[g.willikers]

Yomitche,

These are all intelligent questions to ask.
Reading the reloading manuals will, indeed, greatly help answer them.
But some straight answers are definitely helpful so you don't make any serious mistakes.

As to the reduced load question, different powders are used for different loads and bullet designs.
The powder choice for a normal range load will be different than say for a light load.
Or for one with a different bullet design.
That's why it's real important not to try to get creative with the loading data.
If the combination of ingredients in the reloading data don't give you the results that you want, that is telling you something.
Different ingredients are needed.

As for using lead bullets, they are fine if they are the right ones for the job.
If the lead bullets are the correct diameter for your barrel, and hardness for your loads, they won't cause much barrel leading.
If they do, that tells you something is not quite right.

As for adjusting your overall cartridge length by duplicating factory ammo,
that works just fine, and is the method used by lots of people.
As long as you are comparing apples to apples.

Hope this helps some, and keep asking before doing, if you are not sure.