i am wanting to start handloading my own loads for my .243. what is the cheapest way to go and what equipment do i need. thanks TIm

Check this thread:
http://www.huntingnet.com/forum/tm.aspx?m=1898078
Lee has some good videos on how to set up and use different dies in different presses http://leeprecision.com/html/HelpVideos/video.html

The absolute cheapest way would be to buy a Lee Loader where a press is not used. http://www.midwayusa.com/eproductpag...eitemid=530888
Along with a powder scale http://www.midwayusa.com/eproductpag...eitemid=712103


I would add in a reloading manual or two from Speer, Hornady, and Lyman- though not necessarily in that order.

Start pricing starter kits & reloading manuals. Cabelas or Midway should be a good place to get started.
You are looking for the cheapest way to handload? Handloading is not cheap.
IMHO You would be money ahead to just buy factory ammo for the rest of your life.
I have reloaded for years. I am sure I will never recover my reloading costs.

Look into the LEE hand press. Much cheaper than a bench-style press. That's the way I got started. Definately buy a good reloading manual and read it cover-to-cover (minus the actual recipes...that'd be like memorizing the phone book[8D])

Wolf killer...If you are satisfied with the way factory ammo shoots in your gun and you don't shoot that much, you are probably right. If, however, you are interested in trying to find that "magic" combination that a particular gun seems to like and gives much better accuracy than the factory stuff, reloading is where it is. "Rolling your own" in a quest for greater accuracy and performance gets into your blood sometimes, and yes, it CAN cost more depending upon your shooting habits, but the self-satisfaction you get is very rewarding just by itself.

New to reloading? READ THIS FIRST!