Would you guys mind posting pics of your reloading bench? Trying to get some idea of how much room I need. 
Thanks!
Thanks!
-
Forum Update: We've upgraded the software to improve security, performance, and the overall experience.
👉 Read why we made the change | Support the Forum
Reloading Bench Setup
- Thread starter Kanewpadle
- Start date
Register to hide this ad
Twice as much as you think you do, unless you have huge shelves and cabinets handy, and are religious about putting stuff back as soon as you finish with it. With 2 4-foot benches and 4 presses, the "spare" space on my benches is always getting cluttered with something.
My bench is cluttered...but I do everything there, just have to put one thing away before I start another operation. But I only have one press, a RCBS that I bought in 1970.
My bench is 8 feet long, this is just the left side of it:
Here is the right side, and one of the sets of shelves that I store stuff on... Empty cartridge cases, powder, primers, loading dies, etc.:
There's quite a bit more, but you get the idea. I have always been told never to use clamps to hold my press, lubricator/sizer, powder measure etc., in place, but I have been doing it for 47 years now, and haven't dropped one on my foot yet. It gives me a lot of flexibility.
I'm not sure that you want to copy my setup, though, OSHA would probably be all over me!!
Best Regards, Les
My bench is 8 feet long, this is just the left side of it:
Here is the right side, and one of the sets of shelves that I store stuff on... Empty cartridge cases, powder, primers, loading dies, etc.:
There's quite a bit more, but you get the idea. I have always been told never to use clamps to hold my press, lubricator/sizer, powder measure etc., in place, but I have been doing it for 47 years now, and haven't dropped one on my foot yet. It gives me a lot of flexibility.
I'm not sure that you want to copy my setup, though, OSHA would probably be all over me!!
Best Regards, Les
Last edited:
GypsmJim
Member
- Joined
- Oct 16, 2009
- Messages
- 3,957
- Reaction score
- 6,866
I have a homemade "desk" with a hinged cover that holds my bullets, powder, primers and misc. tools. The attached "drawer" holds my dies. The 2 wooden bases that hold my 4 presses are bolted with wing nuts to the top of my 8' workbench. When not in use they are stored inside the closed "desk".
Attachments
Twoboxer
Member
As said above, you will always need more. While you can operate with smaller, an ideal start may well be a sturdy 72"x30" bench.
The length gives you the ability to deal with a rifle in a vise while a press is mounted. The depth allows 6"-10" shelves above the bench surface to store die boxes, parts cabinets, and tools that are used frequently only an arm's length away. Under the bench is a good place to store bullets and other heavy stuff to help bench stability . . . as well as anything else that will fit.
As/if you grow, you can add another bench configured for whatever, or relatively inexpensive wheeled cabinets for (eg) powder storage. Those cabinets can be modded with a plywood top for re-positionable bench space. Sometimes an L-shaped workspace or another flat surface behind you is helpful.
When more than one press or bench-mounted tool is required, look at Inline Fabrications Quick Mount system. Whatever tool you need can be stored off the end of your bench (or anywhere) and mounted SECURELY in less than a minute.
As you scale down from the above dimensions, you lose some functionality that may be needed . . . or may not. But you can do the WORK of reloading in surprisingly small places using creativity.
Larger benches allow for permanent mounting of multiple tools . . . nice if you have the space, but a lot of actual bench space gets wasted that way.
There's got to be a picture thread on this site . . . I'll go look for it and edit this with a link. Nevermind, I'll just post a picture of mine:
The length gives you the ability to deal with a rifle in a vise while a press is mounted. The depth allows 6"-10" shelves above the bench surface to store die boxes, parts cabinets, and tools that are used frequently only an arm's length away. Under the bench is a good place to store bullets and other heavy stuff to help bench stability . . . as well as anything else that will fit.
As/if you grow, you can add another bench configured for whatever, or relatively inexpensive wheeled cabinets for (eg) powder storage. Those cabinets can be modded with a plywood top for re-positionable bench space. Sometimes an L-shaped workspace or another flat surface behind you is helpful.
When more than one press or bench-mounted tool is required, look at Inline Fabrications Quick Mount system. Whatever tool you need can be stored off the end of your bench (or anywhere) and mounted SECURELY in less than a minute.
As you scale down from the above dimensions, you lose some functionality that may be needed . . . or may not. But you can do the WORK of reloading in surprisingly small places using creativity.
Larger benches allow for permanent mounting of multiple tools . . . nice if you have the space, but a lot of actual bench space gets wasted that way.
There's got to be a picture thread on this site . . . I'll go look for it and edit this with a link. Nevermind, I'll just post a picture of mine:
Last edited:
Hairtrigger
Member
Never enough room
Wee Hooker
Member
My input from an earlier thread on this topic.
http://smith-wessonforum.com/137246764-post123.html
I can honestly say, that years later it doesn't look quite that neat after 10,000 rounds or so of play. Horizontal surfaces in my shop tend to attract clutter.
http://smith-wessonforum.com/137246764-post123.html
I can honestly say, that years later it doesn't look quite that neat after 10,000 rounds or so of play. Horizontal surfaces in my shop tend to attract clutter.
Hillbilly77
Member
- Joined
- Mar 11, 2012
- Messages
- 6,183
- Reaction score
- 18,472
How much room you need? A little more.
I can show you the opposite - how little room you can get away with.
