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Q/A: Reloading in a unfinished attic


Malarkey

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I'll be moving into a new house in a couple months. My reloading space is going to be going from a space in a finished utility room in my current apartment to an unfinished 3rd floor/attic kind of space in the new house. The goal is to eventually finish the 3rd floor attic but until then the reloading process will need to happen in that area. Is there anything that I should watch out for in a unfinished area? Humidity/temperature influences etc?

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If the attic is outside the house's thermal envelope it will be hot in the summer and cold in the winter. It is not comparable to a garage or basement.

My attic hits 130+ in the summer (I'm in New England) and ambient outdoor temps in the winter. You can't just open a window and get some breeze either.

I definitely would not store reloading components in an attic long term.

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Based on insulation between joists you definitely are outside the thermal envelope. It will likely be stifling in summer - less so if you have Windows on the other end and can get some cross ventilation.

When you finish it I'd do what they call a hot roof, spray foam insulation applied to the underside of the roof deck to bring the attic within the thermal envelope. Spray foam insulation is a job for pros and a bit pricey, but worth it.

Nice space !

Edited by peterthefish
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I reload in an outdoor 12' x 24' uninsulated metal and wood shed in north central Florida. Summer time temps inside the shed probably reach upwards of 120 or more, winter time temps are ambient outside temp. Press and powder have been in the shed for 8+ years, never empty the powder hopper, never had any squibs or anything else for that matter. Primers stay inside the house though, and powder is stored in it's original container in the shed.

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You make fewer mistakes when you are comfortable. I would definitely build an insulated section in that attic, and with a window AC as well. Those modern units actually work as heat pumps in winter too.

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You make fewer mistakes when you are comfortable. I would definitely build an insulated section in that attic, and with a window AC as well. Those modern units actually work as heat pumps in winter too.

Looks like the sellers started to finish the upstars, they ran HVAC to the area and put in that 2x4 wall on the right. I will probably try and just finish it.

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You make fewer mistakes when you are comfortable. I would definitely build an insulated section in that attic, and with a window AC as well. Those modern units actually work as heat pumps in winter too.

Looks like the sellers started to finish the upstars, they ran HVAC to the area and put in that 2x4 wall on the right. I will probably try and just finish it.

I would definitely do that, even if not the whole space, which seems quite large - what are the dimensions? How high is the ceiling there?

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I load in an unfinished basement and had problems with humidity causing surface rust on my dies. A dehumidifier solved the problem. Like others said, I would not store powder and primers in an unfinished attic because of the temperature fluctuations

Sent from my SAMSUNG-SM-G900A using Tapatalk

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  • 4 weeks later...

There are stars that go up there. It could easily be made into a third floor living space. There are also windows on either side. I think I could probably get a good cross breeze through there.

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I don't like to change my air filters in my attic during the summer and come back inside the AC soaking after I change them. I would rather reload sitting outside even if I had no shade, than in there.

Edited by jmorris
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That attic is awesome looking. Just saying you could potentially turn that into the ultimate man cave HVAC would be necessary for a man cave though;-). Go for it. If it doesn't kill you it only makes you stronger, and I doubt it will kill you to load up there.

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Reloading is supposed to be an extension of the sport. If you ain't having fun, you need to rethink things.

Ehhh I don't know, for me reloading is just the necessary evil to create more gun food. I wouldn't call reloading "fun", personally. Not un-fun necessarily, but it isn't something that I actively enjoy.
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Reloading is supposed to be an extension of the sport. If you ain't having fun, you need to rethink things.

Ehhh I don't know, for me reloading is just the necessary evil to create more gun food. I wouldn't call reloading "fun", personally. Not un-fun necessarily, but it isn't something that I actively enjoy.
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I look forward to going downstairs, to reload, I just love doing that. So I reload more than I possibly need, and I try different things, machines, tools, etc. I reload for pleasure.

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