I never felt the kits were a good deal. The rifle normally comes with a breech removal tool, capper/decapper for the 209 primers, often times a small tube of breech plug grease (T/C), and ten projectiles to try. When you start looking at the added cost of the starter kit, your paying a lot of a better capper, a short starter, and some cleaning supplies.

Right now many department stores are selling the things you need to outfit yourselves. At our Wal Mart, Pyrodex RS has dropped down to $10.00 a pound. When it hits $8.00 I will buy them out. A capper which normally was $7.95 was $2.00 and a short starter was $4.00. A new ramrod was $4.00 (I did not need it but bought it anyway). And there were lots of reductions in price on some projectiles. When they get a little lower, I will buy them out as well if there are any left. That is how you can really save some money for getting yourself started in this sport. The problem is the more you shoot the more you feel the need for more rifle, more bullets, different powders, and other things... Pretty soon you have a room devoted to black powder supplies...