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reloading at the range

jdwelch10

Sergeant
Full Member
Minuteman
May 20, 2008
102
0
Central Texas
I have never taken stuff out to reload with where I am shooting until this past weekend. I have land I go shoot on so I have to take tables and everything out there. I don't have anything permanent set up. At first it seemed like a pain packing stuff up but while I was shooting and able to put whatever load together I wanted it was nice. Def worth the effort. Just thought I'd share
 
Re: reloading at the range

I load BR style at the range, arbor press, Wilson dies, Krazy Klothe to clean the cases, Wilson trimmer, and I have just added a RCBS Partner press to FL if need be, I even take my Prometheus reloading scale, everything I need fits inside a tool box except the Partner press, load development is a breeze.
 
Re: reloading at the range

Oh yeh, if my vehicle had the size to easily put away all of the reloading gear I would deff be giving it a shot.

Its a decent drive to my local range and for me load development can often be a one month affair until I start to get decent results... Im lucky if i can squeeze in two range trips a month.
 
Re: reloading at the range

I have a portable shooting bench that I drilled to mount a little lee press on. I just take fully preped and primed brass, pwder scale, powder and seating die. When a load is looking good I can play with length and powder to fine tune the load.
 
Re: reloading at the range

I believe it is in the NRA Reloading Manual, there are plans for a portable bench. You can even rig it with a swing out seat but I did not. I had one for years I took to Camp Perry and put together in the hut and it came in very handy cleaning rifles etc as I had a RCBS Jr on right side and a 4" swivel vice on the other.
It is easy to make. Take a 10' 2X8 and cut in three equal lengths. Or you can do 2X6s. I used yellow pine as it is what I had at the time but if I had to do it again I would use lighter wood with edges glued prior to mounting on frame. This is the top.
Screw and glue them to a 2X4 frame on the underside about 2" in from the edge. Next I cut the legs to make the bench when stood up come to the bottom of my rib cage. This is a good height for stand up loading and working on something in the vice.

I used 1/2" carriage bolts to hold the legs on. I used bedding compound on the bolt heads/threads securing them to the inside 2X4 to keep from losing bolts. For the leg braces I used 2X4s glued/screwed to legs on the sides. On the back I X braced the legs with light duty angle iron and held in place with lag bolts when in use.
The legs will store inside the 2X4 joists in transport and if you choose bolts correctly only takes one wrench to assemble which is done in about three minutes.

The RCBS Jr. required a radius cut to mount the tool properly and it was left on the bench full time as was the 4" swivel vice on the other end mounted so it would swing from front around to side.

For light I got a swing arm lamp at a flea market missing the mounting C clamp. I turned an old piece of barrel on lathe, drilled the table at back right corner and "bedded" it in and the lamp leg slides right down in it an allowed light to be placed anywhere I needed it. I also used the lamp as a reading lamp next to my cot and a indirect light with shade pointed towards ceiling.

I had to load on it at Camp Perry a couple times for myself and others and even had to rebed a rifle once for a friend while there.

This was a extremely sturdy bench that can do double duty as scaffolding etc.

Gave it to a friend who was getting set up in reloading and he did not have lots of room in his flat and far as I know he is still using it.
 
Re: reloading at the range

I tried this the other day, and found my beam scale moved in the wind. Until I figure out how to stop that I wont be loading at that range.

I did work up a load at another range that has a little building i could set up in. That worked great, but they only have a 100 yard range to test on.
 
Re: reloading at the range

There was a guy on evilBay who was selling covered thimble-like containers that he advertised could be used for pre measured powder loads to take to the range. In the past I have used my older Redding balance beam scale with the oil dampener. It worked for what I needed to do.

Haven't done it since I bolted the press to the bench in a pseudo permanent manner but I would drag my Lee Classic Turret to the range, even drilled mounting holes in one of the benches. Always drew a crowd when loading at the range.
 
Re: reloading at the range

www.quick-measure.com by JDS

IMHO, most accurate powder charger on the market. Easily configurable on a portable, Black & Decker Workmate based, reloading platform. Have found the quick-measure to throw extremely accurate charges for H1000, H/IMR4350, and RE-19.
 
Re: reloading at the range

Try a Rubbermade type transparent container upside down over the beam scale.
C-clamp to a table a 2x6 about 18"long that your press is bolted to, bring along a bag of primed brass, powder, etc. and have fun.<div class="ubbcode-block"><div class="ubbcode-header">Originally Posted By: Racinready</div><div class="ubbcode-body">I tried this the other day, and found my beam scale moved in the wind. Until I figure out how to stop that I wont be loading at that range.

I did work up a load at another range that has a little building i could set up in. That worked great, but they only have a 100 yard range to test on.</div></div>
 
Re: reloading at the range

Posted this in a different forum, same topic. I mounted up a Forster Co-axial press and a Lee powder thrower on a piece of wood with sides, rifle case slides under it and it is the right height for a shooting bench or back of the truck/SUV. I will prep and prime all my brass before hand, so I am just charging and seating in the field. Once I get the velocity I am looking for, I tweak for accuracy. Once I get home, I will throw a few charges from the dispenser and weigh the charge, I gave up trying to weigh charges in the field.

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Re: reloading at the range

That's a nice portable set up you have. I need to get back in the habit of developing loads at the range.
 
Re: reloading at the range

I'm setting up a small shooting trailer for this very thing. I get tired of loading and unloading all of the "stuff" (target stands, cleaning rods, etc.) every time I go out. I'll leave most everything in the trailer, save for the guns, so I can just throw them in and hit the road. Since I'm pretty lazy I'm also including stuff to nap and a small dirtbike to run back and forth to the target.
 
Re: reloading at the range

i dont have a range i go to more a paddock, but ive found if i want to laod in the field i load up 50> 100 rounds with different charges in say .3 or .4 incriments or even .5 and just leve the OAL at its max and then all i need to do is adjust the seating depth on what ever charge gives the best re3sults.
not ideal as heps of rounds need to be made up, but because there seated long its a breeze to just pull the left over rounds when i get home.
 
Re: reloading at the range

here is my set up
RCBS press with lock and load bushing conversion
electronic scale is enclose in a box and the top is plexiglass in order to see it and there is a sliding door to keep the wind from making inaccurate reading, the powder tickler is on the other side and only the pipe goes thought the box to drop the powder kernel look closely and you see it in the box
on top there his place for dies cases
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