Show us your reloading setup!

[Jellybean]

Whelenshooter, I have to admit that the picture I posted is not mine. I had seen this on some other forum a while back and saved it. I simply posted it to see what reaction it might get. Sorry I can't answer your question cause my set up is on a much smaller scale than in the photo.

Cush, I remember that photo, if you wanted to get a reaction you should have posted the other photos that were originally posted with it.

I know my wife is behind this thread, she keeps trying to shame me to clean my room up, but there's just too much stuff in there.

 

[R Cubed]

Do you have any idea who does own that setup? I bet he would be an interesting person to talk to! Where did you find the photo?

I had seen that picture before too but do not know who owns it - then it also had a picture looking out 3x3 foot opening in that back wall (at bench tabled height) showing a 600yard or so range on the owners property.
It said the place was in Wyo or the Dakotas - Out a my league...

And, look carefully at my setup - you will see a 12" round 8mm film can lid under the powder measure I use to catch any spillage of powder. I want to make something to go under the scale and trickler (out of static free plastic) to catch spillage there too.

 

[deanpf]

My humble setup

I'm just getting into loading and here's what I have so far:

 

[lougotzzz]

FYI... If you're loading indoors I would be careful with powder dust getting all over the place if you're not careful.

You don't want to end up like a friend of long ago, with a torch-room. I knew someone who made me very nervous whenever I visited him. He had let powder dust collect all over the place.

He eventually cleaned it up after I explained how his room could catch fire from a single spark. He would sit there and crank out thousands of rounds, for personal use...

Can you please explain this. How does powder dust form? Is it from massive amounts of reloading? I try to clean my bench with water once in a while. I have never seen powder dust. maybe I dont know what it looks like.

 

[blastfact]

Here's my setup, nothing fancy...

I like that setup! And in the hands of a reloader that cares. I know it could produce some great ammo.

I like it!!!!! Good Job!

 

[whelenshooter]

Come on guys; I want to see more people's reloading set-ups!

 

[Swab Jockey]

Loading Room

Here is an old picture of my loading area. If nothing else it has gotten messier since this was taken several years ago. Every time I try to clean the area up I just end up moving everything around so that I can't find anyting anymore!

 

[whelenshooter]

Swab Jockey,
What do you think of your Bonanza/Forster co-ax press? I've never used one, but a friend of mine thinks they are the Rolls Royce of reloading presses. What is so great about them?

 

[Cary]

Can you please explain this. How does powder dust form? Is it from massive amounts of reloading? I try to clean my bench with water once in a while. I have never seen powder dust. maybe I dont know what it looks like.

When I reload I usually end up with a small amount of powder in my reloading area even though I am very careful as I work. I expect that is not unusual for most reloaders. I clean up after each session so it doesn't accumulate. I'm one of those guys that dislike clutter in my work area. Keeping my work area clean and organized helps my mind function the same way I think. Some people do not function this way and their work area is in constant disarray and clean up is something they seldom if ever do. The small or larger spills of powder accumulate over time on the bench and floor area. I suspect this is what was refereed to by the poster.
Cary

 

[Swab Jockey]

Bonanza/Forster Co-Ax Press

Whelenshooter,
Your friend is right, as far as I am concerned. I have had it for over twenty years and I have been through several single stage presses and none have come close to the Co-Ax for accuracy, speed of changing dies, and the slow but accurate primer seating.
I do all of my precision rifle loading on this press.

 

[Ursoboostd]

I just started reloading less than a yr ago. here is my man cave. -Wade-

and here is the other half of it.

 

[whelenshooter]

What caliber are your guitars? I could never figure out how to load the darned things!

