SmallCaliberCentral

G'day, everyone out there in 204 land!

Was planning on renovating/expanding my gun/reloading room! As it is cramped, cluttered and unorganised.

So was after some advice, pics of how your setup works for you, how u organize your stuff(shelving, boxes, containers), do you have different benches for different reasons (ie. cleaning, preping brass, loading ect.)

All the help i can get on this would be muchly appreciated as it is some thing i would like to get right the first time! Cos time and $$$ will be tight!
I would love pics!!!!

Thanks for your help in advance.

Boomer

Hey Boomer, my setup is very prmitive (I'll post a pic when I get home), but works and I'm content with the accuracy (I can count on 1-2" 5-shot groups @ 300y with factory guns, always off a bipod) . After all these years of reading, tinkering, and doing things wrong, here's what I've ended up with (I load .223, .204 and 6.5x55):

1) Ancient RCBS JR press
2) Lee or RCBS shellholder
3) RCBS trickler, powder measure (basic model), funnels and 10-10 scale
4) Lee neck sizers (bought as set..)
5) Wilson seating dies
6) Lee case trimmer (MAN I LOVE THOSE!!) for .223 and 6.5
7) Wilson (CH 4D) case trimmer for .204 (cuz Lee doesn't make it for .204)
Lee VLD chamfer tool
9) RCBS chamfer tool (for the o.d.)
10) MTM case holder tray

I also have... a bunch of other tools that I no longer use. I'll explain:

I'm pursuaded that consistent brass is key, (and be aware that more experienced, wiser shooters may say that unless you are shooting a rifle with a tight-necked chamber that it is NOT key...) and can be achieved either by just buying it that way, or by fashioning lower quality brass. Having gone both ways, I think it is much more cost and time efficient to just buy top quality brass and good seating dies than it is to buy all the tools required to MAKE lower quality brass consistent (Outside neck turner, inside neck reamer, flash-hole deburr tool, concentricity gauges: we are talking hundreds of US dollars..). And if you start with poor brass and incapable dies, and aren't happy with the accuracy, you will end up buying all the tools, one-by one... and it may be for naught. If you start with good stuff right off the bat, you will eliminate a huge chunk of the the " I wonder if the problem is..." thing right up front. Good brass, formed well, with bullets seated concentric. Now you can concentrate on recepies and your shooting form.

On the other hand, some folks find joy in fashioning the rounds with those tools... which is cool beans too!

bow shot wrote:7) Wilson (CH 4D) case trimmer for .204 (cuz Lee doesn't make it for .204)
Lee VLD chamfer tool

I bought a 22-250 lee length gauge, put it in my drill, and held a file on it to bring it down to 20 cal
Rough, but effective. Also got another gauge which came with the #4 shellholder to suit 204.
Works a treat - 1.844"

Wasn't aware of the lee VLD chamfer tool. Might have to chase one of them up

Come on RIO, show us your pics

I did the same with a Lee 222 Rem mag mandrel (case length gauge) turned down... or was that .223?? I fergit .

But there is a rare hazard there: If the mandrel is turned too small, and if the cutter's center bore is a tad toward the large side of the tolerance band, then you may end up with a situation where the neck of the case finds its way between the mandrel and the cutter blades. I bet y'all wonder how I found that out! , LOL!!

Anyway, if you size the mandel for the cases in fired/ pre-sized condition, you'll likely clear that bug .

Like I said, I really, really like the Lee cutter. Cheap, simple, super effective.

...and I trimmed the case length gauge a tad short too.. I think I bought 4 length gauges by the time the dust settled.

Lets see... how many does that make for on my boo boo list?

Maybe I'm reading this wrong but, I think Boomer is looking for "pictures" of reloading rooms for ideas on his remodel. If you want to see one to envy, I believe it belongs to Mr. Oviatt!

RAMOS wrote:Maybe I'm reading this wrong but, I think Boomer is looking for "pictures" of reloading rooms for ideas on his remodel. If you want to see one to envy, I believe it belongs to Mr. Oviatt!

I believe you are right. One of these days I'll have to get a picture of mine to show just how small you can get down to and that became a necessity with 7 children.
At one time I had a very large room (850 sq. ft) dedicated to reloading and had lots and lots of equipment. Now I'm down to one single stage Bonanza Co-ax press for all of my rifle rounds and one Dillion 550 progressive press for pistol rounds. I haven't used the Dillion in over a year. My Co-ax press is mounted on a really heavy duty roll around cabinet and has a Redding Powder Measure, trickler, brass trimmer, and a RCBS 10-10 scales all mounted on the cabinet. In the cabinet is well over 35 die sets, Primers, record books, and the most used powder. There is sort of a shelf below the deck where the equipment is mounted, but above the cabinet doors. In there is the primer tools, labels, and other normally used tools.
The Dillion is mounted an old wooden school desk, the kind that the seat is attached and when not in use, which I rarely use now days, the seat is where my tumbler sets. This was one of the flattop desks that didn't have a lid you raised. I also have an old white metal 6' tall cabinet that has the bullets, brass, cleaning supplies, pillarbedding supplies, and other paraphernalia that is related to shooting. Now all of this setting side by side each other will fit in an 10' wide area and projects out about 4', so I've gone from 850 sq. ft to 40 sq ft. Both reloading tables are portable, so I can roll them any where I want.
Now for gun work, I do have another wooden computer desk I now use. With only one child at home now, I can start expanding again.

Nah Ramos, you aren't wrong... I talk too much, LOL!!

Ok, here it is. After priming with a Lee hand tool, I charge up here. After the little MTM tray is full I use a home-made lever-press to seat. If I'm sizing, I clamp the little RCBS Jr in place of the powder measure and scale.

Humble, but I'm content.

And then there's the big boys:

http://www.204ruger.com/forum/viewtopic ... oom#p57655

Here is a pic of my reloading bench. My son and I built it out of 4x4s and 2x6s with rabbited joints so it's solid as a rock.

I really like that.. especially that you built it with your son.

this is what im have been putting together for reloading just have to order reloading gear now