• Watch Out for Scammers!

    We've now added a color code for all accounts. Orange accounts are new members, Blue are full members, and Green are Supporters. If you get a message about a sale from an orange account, make sure you pay attention before sending any money!

Building the Perfect Reloading Room

Best place to get commercial steel door for interior room? Interested in putting one on my reloading room that im building.
 
Best place to get commercial steel door for interior room? Interested in putting one on my reloading room that im building.
You might want to check on just ordering a vault door. You can get them and they are super cool to have on there and once you factor everything for a real steel door they aren't that much difference in price
 
Best place to get commercial steel door for interior room? Interested in putting one on my reloading room that im building.
Something like this?


You would need to reinforce the entire room or someone with a bit a time can just bypass the door and go through the floor/ceiling/walls
 
Something like this?


You would need to reinforce the entire room or someone with a bit a time can just bypass the door and go through the floor/ceiling/walls
No, thats far more than I am looking to spend. The walls will be lightly reinforced but more just looking to keep out the local meth head and not a team supplied with demo saws. Will also have a cam on the outside of the room that way local LE can be called if im away from the house.
 
  • Like
Reactions: Bbracken667
Yes I do need to redo my reloading area . never did I think I would ever have 7 presses . only 3 of them actually size and seat
 
No, thats far more than I am looking to spend. The walls will be lightly reinforced but more just looking to keep out the local meth head and not a team supplied with demo saws. Will also have a cam on the outside of the room that way local LE can be called if im away from the house.
A heavy wood door, which you can reinforce the door on the inside as well as reinforcing the doorframe is economical and quite effective. Add extra dead bolts. Just having one or so in the middle is not the best option. Two spaced above and one or two below the regular door bolt with the reinforced door frame will offer more resistance than all but the most determined people to break into. Using long screws to attach the door strikes into a reinforced door frame is a major improvement.
 
Figured I'd move this thread over, in light of all the folks who posted such great stuff back on the old 'Hide. I captured a lot of it and will incorporate into the new room(s).

Another snowy weekend spent in the barn attic saw the completion of all my framing and the installation of all the wiring. Put in 8 outlets in the room, all at 48" height, to give plenty of clearance over benches. Wired in the light switches, too.

I found a really neat fixture at Home Depot which is an LED track light, but built in an "S" shape. So you can point lights in all kinds of interesting directions. And it current draw is tiny. I'll combine that with some on-bench lights.

Decided, too, to add a Gunsmiths bench for rifle building and other projects. That will be separate from the reloading benches. But I have lots of room.

Pictures when I get around to it. We're getting a 14" dusting of snow up here. So may get a day off tomorrow to keep going!

Insulating next. Did I mention I hate insulating? It itches.

Cheers

Sirhr

I still haven't figured out a tag line, but instead I'll just type this....
Mentioning insulation while not a reloading topic and some asses may say something, if your doing insulating look at having the foam insulation sprayed in (Closed cell type). it is more expensive but I think it the long run it will pay for it self. I have a 7000 sq ft house insulated with it ;the heat above the first floor (second and third) is never on, the heat from the first floor does the whole house.
 
i discovered years ago the bigger the bench top the more crap it collects .the more room it takes up from the space in the room. a shelf 48'' long by 8'' mounted to the wall is more than enough to hold press and stuff needed to reload
I had shelves built into my bench, so under that solution I prefer a 28” deep bench. 48” is plenty length wise.
I certainly agree about a larger bench gathering more misc stuff LOL 👍
 
  • Like
Reactions: Haney
i discovered years ago the bigger the bench top the more crap it collects .the more room it takes up from the space in the room. a shelf 48'' long by 8'' mounted to the wall is more than enough to hold press and stuff needed to reload
Can we se a pic of this ?
 
  • Like
Reactions: Balor
I like having plenty of bench top myself. That said, I did ALL reloading everything on a Harbor freight work bench which is like 24" deep by about 60" long for several years so, a lot of bench definately isnt requires.

