Joe Williams
Shooter
- Jun 26, 2008
- 10,431
- 38
I hear this complaint a lot when folks are thinking about reloading, and it's easy to tell why when you see the pics on here of some of the awesome reloading rooms some folks have!!
But not everyone has access to all that spare space. I know a number of times throughout my life I've had to reload in some pretty cramped quarters. Below are some of the ways I've done it. These are all .38 Special set ups, but they work with bunches of calibers.
The first is both the most space efficient, cheapest, and most basic way to reload. A Lee Classic Loader, mallet, scoops, powder, primers, brass, bullets, and an ammo can. Takes all of five minutes to set up and put away. Downside is the hammering can be noisy, so you need to find a place to do that without driving folks bonkers. On non-rainy days, the porch or driveway can work. I've known of people who actually load at the range with this set up, though I've not done it.
The second is still pretty basic compared to a lot of folk's set ups, but it works very well. It's actually what I'm still using, despite currently having a spare room to work in. I may not always! I do have some extra goodies, but you don't have to have them. I do recommend a pair of calipers, though, which I forgot to put in the pics. The don't take up any space to speak of, though. Our house near Philadelphia was a row home, small and crowed, no extra space. I'd unpack, load on the coffee table in the living room, pack up when done. Packing and unpacking takes 5-10 minutes each. Then I'd stick the box back under the bed, and loaded ammo with the guns. This is also a cheap set up, for those on a very tight budget. In Philly, I was able to load 500 rounds a week with this, but I was spending a couple hours each week night to do it, and had help from Cathy. If you need to load bunches, or load faster, you need more money, and more room
Here, we've got Lee Hand Press, Lee Safety Scale, Lee Perfect Powder Measure, Lee .38 Special dies, bullets, brass, primers, powder, and a Tupperware box.
But not everyone has access to all that spare space. I know a number of times throughout my life I've had to reload in some pretty cramped quarters. Below are some of the ways I've done it. These are all .38 Special set ups, but they work with bunches of calibers.
The first is both the most space efficient, cheapest, and most basic way to reload. A Lee Classic Loader, mallet, scoops, powder, primers, brass, bullets, and an ammo can. Takes all of five minutes to set up and put away. Downside is the hammering can be noisy, so you need to find a place to do that without driving folks bonkers. On non-rainy days, the porch or driveway can work. I've known of people who actually load at the range with this set up, though I've not done it.
The second is still pretty basic compared to a lot of folk's set ups, but it works very well. It's actually what I'm still using, despite currently having a spare room to work in. I may not always! I do have some extra goodies, but you don't have to have them. I do recommend a pair of calipers, though, which I forgot to put in the pics. The don't take up any space to speak of, though. Our house near Philadelphia was a row home, small and crowed, no extra space. I'd unpack, load on the coffee table in the living room, pack up when done. Packing and unpacking takes 5-10 minutes each. Then I'd stick the box back under the bed, and loaded ammo with the guns. This is also a cheap set up, for those on a very tight budget. In Philly, I was able to load 500 rounds a week with this, but I was spending a couple hours each week night to do it, and had help from Cathy. If you need to load bunches, or load faster, you need more money, and more room
Here, we've got Lee Hand Press, Lee Safety Scale, Lee Perfect Powder Measure, Lee .38 Special dies, bullets, brass, primers, powder, and a Tupperware box.
