There are those of us that like to, actually love to put a fine point on the cost of things. The main thing to understand is if you are thinking that handloading ammo will save you boatloads of cash then you are in dire need of a intervention. In theory, you can truck on over to a discount website store and for about $200 get yourself a kit that has most of the hardware that you think you will need to start this endeavor. OK.
This is only one man's opinion and one man's experience. While the Lee kit would not be my choice, and was not my entry into reloading, it is a fact that with a reasonably modest outlay that you can set up and reload and save money if that is your objective.
A decent single station press, scale, powder measure, manuals, and related small tools, and a bench is all that you need. You can use most of the Lee kit as a starting point, but you will end up upgrading to a cast iron press, a better powder measure and scale.
Whether you save money or not depends on whether you shoot the same amount of ammunition as before, or whether you use the savings to shoot more. However, the reality is that in the long run, depending on the cartridges that you reload, if you shoot the same amount you will save money. 9mm? Forget it. But for many other cartridges, significantly.
The truth of the matter is if you are going to do this properly not half assed you will need three things. First thing is a sense that it is going to cost more than the cost of a beginners reloading kit. Second, you will need a place to perform the task at hand (a proper bench and storage) and third, it will take time and patience to acquire the knowledge and skills.
This is basically true, though not as dire as you picture it. I would advise anyone seriously wanting to reload to buy a cast iron press and a decent quality scale and powder measure. The lee case length gauges work well as do handheld tools from other manufacturers for chamfering. To save money you should build a bench if you can, using lumber and plywood, but a heavy old table will also serve. Storage depends on how many supplies you have to store. A shelf on your bench may be adequate for many. Acquiring the knowledge and skills probably won't take long if you can read and follow instructions. As a beginner 45 years ago I was producing ammo the same day that I bought my RCBS kit.
Unless you either consume 4 or 5 hundred rounds per month or are looking for performance not available in factory ammo you are not going to save any money handloading.
I have never consumed 400 rounds a month, ever, and I only wished to produce ammo similar to factory. I started handloading specifically because the cost of factory ammo was too great for my budget, and because the reloads were so much cheaper to produce. Even if you use factory bullets, you will save significantly because the brass casing represents 50% of the cost of loaded ammo in many cases. Often, that casing can be reused up to 10 times before it shows cracks, so do the math. I'm still using .44 magnum brass that is decades old.
There is a thread here somewhere where posters put up pictures of their benches. 99% of the pictures are showing 10s of 1000s of dollars worth of tackle housed in neat and orderly reloading areas, gear mounted on purpose built benches, components stored in proper cabinets. If you are handloading for handguns in any significant volume, a single stage or turret press is so slow that you will want to rip your face off as you become a slave to your bench.
And there are many more reloaders who just built a hundred dollar (or less) handyman bench and bolted their single stage press to it and used it for 40 years. I did something like this, but over the years I have also bolted an RCBS junior press to an old kitchen table or a plywood sub base and clamped it to counter tops. The point is that while affluent shooters delight in photographing their elaborate and expensive setups, these are unecessary. Most shooters will only need a corner of a basement or room and a shelf or two at most. And, a progressive reloading press is only needed if you shoot thousands of rounds of pistol ammo a month. Many shooters don't, and for them, a Dillon is just a white elephant that they end up selling. If you shoot 100 rounds on a weekend, 3 times a month, then a single stage or turret press is fine.
A good chronograph, used to measure the speed and variations of your handloads, will cost several hundred dollars.
You have exotic tastes. An F1 Chrony from Midway costs $110.00 new. I owned one and it did everything I needed it to, but I got along fine for 35 years without one. If you use the loads in the manuals, the velocities are given, and you can easily interpolate between minimum and maximum without difficulty. Unless you are into specialized reload development you simply don't need one.
While I would agree that the average reloader should skip the Lee kit and go with a cast iron press and a decent scale and powder measure, the outlay doesn't need to be more than $500.00 when it's all said and done. The tools will last for many years. And If you don't simply burn up your savings with more shooting you will be able to recoup your costs in a couple of years.
If you opt to go with the Lee kit anyway, it will do the job just fine. I don't like the scale at all, but the other stuff is okay. Lee has a knack for designing things so that they can be cheaply produced yet produce very good results. I think that you will end up replacing your Lee stuff in a couple of years with what I mentioned above. But for the cost, you really won't lose anything.
