Help build reloading room

[Sure shot wv]

Hey all, quick backstory. I bought a new house and am doing a complete remodel. One of the benefits is that I finally get to make myself a dedicated reloading/gun room. The room size of now is 9x24 but if I decide to make it L shaped it can be slightly bigger.

So here's my question, since I'm building this from scratch what are some things y'all learned from your experiences. Must haves, no-no's, bench ideas etc. I am putting a sink in there and have some ideas about a bench from building the one I have now but that's about it. I'm looking for ideas on lighting,shelving,cabinetry, etc. pretty much everything. I don't want to say money isn't an issue and I'm willing to spend where needed but I'm being conservative where I can as well.

Any help is much appreciated. Thanks guys

 

[jmorris]

If I were building a house from scratch I would have PVC and elecrtical ran so I could remotely control compressed air delivery and vacuum.

 

[Clark]

I started out like anyone else, with a shelf of dies, a shelf of bullets, a shelf of powder, and a press bolted to the bench.
When I tried to load at the range, I had to kit up for a cartridge, and when I came home, I had to break down the kit and put everything away.
I became aware that this was not the optimum way to organize a reloading room.
Right now I have a reloading room with ~91 file folder boxes and the presses that don't get used much are mounted on benches.
Dies are not stored with dies.
Dies are stored with their corresponding brass.
The reloading room becomes a storage room for reloading equipment and supplies.
Reloading is then done remotely with portable set ups.
Right now while typing this, I can load 32-20 without moving my chair.
Within reach I have 3 presses, a powder measure, and a powder scale all mounted on the end of a 2'x2' typewriter desk with 100 pounds of ballast and lockable wheels underneath.

 

[sawdustdad]

I like the idea of a room set up for and dedicated to reloading. I think I'd build hidden doors to a gun storage area. Think moving bookshelves or the like. On the other hand, you don't want the room to be weird--a sink in an otherwise normal room (office? Playroom?) might hurt resale. To that end, the room I'd build would look like a hobby/craft room/studio, set up and capable of sewing, pottery, scrapbooking, painting, etc. so that the next owner will say Wow! not wonder why there is a sink in the "office."

 

[Sure shot wv]

Jmorris- that's genius. This is what I'm talking about. I never though of that. It will be super easy for me to plumb air to the room because my compressor in the garage is literally about 40 feet away. I don't know how many times I wished I had compressed air where I'm at now. That'll sure beat taking whatever I'm doing to the garage or filling up a portable tank.

Sawdustdad- I've thought about the hidden stuff idea. Actually my wife brought it up before and mentioned how much she liked that. She saw a shelf that swung open with a magnet and revealed a hidden compartment.

I wish the room was bigger but don't we all. I'm just trying to maximize the space I have as best I can.

 

[burrhead]

I have a 15X20 reloading room and, like you, I started with a clean slate. I have two benches, one 12' long by 36” high and another 5' long and 27” high. They are topped with varnished double thickness ¾ sanded plywood glued and screwed with 1+3/8” sheetrock screws. Mount the benches to wall studs with lag bolts. I like to sit while using a progressive and stand while single loading. Also, the larger, higher bench is good for gun cleaning, etc. I sheathed the room with 3/8” plywood put up with screws. That way if I want to make any electrical changes I can easily remove the wood, make changes, and put it back. It also allows me to hang small items from cup hooks and staple up “show off” targets.

General lighting is four, 4' double florescents and wall mounted lights over the benches. I put electrical outlets at bench height every 4 feet around the room except one short wall on which I built floor to ceiling shelves. You can't have too many outlets. Used file cabinets are nice for storing dies, loose reloading tools, components, etc. Get them at garage sales cheap. Bottom line is build it so you can easily make changes in the future.

 

[4runnerman]

I took over a bedroom ( 12 x 16 ). One wall has a 4 x 8 ft table ( cleaning table )
One wall has the Reloading bench ( 4 x 8 ft ). One wall has my gun cabinet. The last wall is lined with shelving ( 4 book shelves ) 32 in wide by 8 ft tall, 5 shelves in each one. That is for brass,dies,powder, primers ect ect. Above each table is a little 6 in x 6 ft wall shelve to hold items needed at that station with a 4 ft light strip hanging under shelve. It's my Man Cave.

 

[bigarm]

My ideas:
Lots of bench space
Lots of storage (more than you think) Think about how you will store dies, tool heads (if you use a progressive), bullets, brass, primers, powder, loaded rounds, etc.
Lots of electrical outlets
I like the idea above of having compressed air piped around. I never thought about needing a compressor for reloading but find I use it a lot. Of course I spill a lot. Makes cleaning the presses easier. You can use canned compressed air, but it runs out quickly.
Have a place for tools used for the presses near the presses. I have a Dillon tool set mounted on the back of one of my 550's. You won't believe how often you use those hex keys and one or two wrenches.

 

[McCarthy]

I just started reloading a week ago and dedicated an entire bedroom for this. I Have 2 L-shaped and 3 regular benches formed to a "G". With other words I'm sitting in the middle and have benches 360 degree around me. I could probably setup 5 full size Dillon presses.

That being said here are my suggestions so far:

- Put tiles in the entire room. Powder likes to hide in carpet.

- Fume hood in one corner if you plan on producing your own bullets.

- Figure out indirect lighting for ALL workplaces in the room plus adjustable LED beams.

- Power outlets all the way around on the wall righ above the bench area.

- Hanging kitchen cabinets all around for ample storage.

- Extra lighting under cabinets.

- High quality counter top for work bench.

- Sink build into counter top.

- Kitchen cabinets under counter top.

- One corner dedicated for the biggest gun safe you can afford.

- One stainless steel tool chest on rolls that fits under the counter top.

