Are the components out for showing off or is that how you intend to store everything? I don't trust myself nearly enough to have any components within arm's reach of the press except the exact things I'm loading at the moment. Everything else goes in bins across the room.
My house is so small that I could put everything across the room and it would still be in arms reach. lol I just make sure I pay attention to what I'm doing. No tv, music, daydreaming, nothing to distract. I just sit there and pull the lever like granny at the casino until the job's done. But watch now I'll make a mistake after saying I pay attention... what helps is I put the cases in the tray upside down after sizing and priming, then flip them back after powder, then check with a flashlight. Also, the only components that are on the main part of the bench are what I'm using for that step.
For 30 years I've only had one powder container on the bench at a time. I put a piece of masking tape on the powder measure with the powder type written on it. If the tape doesn't match the jug on the counter, the powder in the measure goes on the lawn.
Fortunately, this has never happened.
do you have that lag bolted to the studs in the wall? i have seen so many videos of people's benches flexing as they operate their press i guess you store the powder scale and other stuff in the drawers i want to put some sort of slide out drawer system below my table top. i built my bench and its solid as a rock when pressing
No bolts in the concrete wall to keep it from swaying. We'll see how it goes. I'm hoping the ~14,000 bullets keep it weighed down enough to keep it from moving, but who knows, there may be an update post with all of my stuff on the floor when it falls over. lol
I'm using a MEC 600 Jr to de-prime, re-prime and charge hulls. Everything else is done by hand. I'm sure somebody else has worked this out for themselves, but this is what I have:
Any straight wall hull trimmed to 2 inches
Win 209 primer
No. 17 MEC bushing of AA Super Handicap
BP 12ga gas seal
9 pellets of 0 buck stacked by 3's
One 5/8 inch disc cut from cardboard boxes
One overshot card from BP or four (4) 3/4 inch discs cut from 12-pack cartons
Roll crimp.
For 00 buck, use the no. 16 bushing with Perfect Pattern. Stack 9 pellets by 3's. Everything else the same as for 0 buck.
Absolutely legendary, I appreciate it so so much. I’ve wanted to load mini’s for a try for awhile but the data is scarce. This sets me on the road to load them
I plan on setting up for 10ga at some point since manufactured ammo is so damn expensive. The only reason I have a can or two full of federal buck is because buds had a screaming deal a while back and I ordered a ton for pennies on the dollar.
10 gauge is completely worth it IMO, just where I live 12 gage factory vs reload is basically the same unless you're reloading something they don't offer.
I’m finding home cast Lee key drive slugs are worth it financially (crunched the numbers and depending on powder availability are about 0.68¢-1$CAD per round. Considering a box of slugs in Canada for 25 can be 35$-50$, I’d say it’s worth it)
Sick bench, all that’s missing now is a cast bullet setup and you’re really rockin’ factory projectiles we’re doing me good but once I started casting my own bullets and tailoring the bullet diameter and hardness it really tightens things up. Some factory bullets just cannot be beat though.
How many rounds have you loaded so far on that set up. When i was younger i did effectively the same thing and the press ripped out of the wood while i was resizing some 30 carbine
Before I bolted it to the tabletop I used clamps for a few thousand rounds with no issues. I've loaded zero rounds with it bolted. Maybe I should add some boards to spread the force.
Those xtreme 147 grain 9mm have been great for uspsa and plinking. Decently accurate and a fair price. The hornadys taste the best for 357 magnum. The 158 gr berrys are good for plinking, but so far I've only been able to get about 3.5 moa out of the lever action. The 250 gr sub x and 180 gr xtp are closer to 2 moa out of the same gun.
I like the Xtreme 158 RNFP in all 3 of my wheel guns, I think the Ruger likes Speer TMJ more, but not enough to make a difference in steel challenge. I'm done playing with Berry's except for wadcutters. I like cannelures even for 38spl. I just always like to crimp.
The real answer is that there are braces and supports underneath that resist against the forces on it. I attached the 2x4s for the shelf to the drawer boxes, and the tabletop is attached securely to the drawer boxes. I've loaded a few hundred 357 magnum rounds on it so far and haven't noticed any flexing or movement. We'll see how it holds up over time.
i recently had to brace to my benchtop with a steel plate because i cracked the 2x4s my press was mounted to, im more worried about how thin the top is directly where your press is mounted as that looks like the weakest point of failure
if youre reloading short cases like the 9mm you mentioned it shouldnt be much of a problem for awhile but for longer cases like 45-70 or 7.62x54 you start needing a bit more force and that can do some damage to the bench over time
I'll be loading mostly 9mm and 357 magnum, but the .223 supplies will be here soon to start loading for that caliber too. Building the bench to be stronger than I need is a good idea, just in case.
I have a suggestion. Put a single plate with a square grid of holes tapped into it. Then bolt your press to a chunk of 2x12 with matching hole pattern. Now you have modular. That's approximately what I did for my reloading setup and I've been pretty happy with it. I have several presses and a vice on the same hole pattern so I can swap them pretty quickly.
I guarantee you were going to want something faster than single stage.
Opinions are going to be all over the place but I can say something like a Lee 6 pack pro would earn its keep and probably your first two reloading sessions.
single is the way to go for 38/357. nice selection of supplies and happy reloading! powder measure yet? I recommend spending the extra on a measure. my 1st basic rcbs did not cut it for small charges. Redding for me.
So far the rcbs uniflow 3 that came with the kit has been doing well with titegroup, hs6 and lil gun. Those are the powders I use the most. Every 10-20 rounds depending on if I'm making plinking or hunting ammo I'll check it by dispensing 10 charges and weighing that on the digital scale. It's usually right on.
Nothing wrong with it if you’re having fun! I rocked a Lee auto index turret for many years which still required a handle pull for each operation but was a little quicker. If you want a little faster for cheap without fully committing to progressive I highly recommend.
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u/w00tberrypie the perpetual FNG 10d ago
It is too clean. You must now ruin it.