Home Forums Hunting & Shooting Ask The Gunwriters Reloading component storage

I looked through Steve Redgwell's thread about cleaning up your reloading area and thought of a couple questions I wanted to ask, but didn't want to hijack his thread.

1. How do you organize and store your components? I am sure I don't have as much in the way of inventory as a lot of more active enthusiasts, but my bench is overflowing and I need to make some improvements. I picked up a file cabinet thinking it might be useful, but bullets are so heavy, I'm not sure it will stand up to the load. Thinking of building some strong shelves to sit on the back of the bench for bullets and store brass, primers, and powder in cabinets.

2. Some mentioned inventory tracking on a computer. Any recommendations on programs? I could just use a spreadsheet, but if there is something better, I would look at it.


Thanks,

Jerry

I looked through Steve Redgwell's thread about cleaning up your reloading area and thought of a couple questions I wanted to ask, but didn't want to hijack his thread.

Can you point me to this thread?

Jerryv,

I have my bullets, primers and cases in small carboard boxes on sturdy shelves, sorted by caliber, type of primer, and cartridge, labeled on the side with a Magic Marker. Powder goes into plastic coolers, each labeled by brand.

I don't use any special program for my computer inventory. Instead I just list what's on hand, broken down into categories. Powder comes first, the brands listed alphabetically, then those powders also listed alphabetically. Primers come next, broken down into types: small rifle, large rifle, handgun and shotgun. The biggest list is bullets. I keep some individual boxes on a smaller set of shelves for easy access, so first have a "shelf" list. I keep larger amount in cardboard boxes, labeled and sorted by caliber, and that list is called, of course, "boxes."

Brass is also kept in labeled cardboard boxes on another set of shelves, with the cartridge written on the end. I don't keep a computer inventory of those, since it's easy to pull the box and see how much .17 Hornet, .30-06 or whatever brass is on hand.

I keep dies, bullets in a cabinet, powder and primers on a shelf in my closet.

I bought a couple of these, holds it all.
https://www.samsclub.com/sams/tall-...oors/prod14570055.ip?xid=plp_product_1_1

I had to put up a stud wall in order to segregate my reloading area. I used 2X6 instead of 2X4 and then put up shelves between the studs. I cut scraps of plywood and then used small chunks of furring strip to support them. A little wood glue, a couple of nails to hold them up and Viola! (How did she get in here?) The weight of the bullets I stacked on the shelves worked like a clamp. I had the whole wall filled in an hour.

I also used old metal kitchen cabinets that had been gathering dust in the garage.

See:

The Shamanic Reloading Cave

I don't have a huge inventory, but all my dies are on shelves in a small reloading room. Powder, primers and loaded ammo in a SXS refrigerator that I removed the compressor. Brass and bullets are in a stout metal electrical cabinet.Ammo is 30 cal ammo cans marked

I have posted a better view of what I did with my office several yrs ago to supplement my reloading. It is picture rich.

https://www.24hourcampfire.com/ubbt...reloading-area-picture-rich#Post13558389

I have a 8 ft loading bench and a 6 ft casting bench.. The loading bench is 2ea 12 inch by 3 inch thick glue lam beams bolted together to make a 24 inch deep by 96 inch long bench. To support the bench top I picked up 2 ea 9 drawer tool chests 46 inch by 30 inch tall, making a support bench of 92 inches by 18 inches deep. Purchased at Home Depot for $259 each. Solid support for the bench top and great storage for all tools and hardware. Above the bench I've mounted kitchen cabinets for lighter weight stuff, powder, trays and various items. On the bench and under the cabinets I stack my bullets against the wall. Takes up about 4 inches of depth and adding the several hundred pounds of weight which helps stabilize the bench. The 3 inch thick glue lam bench top has lots of meat for bolting down presses.
Also my room includes 3 sets of floor to ceiling shelves, 3 ft wide by 1 ft deep.

I'm just resetting up my loading area after moving. 60x30 maple top work bench drilled to hold various presses. case trimmers priming tool, etc. with a self above to hold powder measure at eye level. Loading manuals below the shelf. Drawers below work bench to hold bullets, dies and accessories. Old side by side refrigerator to hold primers and powder.

I have 3 shelves above my bench loaded with bullets from 25 caliber to 35.

