What did you do in the reloading room today?

wyosam

WKR
Joined
Aug 5, 2019
Messages
1,328
After having my reloading equipment in the garage at this house for 17 years, I’m finally able to set up a bench indoors. As a result, I’m moving equipment in and getting it cleaned up.

As I moved some stuff in, I found a box I didn’t remember. Inside was both loose bagged brass in several of my flavors, including 1k LC brass in .223. But, it was the brass in several MTM boxes that had me scratching my head. I open it up when I get inside and it’s all brand new, unfired.

200 Lapua .223
100 Lapua 7.62x53r
100 Norma 6.5x55

Score!!! Don’t even remember buying it. Sucks getting old and senile lol.

It sucks, but that Lapua 223 is like hens teeth lately. Score!


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Torque

FNG
Joined
Oct 5, 2022
Messages
73
I'm not going to spend the money to insulate it. It just costs too much. The boards provide pretty good insulation 3/4".

The radiant heat in the summer months is almost unbearable in the garage. I have to do something.
I am going to put steel on the ceiling. I will make a saddle upside down "U" out of 2X2.5's to cap over the trusses so I have something easy to screw the steel up to from below. If that makes sense. I'm not fighting running metal screw into trusses while hanging upside down and I don't want to screw into those trusses and weaken them. I will start my steel ceiling at the 45's on the walls and then just sheet it across. Kind of hard to explain and an even bigger PITA to do by yourself.

I will likely put R30 in the ceiling in the reloading room. I won't have the luxury of putting a fan to clear that air out of the void. In the main garage, I might blow insulation up there one day if it's still pretty hot, but I think that void is going to capture and expel a lot of that heat out and with a couple fans it may be bearable. I will then cut a hole in that peak at the back, and I will use that "Void" between the drop ceiling and the roof to hopefully capture the heat and get it out the hole in the back via a fan.

I'll stick a few vents in the ceiling above my welding bench to hopefully expel some of the welding fumes as well and just close those when I am not welding in the winter.

Torpedo heater has the garage 70 degrees in the winter in about 3 minutes. I can run that a LOT for what insulation would cost.

It's so expensive to build a garage the way a guy wants it. I don't think a lot of guys really understand how expensive it gets in a hurry. For a simple 30X30 concrete floor shop your looking at $50,000 minimum these days. That with doing a LOT of the work yourself and that does not include finishing the inside, wiring, insulation, ect ect..

Good luck with your build. I think it looks great so far.
Yes sir, I understand the insulation. We are going with 2" spray in. I know the approximate cost and it's definitely something I have to save for. I am trying to finish everything in stages. After the ceilings are finished, I am going to make a plan for running the electric. Since I can't figure out an efficient way to seal the roll up door, I am going with a couple of big fans in the rafters for the shop portion and a mini split for the reloading room. I am installing a dust collection system and an air compressor. Both of which will be outside the shop to cut down on noise inside. The next step after the electric is run and the placement of portals to the dust extraction and air system is figured out, I will insulate it all. Then, we are sheathing the entire inside with 1x6 boards we are milling. After that is installing flooring in the reloading room. I have 3x3 oak boards cut and drying to begin putting together 30" deep benchtops in the reloading room. So, basically, 10 years from now, Ill be finished, lol!
 
Joined
Feb 24, 2016
Messages
2,616
Yes sir, I understand the insulation. We are going with 2" spray in. I know the approximate cost and it's definitely something I have to save for. I am trying to finish everything in stages. After the ceilings are finished, I am going to make a plan for running the electric. Since I can't figure out an efficient way to seal the roll up door, I am going with a couple of big fans in the rafters for the shop portion and a mini split for the reloading room. I am installing a dust collection system and an air compressor. Both of which will be outside the shop to cut down on noise inside. The next step after the electric is run and the placement of portals to the dust extraction and air system is figured out, I will insulate it all. Then, we are sheathing the entire inside with 1x6 boards we are milling. After that is installing flooring in the reloading room. I have 3x3 oak boards cut and drying to begin putting together 30" deep benchtops in the reloading room. So, basically, 10 years from now, Ill be finished, lol!

Keep the pictures coming. I love seeing other people actually do things themself the hard way too! lol
To spray my building with insulation it was going to be $9500. lol That was a hard no for me.

The wiring about broke me. I was able to use a bunch of old wire and outlets and outlet housings my family had lying around and that saved be a ton of money. I pilfered and scrounged as much stuff as I could to keep costs down.

If you're doing boards on your wall either make sure you dry them out good or plan or doing a DEEP 1" minimum router'd shiplap edge to keep from seeing cracks. I tried to router the edge (3/4") on my wide green poplar boards and had 10% shrinkage and I ended up battening the ENTIRE garage because I couldn't mentally deal with seeing the cracks that eventually showed themselves as the boards dried....
 

Torque

FNG
Joined
Oct 5, 2022
Messages
73
Keep the pictures coming. I love seeing other people actually do things themself the hard way too! lol
To spray my building with insulation it was going to be $9500. lol That was a hard no for me.