Finally went fully Gucci and got a zero press. I haven't used it yet but it's pretty nice. My Lyman is pretty sweet too though the priming/decapping is not good on the Lyman and the zero will be a big improvement for decaping.
 

Attachments

  • 20240327_205933.jpg
    20240327_205933.jpg
    513.3 KB · Views: 146
Where does the Giraud and the powder thrower fit?
Powered Case trimmer is close by .I have a rcbs powder dispenser but seldom use it.i found I was spilling more powder from moving the pan on an off the scale.so I just use the trickle spout to pore in them finish with the trickle. My scale is at eye hight on a shelf, no blending over to see the rcbs 5-10 balance beam
 

Attachments

  • IMG_20240329_131809706.jpg
    IMG_20240329_131809706.jpg
    531.2 KB · Views: 122
  • Like
Reactions: Bbracken667
Powered Case trimmer is close by .I have a rcbs powder dispenser but seldom use it.i found I was spilling more powder from moving the pan on an off the scale.so I just use the trickle spout to pore in them finish with the trickle. My scale is at eye hight on a shelf, no blending over to see the rcbs 5-10 balance beam
I can smell mothballs when I look at this.
 
Having to move my reloading room. Just finished it not too long ago, but my baby boy will soon need his own room once he gets here. So I’m building a 8x16 room in my 30x40 shop.
This room will be 100% insulated and have a 110v mini split with a dehumidifier built in. Probably doing Sheetrock on the inside too because it’s cheaper than OSB. Eventually the rest of the shop will be spray foamed, but that will have to wait

A73DD2A1-BD4A-4F90-82B8-D4B28E749537.jpeg
9440BA21-818A-4F8E-9FDC-A7E3E86003C6.jpeg
 
Having to move my reloading room. Just finished it not too long ago, but my baby boy will soon need his own room once he gets here. So I’m building a 8x16 room in my 30x40 shop.
This room will be 100% insulated and have a 110v mini split with a dehumidifier built in. Probably doing Sheetrock on the inside too because it’s cheaper than OSB. Eventually the rest of the shop will be spray foamed, but that will have to wait

View attachment 8385097View attachment 8385098
Glad to see your little one is on the way, praying for a safe, healthy birth and long and healthy life for the young fellow. Shop looks good. I basically need to do the same in my shop. I have a reloading area but it is open to the entire shop. Dirt, dust and grime everywhere, cold in the winter and hot in the summer.

Good luck and everything and keep the pictures coming.
 
My room has always been a work in progress. I’ve had this room done, then moved everything into my garage only to be back in this room, lol. I’ve switched things up a bit this time to give me a more organized solution and help get things off the bench top. The biggest benefit is getting most of my things back out of my garage as it’s just way too nasty here in Houston sometimes.

I have a 6’ bench coming soon for the left hand side of the room which will allow for space for my XL750 and a dedicated decapping station. I also ordered additional pieces of the laminate flooring which is through my house so I’ll have to rip carpet up in a few weeks to put the laminate down.

I still need to work out the order of operations to better place the kit and then I’ll order some Inline Fab flat mount plates for both the bench and bench top chest.

I also really need to address my lighting. I replaced the two bulbs in the ceiling light with some 75w LED bulbs and it is still not enough for my aging eyes. I need to find a solution to hang directly over the benches more in the 5500-6500k. All the things you forget about as we embark on our journeys.

IMG_7429.jpeg
IMG_7431.jpeg
 
2 more full days of work. I was hoping to have been further along than this, but this is all I got done. R19 insulation. 5/8” rock on the ceiling and 1/2” on the walls. I also have enough 3/4” plywood to fully cover the top (storage) and of course around the 36” door. 110v mini split with dehumidifier is on the way too. Will go in the back wall that isn’t insulated yet

Never floated Sheetrock before, so I have a friend coming over to assist when I’m ready.