I am currently set up in the basement.
My current loading bench is a heavy duty cart I picked up along the way.
It is approx. 42.5" x 21.5" x 3' tall. I mounted my presses to pieces of 2x6 and I secure them with c-clamps for ease of moving them around, etc.
I keep a plastic tote on top with my caliper, pen, random tools, etc. that I use regularly.
The bottom shelf is handy for storage.
I am in the process of trying to get more organized. I had components, tooling, etc. laying all over the place.
I recently picked up some decent used cabinets on the local Craigslist page. Keep Craigslist in mind for picking up cabinetry, shelving, etc. if you need any.
I am starting to get things straightened around. My goal is to have everything put up in cabinets. Once I get more of them hung up I'll reorganize, but at least for now most everything is up off the floor.
Last edited:
This is my 3rd set up over 30 years and the least elaborate,but it works.
ageingstudent
Member
Well I'm blessed with a 16' by 24' shop. I use a 6'x10' area of the shop for my reloading. 60 square feet is working pretty well for me I guess, I don't feel too crowded if I keep it reasonably picked up. Pics are left, center, and right.
Attachments
Ivan the Butcher
Member
It is NOT about how much space you want, or even about how much space you need. It IS about how much space you have. In the farm house I had about 17 running feet of 30" wide bench in two sections with 2 progressive presses, 2 Rock Crusher presses a Redding T-7 turret press, plus a bullet sizing set-up to be envied!
In the Condo I have 5 feet of 30" bench. I have a single Dillon 550 and a Redding T-7 permanently set up, with removable area for the bullet sizing and Rock Crusher. I also have 8 MEC shotshell presses (3 are progressive).
I make it work because I have no alternative!
I make extensive use if Black & Decker workmates as auxiliary benches. And have a good amount of component storage space in the same room and keep the loaded ammo stockpile in the garage.
Ivan
In the Condo I have 5 feet of 30" bench. I have a single Dillon 550 and a Redding T-7 permanently set up, with removable area for the bullet sizing and Rock Crusher. I also have 8 MEC shotshell presses (3 are progressive).
I make it work because I have no alternative!
I make extensive use if Black & Decker workmates as auxiliary benches. And have a good amount of component storage space in the same room and keep the loaded ammo stockpile in the garage.
Ivan
ageingstudent
Member
Yeah that's good to bring up Ivan, I have a couple workmates that I incorporate from time to time when I have more than a few things going at the same time. They are sturdy, portable, and handy.
OP
I can see that I need more room than I thought. I have space but will need to rearrange a bit.
What's interesting that in every pic you can see character that was built over time.
What's really funny is that my ole man's reloading area looks much the same. An organized mess. He knows were everything is and if you touch something or move it....... Well, you know.
He's actually got two benches. One reloading and the other fly tying.
I think I would like press raised so when I get to it I will buy this mount. What do you think?
Ultramount for the Hornady single stage "Classic" press. – Inline Fabrication
Thanks again all.
What's interesting that in every pic you can see character that was built over time.
What's really funny is that my ole man's reloading area looks much the same. An organized mess. He knows were everything is and if you touch something or move it....... Well, you know.
He's actually got two benches. One reloading and the other fly tying.
I think I would like press raised so when I get to it I will buy this mount. What do you think?
Ultramount for the Hornady single stage "Classic" press. – Inline Fabrication
Thanks again all.
Looks good.I can reload standing far longer than I can sitting anymore.
Twoboxer
Member
First, any of the mounts from Inline Fabrication are high-quality, and work as they should. So it comes down to whether the mount does what you actually want and/or need.. . . I think I would like press raised so when I get to it I will buy this mount. What do you think?
Ultramount for the Hornady single stage "Classic" press. – Inline Fabrication
Thanks again all.
In exchange for it's height, a raised mount puts a permanent obstruction on your bench. Of course, you could mount the Ultramount to a board and clamp the board to your bench to make it moveable when you have the need to reclaim bench space.
So, it's a fine piece of equipment if you want the height. You can also add the QM system to it to allow exchange of tools on the same mount.
Ivan the Butcher
Member
A friend of mine has the same press and mount, we had to adjust the location on the table to fit his style of usage, but it works great now! (I personally can't stand how it is set up, but I'm 4 inches taller and several inches longer in the arm span). It was seriously fatiguing him to do 100 strokes. We moved it in relation to his position and twisted it about 10 degrees to his stance and he can load 100 rounds now, which is about 500 strokes without shoulder or back pain.
Ivan
Ivan
You can get away with a 30"x48" table top if you keep just the basic loading
equipment on it and leave the grinders, vises and other stuff in the garage.
I also have a single shelf at eye level for my scale and a few powders.
I do have shelves on my right and storage on two other walls, though, for more
powder, bullets, my dies and ammo.
Metallic loading takes up little space compared to if you load for shotguns, that take up huge
amounts of space with their big bags of wads, bulky hulls and over size ammo boxes.
Did I mention more dies and presses ?
equipment on it and leave the grinders, vises and other stuff in the garage.
I also have a single shelf at eye level for my scale and a few powders.
I do have shelves on my right and storage on two other walls, though, for more
powder, bullets, my dies and ammo.
Metallic loading takes up little space compared to if you load for shotguns, that take up huge
amounts of space with their big bags of wads, bulky hulls and over size ammo boxes.
Did I mention more dies and presses ?
