My first loading dies were for a 45 Dutch Beaumont and made from a block of maple wood, drilled and sanded to shape. The case mouths were flared with a pair of needle nose pliers, and the bullet seated using my father's woodworking vise. These loads shot better than original military loads. People over think this reloading process. I have made sizer dies using molten linotype poured around the case in a juice can. They lasted about 50 uses before needing to be remade.
I use Lee "Classic" reloaders quite abit. These require the case to be tapped into a sizer, or an arbor press used. They will producr ammunition as good as any bench mounted equipment. I have tested this against .223 loaded in RCBS gear and found the Lee Classic loader to produce ammo as good or better than the RCBS bench mounted gear. I have a friend tho declines the use of bench gear for hit Lee Classic Loader in .222. He shoots 1/2 MOA and doesn't want to change a thing.~Muir