Hey all....I'm looking into starting reloading for my Enfield as I'm looking to save on the cost of factory ammunition... Also, from various sources I've read its better to only neck size 303 brass to extend the life of it...is there some sort of neck sizing only die I would have to get?
Lee is about as inexpensive - and as cheap - as you can get. You definitely get your money's worth.
All the manufacturers have some sort of "starter" press kit available. Examples:
Lee's 50th Anniversary kit at around $135
RCBS Partner kit at around $200
Hornady kit at around $325 or something like that
I wouldn't go with the handheld loaders. They do the job and their small size is pretty cool, but it won't take long for most people to decide they should have spent a bit more money. I've never owned one, but loaded a few rounds on a friend's and decided they might belong in a survivalist's gear, but that's about it from my perspective.
There's two ways to look at buying a reloading package kit. One is that your kit supposedly has everything you need to reload at the least price. The other is that you may prefer one scale over another, one press over another, etc and so forth.
I see your point when just getting started. Which means I would probably spend a little time trying to find some used equipment up for sale - more and more of the older and middle aged guys taking the long dirt nap, and fewer young guys coming up with an interest in reloading. So if you're in the right place at the right time, you can walk into some real deals.
On the other hand, I think theres some false economy in trying to get into reloading with the cheapest equipment. What's your time worth to you? I bought a Bonanza CoAx Press back in about 1973 I think. If I remember correctly it cost me somewhere around $76 at the time, which I thought was an outrageous price. Now they're about $400. I don't know how many rounds have gone through that press in the interim time, but the ease of changing dies with that press, no shellholders to change in and out, the sturdiness, time saved, minimal hassles, etc... I think the extra money over the press kits of that time was worth every penny. I have no doubt it will still be going strong when I'm on the other side of the grass.
So you have to figure out what's best for you, but at least consider all aspects of value in the product you're purchasing, not just the price tag on the press.
Reference the headspace issue, Lee Enfields were made with generous chambers so they would digest just about any muddy, cruddy ammunition fed into them in any corner of England's far flung empire. So the cases expand like crazy on firing, and, if you insist on squeezing them all the way back down with a full length resize each time, yes, they won't last long. You can get around that with a neck sizer, or a full length resizer until you get a crush fit, or use Lee's rather excellent collet sizer (which is also a great choice if you decide to go cast bullets in your Lee Enfield). The bonus is the Lee collet die set is very inexpensive.
Just some things to think about when making your choices.
I highly recommend finding a knowledgeable friend to help you get started. The tricky part is finding somebody who actually has some expertise versus somebody who pretty much ignores best practices and just does it whatever way fits his personal theories. With that in mind, investing in a few books can't hurt either. Most of the reloading manuals have some sort of basic instructions in front, there's the Lyman books, Nonte's books can still be found and cover a wide range of subjects, etc.
