What is the one gadget no reloading room should be without?

I use cheap paint brushes to keep the presses clean.

Yep. A long handle fan brush dusts the remaining powder to the bottom of the powder drop without disassembly.

Slamfire said:

Yupe. Electronic scales are not to be trusted when temperatures drop into the 40's. They are temperature sensitive and even if you consistently verify zero with check weights, as your reloading room (or garage) warms up, outputs from peizo electric sensor will wander. But, gravity seems to be pretty much unaffected by temperature:

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Same one I have. A lot of my frustrations went away when I bought that.

Tell ya what guys, I just bought an RCBS powder measure/trickler and scale combo unit. It was expensive, but it's awesome. Many of you will recall my fits of frustration trying to get match grade consistency out of my Lee measure. I bought a Hornady measure/trickler scale combo unit last year and quickly returned it. This RCBS was almost twice the cost, but it's 4x better. So far at least. Hope I didn't just jinx myself.

Harbor Freight "grabber" to pick up things dropped.

GW Staar said:

When even the best lighting isn't enough, contrast!!....needed more and more as I get older:
View attachment 850485Cold blue for small parts then, tho not exactly a gadget, a good ole gooey white paint stick you can wipe on and with mineral spirits wipe off the excess:

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Great idea. I've done the sharpie thing, but never considered bluing the shell holders and white paint filling the marks. Could do that with dies just as well.

Patocazador said:

A de-burring/chamfer tool is indispensable for me along with a case trimmer.

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I bought the RCBS carbide versions. They work well and stay sharp.

D.B. Cooper said:

I just bought an RCBS powder measure/trickler and scale combo unit.

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A powder trickler is another indispensable item especially for working up new loads.

MTM peel and stick labels. I am very picky about labeling everything and charting. These labels make it very easy, to keep boxes of reloads, straight, with dates, bullets, powder, all written, in case I'm not the only one needing that info. I also have a labelmaker. I even mark when a powder is opened, so I make sure to use up that powder first.

Nobody has said this yet, so I will...

A GOOD bench!

Everybody has a bench, but build or get yourself a GOOD one! Sturdy, large enough, the right height, contrasting top, electrical outlets, etc.

PWC said:

Harbor Freight "grabber" to pick up things dropped.

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Also great at the range for picking up brass, especially for those with bad backs.

Comfortable chair

Lots of 4 foot LED lights for a bright work area and a good chair of the right height are a real help. I see so many post where there is snot enough good light.

Let's add safety glasses and loading blocks. Who wants to reload without reloading blocks?

Might be easier to answer what’s the one thing that made your reloading room better now that it’s gone. I could answer that one in an instant.

Lots of stuff I have now that I would rather not be without. I guess electricity would be the most important. Only have a couple windows in my reloading room and it would be pretty dark otherwise. Not to mention it’s needed for my AC and a number of other gadgets.

I wouldn't want to reload by candle light. Just one of my quirks.

Electricity is a good answer but if you got windows, a balance beam scale, uniflow powder measure, you don't need it. Unless of course it gets dark outside.

I bought a twelve inch piece of railroad rail at a local scrap yard for $20. When i have any cartridgesbthat I need to disassemble i use the piece of railroad rail to smack the hammer on. It is a dead stop and works good for the purpose.

I bougjt the small pick set from Harbor Freight for $1.99. I use the small straight one all the time. I have it set up right by my press for getting the shell holders out of the pack when I swap calibers.

I have four of the old Lee hand held Auto Primer Load tools. I use the straight pick if the primers get jamed or if I need to flip a primer.

PEG BOARD, with different wire attachments to hang stuff on around and behind the loading bench.

A dymo printing label maker to mark stuff with.

See through plastic storage containers for the brass cases. Labeled with calibers. You san see how full they are. I use Sterilite containers with locking lids that stack nice on a shelf.

I have an old Craftsman tool box next to the bench - 5 drawer roller base with a 7 drawer box on top (kind of a lower end model from 25 years ago). It was in the garage, but I outgrew it and upgraded. Very nice to have. And already full with some tools, some powder, some primers, some reloading gadgets, etc.

I like a bit of peace and quiet, like @D.B. Cooper mentioned. I can't commit to a solid reloading session with the women folk around, seems like they can't stand the fact that you're doing something that they don't deem wholly important. Although I do play "reloading music", the brain tends to do better when it has an additional sensory anchor to adhere to; much like how a smell or a taste can make you time travel to a distant memory.

I went back in this thread and tried to put together what we think we need for a reloading area. There are many specific things that may be for more advanced reloading, but we seem to agree on a 'basic' set up. My attempt to summarize this thread:

1 door with a lock
2 AC summer, heat winter
3 Trained operator, trained mind is the most essential component in the shop
4 reloading manuals and books.
5 lights for a bright work area
6 a good chair of the right height
7 safety glasses
8 dollar store reading glasses
9 mounted, lighted magnifying glass.
10 tool bar or rack screwdrivers, wrenches, etc
11 A GOOD bench
12 A Press.
13 mounts -press,powder measure for better working height
14 Dies for caliber
15 quick release base plates and plates for each press
16 loading blocks
17 calipers
18 universal de-primer
19 case trimmer
20 de-burring/chamfer tool .
21 cordless drill
22 powder measure
23 powder trickler
24 powder funnels
25 scale
26 A good quality balance beam scale. I use one in conjunction with an electronic just as a double check but rely on the beam for accuracy.
27 Case Size Comparator
28 case gauges
29 peel and stick labels
30 Bullet puller
31 Harbor Freight "grabber" to pick up things dropped.
32 cheap paint/chip brushes to keep the presses clean.
33 a radio
34 trash can dedicated to the loading room
35 assortment of bore brushes

36 dental picks,
37 punches,
38 steel wool, ,
39 1200 grit emory cloth
40 6" machinist scale
41 BIG magnet
42 small cordless vacuum
43 Permanent Paint Marker really makes tools easier to identify.
44 0-1 tube micrometer, great for measuring case mouth uniformity.
45 A 0-1 disc micrometer, much better than a caliper for measuring taper crimps.
46 A concentricity gage, essential for accurate rifle loads.
47 Headspace Gauge

-Lots of ziplock bags to organize and segregate your brass

- a patch of leather to place between vise grips when I don’t want to scratch anything

-A very precise reliable scale. If there’s one thing not to cheap out on, this is it

Shelving and drawers to allow for organization!

Dies, books, powders and bullets can get all mumbly-jumbly really quickly if you don’t have a set place to put things.

Stay safe.

Air conditioning is my suggestion, Keep powder and primers at constant temp for longevity, keep my self comfortable and keep my electronics happy.

You guys are way past "gadgets." So if everything's on the table.....how about this.....and it works best from a basement.....so nobody can get hurt.

A shooting range: Yeah! Why not? From a shooting bench in the reloading room....trench in 25 or 50 yards of 24" diameter PVC pipe, run under ground at bench height, ending at a concrete "target house", 24" cube, lit with LEDs from above, mounted in the concrete hinged lid. From there get as fancy as you want. Course your reloading room might want to be .........soundproof.