Building the Perfect Reloading Room

[southernpew]

The room seems to be only get smaller. I thought 16’x8’ would be sufficient. I never had everything in the same place until now, so I miscalculated lol.

Just built the powder shelf, planned on 1 8’ shelf, then kept finding more powder. So 2 8’ shelves with 3 3’ shelves later it’s in the room

 

[BuildingConceptsllc]

The room seems to be only get smaller. I thought 16’x8’ would be sufficient. I never had everything in the same place until now, so I miscalculated lol.

Just built the powder shelf, planned on 1 8’ shelf, then kept finding more powder. So 2 8’ shelves with 3 3’ shelves later it’s in the room

View attachment 8644896

looks awesome man! no matter how big, we can fill it up.

 

[GunnyUSMC]

The room seems to be only get smaller. I thought 16’x8’ would be sufficient. I never had everything in the same place until now, so I miscalculated lol.

Just built the powder shelf, planned on 1 8’ shelf, then kept finding more powder. So 2 8’ shelves with 3 3’ shelves later it’s in the room

It is amazing to me how a reloading bench/room can evolve so dramatically. I have a small 6x10 "gun room" where i did casual reloading and then after getting into precision long range competitions and supporting 4 different calibers for competition as well as a few others for casual shooting, i quickly outgrew the room. Like here, I have accumulated a dozen different powders, shelves of primers (pistol and rifle) dies, cleaning equipment, not to mention the press, trimmer, annealer, arbor press.... and on and on and on...

someday i want to grow up and have a room like yours

 

[southernpew]

It is amazing to me how a reloading bench/room can evolve so dramatically. I have a small 6x10 "gun room" where i did casual reloading and then after getting into precision long range competitions and supporting 4 different calibers for competition as well as a few others for casual shooting, i quickly outgrew the room. Like here, I have accumulated a dozen different powders, shelves of primers (pistol and rifle) dies, cleaning equipment, not to mention the press, trimmer, annealer, arbor press.... and on and on and on...

someday i want to grow up and have a room like yours

I appreciate that. I would recommend whatever size you think you’ll need, go bigger. I’ve always heard that about shops, but I thought I knew how much stuff I had reloading wise. I was mistaken

 

[snbyiggidy1]

We moved back in November. Downsized some which overall is great though I lost my dedicated reloading room. Now I am working on setting up the garage space to accommodate the normal garage things plus a home office work station and reloading room. Decided to build custom cabinets using 3/4 inch cabinet grade birch plywood. So far I have an ammo storage cabinet and gun case cabinet done.

Finishing it all in grey. Used inline fab wall mounts and tool head holders mounted to side of ammo cabinet to hold Dillon 550 tool heads.

Two other tall cabinets for random storage along with power inside for case tumblers and dryers giving me a dedicated place to do some case prep. Fit a couple doors just to make sure my plan for doors worked. All cabinets will have doors. Did a small cabinet for spray paint, car wax, and other similar items.

This area also has a cabinet with five drawers with slides and fronts to come. This attaches to a safe enclosure built to match everything else. This area is open below so I can sit at the counter as this will have a computer as my home office and I work from home a couple days per week. Work surface will be two layers of 3/4 ply with laminate top. Have first layer of plywood is down.

Safe cabinet will get doors like the rest.

Have two cabinets planned to store parts, powder, brass, bullets, and primers. Have one done and one to go. Sort of an odd cabinet with the bottom cut out but the swinging inner cabinet is way too heavy loaded to not be supported by some wheels. Which is why the bottom slot was cut in order to allow the wheels to work.

And the current final cabinet is a trash can slide with small parts storage bins on the front. When I do the work top over it I plan to drill a hole and put a trash flange in so I can easily throw trash into it or even sweep the work surface into the trash bin. Still needs the slides mounted.

 

[BuildingConceptsllc]

looks like you are well on your way. make sure you have enough brass and bullet storage space, I have s decent sized closet in my room just for brass and bullets and still run out of room. nice set up. are you going to out a split ac in it later? if you have it conditioned it will pretty much be like a dedicated loading room won't it?

