Building a reloading area in the garage - Insights Needed

[SeanT]

You can’t have enough space and I mounted the gun cradle on a lazy Susan to spin a rifle for cleaning scope mounting, of course it don’t look this clean now

Thank you.

 

[SeanT]

Random thoughts:

1. Def humidity controlled
2. Rock solid benches
3. LOTS of shelving / storage
4. Great lighting
5. Think: work flow

I have a dedicated workstation for deprming rifle cases. Another for annealing and charging cases / seating bullets. Powder dispenser is wall mounted so working on the bench wont disrupt powder throws. 3 separate benches. Dillon 550 shares same bench as depriming station. One bench is dedicated to firearm repair / upgrade, etc.

I got a computer desk in same room for research / load data storage.

Again... with bullets, cases, powders, dies, primers, etc you cant have too much storage.

Thank you for your thoughts.

 

[SeanT]

What do you do standing vs sitting?

How much room ya got?

How handy are you and what tools do you have for building this thing?

“Reloading” is a relative term. Some can do it in a phone booth, some a large room. How many reloading processes, steps, tools are we talking about here? The press and a trimmer start up pack? Or the precision ammo factory guy that’s so far down the rabbit hole he’s never to be seen again?

Are you an organized ocd fella, or do you feel more comfortable with crap spread out all over hell but you “know where everything is”?

Does this garage have air moving around, drafty, forced air hvac? Beam scale or electronic scale, lab balance?

Where’s the beer fridge go?

I need more details.

Thank you for your insights, we have three car garage.

 

[SeanT]

Agreed here
My first reloading room was in a nice walk in closet, installed a long table top against one wall
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current set up is in about an 8'x8' cubby of my downstairs large bedroom that has a wood stove across the other side of the room so as not to be near the powder etc but keeps things climate controlled
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The cubby is like a washer/dryer area of the room that has plenty of space for a solid table bolted to the wall
Shelving, bookshelf
Its cozy and warm and relaxing being in my bedroom with the wood stove going while reloading

Thank you.

 

[SeanT]

I dont know how I would survive without inline fabrication stuff. The quick change plate with a dock in the wall for the press is a must. I also put the rails for the bins all across the face of the loading bench. Some attached to the wood top by the press and some attached to the metal underneath. This 8ft husky bench is so heavy its fine not attached to anything, but I would screw it to the wall if this was not a rental.

Husky benches and cabinets are ok, but the brand they have at sams club is better and cheaper. I have those in the garage. There are a bunch more on the website.

If I was setup in a garage for sure would have a utility sink. Sizing wax, graphite, and gun cleaning chems have me washing my hands constantly and it makes the sink filthy.

I agree with the climate control. Move the wife and kids in the garage and put the reloading room in house!

View attachment 1726919View attachment 1726920

Thank you for your recommendations.

 

[SeanT]

Ditto, Having left my cabin and reloading shack on the mountain, I find myself using a small corner inside with a storage room for overflow but it works … and all I care about is the target.

Thank you for your thoughts.

 

[SeanT]

Since I have very limited space, I do my brass prep on a small bench top in the garage and loading inside the house. It works nicely for me. It's just not the "ultimate reloading" set up I'd build if I were much younger with a larger home/garage.

Thank you.

 

[SeanT]

These are my 3 as well, especially number 3. I've changed my garage around 5 times in 8 years. I finally put wheels on three of my cabinets and drawer units FWIW, the big drawer cabinets on wheels are ideal. Either tool chest types or the stainless ones from Sam's that have the hardwood top.

Not sure you will need much in the way of temp control out in Rancho. IIRC it's far enough inland that sea air isn't an issue? I know my brother doesn't bother with A/C down closer to San Diego.

You are right. I am about 50 miles inland from the ocean.

 

[SeanT]

Ain’t no way I’m working on gun stuff in the house. Smelly solvents and stuff, noisy, music going, watching football, got people coming over that don’t need to be going through the house, can pull the pickup in close the door and not hauling stuff in and out, stairs etc. Gotta have a safe space. My wife visits but doesn’t stay long. For the above mentioned reasons…..

I use a 30x40 shop. Need something way bigger.

