Where do you do your reloading?

SW_shooter

SW_shooter

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Hey guys and gals I am going to get into reloading. I'm tired of looking for and not finding calibers I want and then the prices, oh the prices!

I have been researching it online, reading books and online, watching videos and reading the forum here. There is one question I haven't seen discussed yet (yes I did a search but didn't see it as a topic). Where do you do your reloading? I'm curious where you have your setup and why?

I've got three choices and not sure which to use. Oh ya, I live in TX, NO BASEMENT! :D

First is the garage, I could set aside an area to have a work bench and some cabinets and tools. Not real excited about having a security issue since garages are easier to break into and we live in a high crime area. :eek:

Second I could set up in my office in the house. Not real excited about this option as we just re-did the entire room with new wood flooring, new paint, new furniture, old valuable artwork. But it would be the safest place for security. :cool:

Third, we have a room attached to the house but you have to go out onto the covered patio and enter through a separate door to this room. Right now it has a large screen TV and theatre seating. I could setup in a corner. Security is better than the garage. Temp is an issue in that it isn't maintained at a constant temp. We use a window A/C in summer as needed and a space heater in winter as needed (mainly for the dog when its really cold or hot). :o

So tell me where you set up and why.
 
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I have my bench set up in my upstairs office. Quiet, out of the way. Works out real nice. Living in IL so the garage is out due to winter temps. Basement is finished and where the kids hang out, do homework etc.
 
I have my bench set up in my upstairs office. Quiet, out of the way. Works out real nice. In fact, just finished loading a batch of .44 mags :D Living in IL so the garage is out due to winter temps. Basement is finished and where the kids hang out, do homework etc.
 
My Basement! It has a concrete floor and its dry all year round. I built a "workbench" that has a flip up wood top, exposing the presses and shelves to hold bullets, cases, dies, odd tools, etc. Surrounding it are three steel lockers that hold loaded rifle rounds, loaded pistol rounds and powder / primer components. A second workbench is constructed similarly, and it holds all of the casting equipment for making bullets and storing my bulk supplies. All of the lockers and benches are padlocked.

The basement was chosen because its out of the way, clean and dry and has even humidity and temperature all year long. This is my third house I've been loading in and have 44 years of experience with only one single bad round loaded in all those years.

The rooms in my house are for living space and I wouldn't want to "mess them up" by turning them into a work area. The only things in my garage have wheels on them, i.e., 3 cars and a boat, and the walls are decorated with pictures and art. Wouldn't want to mess up the garage either. Besides, its too cold in the Winter and too hot in the Summer to work out there.
 
There was a room in the house we never bothered refinishing, because we had no real use for it. Then I got into reloading, and it became The Bullet Lab.



bench001.jpg
 
All of those options sound better than my current setup, I'm a student and have three roommates in a house downtown with no garage or real work space. So I reload on the same table in my bedroom with my desktop computer that I use for my research and school work. I keep all of the supplies either in the closet or on the built-in bookshelf in my room, powders go on the shelf with computer science books, bullets on the shelf with biochemistry and I get them out when it's reload time. I do a relatively small volume of reloading so it works for me and I like the fact that I really only have room for one powder, bullet, brass combo to be out at a time, cuts down on the risk for a mistake and I like my guns not blowing up.

If you are new and don't think you will be doing a high volume of reloading any time soon and you are reloading pistol only (excluding larger calibers 44 is the upper limit for the handpress), I highly recommend getting a lee handpress and working in the garage. It's portable so you can put it along with some reloading supplies in a big box and take it inside if security is an issue.
 
Any place where you can have a STRONG, HEAVY bench. You "can" get away with reloading on a flimsy table. But like doing anything with tools, and ESPECIALLY anything with precision measuring involved, it works immensely better on a strong bench.

Heavy bench, lots of storage, temperature controlled, good lighting...those are my criteria.

Mine is in a spare bedroom.