 

[Top O' Texas]

We moved back in November. Downsized some which overall is great though I lost my dedicated reloading room. Now I am working on setting up the garage space to accommodate the normal garage things plus a home office work station and reloading room. Decided to build custom cabinets using 3/4 inch cabinet grade birch plywood. So far I have an ammo storage cabinet and gun case cabinet done. View attachment 8670049
Finishing it all in grey. Used inline fab wall mounts and tool head holders mounted to side of ammo cabinet to hold Dillon 550 tool heads.
View attachment 8670050
Two other tall cabinets for random storage along with power inside for case tumblers and dryers giving me a dedicated place to do some case prep. Fit a couple doors just to make sure my plan for doors worked. All cabinets will have doors. Did a small cabinet for spray paint, car wax, and other similar items.
View attachment 8670053
This area also has a cabinet with five drawers with slides and fronts to come. This attaches to a safe enclosure built to match everything else. This area is open below so I can sit at the counter as this will have a computer as my home office and I work from home a couple days per week. Work surface will be two layers of 3/4 ply with laminate top. Have first layer of plywood is down. View attachment 8670058
Safe cabinet will get doors like the rest.
View attachment 8670063
Have two cabinets planned to store parts, powder, brass, bullets, and primers. Have one done and one to go. Sort of an odd cabinet with the bottom cut out but the swinging inner cabinet is way too heavy loaded to not be supported by some wheels. Which is why the bottom slot was cut in order to allow the wheels to work.
View attachment 8670066View attachment 8670067
And the current final cabinet is a trash can slide with small parts storage bins on the front. When I do the work top over it I plan to drill a hole and put a trash flange in so I can easily throw trash into it or even sweep the work surface into the trash bin. Still needs the slides mounted.
View attachment 8670070

i label my 550 toolheads also like you do. great minds...........well you know the rest looks good!

 

[snbyiggidy1]

looks like you are well on your way. make sure you have enough brass and bullet storage space, I have s decent sized closet in my room just for brass and bullets and still run out of room. nice set up. are you going to out a split ac in it later? if you have it conditioned it will pretty much be like a dedicated loading room won't it?

Might do that at some point. Will see how it is this summer. I. Winter a small space heater worked well. Might get a little warm in the summer goes.

i label my 550 toolheads also like you do. great minds...........well you know the rest looks good!

For sure. Makes things much easier for my older brain.

 

[sgtsmmiii]

We moved back in November. Downsized some which overall is great though I lost my dedicated reloading room. Now I am working on setting up the garage space to accommodate the normal garage things plus a home office work station and reloading room. Decided to build custom cabinets using 3/4 inch cabinet grade birch plywood. So far I have an ammo storage cabinet and gun case cabinet done. View attachment 8670049
Finishing it all in grey. Used inline fab wall mounts and tool head holders mounted to side of ammo cabinet to hold Dillon 550 tool heads.
View attachment 8670050
Two other tall cabinets for random storage along with power inside for case tumblers and dryers giving me a dedicated place to do some case prep. Fit a couple doors just to make sure my plan for doors worked. All cabinets will have doors. Did a small cabinet for spray paint, car wax, and other similar items.
View attachment 8670053
This area also has a cabinet with five drawers with slides and fronts to come. This attaches to a safe enclosure built to match everything else. This area is open below so I can sit at the counter as this will have a computer as my home office and I work from home a couple days per week. Work surface will be two layers of 3/4 ply with laminate top. Have first layer of plywood is down. View attachment 8670058
Safe cabinet will get doors like the rest.
View attachment 8670063
Have two cabinets planned to store parts, powder, brass, bullets, and primers. Have one done and one to go. Sort of an odd cabinet with the bottom cut out but the swinging inner cabinet is way too heavy loaded to not be supported by some wheels. Which is why the bottom slot was cut in order to allow the wheels to work.
View attachment 8670066View attachment 8670067
And the current final cabinet is a trash can slide with small parts storage bins on the front. When I do the work top over it I plan to drill a hole and put a trash flange in so I can easily throw trash into it or even sweep the work surface into the trash bin. Still needs the slides mounted.
View attachment 8670070

Very nice and well thought out.

