Reloading newbie, quick questions

So I've finally decided to start reloading for my .308 rifle in order to achieve consistent accuracy and save money. Due to an awesome rebate and sale price at Cabelas I've decided to get the RCBS starter kit. Anyways, I'm wondering what to look for in dies for my .308...will the standard dies work well for precision shooting or do I need the more expensive "competition" set? I'm not a competitor, I just enjoy target shooting.

http://www.cabelas.com/product/shooting/reloading/reloading-dies%7C/pc/104792580/c/104761080/sc/535998780/rcbs-reg-rifle-die-sets/731753.uts?destination=%2Fcatalog%2Fbrowse%2Freloading-dies%2Frcbs%2F_%2FN-1113654%2B1000004440%2B4294383537%2FNe-1000004440%2FNs-CATEGORY_SEQ_535998780%3FWTz_st%3DGuidedNav%26WTz_stype%3DGNU

http://www.cabelas.com/product/shooting/reloading/reloading-dies%7C/pc/104792580/c/104761080/sc/535998780/rcbs-reg-competition-rifle-two-die-sets/731771.uts?destination=%2Fcatalog%2Fbrowse%2Freloading-dies%2Frcbs%2F_%2FN-1113654%2B1000004440%2B4294383537%2FNe-1000004440%2FNs-CATEGORY_SEQ_535998780%3FWTz_st%3DGuidedNav%26WTz_stype%3DGNU

Also one more question can someone recommend a powder to use. I plan to be shooting 168gr bullets.

Standard dies will serve your purpose just fine. All my RCBS dies are the standard set.

Standard full sizer dies is good enough just for target shooting. I used RCBS dies to start 25 years ago, the more you get hooked into the reloading hobby and punching bugholes then you would need to upgrade to a competition level.

I have always had good results with the standard dies. The comp dies among other things, will let you seat the bullet just off the lands. For the diff in the price I would go with the standard dies, to each his own.With the 168 I would use R12. Other's have their favs also. BTW, I not sure there a lot of savings in reloading today. When I started yes, now not so much.

I like the Redding dies, they have the feature of using a Carbide sizer button, cuts down on lubing necks, really smooth.

But the RCBS stuff is great. Get some digital calipers, cheap and you will use them a ton.

I love Varget or RL-15 with you chosen bullet weight but there are a TON which will work great!!

Lots of knowledge here to help you just be ready for 1000 different answers (opinions) as there are allot of "experts" here too

Varget is one of the gold standards for 308.

Thanks folks. I'm going to shop around and see if I can find some Varget locally to avoid hazmat fees

Sometimes Varget can be hard to find, but there are plenty of good powders for 308. One good option is IMR 3031, and since it isn't one of the new 'popular' powders, it's usually easy to find. I use it for the grandson's 308, and accuracy is excellent.

4064 has always been a good 308 powder for 168gr loads.

I'll likely get laughed at here, but I'd start off with one of those all-in-one Lee Loader setups. $30.00 and you'll learn a LOT from that little kit. Also Chapters 1-10 of the Lee Reloading manual has a wealth of information whether you use their gear or not. Sure, they hawk their wares here and there, of course, but there's some really good basic information in those pages. Have fun and be safe!

Just Kidding, I started with one in 20ga.

I blew up a few primers reloading with the Lee -Loader

Read,read and read some more. Welcome to the addiction.

Says it all.. You might also consider looking into the below links..

http://grip-n-pull.com/
http://www.neconos.com/details3.htm - Quickload ballistic Program

Be careful, be safe and don't get creative with your charges and pressures. Take your time and give lots of attention to details. It'll save you a bunch of problems.

I'm still getting all my supplies but have been reading up in the meantime. Ya'll are right this is addicting. So much info out there.

It's about as bad as fly fishing.....I alwys find myself stumbling across some new "must have" item for the bench, but continue using the same 30 year old stuff. It's fun, though, and most of the little doo-dads aren't expensive at all. The new stuff that IS pricey, like some of the new brass prep stations, is worth the bank, to me at least.