Reloading And The Apartment-Dweller

[Achilles11B]

I'd like to get in to reloading, specifically .223 and .30-06 for an M1 Garand. I'll be picking up a .50 Beowulf upper shortly and would like to reload for that as well. I live in a decent-sized one bedroom apartment, which is what is holding me back from taking up the hobby. I've seen some guys' loading setups, they seem pretty extensive and look as though they take up a lot of room. Is a lot of room necessary to set up a decent reloading area? Do reloading and living in an apartment go together? Thanks in advance for the information.

[CWKahrFan]

"Is a lot of room necessary to set up a decent reloading area?"

I do fine with 2ft x 2ft. of desk space (half of a 4ft. long heavy desk) and 2ft. x 3ft. x 10" of cupboard shelves (with hinged doors) above it. SOLID is key though... I feel strongly that it needs to be very heavy-duty SOLID and STABLE with no movement at all. (I have mine screwed to the wall in a couple of places to insure this.)

[rc]

I got into reloading while I was in college after getting my first pistol which was a 9mm. I bought a lee anniversary kit for $75 and a set of RCBS dies. I rented one small room in a 3 bedroom apartment. I had enough room to reload! I cranked out a bunch of reloads before the Lee press started creeking and I got tired of the powder measure leaking grains of ball powder. The nice thing about my lee set up was it was cheap, light and I set it up so the press clamped to the desk and the powder measure on a 10x12 wood tray. I ended up getting used RCBS stuff and then continued with more new RCBS. If I were starting today I would get the RCBS master reloading kit with the case trimmer. That kit is a great start. The press is heavy so you will need one of those steel framed benches from home depot for about $80. You will be able to assemble it in your apartment. You might also find a nice lite used press and used dies to go with your new master reloading kit. Set the heavy Rock chucker aside till you have some place really sturdy to bolt it. I made a custom board that clamps to my work bench and sticks out about 3 inches for access. You can get all kinds of nice old presses from Pacific (now hornady), lyman, Herters, etc that will do the job of reloading press for apartments. Cast iron presses are the way to go for longevity. The alumunim ones will wear out and creek like my Lee classic O. I have a pacific cast iron C frame press given to me by a friend and it makes accessing the ram very easy. I use it for 223 and it works great. I also have an antique Bear H type press mounted to a board. It's a bit akward to use but can be placed on a table without clamping since my base is about 18x18 inches. I use it for large rifle because it's a very big press. Oh and you should get a hand priming tool as the press mounted unit is too slow. You should also get a stand for your powder measure and mount it to a board so it can be clamped on your reloading surface. Reloading in an apartment is relatively easy if you think it through and have a work area preferrably without carpet on which to work. You will spill powder and lynoleum or tile is a better area to work than on carpet. The key to reloading in an apartment is making your set up modular so you can store it in the closset when your girlfirend comes over

[mo84]

I would not worry to much about space. i have a single stage press that I set up on the kitchen table with some C clamps. when im finished I pack everything back up and store it in the closet. it dont take up much room at all. the two containers i have are about 1 1/2 ft tall x 8 inches wide x 1 1/2 ft long combined so everything packs up pretty compact

[Achilles11B]

Sound advice, thanks everyone.

[justinpar]

I do just fine in my small apartment bedroom. Most of my stuff is stored under my bed. Things such as primers/powder/live rounds are stored in the closet in army ammo cans. Reloading in your bedroom is not ideal but saving money is.

[SIGSHR]

I built myself a Reloading Cabinet 25 years ago, nothing fancy, but very sturdy, the heaviest plywood I could find, a double deck for the top where my RCBS 4x4 is bolted. A small shelf set at the back to hold my scale, etc. I reload standing up now. Biggest problem was arranging the lighting, the room it is in does not have an overhead light.

[M.O.A.]

i have been loading out of a old ammo box and all my gear fits in it. lee hand press, pace setter dies, lube, powder, bullets, and primers the hole nine yards. so no it does not take a lot of room to reload

[oo0juice0oo]

For the longest time I would just c-clamp my press and powder measure to a small end table in my living room when I wanted to reload. Finally I got sick of that and just bought a small cheap-o computer desk from Walmart and bolted my stuff to it. Granted, I sacrifice over half of my small bedroom for my reloading setup and gun storage, but to me it's worth it.

[TXGunNut]

Not much room needed...at first. I like the tips about packing things up and stowing them away when not in use. Apartment dwellers (and management) tend to have prying eyes. Keep spent primers, tumbling media, brass and bullets picked up; you don't want to find them in the dark in bare feet.

[Crankylove]

One thing to keep in mind about reloading in apartments, is that many have their own rules on the storage or use of powder and primers.

I have lived in a couple that had no restrictions, one that did not allow any type of powder or "explosive" to be stored on the property, and two that had 2 lb limits for smokeless or black powder.

I had 10-15 lbs in my last condo, about 10 lbs over the limit they set. As long as you are within the limits set by your local city, or county, you are good legally.........but if its against the regs in your rental contract, you do run the risk of eviction and/or legal action for violation of those rules should you get caught.

I just kept mine out of sight whenever some one had to enter (for maintenance)..........not that it makes it ok, that's just what I did.......and knew it was a risk keeping it there.

[Geezerbiker]

When I was in college, I didn't have a place to bolt down the used RCBS press I bought so I bought a Lee hand press. I figured I'd use it for a couple years then give it away. I've loaded hundreds of rounds of .45 ACP, .38 Sp. .357 mag, .380 auto, 9mm, 7.7mm Arisaka, .30-30 .308 win, and .30-06 with it.