The wiring about broke me. I was able to use a bunch of old wire and outlets and outlet housings my family had lying around and that saved be a ton of money. I pilfered and scrounged as much stuff as I could to keep costs down.

If you're doing boards on your wall either make sure you dry them out good or plan or doing a DEEP 1" minimum router'd shiplap edge to keep from seeing cracks. I tried to router the edge (3/4") on my wide green poplar boards and had 10% shrinkage and I ended up battening the ENTIRE garage because I couldn't mentally deal with seeing the cracks that eventually showed themselves as the boards dried....
Good advice on the boards. The 1x6's should take a full year to dry to relative humidity. Hopefully by then they won't shrink too much more. I will definitely have to shiplap edge no matter what though.
 

Torque

FNG
Joined
Oct 5, 2022
Messages
73
Keep the pictures coming. I love seeing other people actually do things themself the hard way too! lol
To spray my building with insulation it was going to be $9500. lol That was a hard no for me.

The wiring about broke me. I was able to use a bunch of old wire and outlets and outlet housings my family had lying around and that saved be a ton of money. I pilfered and scrounged as much stuff as I could to keep costs down.

If you're doing boards on your wall either make sure you dry them out good or plan or doing a DEEP 1" minimum router'd shiplap edge to keep from seeing cracks. I tried to router the edge (3/4") on my wide green poplar boards and had 10% shrinkage and I ended up battening the ENTIRE garage because I couldn't mentally deal with seeing the cracks that eventually showed themselves as the boards dried....
Small update. My brother and I were able to get the header boards hung in the reloading room.



 

deertrout

Lil-Rokslider
Joined
Oct 29, 2017
Messages
154
Location
MI
Long time reader, first time reloader!

When my dad died a couple years ago, I got his Dillon 550B. He never took it out of the box but planned to get into reloading at some point after he settled into retirement and had saved a bunch of his brass. I decided to finish what he started and converted my fly tying room into a reloading room, then soon learned I needed a lot more stuff than just the press. I think finally got all the tools and equipment, including a rock chucker supreme to learn on before I mess with his 550.

Decapped a gallon of .223 brass the last couple nights. Got about half of it going in some walnut media now while I read up and watch videos on the next steps.

PXL_20240222_234205912.MP.jpg
 
OP
sierracharlie338
Joined
Oct 14, 2023
Messages
1,512
Location
Houston (adjacent) TX
Long time reader, first time reloader!

When my dad died a couple years ago, I got his Dillon 550B. He never took it out of the box but planned to get into reloading at some point after he settled into retirement and had saved a bunch of his brass. I decided to finish what he started and converted my fly tying room into a reloading room, then soon learned I needed a lot more stuff than just the press. I think finally got all the tools and equipment, including a rock chucker supreme to learn on before I mess with his 550.

Decapped a gallon of .223 brass the last couple nights. Got about half of it going in some walnut media now while I read up and watch videos on the next steps.

View attachment 677409
Awesome stuff man! Prepare to dive into the rabbit hole!
 

Juan_ID

WKR
Joined
Feb 25, 2012
Messages
1,689
Location
Idaho
Long time reader, first time reloader!

When my dad died a couple years ago, I got his Dillon 550B. He never took it out of the box but planned to get into reloading at some point after he settled into retirement and had saved a bunch of his brass. I decided to finish what he started and converted my fly tying room into a reloading room, then soon learned I needed a lot more stuff than just the press. I think finally got all the tools and equipment, including a rock chucker supreme to learn on before I mess with his 550.

Decapped a gallon of .223 brass the last couple nights. Got about half of it going in some walnut media now while I read up and watch videos on the next steps.

View attachment 677409
If you’re tumbling in straight walnut media and get tired of the dust give Lyman corncob media a try. 👍
 

Tucky

FNG
Joined
Feb 25, 2024
Messages
5
I'm watching the clock slowly move, then I'm going to stuff some 6.5 creed shells with 147g eldm's for testing. Then load some 300 rum with the good ol 215 hybrid. If the weather behaves we will smell some gun powder.
I have a Tikka Tac 6.5 Creed. I does well with the Hornady140 ELDM. But you usually can't find what you like these days. How did the 147g shoot?
 

Elkslut

FNG
Joined
Feb 14, 2024
Messages
40
They all came out the proper end.
Im trying a "new to me" way of load development. I loaded one round at .5 grain increments to slightly above book. Worst case I would pull a couple bullets if things got hot. I did not find any pressure signs really, a slight bolt smear ( shiny smudge along the head stamp). So next step is to load more on that upper end and shoot some groups I guess. I don't really want to keep adding powder. Trying out the Winchester staball 6.5 powder.
 

Tucky

FNG
Joined
Feb 25, 2024
Messages
5
I went out scouring the valley today and found 7 lbs of StaBALL 6.5, same lot number I hope I like it. Also a 1k box of small magnum primers. I read somewhere people are using this primer for the 6.5. I have only ever used regular winchester primers with no issues. I have Lapua brass with a small flash hole (.059"). should I expect some pressure change with this? Never tried magnum before. Oh and to stay on topic. Today in the reload room, I preped 150 brass for the 223 and now gonna try to work up a new 6.5 load.
 
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