The minimum amount of gear is a melting pot, ladle, mould and a heat source. Lubing can be done with Lee Liquid Alox and if shooting a revolver, no sizing is necessary. If casting for an auto-loader, you can get a sizing die from Lee for around $14. You can make do with a large spoon, Coleman propane heater and a cast iron pot found at an oldtime hardware store (or Lee pot for around $5). On the other hand, if you decide to go full out, the sky's the limit. I cast a few thousand 45 ACP's as described above but then only added a larger pot, heated electrically for larger production runs. For my large bullets in limited number, I'll still fire up the Coleman and do it on my tailgate.