- If you have space: one bench as an island in the middle of the room with regular desk height for jobs while sitting. Nothing underneath so you can stretch out your legs.

- 2 fire extinguisher at the door.

 

[jmorris]

I have a small air compressor out of a dentist office that I use now (the box under the bench) and an air vacuum and get buy fine. I have modified swimming pool valve controllers to remotely shut off air in my shop though, all the air you want, with no noise at the flick of a switch would be nice.

I also welded quad boxes under the bench top and have two switches on the face (top left). One controlls the compressor, the other controls power to the entire bench.

Would make sure to have wood floors (for clean up) and insulate all the walls to help with sound transmission to the rest of the house.

 

[F. Guffey]

Waste of space: Most start with a display by hanging everything on the wall, then space is saved when the items hanging on the wall become a collogue, after the collogue comes the mosaic. With practice the wall is 3 feet away. And drawers, my favorite drawer is shallow, wide and deep. File cabinets work but most are too deep.

I do not have a reloading bench, I can throw one up in a hurry, I use stands.

F. Guffey

 

[Doyle]

If you think you have enough lighting, then add some more. Eyes don't get better with age. I find myself needing FAR more light for even simple tasks now at age 56 than I did at 46.

 

[sawdustdad]

Speaking of lighting. What kind is preferred? I'm thinking LED lighting, now that prices are coming down. No strobe effect as with fluorescent, can get higher temp (K color) than incandescent. That is cool white vs. warm white, usually considered better for a work bench situation.

What are you guys using compressed air for?

 

[jmorris]

What are you guys using compressed air for?

Cleaning, either blow things off or using a pneumatic vacuum.

 

[Sure shot wv]

I have been looking into LED lighting and think that's what I'm going with. Actually the whole house I'm planning on going LED. Right now my reloading area is fluorescent. My floor is gonna be hardwood. I got a smoking deal on floors for my house and it worked out to be cheaper to buy enough to do my basement than just my first floor. To get technical It was 80 dollars cheaper for buying 2400 sq feet as opposed to 1600 sq feet.

I use compressed air for all kinds of stuff in the house but mainly cleaning up or blowing out metal shavings etc. general gun smithing stuff.

Storage is a big thing I'm trying to figure out. Right now I use 5 gallon buckets for my brass. One bucket for clean one for dirty per caliber. So lots of buckets. That's the best way I've found handling thousands of rounds at a time. Most buckets are full so I don't want to go to something smaller to store brass. I have some dies in the boxes stacked on shelves and also have 5 quick change setups on stands for my 550 dillon.

I'm definitely putting in lots of outlets and lighting.

 

[Doyle]

I don't have a reloading room, but I have often dreamed of what such a unicorn would look like.

Here are 2 things that I think I would really want:
1. A big dry erase board on one wall. Handy for writing down lists of things you need to buy, reminders of what loads you are currently using, etc.
2. A computer monitor on a swing-arm near enough to your actual sitting work area that you can read it. The keyboard can be somewhere else more convenient. I got this idea from my other obsession - cooking. I keep having to either print a recipe or run back and forth between the kitchen and my office. I'd love to have a monitor in the kitchen so that I could refer to it when making stuff. The same would be said for a reloading room.

 

[Sevens]

Never met a reloading room that I didn't like!

Things that occur --TO ME-- (and may be wildly different than for others...)

--I operate in a cluttered environment, and I cannot prevent this no matter how I try. Thus, LESS bench top space is better, just enough room to operate and no extra. My actual hands-on work space it totally clean and runs beautifully but the rest of my bench top is a constant tornado.

--same with floor space! I need room to roll my chair or stand where I need to depending on the operation. When I have MORE space than that, it gets cluttered! So I will always trade floor space for shelving and storage.

--lastly (for now) is to build some INCREDIBLY sturdy shelving if you are like me and you like to buy bullets in bulk. Bulk bullets can find the limit of shelving!

 

[4runnerman]

Doyle- Dry erase board--Great idea. Never would have thought of that. Now I need to go get one. Thanks.

 

[Nathan]

Things I would consider based on experience.

Lighting:
I would have good yellow-white diffused overhead lighting. I would have some kind of swing out lighting and or spot lighting as needed on measurement tools or other sub processes. A swing out magnifier would be nice too.

Sub Processes: I would develop a slide in slide out system for case trimming, case prep center, primer pocket swaging, etc where you want something front and center for a process and then gone. Then you need a place to place or hang these dust free.

Electric:
I would mount a 2 gang box every ~2 ft along the top of the workbench. Also, a sarificial drill mounted horizontally is a great case prep tool.

Presses:
Personally, I would have 3 presses, if possible. I would have a Hornady LNL AP, a turret press for lower volume and a single stage mounted to a wooden "block" that would allow a scale, powder measure, press, dies and basics for load development at the range.

Powder storage:
I would build a lockable storage cabinet for 1lb and 8 lb storage in containers about 50lbs of powder in containers.

Primer storage: I would build a smaller box to store ~25000 primers. The key is locking, off the ground and dry.

Never thought about air.

A coffee maker and fridge would be nice as well as a computer station for notes and research. Food is a bad idea, IMHO.

 

[Sure shot wv]

Nathan- primer and powder storage is another big thing for me. Since I'm building I want to be legal well at least my container legal for powder storage. I do have lots of powder! As far as presses go my next press will be a dillon 1050 I really need to step up my 556 loading and the 1050 seems like my best option.

Oh and load development at the range is a non issue for me because I just walk out my garage and test loads. I'm hoping I can talk to the property owner adjacent to me and let me set up a target on his side. Then I could set up shots pretty much as far as the eye can see. I can only get about 400 yards on my property and I'm dying to shoot at some real distance. If I could shoot past 1k I would finally justify buying a 50.