I just bought a used press, dies, etc. It came with about 100-150 round of cast .45 and 9mm. Never had experience with cast handgun bullets. Can I get some advice on how to reload and also any maintenance on the barrel if needed.
Proper alloy of the cast bullets and fit are important. Bullets should be at least .001" over groove dimension. Totally remove any traces of copper from your bore an keep loads in line with the alloy of the bullets and all should be fine.
Just as already mentioned, check your load data for cast bullets. The rule is that you shouldnt start out with the highest load data (excessive leading is possible in the barrel )always start with the lowest & test fire for function ,If it works the slide & ejects youre good to go ,if not work up to the next recomended load.I load cast bullets for all my pistols & get some pretty decent groups & minimal problems in function
I use cast 9mm with no problems. I run my loads at the lowest powder charge recommendation and they not only shoot well, with minimal recoil they are pleasant to shoot.
Cast bullets are fine to load. Some of my most accurate loads are with cast bullets.
One thing you might want to consider though. If you don't know the source of those you got, or if you don't know where you could find more of the exact same, I would probably hold off on them only due to by the time you find that one load you like, you wouldn't have many left... You might be better starting off with a bullet ( cast would be fine ) that you know if you liked the results, that you could easily get more of.
A couple places I use that have good prices and reasonable shipping. I also feel I would always have a decent shot of getting the same exact bullet in the future from them for my favorite pet loads as I need to buy more in future.