Reloading Bench

Got the second bench put together saturday using part of the old workbench from my shop. I needed a place to mount my reloading press and supplies, should work well.

What is a reloading press?

Looks like it will work well. I used to reload shotgun shells years ago when I was really into trap and skeet. I had a MEC I think.

Looks like you're set, Darren. I've not done any reloading for 20 or so years, and then it was using a buddy's gear. Someday though, I hope to get set up to do it myself.

Mohammad Madha said:

What is a reloading press?

Click to expand...

It's a device for making your own handgun, rifle, or shotgun ammunition. It, and all the additional parts and accessories, can be a whole other vortex...

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Reloading_%28firearm_cartridges%29

I've been tempted to get into reloading many times, but have successfully stopped my self from getting into it several times!

Mohammad Madha said:

What is a reloading press?

Click to expand...

It is the tool used for reloading ammunition. It is a hobby in itself among those who do a lot of shooting. Your loads can be customized and it is a lot more economical than buying new ammunition.

Nice bench. You will want shelves in back for supplies and powder. And, I'll bet, you will add some weight to it before long.

Good looking bench... I have a friend that reloads... his table is about 4 x 8 and has several presses... matter of fact, he reloads enough that the weights on his lathe is boxes and boxes of bullets... he and his wife are both ex-law enforcement so more into firearms than me.

Thanks all.

I put a couple of screws through the back into the wall to keep it in place. Have some shelving to put up too, just haven't got to it yet.

Franks right, more economical to reload, at least for my rifle shells, which is the reason I got into it. What I saved by loading just 1000 rounds of .223 pretty much paid for the cost of the equipment, so it's not that expensive for a beginner setup. I've got a progressive press, which will de-prime, size, prime, load powder, press and crimp the bullet in about 5 steps and could load sever hundred rounds per hour. I don't use it that way though, I usually do most steps one at a time instead, I find it safer that way.

My pistol ammo is still cheap enough that I buy it, but have the plates and dies when/if that changes, just save my casings for now.

Back in the 60s my friend Glen and I did a lot of shooting. We’d go to the high desert on the week-end, shoot a 1000 or so rounds, reload the brass during the week then go back to the desert the next week-end. We used ww2 surplus ammo to get the brass because it was cheap then. We found the most expensive part was the bullet. So we cast our own using wheel weights we scrounged from local gas stations (service stations in those days). My reloading equipment is now some boxes in the corner of my shop. However, one piece of that equipment did move into my woodworking. I have an electric lead pot with a bottom drop. (Molten lead has dross on the top, but it’s clean on the bottom). In the past I’ve turned candle sticks, routed a hollow in the bottom with a dove tail bit, and used the pot to fill the hollow with lead. The weight made them very stable