Tips and Tricks!

[shovelwrench]

What does anyone use to store your Lee turrets with dies in?

There is a company that makes some very nice metal trays just to hold Lee turrets...

LEED Engineering, LLC. - ATV Hitch Page

 

[Paul5388]

Lee dies used to come in a round container that the bottom could be turned upside down to hold a turret and dies. The top would still fit over the whole thing to keep the dust and dirt out.

 

[pacific keeper]

Zip lock bags , postits , and canned air !

 

[dickttx]

What does anyone use to store your Lee turrets with dies in?

Can you answer your own question?
Folgers coffee cans, of course.
Less than a year later and I am SO much smarter!
Small cans--turret with dies, shellholder, etc.
Large cans--Pro Auto Disk powder measures.
Crochet hoops to corral brass and bullets while loading.

 

[semperfi71]

An excellent, and cheap reloading bench is a solid core wood door. They can be found cheap at construction material surplus outlets. I might have paid $30.00 for mine. It's oak.

You must pre-drill any holes in it to mount anything. It's usually already "finished" in a hard lacquer/oil finish. And you can cut it to size easily enough with a mechanical saw. Or a handsaw if you want to build up your arm muscles!

I have two of them. One is my reloading bench and another is my standard tool bench in my "Doghouse" (workshop).

 

[Rule3]

What does anyone use to store your Lee turrets with dies in?

I use recycled 1 qt Chinese Soup containers. If you do not want to eat that much soup they will sell them for $.50-1.00

One file cabinet of many.

 

[Skip Sackett]

I use recycled 1 qt Chinese Soup containers. If you do not want to eat that much soup they will sell them for $.50-1.00

One file cabinet of many.

You are so OCD!

 

[Rule3]

Na, that's only when I attach the Seal A Meal Vacuum to the containers and suck all the air out.

They are out in the humid garage. Keeps them rust free.

I don't drink Folgers but those empty containers are even better. Color Coordinated.

 

[Pocketfisherman]

Hornady "One Shot" lube is great for lubing presses, shell plates, primer feeds AND cases. It dries fast, leaves no residue, and won't attract spilled powder or dirt.

 

[Maximumbob54]

Hornady "One Shot" lube is great for lubing presses, shell plates, primer feeds AND cases. It dries fast, leaves no residue, and won't attract spilled powder or dirt.

The One Shot cleaner with dry film lube is pretty awesome too. It knocked the packing oil right off everything in my new LNL AP and I bet it would be pretty darn good on the insides of a revolver since it won't gather dust or grit. I might try it next time I open one up. They are both sold in way too small of a can. I need one in a quart sized can!!!

 

[Southampton]

"T" block for press mounting

I personally like the Lee Bench Plate (Cat# 90251) concept.
Could be mounted on a stand, vice block, etc.

 

[Maximumbob54]

I personally like the Lee Bench Plate (Cat# 90251) concept.
Could be mounted on a stand, vice block, etc.

Patmarlins ROCKDock is superior in every way. Check it out:

Patmarlins- Specialty Products for Casting and Reloading

I'm going to be buying one with several plates.

 

[Dftplan]

Drawer liner

I put a sheet of drawer liner on my reloading bench...the rubbery perforated kind you can get at Wallyworld or anywhere else. Keeps bullets and brass from rolling off, provides padding for guns, and powder when you spill a bit (which I usually do) trickles through to the bench where I can clean it up later.

 

[novalty]

Not really a reloading tip or trick, but if anyone is thinking of buying an RCBS product, check out their webpage, and call for factory "seconds." I purchased my Automatic Bench primer from them, and had it shipped for cheaper than I could find anywhere else. Factory "seconds" are still covered by their warranty. The one I purchased looked brand new. Have heard they will sell items they used as demo's at shows as "seconds."

 

[Rule3]

I put a sheet of drawer liner on my reloading bench...the rubbery perforated kind you can get at Wallyworld or anywhere else. Keeps bullets and brass from rolling off, provides padding for guns, and powder when you spill a bit (which I usually do) trickles through to the bench where I can clean it up later.

I use it also.

 

[lazy]

I like to keep a white back ground behind my reloading set-up, it will highlight split cases, and the shapes of object. If some thing is not right, it will stand out.

I use a single stage set up so I always have brass at different stages, so I always keep a pen, and note pad. I will just write my self a note on what I was doing, and place it in the container so when come back Ill know where I left off at.

 

[Steve in Vermont]

I like to keep a white back ground behind my reloading set-up, it will highlight split cases, and the shapes of object. If some thing is not right, it will stand out.

I use a single stage set up so I always have brass at different stages, so I always keep a pen, and note pad. I will just write my self a note on what I was doing, and place it in the container so when come back Ill know where I left off at.

And I thought I was the only person who did this. I use Post-It and stick it to the sides.

 

[TheTinMan]

Rem DriLube is great for a little lubrication inside dies with zero residue and no stickiness to pick up dirt.

Hopefully the following pics give somebody a good idea or two.

I used old kitchen cabinets as the base for my workbench. Not pretty, but pretty darn solid... and cheap.

Since I use the bench for other things, I've built two removable boxes - one for my single-stage press plus trimmer and/or bench priming tool.

I stand up while reloading BTW.

Those cat food bowls are weighted at the bottom to keep critters from tipping them over. Keep me from doing the same

The other box is for my turret press, used for expander/seater/crimp with handgun cartridges:

Here's a pic showing both presses right after I've sized & primed a batch of cases which are now waiting for powder:

 

[m657]

couple 650 Dillon tricks:

1) I used a variation of Vonfatman's spent primer tube-into-large container....no more errant primers everywhere *THANKS Bob!!!

2) I abandoned the 'printed label/masking tape' for powder ID...went to "NON permanent marker pen directly ON the powder measure with ~sometimes~ min&max charges, OAL, fps if I want it, etc. Comes off easily with many liquid cleaners on a paper towel with no trouble;

3) the hassle of changing PRIMER SIZES. After many years of dreading this (and losing the really GOOD little tool idea for removing the primer punch...what WAS that anyway?~~~I have changed my reloading schedule into only needing to do this once or twice a year!!!

How? You ask? Recognize there's only 2 primer sizes: I load everything I have in "large primer" before changing punch sizes. Then I load everything I have in the other punch size. This means that maybe once (or twice) a year I need to switch. No problem, as this is ideal time for press cleaning & maintenance anyway.

 

[Pantexan]

I use a quart size freezer bag with a zip lock seal. This holds the Lee turret with 3 or 4 dies, the shell holder, and the case gauge.
I place an index card in the bag indicating the caliber and contents. Three of these bags will fit in a plastic coffee can for storage. I use packing foam between the bags for cushioning.
Place a piece of light colored tape on the coffee can lid indicting what is inside.