Armory Sponsor
Posted: 8/4/2009 7:41:30 AM EDT
|
So my wife purchased me a Dillon 550B about 5 years ago for an anniversary present. Since then it has been stored away due to a lack of time to learn how to reload, and honestly I was a bit intimidated by the reloader. Between the lack of time and not have a setup/designated area to start I put it off. So I finally decided I wanted to start and cleaned away an area in the guest bedroom. I looked around for tables to set up the reloader on and didn't like any tool benches/ kits I seen. The cheapest was a Cobalt table at Lowes. It was 20"x42" for $125.00 and they all had crappy particle board tops. So I decided to build my own.
To start I got designed the table out the table and decided I always end up needing more room than I allow. So I decided to go big from the start. For the materials I went with a 20"x8', 3/4" top. I was concerned that with pine it by be too weak, so rather than spend big money on a thicker or more solid top, I figured I would reinforce the anchor points of the reloader with thick steel. I framed it out with 2x4's using corner brackets. For the legs I wanted to use 4x4 posts but everything was wet, and they only had treated 4x4's in stock. It was a waste since this would be indoors. So to save cost I doubled up 2x4's. I think it looks a little less professional, but cost was also a factor. I secured the top to the frame with screws after counter boring holes. To keep a smooth surface I filled the holes with dowel rod, then sanded smooth. For extra space saving I added a 2' tall peg board the entire length after painting. I also provided a storage shelf for my media, ammo boxes, books and other materials. The final dimensions were 20"x8'x44"H. It is very solid, I just hope it holds up. In the end I paid $140.00 for four extra foot of work space and spent about 7-8 hours build time. Plus I think the quality is better. The reloader is not fully assembled, and I still need a lot of materials and a lot of research before cranking out a round. But I'm making headway to being self reliant in the ammo department. The hardware displayed is a Dillon 550B with dies for .223 and .308. (My primary rounds are .22, .223, .308, .40 and .45) A Lyman Turbo Tumbler and ammo boxes filled to the top with free brass. The guns are my Springfield Armory standard M1A and his date, a Springfield Armory 1911 compact with night sights. A Maverick 88 12 gauge fed with 2.75" Federal Flight Control Wad OO buck. And my Rock Island Armory AR-15 with my Sig Pro Model 2340 in .40 with Gold Dot HP. When I could afford to shoot these were my primary shooters. 
|
|
Nice bench! You might put a piece of masonite on the top. It makes cleaning up spilled powder easier. Now you'll get hooked on reloading and realize, like the rest of us, that all that money you were going to save reloading, gets spent on more reloading componets! Welcome to the fold! Bob |
|
A piece of half round trim stock around the perimeter of the top will keep most things from rolling or scooting off.
You're probably going to find out your top is still a little thin immediately under the press. The issue is stiffness, not strength, alhough you'll be able to test that, too, with the prying forces possible with a press handle and the short coupling of the attach bolts. That can be fixed by adding a couple of intercostals (braces) across the underside that are well attached at each end. Attach the press or the strong mount directly to those intercostals, and you'll have a very nice rock solid installation. |
|
Nice bench.
I would suggest building shelf's for the back side of your bench. A lot more storage space then peg board. 
You will accumulate a lot of stuff. When you start to load on the 550, use it as a single stage to start. Take 1 case at a time and run it through the whole process. When you have all of your die adjustments correct, and have the process down, then go progressive. Ask questions here, we will help. Tip, load a couple of rounds and stop. Make sure they will chamber. You may need to adjust the sizing die down more. (very common problem) You don't want to be that guy who posts, "I have 500, 223 rounds that will not chamber, What do I do?" Answer: pull all the bullets, dump out powder, resize and deprime, them start over. 
A great book for a new reloader. How to and why. |
|
Quoted:
A piece of half round trim stock around the perimeter of the top will keep most things from rolling or scooting off. You're probably going to find out your top is still a little thin immediately under the press. The issue is stiffness, not strength, alhough you'll be able to test that, too, with the prying forces possible with a press handle and the short coupling of the attach bolts. That can be fixed by adding a couple of intercostals (braces) across the underside that are well attached at each end. Attach the press or the strong mount directly to those intercostals, and you'll have a very nice rock solid installation. That's why I went with MDF for my bench top. |
|
Hrm... Masonite top and half/quarter round edging.... not a bad idea at all. Been working up plans for my reloading bench mentally. Current "bench" is 2"x6" with tools clamped onto a sturdy bookshelf....
And just FYI... "ABC's of Reloading" is up to its 8th edition... got it from Amazon a few weeks back. Its a good read. I think I've got just about every reloading manual available now... the Lee manual "Modern Reloading 2nd edition" has a lot of great info as well... I know the Dillon Fanatics will hate to hear that Lee has a decent product, but I learned a ton from it... didn't look at the load data that much, but the first half has some great info. |
Armory Sponsor