About 20 years later I still use it for some things. Like when I want to decap brass while watching TV and a few other uses. It's too useful to sell much less give away.

Tony

[DWFan]

I used to live in a one-bedroom apartment that had an outside storage closet on the patio. I just set up in there and kept a padlock on the door. Maintenance men and managers might enter your apartment while you are away, but they won't look there and don't think twice about you having a padlock on it.

[CowTowner]

Thought this might interest the OP as a space efficient option:
http://leeprecision.com/xcart/Lee-Reloading-Stand.html

[Bailey Boat]

Look for an office type Credenza, their thinner than a desk and once you load all of your supplies in the drawers and the center they get heavy and can be locked. I used a "table runner" to keep the top covered and a small center piece made it look like it belonged there...... Check used office furniture places......

[praetorian97]

My .02. The more organized you are the less space you need.

[chris in va]

I use a Lee Hand Press for everything...30-06, 223, 9mm, 45, x39. My entire reloading setup is clustered around my Lay-Z-Boy.

And yes, I reload for my Garand too.

[zxcvbob]

I have several reloading presses set up. The one that would work really good for what you're doing is a Forster CoAx mounted to a rectangular wooden stool. It's about 20" wide and 12" deep and maybe 28 or 30" tall. The powder measure is C-clamped to the edge (because I didn't want to drill another hole), and the powder scale sits on the back. It's plenty strong and sturdy (but a little tippy so you'll might have to hold it when resizing rifle cases) and is portable -- just don't knock the scale off because that's pretty hard on them.

[Lost Sheep]

Apartment Handloadng

While it is possible to load with a kit that you can keep in a shoebox (the kit is the size of a paperback book, but requires a mallet to power the metalworking, which means you need a wood block, lest you dent your coffee table, plus it makes a lot of noise with all the banging and it is also slow. But if you are REALLY tight on space, it is one way to go. About $30-$40 for the hardware.

A hand press is the next step up in convenience. It requires no mount, but is not a lot faster than the mallet-powered setup. About $60-$80 for the hardware.

A small single stage press mounted with bolts and wingnuts to a 2x6 30" long is the way I started (though I do have a few sets of the "whack-a-bullet" kits and have used them, too.). I wedged the 2x6 into the drawer of an end table/nightstand and used it to great effect for a long time. Press, scale, dies and you can be set up in style for under $100 and still fit everything in a dresser drawer or medium-large briefcase.

Everything beyond the press, dies and scale just makes things faster, more convenient or moderately more precise. Highly recommended, but not ABSOLUTELY necessary. Of course, loading manuals, safety glasses and a dropcloth go without saying.

My current setup consists of a Lee Classic Turret and that same 2x6 I started with 35 years ago, seven sets of dies, a scale, a couple of powder measures and a number of other miscellaneous tools round out my loading bench. They all fit in three medium sized plastic toolboxes. Add a Stanley or Black & Decker folding worktable and I can set up anywhere (including going over to a friend's house) with just three trips out to the car (two carrying the gear and one carrying the components) I make more trips to the car preparing to go to the range. It would cost about $500 to duplicate my setup, but I want for nothing.

Lee Classic Turret Press
7 Die sets (all mounted in their own quick-change turrets
3 Auto-Disk powder measures (only two fit in my toolboxes, though)
bullet puller
calipers
Primer Pocket cleaner
Case mouth Chamfer Tool
Safety glasses (shooting glasses would do, but I keep a dedicated pair)
Powder trickler
A set of Lee Powder Dippers
Tweezers and other small hand tools
A half-dozen loading manuals (don't keep them in the toolboxes, though)
Dropcloth (not in the toolboxes, either, but covering them
I think that's about it.

Oh, I forgot, my vibratory case cleaner does not fit in the toolboxes. But then, you don't really need one. Mine was gift from a friend who thought my brass should be shinier. It does look nicer, but doesn't shoot any better than when I just wiped it down with a towel.

There are a number of different plans for building a "closet within a closet" where you can have your loading bench behind locked doors and hiding inside a regular clothes closed and still have room for hanging some clothes and storing shoes. All without actually putting any holes in your apartment walls, too. I have even seen pictures of a roll-top desk serving as a loading bench that, when closed, looked completely original. An armoire or entertainment center with opaque doors would make an ideal conversion for an apartment dweller and provide PLENTY of room.

Good luck. Your only limit is your imagination and perhaps your wallet, but you can trade a lot of wallet for a little imagination.

Lost Sheep

[FrankenMauser]

I spent 6 months in a one bedroom apartment, with my reloading press attached to the top of our entertainment center. It wasn't ideal, but got the job done. When I wasn't reloading, all of the tools and supplies were stored inside the entertainment center (away from the electronics, heat, and static electricity).

[studman5578]

I second the idea of a hand press. I have one and its great, especially for starters

[jamesicus]

I now do "table top" (kitchen, patio, study, den, et al - whatever is available) reloading almost exclusively using a Lee hand press and accessories and I am enjoying it more than I ever have. Of course my output is low and slow (no more than forty reloads per session) - all of my case prep is manual and I neck size the cases (sample checking them in the chamber of the rifle). For me it is a most relaxing way to reload and I am producing accurate ammunition of excellent quality that functions nicely in my rifles.





I use IMR Trail Boss powder (reduced loads) in my 30/06 IAW the Hodgdon specifications with outstanding results.



20 shot group from the bench at 50 yards:




James

[FrankenMauser]

I use IMR Trail Boss powder (reduced loads) in my 30/06 IAW the Hodgdon specifications with outstanding results.

Most members are not familiar with the "IAW" abbreviation. For the non-Air Force types, here, it means "In Accordance With".