Portable Reloading Station

[bruce drake]

Folks,

I'm going to be living out of a hotel room for the next three months attending an Army school down in Maryland.

I didn't want to miss out on shooting highpower matches so I put together this reloading station that carries everything I need to reload for several calibers.

I didn't put any casting items in the kit as I can always add pre cast boolits to the stockage drawer on the top for later loading and I didn't think the hotel would appreciate me fluxing some wheelweights on a weeknight in my room.

It's an old Army field desk I bought in a surplus store about 4 years ago that had been sitting on a shelf in my garage. A fresh coat of paint and she's ready to go.

After I finish my school and move to Atlanta, I expect to use it at local ranges so I can test loads there at the range.

Bruce

[deltaenterprizes]

A lot of benchrest shooters have a similar set up and load on the range as they shoot.

[garandsrus]

Very nice!

John

[45&30-30]

Great set up, more pictures if you would.

[bruce drake]

I'll try to shoot some more pictures tomorrow evening detailing the drawers and shelves and how everything fits inside. The nice thing about this tropical field desk is that you can carry the box by yourself from place to place without busting a gut like the original WWII version that was a 3ft square box that when you took the lid off it doubled as a complete desk.

This version was designed to be mounted to the Company Commander's Radio Jeep as the Company's portable office.

Bruce

[Houndog]

That's a first class setup!!
My Benchrest reloading setup fits in a 7 drawer machinists toolbox. The press and powder measure clamp on a 1.5X4' plywood table and the rest goes in the box. I believe I like your setup better!

[jhrosier]

Bruce,
That is a dandy setup!
This would also be great for apartment dwellers or others with very limited space (camper,RV.)

I can't begin to count the number of threads on various forums where folks have used the 'no space' excuse for not handloading.

This would be a great home workshop project if you could provide some basic starting dimensions.

Thanks for posting.

Jack

[bruce drake]

I'll add dimensions and required equipment in my post tomorrow with additional photos of the shelves and drawers.

Bruce

[gnoahhh]

Great idea. Yankee ingenuity at it's finest!

Where in Maryland will you be staying? I'm about 1/2 hour from Ft Meade.

[bruce drake]

Right now its the Ft. Meade BOQ. If they are full they'll send me out to a local hotel. either way, it will be a lot of takeout for the next few months. Wife's good cooking will have to wait for a little while.

Bruce

[PatMarlin]

Nice setup Bruce.

I always wanted to get one of those LEE hand presses. How do you like it?

[mroliver77]

I just seen one of them desks at a gunshow yesterday and wondered what it was. Very nice setup Bruce. If you need some casting done while you are there just give a shout and it will be taken care of.
Jay

[bruce drake]

Pat,

The LEE hand press will handle any standard reloading task I ask of it and it is easy enough to use anywhere. I had a Lyman hand press that never quite fit my hands. I gave it away. The LEE just tracks smoothly. I can works it all day without a hitch I've had that press for nearly 12 yrs now. Still as good as when I bought it. I just gave a fresh coat of paint the other day because I've worn the paint off the handles from all the use. My first reloading box was that handpress and a few other bits thrown into a GI Ammo Can.

gnoahhh and Mr Oliver, thanks for the offer. I intended to throw a couple of hundred boolits (311291s and LEE 55gr Bators) in the drawer for my cast addiction. I'll be packing most of my lead casting equipment with me when I move to Atlanta in June. I don't trust the civilian movers with the stuff. I lost nearly $700 worth of equipment and molds on my last move. The Army paid me for their replacements but the wife's honey-dos for the newly bought house here in NY made the replacement fund disappear fast.

When we move to Atlanta, The Dear Wife will move the kids and the ****zu in the Honda Pilot and my Ford Windstar is going to be loaded down with all my lead ingots, molds and rifle collection! I might even have room for a cooler for softdrinks ---maybe

Bruce

PS. I'll measure the box tonight and put them and the materials list on the thread tonight.

[bruce drake]

Folks,

Here is the dimensions for the box if anyone is thinking of copying the setup. It is made out of 1/2" plywood. the interior shelves can be made from either 1/4" or 3/8" plywood.

Exterior dimensions

door = 19 3/4" x 19 1/4"

door chains - 12" riveted to the door and the side panels of the box. THe length is dictated by where you place the chains to keep the door level with the box so it can serve as a writing surface/work table.

side panels -(x2) 19 1/2" x 10"
Top/Bottom Panels - 19 3/4" x 10"
The panels are riveted to metal corner braces and edging panels. It makes the whole box look like the old steamer trunks. Very sturdy setup.

