CHEAP check weight
Check weights are typically very expensive because they are created to weigh an exact amount (ie a 5 gram weight will weigh 5.000 grams). The cheap way out is to gain access to a fancy analytical balance and get the proper weight of any object that is reasonably close. A...
progressive presses
It has been my experience that all progressive presses "hiccup" from time to time for many reasons. This morning my LNL lost a decapping pin to a case that had an undersized flash hole. Not a big deal, but not the fault of the press either. It took a few min to be back up...
Another vote for Unique. I use it in at least 90% of my straight wall pistol rounds (380, 9mm, 38/357, 44, 45). It may be a bit dirty, but it is often one of the top performing powders in pistol cases. There are so many powders available that sticking to just a few helps simplify things.
You don't save money by reloading, you just shoot a lot more. It is probably best to start with a single stage or turret press initially. Progressive presses are wonderful till something goes wrong. Realizing that you ran out of powder or primers a while back can be inconvenient. I love my LNL
There is a vast amount of reloading data online. Unfortunately you miss out on all the other info that was in the original books like Speer and Lyman. I have noticed that some older manuals have somewhat hotter maximum loadings. They all state that maximum loadings must be worked up to, not used...