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Reloading in a compact space: my setup


MemphisMechanic

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I haven’t seen anyone do this before. So. Here’s how I fit all of my reloading gear into the guest room closet:

 

I have been loading in the garage on a spacious workbench for ten years. I do a lot of welding and fab work so grinding dust and clutter and the humidity of a southern climate have always been concerns.

 

I decided to move my 650 / bulletfeeder / all the upgrades setup into the house. I built a very solid but ultra light and compact frame from 1” square tubing and a leftover section of angle iron. Two solidly braced legs and two 3” screws lagging it into the wall studs.

 

Ford blue engine paint matches the Dillon halfway decently (it’s a shade darker) and a red oak stairway plank from Home Depot got coated in polyurethane as the tabletop. My old bench was six legs made with 4x4 lumber and long drywall screws and is not nearly as solid as this.

 

Nothing flinches if you hang off the handle anymore: the old bench had some flex I didn’t notice until now.

 

Additionally I screwed a power strip to the wall next to the door that powers up my lighting and everything else with one flick. Added cheap compact shelving from HD that suited my space.

 

Added wall storage for grip trainers and my USPSA belt rigs. A 24” LED light provides a shocking amount of light in such a small, reflective space.

 

Table is 20” x 18” and the top is 36” from the floor. I’d prefer it to be 2” higher for my 6 foot tall height... but this gives me six inches between the top of the ceiling and the casefeeder.

 

I leave it permanently full now: I can walk in and just resume pulling the handle at any time. I’m trying to load ~50 rounds a day, which is 3-5 minutes of work work with the bulletfeeder added... so I’m never in need of ammo before a match.

 

Ford Blue engine paint from Autozone:

9DF9A17C-C3F7-4EF5-BAA4-7AEB1FCE5770.jpeg

 

Welded up and primed painted:

7B3BF928-7691-4B73-B1B3-65F57FF63240.jpeg

 

Lagged into two wall studs:

ED204003-F582-4FB0-B082-7BDAA8EE889E.jpeg

 

Table top installed, no organization on the shelves:

76D2AFD8-B136-4934-AB3C-B93A5E22618F.jpeg

 

Press freshly bolted down. Cords and unorganized mess:

E0E3109B-1B5C-4C0A-B19F-40050F465B38.jpeg

 

Cabled all the cords together neatly, starting to figure out where I want to store things:

2B7370AD-E22C-4491-871E-0D61866F4369.jpeg

 

Finished. Aerosols and such on the door. Belts hung on the wall. A cleaner cardboard box to store tumbled brass on the floor, and the primer catcher kit bolted on to route spent primers into my trash bucket under the bench:

76E4751F-5C01-48BE-9B99-DB0CF75818BA.jpeg

Edited by MemphisMechanic
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This looks great.  Efficient use of a small space.  I found a spray paint at Home Depot called rustoleum 2X oasis blue that is very close to identical to Dillon blue.   I painted the all the bullet containers, trays, and even the tools I set aside exclusively for the Dillon.

My work bench is made from 2X6’s and 25 years old and in the garage which is not climate controlled so I envy your setup.    

Edited by Rustygun
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  • 2 weeks later...

Very cool!  I like it for the small amount of space it takes up.  I just wish I even had that small amount of space to use!  Uggghhh!  :-/  So, I envy you just for even that much space, but looks pretty darn cool and rock solid.  :) 

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On 11/27/2017 at 12:11 PM, mattmann said:

I also live in Memphis and have a work top in my garage. I have a buddy (gunsmith) coming to help me set up my very basic reloading setup this week. What problems were you having with humidity?

 

When I often go a full month between loading sessions, I wouldn’t leave the press full of primers and exposed cases filled with powder. I’d clear the machine out between loading sessions.

 

(That’s what most people always do.)

 

Now? I can load 10 or 15 minutes a day without dressing for the winter or summer weather, and simply leave the machine ready to resume pulling the handle: I leave it perpetually set up and full, and simply walk away

 

It still feels weird. But this is super convenient.

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  • 5 weeks later...

Ahh, this was the thread I was looking for.  

 

I just got the ok to use the kids old playroom (bedroom) closets.  One for a press and the other closet for a build/clean/tinker bench.  

 

 

Going to start building this weekend. 

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