New to this

[RED BEAR]

I just started casting and i do not know how much weight difference is ok for bullets.
I am on a tight budget so all lee molds and furnace is used. For 38 spec 158gr rnfp lee mold. About 85 per cent are with in 1 gr. the other 15 per cent may very as much as 3 gr. I use 50/50 mix wheel weight / scrap lead. The bullets run heavier that what the mold is supposed to drop at 162 gr. for most the rest up to 165 gr.

[Charlie Two Tracks]

The molds will drop heavier than advertised with your alloy and that is quite alright. Do you have a micrometer to measure your boolits? Some of the heavier ones may be from the mold being open a little or the way that you cast them. If you have a sizer, you can see what is going on by looking at the bands of the boolit after it is sized. It doesn't take much lead at all to create a 1 gr. difference. Welcome to the site. Read all you can and keep on asking questions. It's a great hobby. Oh ya, grab all the lead you can get your hands on. You can always trade it later for equip. and stuff.
Here is a recent post on this.
http://castboolits.gunloads.com/showthread.php?181243-Average-cast-boolit-deviation-for-handgun-use

[RED BEAR]

Have not checked size before sizing will on next cast the weight is after sizing. I have a mic and calipers. Have the lead covered for a while bought a good supply of used shotgun shot for 30 cents a pound and am melting it down .

[reloader28]

Mine from that mold come out at 165gr. I never bother weight sorting pistol boolits. I figure mismatched weights will still shoot better than I can shoot.

If you can shoot at home, staple your targets on the front of a 2-3' dia block of wood. When you shoot, the block will catch the boolits and you just split the block to get your boolits back to remelt.

I have 2 blocks still good to go, and 2 blocks that need to be split. They each have about 150+lbs of boolits in them.:mrgreen:

[1Shirt]

I vary alloys, and almost never have a boolit drop from the most at exact advertized weight. It is just a reality.
1Shirt!

[RED BEAR]

have outdoor range within 5 miles only allowed to use paper targets. to use anything else i have family member with a place in the country 60 miles away so options are limited.

[captaint]

RED BEAR - You're good to go. Your weights are fine for shooting purposes. Do keep an eye on diameter, though. If you're using a 6 cav Lee mold you need to avoid holding on to the sprue opening handle. Close the mold and don't touch that other handle until it's time to cut sprues. I know from experience. Go shoot some boolits. enjoy Mike