I've been considering using some surplus income to start reloading. However, it seems that there are a lot of options. It seems that a single press would be best for me given that I wouldn't be reloading huge amounts of ammo, and I'd still be learning.
Would I need anything besides a press, dies, powder, brass, primers, etc?
Are there options I could consider that wouldn't be insanely expensive, but wouldn't sacrifice quality?
Welcome to reloading. Thanks for asking our advice.
Aside from eye protection and manuals, you only need three things (physically) to load good ammo. (Of course, you would be severely limited in some ways, but capable of producing one round at a time, but safely.)
Press because fingers are not strong enough to form metal
Dies because fingers are not accurate enough to form metal to SAAMI specs
Scale (or calibrated dippers) because eyeballs are not accurate enough to measure out gunpowder.
A set of calipers would be a good idea, too, just to verify dimensions.
Everything else can be done without, substituted for or improvised until you can afford to buy good, quality gear.
But it is more efficient and cost effective to get equipment that fits your needs in the near future.
We could target our advice better if you shared some information about yourself: (What I use has no relevance to you if our needs are not similar.)
What calibers will you be reloading?
What quantities will you be reloading for those calibers?
How much time will you be willing to devote to those quantities
What is your budget?
Will you be putting your gear away after each session or leave it set up permanently?
How much space will you devote permanently to a loading area, if any?
Do you want it to be portable?
What are your shooting goals? Cheap ammo? Ultimate long-range accuracy? Casual plinking, Serious competition - what kind? Cowboy Action Shooting? Strictly hunting?
Lost Sheep