 

[fedupflyer]

I read the title of this thread and laughed....the perfect reloading room....its a fantasy...doesn't exist...mental masturbation.

Meanwhile, I need a minimum of a 30x30 to get started.

 

[snbyiggidy1]

Very nice and well thought out.

Thanks has been fun so far.

I read the title of this thread and laughed....the perfect reloading room....its a fantasy...doesn't exist...mental masturbation.

Meanwhile, I need a minimum of a 30x30 to get started.

I agree no matter how much planning in the end it never is perfect. I am with you I would like a bigger space.

I was able to get some more done between other chores and getting to the range this weekend. Added the slides to the garbage can parts bin cabinet and started the build of another 5 drawer cabinet. Still deciding on handles. Not sure exactly what I will end up with yet.

 

[starbuck6264]

Some great looking rooms here. I am in the middle of my house build. Getting ready for sheetrock. Then its paint, flooring and trim carpentry stuff. Honestly, I am pretty tired of everything at this point and just want to be done! About the only thing exciting to me know is I cant wait to finish out my reloading room. Its going to be in the bonus room over my garage. Once the kids are older and gone I may move it to the basement. I am kicking around the idea of building the bench out of solid white oak, but doing a concrete countertop. I know that would make it heavier, but I am thinking it would have a less flex that way. What say yall?

 

[Defender3]

Some great looking rooms here. I am in the middle of my house build. Getting ready for sheetrock. Then its paint, flooring and trim carpentry stuff. Honestly, I am pretty tired of everything at this point and just want to be done! About the only thing exciting to me know is I cant wait to finish out my reloading room. Its going to be in the bonus room over my garage. Once the kids are older and gone I may move it to the basement. I am kicking around the idea of building the bench out of solid white oak, but doing a concrete countertop. I know that would make it heavier, but I am thinking it would have a less flex that way. What say yall?

FWIW, I used double 3/4" plywood (A grade) over a 2x4 frame and it's solid as a rock.

 

[Kimber.204]

Some great looking rooms here. I am in the middle of my house build. Getting ready for sheetrock. Then its paint, flooring and trim carpentry stuff. Honestly, I am pretty tired of everything at this point and just want to be done! About the only thing exciting to me know is I cant wait to finish out my reloading room. Its going to be in the bonus room over my garage. Once the kids are older and gone I may move it to the basement. I am kicking around the idea of building the bench out of solid white oak, but doing a concrete countertop. I know that would make it heavier, but I am thinking it would have a less flex that way. What say yall?

I love the look of concrete counter tops.... However, I've dropped enough stuff on my bench that at least some if it would have been damaged or ruined if the benchtop had been concrete.

 

[MarshallDodge]

Some great looking rooms here. I am in the middle of my house build. Getting ready for sheetrock. Then its paint, flooring and trim carpentry stuff. Honestly, I am pretty tired of everything at this point and just want to be done! About the only thing exciting to me know is I cant wait to finish out my reloading room. Its going to be in the bonus room over my garage. Once the kids are older and gone I may move it to the basement. I am kicking around the idea of building the bench out of solid white oak, but doing a concrete countertop. I know that would make it heavier, but I am thinking it would have a less flex that way. What say yall?

Mine looks pretty similar to Defender3's setup. The top is a solid core door with a layer of 3/4" OSB, sanded with multiple coats of urethane.

With presses and gear on top, and at least 200 lbs of brass, bullets, etc on the bottom shelf, it's solid as a rock.

