Ranch Dog's Reloading Room

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Ranch Dog
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Ranch Dog's Reloading Room

Post by Ranch Dog »

Okay guys, I will kick this off! As you look at this please remember that this a lifetime effort. I started with a shoebox and if it came down to it, would be as happy as a clam as long as there was a Lee Loader in that shoebox.

My reloading room is a 15' x 25" room that is part of a very large metal building next to my home that includes a 2 1/2 car garage with extended carport (as large as the garage) and a barn large enough for my farm equipment. It makes for a cozy, quiet place that has become my "skunk works" for my many casting, reloading, shooting, and hunting projects. The room has it's own central HAC.

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This is my primary bench. There is a Breech Lock Challenger Press on the left and a Classic Cast 4 Hole Turret on the right. All my presses, including my three Load Masters are mounted on the Lee Steel Basic Blocks and Bench Plates. I have additional Bench Plates on workbenches in my garage for tasks that I really don't like doing in my room. For instance, bullet sizing, I don't want any lube falling on my tile floor!

The center fold down shelf of the bench, is a Lee Safety Scale and Perfect Powder Measure.

All kinds of storage behind the folding doors. I store sorted brass in the baskets on the lower shelf. Underneath the bench is the new brass for everything I shoot waiting to be brought up sometime in the future. The red bucket is a horse feed bucket, flat on one side so it hangs against a surface. I have a hook below each press position that this bucket can hang on when needed. It is a great help when working with things that might drop. A lot easier to fish them out of the empty bucket rather than try to find them on the floor!

The bench was built from free plans from the National Reloading Manufacturers Association. I purchased really nice oak, spending about $250 15 years ago, and had it built by inmates in a State Prison in the County. They have a workshop that schedules work that meets their approval and charge a flat $25! They made it so it can taken apart so that it can be moved through tight places.

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Going around to the right of the bench is my gun safe and the start of my progressive press bench where the three Load Masters are located. It looks like a light bench but it really isn't and is securely attached to the wall behind it to absorb the motion of these presses. The shelf has parts for the presses and my pistol powders.

Ahead of the press is a free standing, heavy, drill press base that I have a gun vise mounted on. In the vise is my R92 480 Ruger. I started refinishing the stocks today.

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This looks head on at the progressive bench. The shelves to the right hold all my "working" semi auto magazines and speed loaders for the various handguns in the colored bins. I have a good stock of replacements in the shelves below. The shelves also hold my shooting range gear. Pressure trace, chrony, shooting glasses, etc.

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This workbench is used primary for working on firearms. I do have the only non-Lee equipment that I own mounted on it. There is a Lyman case trimmer on the left and a Lyman 4500 lubesizer on the right. I don't use the 4500 anymore and need to get around to listing it on eBay.

On the floor under the bench are boxes of cast bullets ready for use.

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Continuing to the right is a shelf with more deer horns and my bullet molds and casting equipment.

The camo covers a full size fold down bed. Yes, it has camo sheets! We have a lot of guests that don't mind sleeping here.

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This looks back toward the entry door. Die storage is a cedar cabinet that my Dad made for me. Closet on the left. Nilgai horns on the wall.

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I use the closet to store rifle powders and loaded ammunition. All my gun parts are in here as well. There is 30,000 primers in here too!

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Now the room that all the deep thinking takes place in, the "think tank"! I have an oversized walk in shower.

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Checkout the Hornady bullet and cartridge guide near the throne!

I actually clean up in here after my ranch work. Same with hunting, all my hunting clothes are stored in here so I get cleaned up in here before and after.

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Nothing like having deer horns in your bathroom! The most important reloading tool is located in here as well, my Keurig Coffee Maker!
Michael
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44-40 Willy
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Re: Ranch Dog's Reloading Room

Post by 44-40 Willy »

That's a pretty fancy set up there!

I've just got a small bench that came out of a shoe factory in town that moved overseas. It's small enough that I can move it around by myself, but with enough area to mount both of my presses and my powder measure and not have them in each other's way. I rigged a small jar under it to catch primers out of my c-press that I use to decap.
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Re: Ranch Dog's Reloading Room

Post by mlcompound »

Very impressive. I will have to do a lot of cleaning before I will be comfortable posting pics of my workbench. Not to highjack the thread but I would be interested in the 4500 when you get ready to let it go.

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Re: Ranch Dog's Reloading Room

Post by yukondog »

Nice touch with the bullet chart in the " think tank".
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Ranch Dog
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Re: Ranch Dog's Reloading Room

Post by Ranch Dog »

yukondog wrote:Nice touch with the bullet chart in the " think tank".
I'm not even a jacketed bullet guy but it sure can help you relax!
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Re: Ranch Dog's Reloading Room

Post by wscywabbit »

Wow I gotta say that is one sweet setup! Gives the rest of us something to aspire to... ;)

I don't have my area setup yet, but when I do, I'll post it up :)
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Re: Ranch Dog's Reloading Room

Post by akuser47 »

Got to be the best setup Ive seen yet other than the trailer shops that shooting teams use at camp perry nationals full mobile smith n reloading shop on wheels. Yours for mancave is awesome.:mrgreen:
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