Hi Folks:

I am new to handloading, and am wondering what dies to buy. I've done a fair amount of research, and I guess am somewhat overwhelmed by the choices available (basic, competition, etc.). I could take the "start out simple" approach and just get basic dies, then upgrade later. However, I don't want to buy something that I will definitely not want to be using in 6 months or whatever. With that being said, it seems like the RCBS X dies might be a good choice, eliminating the need for frequent case trimming (right?), and be an upgrade that I could do right off the bat. What do you guys think about those dies, or would you recommend something else?

Thanks for your help...

They work. Plain and simple. Starting off, however I would stick with the regular dies and trimming and deburring. Reason I say this, is you might miss something. In other words, lets say you start off with the X dies and your gun shoots ok, and you think thats just the way it is. But if you start off trimming exactly, and get good results and then upgrade to X just to try and get bad results, you have a baseline. Reloading for accuracy can be frustrating starting out. Learn the basics before trying to reload 1000 yard benchrest cartriges or taking shortcuts. I know you know that. Trimming is one of my most hated tasks. I understand.

you need to trim the round to start with and get everything even, then use the X dies...and yes that is the way to go...