Where Do You Handload Your Ammunition?
- Thread starter Ala Dan
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DWS1117
Member
Have a small work bench. Unfortunately it has to live in the garage. Will post a pic once I get off my butt and do some cleaning of the surrounding areas.
Since there's only two of us in a 3 bedroom house...
I claimed the "family room" as my evil laboratory. Computers, network router, oscilloscope and shortwave rack, gun safes, ammo dump, reloading bench, gunsmithing/cleaning bench, TV, and stereo. The bench was somebody's high-school metal shop project, a table saw and drum sander made of serious welded box-tubing, with a steel top. I added 1" high-density fiberboard for the benchtop and previous motor shelf, and voila'!:
I claimed the "family room" as my evil laboratory. Computers, network router, oscilloscope and shortwave rack, gun safes, ammo dump, reloading bench, gunsmithing/cleaning bench, TV, and stereo. The bench was somebody's high-school metal shop project, a table saw and drum sander made of serious welded box-tubing, with a steel top. I added 1" high-density fiberboard for the benchtop and previous motor shelf, and voila'!:
Paul "Fitz" Jones
Moderator - Emeritus
Starting Reloading
I started with a pair of borrowed pliers to carefully pull GI 06 bullets to cotton stuff the cases for cadet corps war games in high school. Was given a case of ammo for the work. My gunsmithing-welding instructor loaned me his C press and I made 7.7 jap out of it to earn tools, The national guard gave me dozens of cases to practice with and I turned thousands of rounds into Jap ammo. Years later I had a 1500 sq ft basement for my fitz grips and office and a 4 car garage for Saeco and Star inventory and a double car garage with 2 bulletmasters, 2, 5,000 rounds per hr loaders, an automated Star ,11 hand operated Stars, an H and C press, 3 ton smelter and linotype production molds, three barrel tumbler and two cement mixers.I have taught bulletcasting, reloading and survival classes and had a career in law enforcement and weapons instruction.
I am retired and have sold most of my tools off but have some interesting items left and enjoy being a moderator here, a mentor to owners of Star and C-H Auto Champ and other progressive reloaders with my booklet:
"How To Live With And Love Your Your Progressive Reloader" I included with the almost thousand reloaders I sold.
Fitz
I started with a pair of borrowed pliers to carefully pull GI 06 bullets to cotton stuff the cases for cadet corps war games in high school. Was given a case of ammo for the work. My gunsmithing-welding instructor loaned me his C press and I made 7.7 jap out of it to earn tools, The national guard gave me dozens of cases to practice with and I turned thousands of rounds into Jap ammo. Years later I had a 1500 sq ft basement for my fitz grips and office and a 4 car garage for Saeco and Star inventory and a double car garage with 2 bulletmasters, 2, 5,000 rounds per hr loaders, an automated Star ,11 hand operated Stars, an H and C press, 3 ton smelter and linotype production molds, three barrel tumbler and two cement mixers.I have taught bulletcasting, reloading and survival classes and had a career in law enforcement and weapons instruction.
I am retired and have sold most of my tools off but have some interesting items left and enjoy being a moderator here, a mentor to owners of Star and C-H Auto Champ and other progressive reloaders with my booklet:
"How To Live With And Love Your Your Progressive Reloader" I included with the almost thousand reloaders I sold.
Fitz
Valkman
Member
No, mines pretty stable as I put alot of weight on the bottom shelf. I saw where one guy used 2x6's and lined around the bottom with them - that might help some. I've only loaded pistol rounds, so I don't know if rifle cases are harder to deprime.
Valkman
Member
No, mines pretty stable as I put alot of weight on the bottom shelf. I saw where one guy used 2x6's and lined around the bottom with them - that might help some. I've only loaded pistol rounds, so I don't know if rifle cases are harder to deprime.
P95Carry
Moderator Emeritus
The weight factor with a bench certainly helps quite a lot ...... but the thing I find both necessary - and effective, is the simple expedient of attaching the bench top to the wall behind ..... simply done with two cheapo pressed-steel brackets.
