Dentite is wise
Thanks for asking our advice. Dentite is spot-on, so all I can do is expand on some of his points with some detail.
Kits are often assembled by marketing "geniuses". Fortunately, in the reloading arena, most of the manufacturers' marketing people also seem to actually know and use the products, so are fairly good for the customer. Remember, though, that what is a best selection varies according to the needs of the user. What is best for you is not the best for someone else. Best fit for your needs is what you are after.
There's the rub. How do you learn what you need to know to pick what is best for YOU? And how do you figure that out without buying a few mistakes in the beginning? Might as well get a kit?
A kit will get you started with ALMOST everything you need. They always lack something, though. They also have things you use, but will be unsatisfied with and trade in (at a loss, it goes without saying). So the savings in getting a kit is largely illusion. But it probably will get you started loading a little quicker and with less fuss than assembling your own kit.
A Kit will probably also have things you don't need at all, which is a waste of money. But does provide some trade goods.
Building your own kit MAY be a little more expensive, but carries with it the research (and knowledge gained therefrom) you do in selecting the equipment best for you.
How long is your foresight?
Let's start out by looking at the bare essentials.
These two, you cannot load without, physically. Press and dies.
Powder can be measured out by scoops, by scale or by a powder measure or a combination of those and it would be exceedingly foolish (or suicidal) to load without measuring your powder accurately and reliably.
So, count three items as absolutely essential. (press, dies, scale) Everything else adds safety, effectiveness/accuracy and speed. (e.g. safety - eye protection while loading; effectiveness/accuracy - calipers; Speed - powder measure). Most additional tools can be done without, improvised or substituted for (e.g. a lube pad: fingers, paper towel, or sponge can do, or spray lube can substitute).
The "more than are essential" items, though, are necessary for reasonable safety. A loading manual with load recipes and instructions of how to go about the process. A pair of safety glasses (just in case a primer goes off, which is rare, but can happen).
So, five things HIGHLY HIGHLY recommended, plus one extra.
A way to place primers in the priming cup on the press is a great help (rather than using your fingers) and will speed things up as well as reducing the chance that skin oils will contaminate the primers.
Six things and your are reasonably set up for everything you can expect.
Press
Dies
Scale
Primer handler of some kind
safety glasses
manual(s)
But there are always things you don't need to start with but will need or want later.
A bullet puller will enable you to disassemble any rounds you put together that are out of spec (or that you suspect might be). Loading blocks let you keep a batch of cartridges together conveniently. Micrometer will help measure things when you find that you want to measure something. Most store-bought bullets are the right size, so yo might not need the micrometer for a while.
As you load and develop your personal style, you will find more things you would like to have. Pick them up as you go.
How you populate your loading bench, and with what pieces of gear is largely, then, a matter of personal style. There are several different ways to approach your question.
1) Buy a ready-made kit.
2) Assemble a kit of your own, choosing as complete a kit as you can get, of premium gear you will never outgrow.
3) Assemble a "bare essential" minimal kit piece-by-piece with the components you expect you will never outgrow and expanding as you find need for each additional piece, slowly, and as money and knowledge allows.
4) Assemble a complete kit (of economy equipment) of your own choosing you know you will outgrow, by which time you will have figured out what you will never outgrow, then trade up to those pieces.
5) Assemble a minimal kit of your own choosing with the least expensive components and upgrade as your tastes reveal themselves and as money allows. Spend money for upgrades as your taste spurs you.
Each approach has its proponents. Each approach has its virtues and its drawbacks.
1 Store-bought "complete" kit. Swap out components as needed:
virtue: easy and requires little thought; gets you into production very quickly
drawback: can be wasteful, and requires little thought
2 Self-Assemble complete Kit:
virtue: requires you think about and learn loading BEFORE you commit money and body parts
drawback: requires a lot of study, and even so you may make less-than-optimal purchases
3 Slowly self-assemble premium components kit & add-on as you go
virtue: you learn about loading and your equipment thoroughly and only spend money as you are sure of what you are buying
drawback: takes more time (weeks, maybe before you are completely set up, though you can be loading the first weekend)
4 and 5 are variations on 2 and 3 and have much the same virtues and drawbacks.
The approaches I outlined should provide you some food for thought. What type of hobbyist are you? Are you analytical and thoughtful or do you jump right in and improvise as you go? Got more time than money, or more money than time?
My first advice: Read "The ABC's of Reloading", an excellent tome on the general processes of reloading.
Having said that, let me share with you some posts and threads I think you will enjoy. So get a large mug of coffee, tea, hot chocolate, whatever you keep on hand when you read and think and read through these.
The "sticky" thread at the top of TheHighRoad.com's reloading forum is good, entitled, "For the New Reloader: Thinking about Reloading; Equipment Basics -- READ THIS FIRST"
http://www.thehighroad.org//showthread.php?t=238214
The "sticky" thread at the top of TheFiringLine's reloading forum is good, entitled, "For the New Reloader: Equipment Basics -- READ THIS FIRST "
http://www.thefiringline.com/forums/showthread.php?t=230171
The first draft of my "10 Advices..." is on page 2 of this thread, about halfway down.
http://www.rugerforum.com/phpBB/viewtopic.php?t=13543
http://www.rugerforum.com/phpBB/viewtopic.php?t=22344
http://www.outdoorsdirectory.com/showthread.php?t=43055
http://thefiringline.com/forums/showthread.php?t=448410
Thread entitled "Newby needs help."
http://www.thefiringline.com/forums/showthread.php?t=430391
My post 11 is entitled "Here's my reloading setup, which I think you might want to model" November 21, 2010)
My post 13 is "10 Advices for the novice handloader" November 21, 2010)
http://www.Thefiringline.com/forums/showthread.php?t=439810
"Budget Beginning bench you will never outgrow for the novice handloader" was informed by my recent (July 2010) repopulation of my loading bench. It is what I would have done 35 years ago if I had known then what I know now.
http://www.rugerforum.net/reloading...you-will-never-outgrow-novice-handloader.html
Minimalist minimal (the seventh post down)
http://www.rugerforum.com/phpBB/viewtopic.php?t=107332
It seems to me that with your attitude, you have the ability and will to study up, select carefully and build an ideal kit of your own pretty quickly.
Summary: Kit will get you into production faster. Building your own kit will get you into loading more thoughtfully. In a few weeks or months you will be at the same production level either way. I suspect, if you build your own kit, spending time thinking about your equipment selections you will be happier with your gear, have fewer trade-ins and perhaps produce better quality ammo.
Good luck,
Lost Sheep
