If you are reloading for speed then a corny is a must. If you are reloading for hunting then you want the bullet to go where you aim and expand.
Shooting targets will tell you if the bullets are going where you want them to go and the ones that give the best groups are the ones you want to test for expansion.
I do expansion test with old phone books (granger catalogs are thick and work well too.) or stacked wet newspapers in a wooden box I built to hold them.
Buy a kit you can afford, most I believe come with a manual. If not buy your self a manual as many as you can afford even.
I like my #45 Lyman Manual best but it is so old it doesn't have some of the newer stuff like 300 Win Mag, 260, and 7MM08 I load for.

Al