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Ability to load at the range

I have started doing all my load development at 200. Because of this I have to drive to my club which is 45 minutes away. Several time lately I have needed to alter something with a load I was testing. I have decided to go through my extra loading equipment and try to set myself up to load at the range. I'm not looking for benchrest competition range loading equipment right now. I'm just wanting to load a toolbox with the needed equipment to alter a load. Can some of you that have the ability to load at the range give me a idea of what equipment you have with you.
Thanks, Todd
 
-the smallest press that can size the brass I’m using with the sizing die set up and a way for me to attach the press so I can use it (unless you are using a arbor neck sizing die to get the brass fireformed 3x for custom dies)
-imperial lube
-paper towels
-a carbon cleaner for the brass exterior
-deprimer if you don’t want the inside of your die/the press to get too dirty from primer residue
-hand primer
-primers
-arbor press
-arbor seating die
-vials of powder in the increments I want to test already measured out and marked
-bullets you want to test
-funnel for powder into cases
-if you are testing more than one powder or brand of bullet, everything you need to clean the barrel
-everything you need to shoot the gun the way you will be using the gun (same rest/bipod/hunting sticks/bags/tripod/etc), as there’s no point of testing it a different way than you will be shooting it…
That’s my minimum for loading at the range.
 
Hey Todd, this is Todd. For efficiency to develop a load at the range it is nice to have a press to resize the case and a press to seat a bullet. The benchrest shooters use an arbor press to seat the bullet.

The outside of the necks can be cleaned with 0000 steel wool and the inside of the necks can be done with a few strokes of a nylon brush. Then use some die wax on the outside of the case and resize. Wipe off the die wax with a rag or paper towel. Prime the case with a hand priming tool. I've been using a LEE but recently ordered a Sinclair.

For measuring powder you can use a powder thrower if it has some way to make slight adjustments such as the Harrell or you can bring a scale and associated powder dispensing gadgets.

When seating the bullet it's nice to have some way to adjust seating depth so a micrometer seater or shims are useful.
 
For a press, you can mount any single stage press on a piece of plywood and secure it with C clamps to whatever table you are loading on. If you have an electronic powder dispenser you can take that as long as it has a wind screen. If you do not have power at the range, you will need some sort of battery pack. If you do not have an electronic dispenser and you are using a powder that does not allow reasonably accurate thrown charges, you can set up a system with premeasured charged in small bottles. A few years back I bought everything that I needed for one of these for around $80, including a gross of little bottles and three cases to put them in. I clean necks with 0000 steel wool and run a nylon brush in and out of necks a couple of times. Your regular dies should be fine. If your press allows for it, a lock and load conversion will let you switch back and forth between sizing and seating dies without loosing their settings. If you are using a fine extruded powder or ball powder, you can throw directly from your measure into cases, but I would practice at home to be sure that you can stay within reasonable weight variation. For a PPC size case, for me, this is +- .1 gr. which is not at all easy to do consistently, which is why I suggested the bottle setup.
 
I started doing this for my 1000 yard guns. It’s much easier than loading at home and hoping something works. Side note: I do use a shotmarker, so the Instant feedback is extremely nice! I full process my brass at home, and prime them. That way when I go to the range, all I do is throw powder and seat bullets. I bought a used harrells press of a gentlemen, because the one I wanted they no longer make. It will do up to a 30-06 size case, and their current one is for BR size brass. I throw powder at home on an autotrickler, so I bought an EJ123 scale for the range. It measure down like the fx120i does. The harrells press has an arbor press built into it along with a threaded die portion. I throw the bulk of my charge on an intelidropper from FA and I love it. I bring my brass, powder, bullets, arbor die, scale, and press along with my calipers.
 

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I shoot short range benchrest and when I practice I bring everything to the range to load. Below is my setup, I am probably forgetting a couple small things but that's the majority of it. You could size and prep your brass at home and then you just need a table, press, seating die, bullets, scale/chargemaster, calipers, CBTO comparator, and powder.

Folding table with a piece of 3/4" plywood screwed to the existing tabletop and 1" wide trim around the sides and back edges

Kennedy tool box with the following
-RCBS JR3 press
-Custom C-frame press
-FL and Seater die
-K&M hand priming tool
-K&M primer pocket uniformer
-Lyman inside and outside deburr tools
-RCBS lube pad
-Alpha case lube
-Nylon brush for the necks
-Primers
-Bullets
-loading block
-calipers
-Hornady CBTO and Headspace comparators
-Metric and Inch Allen wrenches
-log book
-PMA drop tube

Plastic Tote
-RCBS Chargemaster
-Talent cell battery pack and charger
-Powder
 
A simple arbor press and Wilson in line seating die with a funnel is all I need. I’ll pre load a test and take extra powder in vials along with some bullets and primed brass.
Easy peezy.
 

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No, no, no. Far too difficult! What seems to be a good idea...
But if you really have to...prep all the cases and prime them at home. Take the powder, already weighed out in some sort of plastic container - as black powder shooters have been doing for years - pill tubes from your local pharmacy work and seat your bullets with either a small press or a Wilson die set up.

I, already knowing the powder load that I use, seat the bullets at home - all seated long and use either a Lyman ideal with appropriate dies or an arbour press/Wilson die, according to the calibre, and do seating depth testing at the range.
 
Thanks everyone. I think prepped and primed cases is the way to go. This is mostly for hunting rifles but I'm thinking to sharpen me up for competition rifle soon. All the post have given me good direction and I appreciate it.
Todd
 
I think it really depends on what you think you might want to "adjust" on your load. In my mind, if I'm going to need to size the brass, then I need everything and we're basically talking about a complete reloading station. The only thing I can think of that I might want to adjust once I get the the range is my seating depth. I can see that as being pretty easy. If I need to adjust the powder charge, then I'm having to pull the projectiles. For me, that's a deal breaker. It's not that I won't use a pulled bullet, but I'm not going to count on it to be reliably accurate. That means I'm pulling bullets and storing them to use for blasting ammo later, emptying the powder, and then staring over with the prepped and primed cartridge. I think that's doable, but trying to measure powder charges outdoors with any degree of accuracy is absolutely impossible IMHO.
 
In post #8 I touched on how to use the preweighed vials of powder, these are use as a follow up to a preloaded test. Take extra prepped & primer brass and bullets. It’s pretty simple to funnel a vial of powder into a case and seat a bullet with an arbor press.
 
I wrote this with a few years back, definitely relevant to what you’re doing.

 
A simple arbor press and Wilson in line seating die with a funnel is all I need. I’ll pre load a test and take extra powder in vials along with some bullets and primed brass.
Easy peezy.
Same here.

Sometimes I'll make up absolute weight vials in increments, other times I'll make up base vials and some incremental vials, all depends on how much ground I need to cover.

The Wilson (Sinclair) micrometer seater makes for easy seating depth adjustments.

A Bald Eagle arbor press is compact and works great for testing.
 
Here is my range loading setup. The vast majority of Short Range Benchrest Shooters including me load nowhere but the range.

One of the things that surprised me at the Tack Driver was how many people came by our loading area and marveled at us actually loading right there.

You don’t need a bunch of stuff, or even a $2000 scale. A simple ChargeMaster light does a great job.

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