075B453C-3408-46E9-943D-003C94225E1F.jpeg
E533A3EA-8960-44DA-8305-25C6B18F1B1E.jpeg
54895B4D-0789-4033-B323-3A78E41ADA36.jpeg
36C3BEC6-1476-4E38-B77D-17680F603BAA.jpeg
 
Picked up another bench from Sam's Club so now I need to work on workflow and then I can start mounting things to benches. I am still undecided on whether to use the Inline Fab flush mount system for things to keep the bench tops clean or figure out the flow and leave everything set up. I have a pattern vise which will go on the front edge of the Sam's bench so I can clamp up a rifle if I had to. I will drill the hole for that tomorrow once I pick up my drill guide I loaned a friend, lol. Am lovin the drawer organizer from Home Goods. They are way cheaper than I can make them and it's nice you can just grab the whole tray out if needed. I need to put an air flow diverter on my AC outlet in the room. It really causes havoc with the AT. I also got a quote today to replace the carpet with the same VPF that is in the rest of our house. I didn't think about putting hardwood down in this room when we had the house built. All in all, it is coming together slowly.

If anyone has thoughts on placement or the use of the Inline Fab flush mount system I would love to hear your thoughts.

IMG_7466.jpeg

IMG_7467.jpeg

IMG_7468.jpeg
 
Picked up another bench from Sam's Club so now I need to work on workflow and then I can start mounting things to benches. I am still undecided on whether to use the Inline Fab flush mount system for things to keep the bench tops clean or figure out the flow and leave everything set up. I have a pattern vise which will go on the front edge of the Sam's bench so I can clamp up a rifle if I had to. I will drill the hole for that tomorrow once I pick up my drill guide I loaned a friend, lol. Am lovin the drawer organizer from Home Goods. They are way cheaper than I can make them and it's nice you can just grab the whole tray out if needed. I need to put an air flow diverter on my AC outlet in the room. It really causes havoc with the AT. I also got a quote today to replace the carpet with the same VPF that is in the rest of our house. I didn't think about putting hardwood down in this room when we had the house built. All in all, it is coming together slowly.

If anyone has thoughts on placement or the use of the Inline Fab flush mount system I would love to hear your thoughts.

View attachment 8391366
View attachment 8391369
View attachment 8391370
I have a table such as yours. My press would deflect it slightly when working it. I attached a 1/2 thick oak piece about 6x6 on the underside where the press went. I used a light coating of wood glue, followed by half dozen screws short enough to not come out the top wood. Then after a couple days to make sure the glue was set I redrilled through the holes for the press. After attaching the press there was zero deflection and it remains strong to this day. I really like that table. From a center position my press in on my right, and my powder dispenser is on my left. I also have holes drilled in the center for my cartridge trimmer. For me, it is perfect as I am not in a big hurry, and being retired reloading is more like knitting for me lol
 
  • Like
Reactions: Fitz
Picked up another bench from Sam's Club so now I need to work on workflow and then I can start mounting things to benches. I am still undecided on whether to use the Inline Fab flush mount system for things to keep the bench tops clean or figure out the flow and leave everything set up. I have a pattern vise which will go on the front edge of the Sam's bench so I can clamp up a rifle if I had to. I will drill the hole for that tomorrow once I pick up my drill guide I loaned a friend, lol. Am lovin the drawer organizer from Home Goods. They are way cheaper than I can make them and it's nice you can just grab the whole tray out if needed. I need to put an air flow diverter on my AC outlet in the room. It really causes havoc with the AT. I also got a quote today to replace the carpet with the same VPF that is in the rest of our house. I didn't think about putting hardwood down in this room when we had the house built. All in all, it is coming together slowly.

If anyone has thoughts on placement or the use of the Inline Fab flush mount system I would love to hear your thoughts.