For only being into reloading for a year and a half, you have a nice setup! For my first ten years of reloading I loaded while sitting on the floor with an original Lee Loader and an O'Haus 505 scale. I started reloading at ten years old, however, first loading shotgun shells. I did sometimes use my dad's bench for loading shotgun shells on his presses, but my dad didn't load for rifle and handgun. I learned that myself using original Lee Loaders (I think they only cost $6.00 at the time) reloading for my Dad's Winchester Model 43 in .218 Bee, then later my own Remington 788 in .308. I started my dad reloading metallic cartridges. While at college I went from the Lee Loader to an RCBS Rockchucker. (Part of the reason I picked the University of Idaho for my last two years of college was because we could keep our guns in the dorms at the U of I. All of the "Gun Heads", as we were called, C-clamped our presses to our desks and loaded ammunition during the week to shoot on weekends.) After I graduated from college I bought my dad an RCBS Junior press so he could reload for his 30-30 and .222 (by that time he had sold his 218 Bee). A year or two after college my buddy and I built part of the bench I have now. It is made of 2"x4"s, 2"x6"s, 2"x8"s, 2"x10"s, 4"x4"s, 1"x4"s, and 1"x12s. I was moving a lot at the time, so it is made in subunits that can be unbolted from each other easily, so I could move it from place to place when my residence changed. It is ugly and heavy, but hell for stout! This original part of my bench has been the source for many neat memories! (Matches won and lost, critters shot at and hit or missed, plinking I've done with friends, and stories told while loading on it!)

A couple of years ago the place where my wife works was going to throw out a large computer printer table. We snagged it and I added a thick plywood top to reinforce it, and added some boards to the base to raise the height. This sits next to my other bench coming off like the base of the letter "L" (except upside down and on its side). It too is hell for stout! Both benches were stained and given a couple of coats of polyurethane finish. Both benches have a shelf underneath for storing stuff. They aren't much to look at, but they were affordable and have been the source of a lot of fun!

 

[EMT Edu]

I like that setup! And in the hands of a reloader that cares. I know it could produce some great ammo.

I like it!!!!! Good Job!

Thanks for the nice comments. I do some woodworking also so a little combination of the two.

 

[lougotzzz]

When I reload I usually end up with a small amount of powder in my reloading area even though I am very careful as I work. I expect that is not unusual for most reloaders. I clean up after each session so it doesn't accumulate. I'm one of those guys that dislike clutter in my work area. Keeping my work area clean and organized helps my mind function the same way I think. Some people do not function this way and their work area is in constant disarray and clean up is something they seldom if ever do. The small or larger spills of powder accumulate over time on the bench and floor area. I suspect this is what was refereed to by the poster.
Cary

I thought that is what he ment but when he said dust I couldnt understand. I think granuals when i think powder. I clean up every time I am finished. My work station is as neat as a pin. I clean my bench with windex every so often. You can eat off my bench. My bench is formica.
I was very lucky. A customer was getting rid of 2 custom made formica desks from he 2 daughtes rooms. They were getting new furnature. She asked me if I wanted them and I said yes. They were about6 feet long so I put them together in a "L" shape and made a nice set up. They also came with built in shelves and a backer. I was very lucky. I got all of it for free.

 

[socal s&w]

Yeah, I know, it's not metallic........it's shotgun, but trust me, my metallic hooks up to the bench as well. I just don't have any pix of the metallic yet. I will post when I do!

 

[H Richard]

When we built our condo, I got to design just how I wanted to finish my basement. (Wife had the upstairs). Needless to say, first thing was my gun/loading room. Room is 21' X 11', with a 4'X7' concrete vault in one corner. Built "U" shaped work bench around 3 sides of the room. Dedicated one side to cleaning / repair (and also do my Fly tying there).
One side to load development with my single stage turret press, and last side to production, with my Dillon 550 and Mec 9000. I put in lots of good lighting, and did carpet it.
Cleaning/repair section.

Load development section

Production section

 

[whelenshooter]

HRichard,
You have a VERY nice setup! I'm jealous!

 

[jimbo-indy]

Here's mine. The table in the middle is now covered in stainless like the others. When you're in the sheet metal business, what else is there. Room is in the basement where it's nearly constant temp year round. Lots of room to walk around, and plenty of shelving for storage. The taller loading bench is nice for standing or stool. Frams is 2" square X 1/4" wall steel tube, fully welded and lagged into the block wall behind. I 've had too many benches that would wiggle.

 

[jimbo-indy]

Table in middle is now covered in stainless like the others.

 

[whelenshooter]

NICE setup, jimbo-indy! Not enough clutter for me to be comfortable working in it, however. I should come over and load some stuff at your place. I could have it a nice comfortable mess in no time!

I don't know what it is about me. I can't keep an area that clean no matter how hard I try. When I have a messy desk, reloading area, bedroom, garage, or anything, when I look at the area and try to figure out how to clean it up, I can't figure out where to put things. I really think I have some kind of a mental block. I think I need a house that is 15/16ths cupboards and closets to put stuff in.