These are used inverted ... two screws thru into wall and just one into bench top does it. Restrains the tendency to tip when using a lot of force on a press.
These are used inverted ... two screws thru into wall and just one into bench top does it. Restrains the tendency to tip when using a lot of force on a press.
Kamicosmos
Member
Yeah, the secret is to have a heavy bench, braced well, and attached to the wall studs.
My reloading areas have been mostly in the corners of various apartment bedrooms.
Now that I have a house, the finished basement is the Computer and Gun room. One side is all the computer equipment, the other side is my safe and reloading bench.
I love being able to roll back and forth between my two hobbies in my chair!
My reloading areas have been mostly in the corners of various apartment bedrooms.
Now that I have a house, the finished basement is the Computer and Gun room. One side is all the computer equipment, the other side is my safe and reloading bench.
I love being able to roll back and forth between my two hobbies in my chair!
Paul "Fitz" Jones
Moderator - Emeritus
Bolting to the studs
Vibratory brass cleaners on benches bolted to the walls can create subliminal vibrations through out the house that can disturb some peoples sleep, especially females. It was when they first came out years ago so leave your cleaner on a concrete floor or on some truck mud flaps pieces is what I read.
I just remembered visiting a competition shooter who had rigged an oil drain pan to feed cases to his Star Reloader and he had it suspended from the ceiling from chains. His wife was a real grouch and she told me even the neighbors complained also. The next time I saw him I brought him an old truck inner tube for pieces to suspend it from. I forgot to mention that he made the pan vibrate by bolting a Singer sewing machine motor to it with an off center weight to be spun by its pulley and he pounded the center of the pan in a little to the case feed tube.
Fitz
Vibratory brass cleaners on benches bolted to the walls can create subliminal vibrations through out the house that can disturb some peoples sleep, especially females. It was when they first came out years ago so leave your cleaner on a concrete floor or on some truck mud flaps pieces is what I read.
I just remembered visiting a competition shooter who had rigged an oil drain pan to feed cases to his Star Reloader and he had it suspended from the ceiling from chains. His wife was a real grouch and she told me even the neighbors complained also. The next time I saw him I brought him an old truck inner tube for pieces to suspend it from. I forgot to mention that he made the pan vibrate by bolting a Singer sewing machine motor to it with an off center weight to be spun by its pulley and he pounded the center of the pan in a little to the case feed tube.
Fitz
laoding area
i built a 12'X20' shop. i have a 20' bench on one side and a 16' bench on the other. on one side i have a couple of dillons, a rcbs single stage, and a rcbs heated bullet sizer (all painted blue).
on the other side, i have my grinder, drill press, table and band saws, and vice.
i have peg board all around to hang stuff to keep it off the bench if not in use.
the shop is heated with butane and/or electricity. i also have A.C.
my shop is about 20 yards from my shooting range which is lighted for 10 yards or shorter ranges. i have a 8'X50'berm with two permanant target stands (32"X48"target backs and standing about 5'-6' tall) and a portable archery target. the range is marked 25, 15,10, 7, and 3 yards with electric fence posts and landscape timbers marking the distances. the 25 yard has a permanant shootong bench and i have a portable bench for closer stuff which doubles as a range table. i have a burn barrel for burning targets (especially the bad ones
).
ya'll come shoot and/or reload with me.
i built a 12'X20' shop. i have a 20' bench on one side and a 16' bench on the other. on one side i have a couple of dillons, a rcbs single stage, and a rcbs heated bullet sizer (all painted blue).
on the other side, i have my grinder, drill press, table and band saws, and vice.
i have peg board all around to hang stuff to keep it off the bench if not in use.
the shop is heated with butane and/or electricity. i also have A.C.
my shop is about 20 yards from my shooting range which is lighted for 10 yards or shorter ranges. i have a 8'X50'berm with two permanant target stands (32"X48"target backs and standing about 5'-6' tall) and a portable archery target. the range is marked 25, 15,10, 7, and 3 yards with electric fence posts and landscape timbers marking the distances. the 25 yard has a permanant shootong bench and i have a portable bench for closer stuff which doubles as a range table. i have a burn barrel for burning targets (especially the bad ones
).ya'll come shoot and/or reload with me.