View attachment 8391366
View attachment 8391369
View attachment 8391370
is that carpet on the floor ? not good
 
  • Haha
Reactions: mj1995
2-3 more presses . nothing expensive . one for measurements one for crimping one for expanding mandrels . or one turret press ;)
 
2-3 more presses . nothing expensive . one for measurements one for crimping one for expanding mandrels . or one turret press ;)
Personally, I prefer specialization. I would go with multiple presses set up for single functions rather than a multi function turret press. It is likely just a subjective thing, but that’s me lol
 
  • Like
Reactions: Fitz
2-3 more presses . nothing expensive . one for measurements one for crimping one for expanding mandrels . or one turret press ;)
The turret is the way man. Having 2 turret presses is so much better if you have a few calibers you load for. No swapping out dies, just turn it and go.
 
Personally, I prefer specialization. I would go with multiple presses set up for single functions rather than a multi function turret press. It is likely just a subjective thing, but that’s me lol
Yeah, am leaning that way. I may go with the Inline Fab flush mount plates for a small Partner style press for decapping and priming with the Derraco PCPS priming tool I use.
IMG_7471.jpeg
 
  • Like
Reactions: Bbracken667
Yeah, am leaning that way. I may go with the Inline Fab flush mount plates for a small Partner style press for decapping and priming with the Derraco PCPS priming tool I use. View attachment 8392170
I have really enjoyed my flush mount plates and qd work stations from inline Fab. I went back and forth between tracks and the flush mount plates and I am glad I went with the flush mounts. The tracks are cool but with the messes that I make, they'd always have crap in em and the flush mount plates leaves me regular bench on each side which I like.

Also, @Bbracken667 , I really like my ugly reloading primer. A nice guy on here printed me some "buttons" to put on the end of the push rod piece so I had a little bigger area to push on (which allows me to push as I come up with the press handle and load a new primer with out having to even look at it). Really nice and the machining is great. I have swapped all my head space/comparator stuff to the ugly reloading ones too and am happy with it. I could buy 3 sets for less than one set of 419
 
How do you like that priming tool?
It’s great, especially since it is press mounted, however one thing I discounted on the CPS is the superior short throw of the arm on the CPS. I am sure there is also more feel with the CPS. The Derraco is a great alternative for $220 you just have to live with the longer throw.
 
  • Like
Reactions: Bbracken667
You should consider the spray foam insulation I put it in my whole house now I only run the heat on the first floor sufficient heat migrates up to the other two floors and the first floor is able to keep up. Before I renovated I couldnt keep the house above 68 degrees.

Regards
 
  • Like
Reactions: southernpew
You should consider the spray foam insulation I put it in my whole house now I only run the heat on the first floor sufficient heat migrates up to the other two floors and the first floor is able to keep up. Before I renovated I couldnt keep the house above 68 degrees.

Regards

The rest of the shop will be spray foamed at some point in the future. I got this R19 insulation from a friend who had it left over from a previous job. I couldn't pass that up.

The quotes for spraying 30x40x12 for 1.5" of closed cell was just over $5k
 
The rest of the shop will be spray foamed at some point in the future. I got this R19 insulation from a friend who had it left over from a previous job. I couldn't pass that up.

The quotes for spraying 30x40x12 for 1.5" of closed cell was just over $5k
what will 1 1/2'' do ?
 
The rest of the shop will be spray foamed at some point in the future. I got this R19 insulation from a friend who had it left over from a previous job. I couldn't pass that up.

The quotes for spraying 30x40x12 for 1.5" of closed cell was just over $5k
That quote sounds outrageous I did a 7000 sq ft house and it only cost me a might over 10k I would look for more bids and that was 6"
 
That quote sounds outrageous I did a 7000 sq ft house and it only cost me a might over 10k I would look for more bids and that was 6"
Well there's a big difference in closed and open and it depends on when it was and what all I'd being done and what foam is used, ect.. also, 7000 sq.ft on 2 levels or 1 level? It's just not that simple to compare with that little of info from either
 
I agree this was a three level the third being an attic 55x44 with 14 ft ceiling the other two floors were 6 inch studs. My observation is limited to the size of each ob and cost. I suppose you don't have a lot of contractors to choose from also.
Good luck with your modification work