I'm new to reloading and I am not sure which brand of dies is the best for the money.
I am gettting (eventually) a Lyman turret press. Oh, I plan to load pistols now and rifles later.
Why carbide dies? If you take care of your equipment won't regular dies last just as long? I haven't bought dies yet so I'm just wondering why spend the extra $$$ on carbide? Brass is a light weight metal, and unless the dies are brass too, then I don't see why there would be an issue. Or is a matter of preference?
Carbide dies don't require as much lube* as steel dies, well worth the extra money. This is for straight walled handgun cases only. Carbide bottleneck rifle dies are for wear resistance, and unless you load commercially, I doubt you would ever see a return on investment.
* Yep, you should lube your cases when sizing in carbide, most die manufactureres tell you to lightly lube every 5th case or so. Nobody does it, for the most part!