A disgrace to reloaders everywhere

I purchased the Lee Classic Turret press recently.
It arrived the other day. I had pondered placement of the press for quite some time. If I mounted it on my bench in the shop, it'd be harder for me to get motivated to go use it. If I mounted it in my room upstairs, it'd be easier to access but it would also mean that I'd have to build a bench to suit it.

The latter strategy prevailed. I was gathering materials and later that day, I walked my dog. I found an old shelving unit by the side of the road by the trash. Made of MDF, the unit was practically DRT! I decided it'd make a good template for an impromptu bench. I hastily gomped it together with some heavy supports and reinforcing braces. The result? A piece of reloading equipment that is uglier than sin in a septic tank- but totally functional. It's a disgrace to all the years I spent doing finish carpentry commercially.

Result of all this? I'M IN!!! I'm finally rolling my own!!!!!!!!!!!
I stayed up for hours weighing every charge on my beam scale and crankin' 'em out as slowly as the second coming of christ. 22 grains of H110 under some sjsp 240 grain MAGTECHs. I tested these loads very slowly and checked for all the pressure signs. ALL CLEAR! they shot great and barked hellfire in the low light.

Very happy only begins to describe the way I feel.

I just thought you all would appreciate my little story. Casting is the next hurdle-soon to follow.

Pictures of the bench will be added but view at your own risk. Cover the kids' eyes if they're reading this thread along with you.

Happy new year BTW


Tator

Pictures as promised

I am sorry to hear it but you have caught it..... the reloading bug.... all it takes is one time and she has got ya..... So I say welcome to the ride...

HAHAHAHA, you had me worried there for a moment... Congrats man!!!! Nothing has to look good to work... Some of the best tools are the ugliest by far!!!

You are definatly hooked at this point. No looking back...

Sounds like you got my first bench beat, I used to use a lee turret C-clamped to the kitchen table. Any bench that will hold a press is a great bench in my book.
tripples

welcome to the addiction, enjoy your stay.

So .....what die sets do you have on order now?

didn't Queen have a song about that .... Dum Dum Dum another one bites the dust.....Welcome to my world.

Since I am still using a Lee single stage press C-clamped to the kitchen table, I am envious that you have a bench - even if it is ugly.

H110 is one of my favs for .44 mag and the 240 gr XTP are my GP shoot everything bullet. I also shoot a lot of Speer 240 gr HP when I can get them cheap.

In cast boolits, I like a 310 gr gas checked wide meplate over a stiff charge of H110, 2400, or A1680.

Welcome to the club, the fun has just began.

If it works it is golden. I still do all my reloading on my antique Lyman.
And yes reloading is an addiction. Give me more. My favorite thus far for
my 44 mag. Is IMR 4227,and using magnum primers. Hornady 240 grn xtp.

Thanks for the positive input!
I guess my piece could have turned-out worse but I'm my own worst critic. It's surprisingly stable but I still plan on lagging it to the wall once I've made sure there aren't electrical wires to worry about.

Scorge, I have to agree about the H110. The loads I worked-up are rated to travel faster than the ones I bought but they feel "soft"- a little stronger recoil but less snappy (less .357 magnum ish).

Funny you mentioned teh 310 grain gas checked jobs with wide meplat. I just bought this mould!


John, I'll give that IMR 4227 a try next time I do a batch of 240grainers. They'll probably be XTP's. I've got plenty of magnum primers!

I hate to give up my source ... but I love H110 WC820 military surplus powder is the identical equivalent. and a lot cheaper.

That's really good to know! I'll jot a note about that in my reloading manual somewhere.

Dude that set up looks great! Man your gonna have so much fun! I like working on and making ammo almost as much as I like to shoot it.

I don't see anything hideous?? Where??
Heck, down here where I live that's some fine furniture right there!
Almost as perty as my wooden electrical cable spool pic nic table.

I once built an exquisite entertainment center out of milk crates stolen from the grocery store parking lot, some cinder blocks and 2x6's.
I hated to give her up, but my Ol Lady said the color didn't match her bean bag chair.


Trust me man, I've seen worse.....alot worse. You did real good, and reloaders are some of the most resourceful recyclers on the planet. There ain't nothin' we can find a use for!
Great Job!

LMAO @ Mo

I like to use H4227 when I load heavy rounds for my 14" Contender .44 mag barrel.

The slower powder does not give as much snap as the H110, but the longer barrel lets that powder burn more for a little better velocity.

When I load the .44x356 in the 12" Encore barrel, I like to use H4895 & H322 both under 345 gr g/c cast boolits.

I'm glad you guys like it. I'm coming around to the style of the bench. It's turning into a real companion. Sometimes it's bad to see things the way we think our father would.

That sounds like one bad ass entertainment center, mo!

I'll have to keep those powders in mind when I'm loading my 310 grain boolits outta' that mould I bought. I definitely like the idea of a slow burning powder under a heavy bullet, except for at night, ha ha! Looks like you really like the hodgdon powders scorge.

Tator, yeah I like the Hodgdon powders - its what I can get local. I used to go in on group buys with friends that also reload - but most of them are in Afghanistan or one of the other 'stans now.

I realy like the bulkier slower burning stick powders under those heavy cast boolits & even some of the jacketed heavy weights too.

Nosler's old 276 gr JSP is a fav for the .44x356 over a stiff charge of either H322, Varget or H4895.

At night the muzzle flash can be disorientating especially since all my .44s but one wear muzzle breaks. Even in an indoor range the muzzle flash from the JP Howitzer-style break on the .44x356 tends to brighten the imediate area.

I have the same Lee mold & enjoy the speed cranking out 6 at a time. I would like to get a few more for large production runs when all my friends are back. We used to get together once a month & mass cast boolits together & split the results.

Splitting the work 3-4 ways makes the time go by & we shift jobs so one poor bastard is not stuck on the lubrisizer while another sweats over the pot. Although I admit I spend more time then the others over the pot as I seem to have the best knack at getting the flux right & the dross out.

My new lubrisizer heater shipped from Midway yesterday which will give us two lubrisizers to run in tandem which used to be the choke point.

I'm glad to hear the table is coming along, since I still use the kitchen table despite spouse protest, I am envious of any one that has their own set up.

Best thing is you got the table free & made it work for you which beats (IMHO) buying one new that was probably made for slave wages in some 3rd-world shit hole.