Sgt Lumpy
 
Right now, in the garage. Bad option but it is what it is in this house. Our previous house we had a spare bedroom upstairs that I used for all kinds of stuff including reloading. I found an old built in counter (like a section of old time hardware store counter) that I bought for nearly nothing that was super heavy duty and the perfect height. I drilled the top for the press, kept my components in the shelves and it was right against a wall with windows in front of me and to my right, excellent natural light. Someday I will get my press and stuff inside, for now I carry the primers and powder out to the garage and back when I load to keep the temperature and humidity stable.
 
Go for quiet, out of the way and comfortable. All three are important. It is possible to reload using a portable setup - meaning it can be stored and brought out when needed. Not the most desirable but definitely usable. Just remember, all three are necessary for you to produce reliable ammo.
 
jmmitc06 said:
All of those options sound better than my current setup, I'm a student and have three roommates in a house downtown with no garage or real work space. So I reload on the same table in my bedroom with my desktop computer that I use for my research and school work. I keep all of the supplies either in the closet or on the built-in bookshelf in my room, powders go on the shelf with computer science books, bullets on the shelf with biochemistry and I get them out when it's reload time. I do a relatively small volume of reloading so it works for me and I like the fact that I really only have room for one powder, bullet, brass combo to be out at a time, cuts down on the risk for a mistake and I like my guns not blowing up.
Click to expand...

Been there, done that, except 40 years ago they didn't have computers so I c-clamped the press to the dinner table.

Today I have a 8x12 room on the second floor dedicated to reloading.
 
SW Shooter, as a fellow Texan, I can tell you that setting up anywhere in this state that is not climate controlled is asking for problems. Your equipment will rust if it is not climate controlled...

Now, as for where I load; well, it isn't the same for me as most of you, as I have lived alone now for 14 years, so I can load pretty well wherever I wish. But I have a spare bedroom in my townhouse where everything but the tumbler resides. The tumbling happens in the garage...
 
My reloading stations are in the garage....but its attached to my house and man cave area so it gets heat....and its quiet and can lock the doors....lol
 
be8y6e2u.jpg
built a room off the man cave in the shed just for this.
 
I have a 36x36 auto shop out back with a 6x8 "office" space in one corner. The exterior door and the door into the main shop are opposite each other at one end of this office space. The remainder of the outside wall has a 6' long countertop with a window above it. There is a 6' shelf on the inner wall opposite the bench, and a couple of shelves across the short the end wall farthest from the door. I've got a nice tall swivel stool in there and a space heater. Its a little "cozy" but all the shelving gives me extra storage for tools and supplies to make it workable. I'm putting a locking two-door cabinet under the shelves on the short wall to give me a place to keep the valuable power and ammo under lock & key.
 
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My man cave, which is the converted upstairs gameroom to a home office.
 
Not having a spare room for a dedicated reloading bench I have mounted all of my tools on boards. Pic shows storage in the storage area leading to my attic. When I want to reload I C clamp whatever I am using to the kitchen table. No damage and rock solid. While somewhat a pain to take out and set up, it allows discreet storage and takes up no space while not in use.

 
RE-LOAD LAB

Often you have to make do with what you have. I've done it from the tailgate of a pick up, kitchen tables in small apartments, a basement boiler room, a few garages & finally an indoor mancave. For me the biggie is a comfortable climate control & low humidity room with good lighting, and a solid correct height workbench. After building several benches that you kind of have to leave behind if you move or decide to change rooms, I can't say enough good things about the craftsman galvanized workbench with 8 drawers. It's app the same cost as buying lumber/hardware & the time to build it. Connect it to wall studs, or anchor it to the floor & it is rock steady, just about everything will fit in the drawers or on top, the drawers hold an amazing amount of wt (the bullet drawer), it doesn't take up more room than a desk, and it's easy to move to a different place. MY SUGESTION.
 
Bullet casting stuff, gun cleaning, brass cleaning, in the garage
Reloading in the above ground (yep) finished basement.

Reloading tools and equipment are prone to rusting.
They need to be kept in a stable environment.
IMO quiet is good, no distractions, no TV, no radio, no nothing.
 
In a spare bedroom that has been converted to a reloading room/gun vault. All of my bullet casting is done out in the 16x32 ft. Morgan building.
 
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