Michael2
Member
In our last house, we had a 17x24 unfinished office/workshop; however it was still uninsulated (and in North Carolina), so I "temporarily" set up my reloading in a VERY small walk-in closet. I built a bench out of steel, with ¼" plate top surface, legs out of forklift overhead guard material (3/16" wall 2x3 rectangular tubing), and plenty of gusseting. The top surface is only ~20" x 30", but it weighs 130 lbs. I originally set it up with the 30" face bolted to the wall, and a single Dillon SDB (swapped it out with another complete SDB when loading large primer calibers). We ended up moving before I ever got the workshop insulated.
Fast forward to our current house (5 bedrooms plus 2 family rooms and den), and I ended up in another small walk-in closet! It's the "under the stairway" closet, and it was the only place where I could anchor to a wall which did not border one of the bedrooms. At least I have the space to have both SDB's in place (I anchored the 20" face of the bench to the wall). I've figured out (by experimentation) that I can get away with the noise if my wife is already asleep, but it's still too noisy to load if she's just going to bed. Our toddler could care less, as her bedroom is 40' away. I've got a nice set of built-in benches in my workshop behind my garage (unheated), and I may pre-drill for mounting the press in case I ever need to do some late-night reloading (like when I sign up for a 600-round class at the last minute).
Regards,
Michael Pliska
Fast forward to our current house (5 bedrooms plus 2 family rooms and den), and I ended up in another small walk-in closet! It's the "under the stairway" closet, and it was the only place where I could anchor to a wall which did not border one of the bedrooms. At least I have the space to have both SDB's in place (I anchored the 20" face of the bench to the wall). I've figured out (by experimentation) that I can get away with the noise if my wife is already asleep, but it's still too noisy to load if she's just going to bed. Our toddler could care less, as her bedroom is 40' away. I've got a nice set of built-in benches in my workshop behind my garage (unheated), and I may pre-drill for mounting the press in case I ever need to do some late-night reloading (like when I sign up for a 600-round class at the last minute).
Regards,
Michael Pliska
Pappy John
Member
My corner of the basement. God bless this mess........
P95Carry
Moderator Emeritus
Pappy ... ''mess''??? hey .... that is ''order''!!! I could show you mess the way my set up used to be!
(((Now be honest ... you can tell me - know one else is listening .... you tidied up specially to take the shot .. dincha!??? )))
(((Now be honest ... you can tell me - know one else is listening .... you tidied up specially to take the shot .. dincha!???
)))Papakeith
Member
I got bounced out of my 2nd floor room( also known as my daughters room) when she returned home. I now have my shop set up in the basement. If I ever get motivated, maybe I'll upload a pic. Oh yeah, I stole her old computer desk to make my bench.
shu
Member
had never reloaded nor seen it done when i ordered the rcbs master reloading kit 2 yrs ago. built this after looking over the stuff and reading the book. i wanted something reasonably sturdy yet not too permanent as we were between houses at the time.
other than moving the powder measure a few inches left or right to find the best spacing wrt the press, it has worked well. reasonably fast for finishing primed pistol cases: pick up case, drop powder, place bullet, press.
today was the first time i tried it in the field. unfortunately evan a slight breeze is too much for the powder scale (not to mention the problem of leveling).
other than moving the powder measure a few inches left or right to find the best spacing wrt the press, it has worked well. reasonably fast for finishing primed pistol cases: pick up case, drop powder, place bullet, press.
today was the first time i tried it in the field. unfortunately evan a slight breeze is too much for the powder scale (not to mention the problem of leveling).
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