[Jeff Higgins]

If I were just starting today, I would peruse the Midway catalog or web site for one of the complete reloading kits from RCBS, Hornady, Lyman, or Lee. In that order. As a matter of fact, that is exactly how I started reloading 30 years ago. I got the complete RCBS kit that included the press, scale, priming tool, powder measure. and other doo-dads. I still use every bit of it today. While I have since purchased a myriad of other measures, scales, and other such equipment, that single stage press is still the only press I have ever owned. It has now loaded over a quarter million rounds of various (actually, quite varied) rounds of ammunition. I don't think a guy can wear one out...

The single stage press is by far the most versatile, and the only way, really, to load magnum rifle rounds. A Lee "turret" press might be o.k., but certainly none of the progressive presses. The progressives really do excel at the pistol and revolver rounds, so maybe someday you will find yourself using one, but you will still need that single stage for the larger rifle rounds, and the stick powders typically used in them.

For straight wall pistol and revolver reloading, absolutely get carbide dies. The time and mess they save are well worth the little premium when purchasing. And don't worry about mixing and matching presses / dies / shell holders between brands - all modern stuff is standardized. Dies are about the only area where I will buy Lee equipment - their dies are on a par with the more expensive ones from the other manufacturers. I stay away from their other stuff, though.

Used presses are certainly o.k., and a lot of guys make the mistake of selling theirs off when they "upgrade" to a progressive, so they can be found for next to nothing. That said, buying one of the complete set-ups will still be cheaper than buying a used press and piecing everything else together. You get that good of a break when buying the kits. Don't buy used dies. Cared for, they last forever, but if they are not, they can be the "wear item" in this operation. Best to be safe and buy new.

So, in a nutshell, if it were me, I would buy a complete RCBS kit from Midway and be off to the races. Get the dies you need for the calibers you shoot, and you're in business.