What's Your Favorite Reloading Snack?

Coffee if early in the morning. Otherwise, nothing.

Just some ice water in one of those big hospital cups with a handle, or a thermos of coffee in the winter since my bench is in the unheated garage (you'd think I would fix that being an HVAC tech, but I haven't yet). I never eat when I'm in the zone though. I don't even stop to eat at work 75% of the time, it kills my momentum.

No food in my reloading area but a few Bud "Zeros" (0% alcohol) is definitely kept a few feet away from the station where a spill wouldn't be disaster. It's the only beer I drink these days.

show us your ration! next to your press

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I'm pretty sure more than just me could easily look down and see a very similar decent little roll while there sittin at there bench

No food, no drink, no music. I need total concentration at the bench.

stonebuster said:

No food in my reloading area but a few Bud "Zeros" (0% alcohol) is definitely kept a few feet away from the station where a spill wouldn't be disaster. It's the only beer I drink these days.View attachment 987532

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That stuff is good, with a shot of booze

My wife fans me with a palm leaf and feeds me grapes from the vine as one of my cute little rugrats pull the lever on command.

I'd post a picture but errr...I lost them, yeah that's it.

You guys work too hard

Hi...
Never eat when I am reloading. Never.
Always a cup of hot Earl Grey tea when I am reloading, but I always have a cup of that at hand.
No TV, phone or computer when I am reloading either. No distractions when reloading.

peeplwtchr said:

Hi All-

What's your favorite reloading snack?

Post it with a press.


I'd also like to mention:
- Don't touch food with lead on your hands
- Use sealed food containers if there is any chance there could be lead in the air e.g. dry tumbling, whatever
- I never drink more than 1 beer while reloading, seriosly

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Water, in a stainless mug with a lid. Sometimes coffee but only when I take a break, not while actively working the press.

it seams like we have 2 camps in reloading

1:Strictly focus micrometer ready guys
2:Buffet time, Youtube rocking, good enough guys

In all seriousness, I don't have food in my reloading room, I would however have a cup of coffee, tea or soda in with me. I'm not opposed to having the radio on with music, talk radio, or a game broadcast. I will likely at some point put a small TV in there to have college football games on, as I don't ever give them full attention anyways but it's nice to have a bit of background sound.

BreechFace said:

In all seriousness, I don't have food in my reloading room, I would however have a cup of coffee, tea or soda in with me. I'm not opposed to having the radio on with music, talk radio, or a game broadcast. I will likely at some point put a small TV in there to have college football games on, as I don't ever give them full attention anyways but it's nice to have a bit of background sound.

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if I’m batch reloading 1,000 and 9mm, it’s automatically. Just keep your QC plan with checks every what ever and you will be fine.

Looking back over 55+ years of hand loading......I don’t remember “ever” eating or drinking while loading. I guess that I don’t spend enough time loading! memtb

Fired brass is covered in lead particles. More shooters and reloader's are exposed to lead by expelled primers than handling cast bullets.


I will pause and drink something. But nothing else without a handwashing.

Coffee in the morning, and maybe water in the evening. Most of the time nothing at the bench. I cannot remember ever eating anything or snacking while reloading.

I love a good drink or a cold beer, but NEVER go near the bench after either. These days I'm doing most of my loading in the evening, and I find fatigue sets in after an hour to an hour and a half and I call it quits. I make mistakes if I am tired and no mistakes allowed reloading.

-Jeff

In the summertime it's a diet A and W root beer and baseball on the radio. I mastered walking and chewing gum years ago.

Nothing for me while at the bench. Too busy doing other things.

Bush Pilot said:

In the summertime it's a diet A and W root beer and baseball on the radio. I mastered walking and chewing gum years ago.

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I’m with you! Ice in the A&W is good!

I used to snack at the bench. I had my lead levels checked. It came back 17. something. Not dangerously high. But still above the normal range. So no more snacks while loading.

Nada, no food or drink in the reloading-gun servicing room.
Radio on NPR Classical or Hannity bloviating, depending on the time of day.

Phantom 309 said:

Just some ice water in one of those big hospital cups with a handle

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Same here. It sets a few feet away while I am reloading. I only stop for a drink of water when transitioning from one operation to the next.

I never drink alcohol or eat when reloading. I occasionally listen to music but not music that distracts me. My wife knows not to bother me with anything unless it’s really important while reloading. My phone ringer is off. If there are any distractions I fully stop what I am doing and do not continue to reload during the distraction. Distractions include neighbors stopping to talk, post man or deliveries arriving, stuff like that.

Here is a good example of why drinking alcohol is not a good idea while reloading.


A coworker of mine was moving to Hawaii. He could not take ammo and reloading supplies with him and he gave it all to me. These two ammo boxes were amongst his stuff. This guy talked about the great times he had reloading and how one of his favorite things on a warm evening was “drinking scotch, watching TV and reloading ammo in my garage.”
All the non-factory ammo he gave me is going to be disassembled for components.
He said he wasn’t sure if the labels on these boxes were accurate.

I’m not opposed to drinking/eating while in the reloading room, provided some common sense precautions are adhered to! However, I have usually just finished a very large breakfast .....with no need of food or drink! memtb

I almost always do my priming with an RCBS hand-priming tool while sitting on the couch in front of the TV, and there’s usually a cup of coffee or a glass of ice water (depending on what I’m in the mood for) sitting on the end table beside the couch. If I’m at my loading bench in the basement though, that cup or glass is sitting on the table behind me so that I have to stop what I’m doing, and physically turn around to take a sip.
I’m almost 73 years old, been handloading for over 40 years, and I know me - if there’s a cup or glass of liquid on my loading bench, I’ll knock it over. Been there, done that.

I either eat before or after.......My room is in my barn, I have a large refrigerator that usually has between 3 and 5 cases of Heineken in it. I usually have a few with our bull when I'm finished out there. He likes Heineken.....Budweiser, not so much