Home Forums Reloading Big Game Rifles Reloading at the Shooting Bench

I remember an old Marine at the range 30 years ago. He had a set of Lee dies and a small hammer and was using the same 30-06 case over and over. Up until last year, I'd always that that way of shooting seemed rather eccentric.


Last 4th of July I spent a morning at the shooting bench working up a cast bullet load for my 35 Whelen. I had 50 rounds of pre-primed brass. From what I remembered of the Marine's method, priming and de-priming seemed like the place to make things easier. Instead of a Lee Loader kit, I had purchased a Lee Hand Press. I tried bringing my RCBS 505 scale, but I found the slightest breeze caused a lot of perturbation. Rather than bring a powder measure, I used a scoop to bring me to within a grain or soand then finished with a trickler.

The Whelenizer Makeover

A year later, I was back out. This time, I was playing with my new Ruger American Predator in 223 REM. I had also purchased a Frankford Arsenal electronic scale. Again, the problem was the wind, but nearly as much so.

Wringing out the Ruger American Predator

If you read through that post, you'll see what I did to fashion a windshield for the scale. I've tested it since, and even in high wind it stays rock steady.



I was wondering how many of you load at the shooting bench and what you use for equipment. How do you deal with wind? What methods do you use that are different from your work at your indoor reloading bench?

I do that sometimes with my M54 Winchester .30-30 when I have the 12x Fecker mounted on it shooting cast bullet loads and am going for tiny groups and/or participating in a CBA (Cast Bullet Association) postal match. The load I use has been worked out long ago, so no need for a scale or bunch of dippers: 15gr. SR-4759/190gr. .310" cast bullet/CCI BR primers. Bullets all carefully inspected and weight matched beforehand too.

I use one case, formed from a .375 Winchester case so as to have a slightly thick neck wall, de-prime/re-prime, no need to re-size or trim, measure the charge with my Belding&Mull measure, thumb seat the bullet leaving it a tad long so it's lightly jammed into the throat when chambered. (Bullets have their noses lightly swaged in a die I made with the same 1½º included angle throating reamer I used to ream the throat of the rifle- a gentle taper that does wonders for starting a cast bullet straight up the spout.) If I'm in a particularly anal mood I orient the bullet the same way in the case (via a tiny mark on the bullet installed by a tiny punch mark I made in the mold cavity), and orient the case the same way in the chamber, again via tiny file marks on the rim and breech. It takes pretty much all afternoon to fire a few ten shot groups, but what's time to a pig?

Without going through all that folderol, using fixed ammunition loaded at home, the gun will deliver MOA accuracy, ten shots, or around 1½ MOA when using the aperture sights. By doing the one case for all shots routine, with the 12x scope, I can count on 3/4 MOA out to 200 yards if I dope the wind right (an important consideration even up close when shooting a 1400fps bullet). Not bad for an 85 year old rifle with an 80 year old scope.

Just pre-wiegh all your powder loads at home, and store them in labeled plastic powder tubes. Get the tubes here:

Reloading Tubes - 5ml and 10ml

That way no wind or rain to screw with your measurements.
All to easy