Back panel is 19 3/4"x 19 1/4"

The two Hinges for the door are barn style hasps and riveted to the 1/2" plywood.

The two locking hasps are at your discretion. My box is set with two on the sides but a locking hasp on the top would be just as effective I think.

interior shelves are built separate from the shipping container and then nailed into place with small brads.

top and bottom of the shelves are 18 3/4" x 9 1/2"

THere are three uprights glued into place into three mortises cut into the top adn bottom panels. The mortices are 1/8" deep in each shelf. the uprights are 14 3/4" x 9 1/2".

The inner right shelf is placed into mortises cut in the second and third uprights. It is 11 1/2" x 9 1/2"

THe box on the top of the shelf unit is 18 1/2"x9 1/2"x3" and made out of 3/8" masonite pressboard

The inner shelves are built with a 3/8" gap on each side to allow for space for the door chains to be stored in when the door closes.

I can't take the credit for the layout of the box. The Pattern date on the box is 1943. Yet another example of what our Greatest Generation has passed on to us.

I hope those that are interested can use the data for a range box of thier own.

Bruce

[jhrosier]

Bruce,
I have the Lee hand press and have found it very handy except for the little cavity in the ram getting full, or over full, with spent primers.
I got a scrap piece of 2" square steel tube about 4" long and plugged the ends, then drilled a hole in the long side just the size for the bottom part of a standard shellholder.
The large or small punch from the lee decapping tool works with this and a small nylon faced hammer to tap the primers out.
I also glued a piece of 1/4" thick foam rubber to the bottom so that it does not slide around on the table and it doesn't hurt when I use it on top of my leg while watching TV.
You will get used to 'finding' the flash hole in the case pretty quick.
This also serves to keep the grit from the spent primers away from the press ram.
It is pretty quiet when used on top of the leg and won't wake folks up at nite.
When you are done, the shellholder is removed and the spent primers will shake out through the hole.

Jack

[bruce drake]

Jack,

I just keep track of my primer count. I know that with LR or LP primers my Hand Press holds 25 max. With SR and SP I swap out at 40.

You are right about the convienance of this press. Whenever the Dear Wife complains that I am spending too much time in the Man Cave, I use the hand press inside the house!

Bruce

[elwampaku]

I realize this is to an old post, but I just surfed into this page, and was surprised to see the old Army field office Bruce Drake posted. I made two similar storage chests years ago (1974?) following a pattern I found in the 1969 NRA Reloader's Guide. I just had to pull out the old tattered book, and there it was on page #28.

I am still using one of the cases, well worn & with a few repairs and modifications, but it is still going strong.

[PatMarlin]

I really like reloading on the range. Spend a day at it- process all of your boolits, brass and primer up before hand.

I installed one of my ROCKDocks on my portable bench last year, and kept my powder and presses in a rubbermade packer. Beats the pant's off of how I used to do it, which was bolt and unbolt. Wish I would have taken pics of that.

Set up a LEE classic turret w/dies preset in turrets, powder measure and a scale, and you're good to go.

[megafatcat]

I have been reloading out of a hotel room for years, did so today. As a construction super I relocate every 1 to 6 weeks, depending on the project. Everything fits in a tote except the press and base, and a med flat rate box with boolits and some of the cases.

I reload 2 pistol and 3 rifle calibers, including forming 7.65 from 30-06 and annealing. I have another tote for 16 and 20 ga. Nightstands are my reloading benches. It is a lot slower than the pros here, as I weigh every charge including pistol, but it keeps me out of trouble.

My kids and their friends shoot it all. My son, 20, has never bought factory ammo. He thinks range fees are expensive, he has wondered why so many guys go only to shoot 100 rounds and leave.

[Von Gruff]

[QUOTE=megafatcat;1196255]I have been reloading out of a hotel room for years, did so today. QUOTE]

That is impresive and goes to show that there is never a reason not to handload.
I have the Sinclair arbour press and Wilson dies and while these will not FLS a hand press would take care of that. I was away from home mon-fri for about 12 years and living in a caravan during the week. I could still keep up with my reloading needs and only needed to cast at the weekends should I start to run low. I was in the bush in Australia for a while and a tree stump served as a base for the Lee hand dies and was enough to keep a rifle fed.

Von Gruff.