Reloading Benches

[Tom Freeman]

I have been told that my reloading room has all the character of a morgue.  No playboy calendars, no wild game mounts, ect.  So I added in some artsy fartsy stuff in.

 

Right between my Dillon 1100 and 550/Prometheus. 

 

Edited July 16, 2022 by Tom Freeman

[mmc45414]

Here is my current setup.

One thing I have done is make the benchtop out of 2x8 or 2x6 (or actually whatever you might have).  This is sturdy, but most importantly if you need to drill or cut or modify for something you are only hacking away at one short piece of board that can be easily swapped out.  In my case the PW800 has a large hole behind it (where the loaded shells drop down through the PVC pipe), and it has been moved latterly twice, and to the rear once (there is a big hole under it), if I had a one piece top it would look like Swiss cheese by now.  Also I just bolted the back support to the wall, very stable.  

 

This also kinda represents the Story Of My Life, Rockchucker (1973) to RL1100 (2022). 

 

 

Edited December 9, 2022 by mmc45414

[SnipTheDog]

@mmc45414 You have an interesting hopper on your bullet feeder for your 1100.  Can you provide any additional information?

[mmc45414]

23 hours ago, SnipTheDog said:

@mmc45414 You have an interesting hopper on your bullet feeder for your 1100.  Can you provide any additional information?

When I moved the MBF from the 650 to the 1100 one problem I had was the bullet feeder not actuating because there was not enough slack in the spring the bullets feed through. They know this is a common problem with presses that articulate down, stretching the spring when the feeder needs to actuate (the make a collar with springs to address this). I was going to order a new, longer spring (I had used it on my 650 and it had needed to be shortened), but I had a moment of clarity and realized I could hang it from the joists instead of the case feed bowl, and position it perfectly with the spring I had (I actually had to trim it shorter). This saved several hundred dollars because I had a pretty full shopping cart on Double Alpha before I had my epiphany!

 

 

Edited December 10, 2022 by mmc45414

[Boomstick303]

On 7/16/2022 at 4:57 PM, Tom Freeman said:

Right between my Dillon 1100 and 550/Prometheus. 

 

Perfect!!

[Jschreiber]

My experience has been to build your own.

[X5SigChris]

Question for the pros here. I’d say almost everyone has a nice wooden bench for their reloader. What’s your thoughts on a sturdy tool box? Something like a Milwaukee with wooden topper? Not a cheaper wobbly one. 
 

yes the cost would be 5-10 time more than a wood bench but I’m thinking more for the kiddos. I’d like to be able to lock up some of the more expensive or hazardous items if possible. 
 

I was thinking I could place a few 4x4s and shims under it, between the wheels to take up any slack the casters may have to make it sturdier. If it makes any difference, the press is a 550. Any input would be great. Thank you. 

[rishii]

For a 550 it should be fine, I’d worry about it rolling if the wheels aren’t locked and it rocking back and forth and maybe falling on you.  If you put a bunch of heavy stuff, you know like bullets in the bottom cabinet it should help

[X5SigChris]

4 hours ago, rishii said:

bullets in the bottom

That’s a good point. I even considered removing the wheels all together.  

[mmc45414]

18 hours ago, X5SigChris said:

I was thinking I could place a few 4x4s and shims under it, between the wheels to take up any slack the casters may have to make it sturdier. If it makes any difference, the press is a 550. Any input would be great. Thank you. 

 

If you can even screw just one or two screws or lag bolts into a wall it would make a huge difference. 

[X5SigChris]

5 hours ago, mmc45414 said:

 

If you can even screw just one or two screws or lag bolts into a wall it would make a huge difference. 

I wonder if I could bolt some angle iron to the back side of it and another to the wall. That way i could drill a few holes and use some pins to hold it in place. That way it can be easily rolled out. 

[Zachjet]

Nothing fancy.  My first setup 

I took and old bench from my shop and glued down a plastic sheet, the stuff used on commercial bathroom walls.. it’s textured on one side, smooth on the other 

[99mpower]

[99mpower]

couple different ones

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

[dannyd]

The cabinet