My apt reloading set up

[tony]

Been wanting to reload forever.
I have zero room; my GF and I are in a cramped apartment as well decide on a potential home build.
I have enough room to put out a small folding table and put it away. That would be my bench.

Kind of settled on the Lee Breech Lock hand press to start with.
And pretty much for the price starting out I'm looking at mostly Lee gear

Wanted to see what you guys thought?

Beam scale to start or spend the money on an electronic powder dispenser? If I bought the electronic one, how sensitive are the too being moved and stored?

 

[Lawnboi]

I did the break up and down thing for a few years.

I used Milwaukee pack outs and a folding work bench. Couple clamps to keep my press secured and it did the job. You really don’t need much. A cheap press mounted to a couple pieces of plywood and some C clamps. Hand primer. Trimmer. I’d get an electronic powder trickler you can put back in the box when you’re done. Not at all hard to accomplish then put it away.

 

[CTXhunter]

Man I wouldn’t sleep on a nice powder measure. A few of them can throw pretty precise charges and would take up minimal space. If not, I’d go with an electronic thrower.

 

[sierracharlie338]

I did the break up and down thing for a few years.

I used Milwaukee pack outs and a folding work bench. Couple clamps to keep my press secured and it did the job. You really don’t need much. A cheap press mounted to a couple pieces of plywood and some C clamps. Hand primer. Trimmer. I’d get an electronic powder trickler you can put back in the box when you’re done. Not at all hard to accomplish then put it away.

If i was in your shoes OP, Id follow this suggestion right here.

 

[tony]

Sort of electronic, what manual powder throws should I look at?

I do have one of the Lee loaders for .45/70 in the little red box. Bought a small electronic scale, case trimer for it and primer tool. That loader kit comes with a little scoop.

 

[CBGunner95]

Ran with something similar to what you're describing when apartment living while moving around for work... Used a folding table (and even sometimes my cheap dining room table) as a bench. Used pieces of plywood as my quick change plate that I'd c-clamp either to the table of choice or I'd sandwich the table between my top piece of plywood that had the press mounted to it and another piece on the underside.

Kept all my dies, brass prep tools, bullets, primers, powder, etc. in a rolling toolchest to help keep organized and then would ratchet strap a tote to the top of the rolling tool chest when moving or storing my set-up. The pack out system is a great solution but didn't want to spend the money on their system so just went a cheaper route.

At the time I used an RCBS chargemaster combo that I kept in the original box that would fit inside the tote.

Downside is you don't have a stationary reloading station, but the flip side is you rarely acquire or keep around stuff you don't need. Makes for a streamlined process...

 

[flyfisher117]

Loaded a ton of ammo on this little bench. I bolted a couple aluminum U channels along the bottom to reinforce it a little bit. Not something I would want to use for heavy sizing or crimp removing in the press but it worked for almost everything else. The bench would fold nearly flat.

Lee also makes a tripod reloading stand that would hold a press.

Nothing wrong with the hand press. Just not my idea of a fun time ha.

 

[wind gypsy]

I had my press mounted on a 2x6 that I just clamped to tables or counters for a while.

I would get a real press though, would suck balls to reload with a hand press.

 

[Dave Thomas]

Like the others said I would not go with the hand press. I haven't priced presses in a long time but you should still be able to get a single stage press for pretty reasonable.

 

[RME]

When I lived in a small apt I loaded out of my range kit, pretty much everything fit into a Kennedy tool chest. Like @CBGunner95 said, in a small space you learn how to streamline the process and not accumulate too much. Even though I have plenty of space now if I wanted expand I’m still pretty minimalist and load out of that same tool chest

 

[Sinistram]

Whatever setup you can afford, financially and/or spatially, is fine. The key is to get into the game!

I'll echo the others on the press. If you have thrift stores or gun shows nearby, I guarantee you can find some kind of suitable beach press for cheap. There are a TON of old Rockchucker presses out there with plenty of life left in them.

 

[Schmo]

Don’t go with a hand press. If you’re on a really tight budget, consider the Lee Challenger press

 

[schmidty3]

Ive got the frankford folding table thingy. Works pretty well. Rigid enough!

Main intent was to be able to take it to the range with me. But its dual function is to eventually be able to store it in a closet if I need to.

 

[Trail&ErrorAK]

Following and reading along - in a house with 5 kids and my wife with limited space but have been wanting to reload a long time and just haven't made the jump.

Good on you, definitely do it!

 

[tony]

Moneys not the issue, space is.
I looked the Lee tripod, going to look at that Frankford table

 

[wind gypsy]

Dont need a table if you have a dining table or kitchen counter you can C-Clamp a board to the top of.. When i did that it was always in a rental house or apt so maybe i worried less about a scratch here or there but I never damaged anything. Hell even after I built a bench i just clamped that board with my press to it for a while before attaching it permanently.

 

[wind gypsy]

Also, I've not used a good beam scale much. The one i have is a finicky bitch. BUT, a thrower and a beam scale to check your thrown charges occasionally should be fine for the most part.