 

[99mpower]

how would you secure/move/etc your presses/etc with concrete counter top?

i know about concrete bolts/etc, but i feel like that’s sooo overkill

 

[TheOE800]

how would you secure/move/etc your presses/etc with concrete counter top?

i know about concrete bolts/etc, but i feel like that’s sooo overkill

Just put them in while it’s wet…?

 

[Dead Eye Dick]

Some great looking rooms here. I am in the middle of my house build. Getting ready for sheetrock. Then its paint, flooring and trim carpentry stuff. Honestly, I am pretty tired of everything at this point and just want to be done! About the only thing exciting to me know is I cant wait to finish out my reloading room. Its going to be in the bonus room over my garage. Once the kids are older and gone I may move it to the basement. I am kicking around the idea of building the bench out of solid white oak, but doing a concrete countertop. I know that would make it heavier, but I am thinking it would have a less flex that way. What say yall?

Building a home. Closest Brenda and I ever came to a divorce. Stress is unbelievable. Hang in there.

Oh, my understanding, basements are very humid. My reloading area is in my big shop. In Louisiana the environment DEFINES Humid. I have to keep everything inside my gunsafe with a dehumidifier constantly running. Stay in the room over the garage. Put in some windows and enjoy the view. I have moved much of my reloading to the small bicycle shop that has a nice window over looking the lake. Much nicer.

 

[Defender3]

how would you secure/move/etc your presses/etc with concrete counter top?

i know about concrete bolts/etc, but i feel like that’s sooo overkill

FWIW II - Wood allowed me to inset Rockler T-tracks, which then are used to move some stuff in and other stuff out so I can keep bench space. I have two inline fabrication risers on plywood bases that slide in and out on the t-tracks. The presses (etc.) have inline fab top plates so I can quickly install an item. I added inline fab storage to the end of the bench that the top plates easily slide in and out of. I've incrementally added items over many years to get where I am today. /Flex Off

 

[GunnyUSMC]

Some great looking rooms here. I am in the middle of my house build. Getting ready for sheetrock. Then its paint, flooring and trim carpentry stuff. Honestly, I am pretty tired of everything at this point and just want to be done! About the only thing exciting to me know is I cant wait to finish out my reloading room. Its going to be in the bonus room over my garage. Once the kids are older and gone I may move it to the basement. I am kicking around the idea of building the bench out of solid white oak, but doing a concrete countertop. I know that would make it heavier, but I am thinking it would have a less flex that way. What say yall?

I built a bench top out of regular 2x4 lumber (short edge up) sandwitched together and it was cheap and super sturdy. The first one i built was for a bench used when working on my car and i needed something where i could use a heavy hammer to beat a part into submission. It was very heavy so the next one i built was for my reloading room and i followed the same approach except that it was made out of 2x3 lumber instead. Still extra sturdy, just not as expensive and not as heavy.

I like this because there have been many times when i just needed to secure something into my benchtop with screws and was able to do that without worrying about scratching it. it was rude and crude and worked extremely well. i loved it.

 

[Maurygold]

FWIW II - Wood allowed me to inset Rockler T-tracks, which then are used to move some stuff in and other stuff out so I can keep bench space. I have two inline fabrication risers on plywood bases that slide in and out on the t-tracks. The presses (etc.) have inline fab top plates so I can quickly install an item. I added inline fab storage to the end of the bench that the top plates easily slide in and out of. I've incrementally added items over many years to get where I am today. /Flex Off

I like your style.

 

[Jayjay1]

Some great looking rooms here. I am in the middle of my house build. Getting ready for sheetrock. Then its paint, flooring and trim carpentry stuff. Honestly, I am pretty tired of everything at this point and just want to be done! About the only thing exciting to me know is I cant wait to finish out my reloading room. Its going to be in the bonus room over my garage. Once the kids are older and gone I may move it to the basement. I am kicking around the idea of building the bench out of solid white oak, but doing a concrete countertop. I know that would make it heavier, but I am thinking it would have a less flex that way. What say yall?

I won´t use concrete because I like to clamp stuff to my bench.

