molds. Your sizes and weights are much closer to what they should be than when having big swings in temp of the alloy which effects the molds and the diameter of the bullets they are designed to pour.
For lubes, well it varies. In my own personal opinion it is VERY hard to beat the track record of Alox, especially for a beginner. It might have drawbacks like being smokey and sticky but those can both be worked around. If you want a good straight out of the jug lube look up White Label Lubes, and pick up a bottle of their 45/45/10 Xlox solution and your good. It only takes a little to go a long ways, like 10 drops to lube 50-75 bullets. So a minor investment will get you up and running for a while. If you DO decide to go the lubesizer route then they also have some of the best lubes on the market, for about the best prices you will find.
Of the calibers you have listed, between myself and my friend shoot them all and use the tumble lube for 95% of the loads.
To get off the ground however as suggested the Lee molds will get you there with less expense, and they WILL cast good bullets. Once you find out if your really going to like it or not they will serve you well. Then if you DO enjoy it, they allow you to try out a few different designs before you spend some real money on the semi custom molds like NOE, NEI, or Accurate. Then there are some full customs which are usually only produced in a Group Buy type sale and those are usually top fo the line molds.
As for safety, common sense is the best advise I can give. You know if it is hot it will burn you, and you know if you eat or snort lead it isn't good for you, so don't lick your fingers or be sniffing up any dust you create and you will be fine. You lead exposure will probably be 5 times higher from handling spent primers and the dust from your tumbler than it ever will be from casting. DO NOT and I repeat DO NOT EVER put lead which may have been exposed to and contain water into a pot of molten lead. It can, will, and does cause very unfavorable experiences. Read up on "The Tinsel Fairy" and you will understand.
Also never put lead of unknown origin into your casting pot until you have tested it using some muriatic acid, to make sure it isn't contaminated with zinc. If the lead has a zinc content and you apply a drop or two of muriatic acid it will fizz similar to baking soda and vinegar. The acid will react to the zinc and if none is present it will just sit there and if nothing happens after about 15 or so minutes your good to go.
Hope this and the above links help.
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