I tend to be rather pragmatic. On the subject of tools, I’m very pragmatic. I have never purchased a mold because the bullet it produced looked “cool” or “cute”. However, I have occasionally purchased molds that did not produce bullets that performed to my expectations.
The cost of a bullet mold is not trivial. Tools, such as molds, are generally a onetime purchase. If for some reason a mold doesn’t meet my expectations, I can sell it, but I probably will not recoup the entire cost. As such, I exercise some caution before laying my money down.
I have watched people, including some family members, purchase extremely low-quality tools. They inevitability must buy that tool again. If they buy a cheap tool the second time, the process simply repeats, often at an expense above what one good quality tool would have initially cost.
One of the great aspects of bullet casting and reloading is the vast amount of experience that is freely shared. Others have gone before us, and they share the knowledge they learned the hard way.
For example, I’m not certain of the exact origin of the 148 grain, button nose, 38 Special wadcutter but it has a long track record. The H&G #50 is the stereotypical example of that form and has been copied by countless other makers. There’s a REASON that it is popular and so often copied!
