The Firing Line Forums - View Single Post - Looking for input on my next reloading table

Rimfire5 · September 19, 2013, 08:39 AM

You have a lot of good ideas in your plan.

But with your lack of space available, the media strainer isn't practical.
I recommend you use that space for a scale and powder dispenser, a trimmer, and a case preparation station that you will use far more often than a media sifter.

I tumble my brass for at least an hour in a Franklin Armory tumbler and then sift it in their spinner mounted in their bucket for about 2 minutes. The media goes into a bucket as it spins and then gets put back into the tumbler after the brass is empty. I figure you are wasting two steps in the process because the one pour funnel approach will leave some media in the brass. I find that sifting media from brass requires shaking the media out of the brass, not just pouring the brass into a funnel and letting the media drop through a sieve.
You also will have a lot of extra lifting and moving media an brass to get it up to the table and then from the bag back to your tumbler. I keep the tumbling process close to the floor so I minimize the lifting and spillage.

The idea is novel and innovative, but cleaning brass isn't the part of the process that needs bench space.
I would concentrate bench space on the parts of the reloading process that require precise measurement and repeatable reloading steps.

You'll spend most of your time at the bench weighing powder precisely, sizing clean cases in the press, measuring cases, trimming cases that had necks stretch in sizing, deburring case mouths inside and out, measuring powder charges with the scale, charging case with powder, seating bullets in the press, and measuring OAL to be sure you're getting repeatable results.

I notice you are planning for a single stage press. Great idea for rifles that you want to shoot accurately. Accuracy requires extra measurement.
I measure every round I load at least 4 times and the first round of a set 6 times to be sure the set up is correct - 1) case length after sizing, 2) case length after trimming, 3) powder charge when dispensing powder, 4) OAL when I check the first seated round from the press, 5) case base to bullet ogive for the first round from the press, 6) case base to bullet ogive for every case thereafter.
Those are the functions that you need to dedicate bench space to performing efficiently and accurately. Everything else is nice for convenience to stuff that can be moved on or around the bench but doesn't have to be done on the bench.

With your severe space limitations, you probably need to focus on the placement of the things that will have to be firmly attached and have space to operate (press and trimmer) or need to be level and stable (scale/dispenser). The case prep station can be put anywhere you can get access to the top (e.g., RCBS Trim-mate) of the front (front operated stations). You'll need space for at least one case holder tray and space for the box or tray you'll be putting loaded rounds into.

If you load as much as I do (18,000 rounds in 3 years in 7 rifle calibers and 5 pistol calibers), you'll need a small amount of space for keeping notes to put in the loaded round box on what powder, bullet weight, seating depth and projected velocity for the different loads.

I do all of that while the tumbler is running on the floor in the corner cleaning the next caliber of brass. No need to have the brass cleaning process keep me from the real work in accurate reloading.

September 19, 2013, 08:39 AM	#11
Rimfire5 Senior Member Join Date: January 2, 2009 Location: Northern Virginia Posts: 923	You have a lot of good ideas in your plan. But with your lack of space available, the media strainer isn't practical. I recommend you use that space for a scale and powder dispenser, a trimmer, and a case preparation station that you will use far more often than a media sifter. I tumble my brass for at least an hour in a Franklin Armory tumbler and then sift it in their spinner mounted in their bucket for about 2 minutes. The media goes into a bucket as it spins and then gets put back into the tumbler after the brass is empty. I figure you are wasting two steps in the process because the one pour funnel approach will leave some media in the brass. I find that sifting media from brass requires shaking the media out of the brass, not just pouring the brass into a funnel and letting the media drop through a sieve. You also will have a lot of extra lifting and moving media an brass to get it up to the table and then from the bag back to your tumbler. I keep the tumbling process close to the floor so I minimize the lifting and spillage. The idea is novel and innovative, but cleaning brass isn't the part of the process that needs bench space. I would concentrate bench space on the parts of the reloading process that require precise measurement and repeatable reloading steps. You'll spend most of your time at the bench weighing powder precisely, sizing clean cases in the press, measuring cases, trimming cases that had necks stretch in sizing, deburring case mouths inside and out, measuring powder charges with the scale, charging case with powder, seating bullets in the press, and measuring OAL to be sure you're getting repeatable results. I notice you are planning for a single stage press. Great idea for rifles that you want to shoot accurately. Accuracy requires extra measurement. I measure every round I load at least 4 times and the first round of a set 6 times to be sure the set up is correct - 1) case length after sizing, 2) case length after trimming, 3) powder charge when dispensing powder, 4) OAL when I check the first seated round from the press, 5) case base to bullet ogive for the first round from the press, 6) case base to bullet ogive for every case thereafter. Those are the functions that you need to dedicate bench space to performing efficiently and accurately. Everything else is nice for convenience to stuff that can be moved on or around the bench but doesn't have to be done on the bench. With your severe space limitations, you probably need to focus on the placement of the things that will have to be firmly attached and have space to operate (press and trimmer) or need to be level and stable (scale/dispenser). The case prep station can be put anywhere you can get access to the top (e.g., RCBS Trim-mate) of the front (front operated stations). You'll need space for at least one case holder tray and space for the box or tray you'll be putting loaded rounds into. If you load as much as I do (18,000 rounds in 3 years in 7 rifle calibers and 5 pistol calibers), you'll need a small amount of space for keeping notes to put in the loaded round box on what powder, bullet weight, seating depth and projected velocity for the different loads. I do all of that while the tumbler is running on the floor in the corner cleaning the next caliber of brass. No need to have the brass cleaning process keep me from the real work in accurate reloading.