The smaller bullets are over the west bench.

Most of the smaller caliber are not full boxes,i guess i need to load them up and have my own mad minute.

That's what I did, I store bullets, dies, and loaded ammo on the shelves, makes it easy to see where anything you need amongst those is.

I have two 3'x18"x6'"light weight storage hutches with doors I keep powder and primers in. The one hutch has two divided shelves containing rifle and pistol primers, large on one side, small on the other. The top shelf has rifle powders as does another shelf. The bottom shelf has pistol powders.

The other hutch has shotshell powders and primers along with a shelf of pistol powders. A half shelf has various spare parts for my MEC reloaders.

Most bullets are kept in plastic storage boxes and are kept on shelves I built into the walls. The rifle bulletsare sorted by caliber with some also sorted by bullet weight if there are more than a few boxes. A few I have in bulk such as 55 gr .224" are stored in a large footlocker under the bench. Pistol bullets are stored in a cabinet or under the bench either in plastic boxes or the original boxes if in 500 piece boxes or larger. Shotshell components are stored in plastic storage hutches with pull out drawers either loose if I bought a case or more or in the bags if I don't have enough to fill a drawer. Anything I can't fit in the drawers are left in their original boxes and stored under a counter if in case lots.

Shotshells are kept in plastic totes, one for empties and one for loaded shells. Number of loaded shells needed determine the size of tote used. Rifle and pistol brass get put into clear plastic storage containers while loaded gets tossed into ammo cans- 30 caliber for pistol and 50 caliber for rifle.

This works fairly well for me but I could use a bit more space in the reloading room. Or better organizing.

I have some old steel shelves that were two high, designed to sit over the
baseboard radiators in a school, I think.

Anyway, they have more steel than a modern car.
Stacked them in the basement and, they hold most equipment, and
bullets that are in ammo boxes or plastic rock drill bit boxes.
You grunt when you lift those.

Primers in ammo boxes higher up.

Powder is kept in Avon boxes in an upstairs closet.



No, I don't sell Avon to the local miners.

Mule Deer, Just curious why you keep the powder in coolers. Do the newer plastic containers not shield the powder enough from humidity? Also, is there any benefit to putting the primers in coolers to protect from humidity (if that is the reason you put powder in there)?

Thanks - I love reading your articles in the gun rags

CM

Not MD but I keep mine in the old refrig for temp control. The constant change in temp IMHO will degrade powder and primers. The refrig insulates and keeps humidity low.
"Keep in a cool dry place"

I have a 6 ft bench, right end has a permanant mounted Rock Chuckar, the left a 4" vise. In the middle is a 12"x12" aluminum plate, inletted to match the bench height, with holes for all my shotgun loaders, cast bullet sizer/luber, ect. An old piece of carpet covers the plate for when I'm working on anything else. An overhead shelf holds my beam scale, powder measure, stack of boxed dies, open boxes of cup and core bullets, open bricks of primers, open lb cans of powder, and a box of bullet molds.Shelves under the bench hold tupperware boxes of cases, and ready to use cast bullets. Bulk containers of cast bullets are on the floor under the bench, along with coffee cans filled with cleaning patches. An old homemade gun cabinet holds guns to be cleaned, and guns waiting to be taken back to the house after cleaning. The shelves store unopened cup and core bullets as well as a heavy box with premium bullets that don't get used as much as the cup and cores. An old 4 drawer metal filing cabinet stores bricks of primers, load books, bulk new cases, and anything else I can find room for.

I use something similar for powder, primers, projectiles, dies, Dillon parts, and boxed Lapua brass. The rest of my brass I try to keep in lots by # of firings and brand in ziplocks that go into 4gal sterilite containers and then label the white container tops w/caliber/chambering.

I keep a fair amount of brass prepped and ready to load but not a lot of loaded ammo. I've usually got 50-100rnds loaded for the 3-4 rifles I hunt with the most then a fair amount of brass prepped so I can use a proven load or try something new on a whim.

I got a wee bit lucky with this, a teacher that worked here locally left town and gifted me with a set of tool drawers he had, soon as I saw it I knew it was a set of machinists drawers that someone had made up. I soaked the living heck out of it with linseed oil and expect it the last through the next few generations.