And if you would have to move it from above the garage into your basement?
Good luck.

 

[olive drab]

FWIW II - Wood allowed me to inset Rockler T-tracks, which then are used to move some stuff in and other stuff out so I can keep bench space. I have two inline fabrication risers on plywood bases that slide in and out on the t-tracks. The presses (etc.) have inline fab top plates so I can quickly install an item. I added inline fab storage to the end of the bench that the top plates easily slide in and out of. I've incrementally added items over many years to get where I am today. /Flex Off

Did you build some sort of jig for the router to ride in the first rockler track to cut the 2nd one perfectly parallel or is there a better process/trick to do that?

 

[TylerN]

Spotty work with the router then wood filler to try to hide some of my messy work was my process.

 

[Malum Prohibitum]

Spotty work with the router then wood filler to try to hide some of my messy work was my process.

End result was still A+

 

[Malum Prohibitum]

FWIW II - Wood allowed me to inset Rockler T-tracks, which then are used to move some stuff in and other stuff out so I can keep bench space. I have two inline fabrication risers on plywood bases that slide in and out on the t-tracks. The presses (etc.) have inline fab top plates so I can quickly install an item. I added inline fab storage to the end of the bench that the top plates easily slide in and out of. I've incrementally added items over many years to get where I am today. /Flex Off

Excellent set up.

It gives me a lot of ideas. I used 3/4" birch plywood, but only one layer. I did not know you could add the Rockler T-tracks to plywood, so now I need to look into that.

 

[Geno C.]

View attachment IMG_8040.jpegAdded a vault door to my room. Found a steal on marketplace and always had wanted one. It’s not super heavy duty but I mostly wanted it for added fire protection

 

[Defender3]

Did you build some sort of jig for the router to ride in the first rockler track to cut the 2nd one perfectly parallel or is there a better process/trick to do that?

Excellent set up.

It gives me a lot of ideas. I used 3/4" birch plywood, but only one layer. I did not know you could add the Rockler T-tracks to plywood, so now I need to look into that.

I used a double layer of 3/4". The first layer was screwed to the 2x4 framing and the second placed on the first and scrwed together from the underside. I decided the width I wanted for the t-tracks based on the size of the presses, the inline fab bases, and the size of the knobs that secure the plywood base plate (so they don't interfere with the press). I clamped a straight edge that guided the router.

 

[Pj41799]

New reloading room started from scratch. Paint and flooring next couple of weekends. Looking for ideas on a bench. Buy or build? Haven’t seen many that I really like. Open to ideas. Thanks

 

[The D]

If you can’t find what you really want for sale just build something. It may take a bit longer but you’ll be happier in the end

 

[loveha]

New reloading room started from scratch. Paint and flooring next couple of weekends. Looking for ideas on a bench. Buy or build? Haven’t seen many that I really like. Open to ideas. Thanks

Build a kitchen. If I had the space and money.
Reloading is a science akin to baking in my opinion. Need cabinet space and or shelving so may as well make it nice. Powder and primers if stored in something is to be made of wood anyways. (Legally speaking).
So get some upper and lower cabinets, some butcher block counter top. Leave room for your legs between a couple lowers, 50"-60" wide. If the counter is to low get a riser from inline fabrication.

 

[Pj41799]

I ordered some kitchen cabinets today. It shoukd fill the seven feet above the future bench with minimum gap left over. The t-tracks are something I def would like to have. Great idea. Should be painted this week and have cabinets installed by next weekend. Full time job so it’s an hour here and there. I’ll post some pics when they’re in. I appreciate the ideas.

 

[XTREM HTR16]

View attachment 8708262 New reloading room started from scratch. Paint and flooring next couple of weekends. Looking for ideas on a bench. Buy or build? Haven’t seen many that I really like. Open to ideas. Thanks

Build. As stated, butcher block tops are great.

 

[Snuby642]

Build. As stated, butcher block tops are great.

View attachment 8709013

"Waterfall " butcher block .

Cool look.