There is nothing wrong with Lee Dies just cause they are cheaper (I shot a big whitetail doe at 400 yards with my 7x57 Mauser and 160 gr. Nosler Partition loaded with Lee dies.
Lee makes some very effective and cheap case prep tools e.g. case trimmers, Lee hand Priming tool is a must (under $20).
Buy a primer pocket uniformer from Sinclair International; works great with a battery-powered screwdriver adaptor which Sinclair also sells.
Buy an R.E. Wilson case mouth de-burring/chamfering hand tool ($10.00-15.00).
An RCBS 10-10 balance beam powder scale ($140.00 retail but look around for one at a discount or a package deal, auctions, etc. [most expensive of all critcal tools, but you need a great, reliable, accurate scale].
Another must is a good dial caliper for measuring case length/loaded cartridge length (good ones out there for $30.00 although I hate to admit they are made in China; a better Mitituyo from Japan will cost you $70 or $80-90 Starett from USA).
Good manuals are the Lyman (shows a lot of loads with many brands of bullets) , Nosler (they like testing w/ Nosler bullets only so if you wanna spend $ for Nosler bullets, that's OK...data can be judiciously i.e. carefully extrapolated to other bullet brands), Speer. And, Accurate, and ramshot powders have FREE manuals showing loads with their powders and various bullets [great powders for the .223/30-06/.243, by the way].
Spending $60-70 on several manuals and reading them should
be your FIRST thing. That muster-out Army pay is almost gone on this list, eh?
You're Welcome, and I salute your services overseas!!!
