I'll have three Lee .401 molds on order that will arrive in the next couple of weeks, as I have a PBBA .401. I'll offer a sampler after casting them. Honestly, that is the cheapest way. There is a possibility that none of them will work for you.
Forget about those cheap lead melting pots. I bought a hot pot 2 and had the exact same kind of thinking you did. Pouring from a 5lb. pot into a 1/8" hole is not doable. Maybe for sinkers, but not for these molds. It is nearly impossible for consistent bullets, and the lead gets everywhere. I had to break down and buy a bottom pour. The experience was simply too painful.
You'll need to buy a bottom pour pot, the molds, a press to size the casts, the dies, candle wax, spoon to scrape out the slag, silicone hammer, lead from a local recycling center, bullet lube, and a hot plate to warm up the molds (to minimize wrinkled bullets) at a minimum. The low end is $350 to get started.
If you want to try out the .401's now, hunters supply has several. However, it will cost $30 per box + shipping to try out each one. You'll receive 100 but you'll only need 25 at most.
So if you want to get into casting the smart way, try as many cast bullets as you can out of your .457 & .401. Then only buy the molds that are proven performers. This way you only buy what you need.
This is the most economical avenue to see if your big bore prefers cast bullets. No wasted money with 90% full, dusty ammo boxes on the shelf. This sampler includes seven different weights (15 each) and designs so you can determine what your gun likes best. In grains L -> R...
www.airgunnation.com
