For you experienced guys, I’m sorry about these two novice questions. My neighbor passed and his wife sold me a few hundred 125 & 130 Gr. 9-MM cast lead bullets. Also a hundred or so 154 Gr. - .308 cast lead bullets. I shoot both 9-MM and .308 regularly but have never used cast bullets — maybe this experience will make me a believer.
The 9-MM bullets do not have gas checks; instead they have a flat base and either a slender green or red ring encircling the bullet about 1/16th of an inch above the base. Question #1 — Does this ring take the place of a gas check?
The .308 bullets all have a flat base with a rebated edge. The stock included five bullets with a copper gas check installed on the rebated edge and something that looked like white putty in the bullet grooves. Question #2 — do I need a special tool or die to install a gas check or can I just push or hammer it on; also what is the white putty — lube?