Thank you.

 

[SeanT]

I personally like cabinets/storage with doors.

No matter how organized it is, the appearance is 'messy' without doors or drawers.

And, as mentioned above, if no one can see it, no one knows it's there.

Thank you.

 

[SeanT]

I used to live just over the Grapevine & a little west from you. The garage got hot enough that when entering from the house on a summer day it took my breath away. I insulated the walls & drywalled, insulated the ceiling with 6 or 8" f/glass using 1/8' plywood panels to hold it all up, & did an thermostat controlled attic fan out a gable vent. It still got hot but not near as bad.

It's a dry heat... heh, but there was still condensation from temp difference, esp. in "winter". It was freakin' dusty too. That real fine dust that comes in around windows & under doors when the wind blows.

All of my loading benches have been inside the house where there's heat & A/C.

No pics from this house yet. I turned a bedroom into an office/hobby room. The walk-in closet now has shelves for components & is barely walk-in anymore. It's not quite done, but will be similar to the pic below except with a metal workbench & drawers below.

This one from about 6 houses ago...

View attachment 1726965

Thank you.

 

[TheOtherZilla]

Thank you sharing, send the picture when you ready.

As it is. Big mess. 4 boys have left stuff here for years and years. Wife won't let me toss it cuz "they might want it".. Gave em an ultimatum. Come get it or gone. Half my garage is buried in toss it stuff. Including a pile of scope and rifle boxes. This is in my basement.

 

[Tangent]

I'm jealous of since of your reloading rooms. I was reloading today in my 6x8ft shed! Needless to say I don't store anything in there, just the presses covered up.

 

[charlie b]

Don't be too jealous. My garage is not climate controlled so I reload in the house. My 'reloading room' is a 4ft x 2ft section of a closet. Has worked well for me. If I think back to all the places we lived, most of the time I reloaded in a closet (we moved 11 times in 45 years). Watching how the short range bench rest guys set up always gives me new ideas to streamline things.

One of these days I might insulate the garage and cool/heat it, but, it just isn't a financial priority. I'd rather buy new barrels and/or rifles.

 

[nmkid]

I see guys loading in their garages who are worried about humidity. Well, I don't know. I lived in Virginia (2 different homes) for 10 years, and my garages were insulated. There was no AC or humidifier, and during that time, all my powder was stored in a wooden cabinet I had built from scratch. During that time, I shot the best groups I had ever shot. I never had any powder(to my knowledge) go bad.

 

[hpshooter]

Lot of good suggestions. One thing that has not been mentioned that I think is a pr-requeset is to have at least a 20 pound CO2 fire extinguisher located by your exit door and away from the bench and powder storage.

I have them in my 3 shop areas and they have been beneficial twice in 30 years.

 

[SeanT]

As it is. Big mess. 4 boys have left stuff here for years and years. Wife won't let me toss it cuz "they might want it".. Gave em an ultimatum. Come get it or gone. Half my garage is buried in toss it stuff. Including a pile of scope and rifle boxes. This is in my basement.

thank you for sharing.

 

[Chiquita]

Thank you for your insight. We do use the garage door few times a day. Is there a way to control humidity given that information. We live in Southern California.

With the sporadic humidity in southern CA, I don't think it will affect much with the garage door being open few times a day.

Have lots of lighting and lots of bench height receptacles. As mentioned ed earlier, a mini split system.

On a second note, can you put up three insulated walls and build a room in the garage?

 

[gmr4]

Add toe kicks at the bottom of benches to keep those little things from disappearing underneath! https://www.northerntool.com/produc...GBkh7_KPNmbPrseb4pJDRO1LISemMFtFYiacaBdAd7imt
I used this sytem from Northern Tool for benches .. any size any depth and I double up on the top.. gluing and screwing.. easy button and strong.

 

[SeanT]

With the sporadic humidity in southern CA, I don't think it will affect much with the garage door being open few times a day.

Have lots of lighting and lots of bench height receptacles. As mentioned ed earlier, a mini split system.

On a second note, can you put up three insulated walls and build a room in the garage?

Thank you for your input. I been thinking about building a wall.