Home Forums Reloading Big Game Rifles Reloading at the range

I am getting tired of all the back and forth between the reloading bench and the range. I'd like to get set up to load while at the shooting bench. I have a Rockchucker I could take out there and clamp down, powder measurer, scale etc. I'd be curious as to how you guys do it. Any advise for the first timer?

Here is an excellent article from German Salazar, a high power competition shooter. His blog is pretty cool, and well worth reading.

http://riflemansjournal.blogspot.com/2009/12/reloading-range-reloading.html

Thanks man! Just what I was looking for.

I have a RCBS partner press that is mounted to a piece of board that can be clamped to a table. I also take my RCBS chargemaster.

I do all brass prep at home so all I have to do is throw powder and seat bullets.

Dink

Photobucket is on maintenance otherwise I'd post a picture here. Send me an IM with your email and I'll send you picture of my portable reloading bench. It cost me less than $25 to build.

Tom

I've got a receiver hitch mounted set up that cost me about an hour & a half of time & some scrap stock to weld up. It wiggles around in the receiver a little, but serves it's purpose well. I'll try to get pics this weekend.

I reload 60+ different cartridges.

Getting organized for loading at the range changed how I organize at home.

Most reloaders have a shelf of dies and a shelf of bullets.

This would require "kitting" as they say in the small volume electronics industry.

Another bad thing is that returning from the range would require de-kitting.

I now put dies and brass of a cartridge in the same file folder box and bullets in a file folder box.

So going to the range requires the right file folder boxes to be put in the vehicle.

Upon returning, the boxes are returned.

Since then I have stopped reloading at the range, but I do reload in front of my computer, when watching TV, and I load at the hunting cabin.

The important thing is to mount presses on boards that can be clamped to any table.

Lee makes a little press that is not mounted to a bench. For loading just a few experimental cartridges it is fine. It's very inexpensive.

Scales at the range are a problem. A little breeze totally flusters them. So one answer is to enclose your scale.

Probably a better answer is to just use your powder dump and a caliper. At home, figure out how many inches extension of the volume screw corresponds to how many grains of a particular bottle of powder. Then you can just skip using the scale.

I tried loading at the range and gave it up. For me, it is easier to make up the combinations I want to test in advance, and accept the fact that I'm going to have some unwanted ammunition left over, which the Boy Scouts are happy to shoot up for me.

I have a range "kit" in the form of a large Rubber Maid tool box that I haul back and forth when needed. I drilled mounting holes for the press in two of the nine benches at the range, doesn't affect their utility at all. I haul a Lee Classic Turret with me and use bolts with wing nuts to mount it to the bench. One of the other range members was interested and has since started bringing his own kit and uses the same mounting holes I drilled with his Lee Classic Single Stage.

I just put a range in the backyard...problem solved!

I always carry the same press to the range, my rockchucker, that I load with from home. That way none of the oal's change. They will if you use two different presses.

My means of carry is a couple of Bass Pro Large Tackle Bags. THe pockets hold sundry items and the bottom will hold near five tackle trays which carry all of my load dies and such. My Lyman DPS III fits well and protected in the top. Took me several years to hone my range loading trips but I really enjoy it now.

I pretty much do my loading the same as the guy posted from the riflemans journal.

My best idea was to pre-measure powder charges at home and carry them to the range in glass vials. I carry them in plastic shotshell boxes. Writing the powder charge on the glass with a Sharpie is simple as well as removal with alcohol.

I load some at the range. My M.O. is to size and prime a batch of cases at home. At the range I need to charge and seat bullets only. I use a small Lee press that I clamp to a bench which is somewhat out of the wind. I also take a balance scale along.

Size and prime before hand and use a Lee Loader, scale and set of calipers. I have a 10 x 10 block of wood (set on the ground) to put the Lee Loader on when I tap in my bullets. Keeps the other guys at the range happy versis me tapping the bullets in on the shooting bench!

cur dog

I also load at the range and use a RCBS jr that I clamp to a bench with a large c clamp. I built a dog house for a RCBS 505 scale and weigh powder there at the range with no issues with the wind. The end door is wood and the front is p glass in a frame that is hinged so it drops to adjust the scale. Bear

+1

That's what I do as well; only problem is wind & weighing powder charges.

You need to have all you desired powder settings dialed in & enough confidence in your measure throwing them to effectively load at the range or else a shelter/wind free area for using a scale.

MM

All the prep work is done at home. Lee Loader seating dies and an arbor press, Lyman 55 powder charger, RCBS balance scale and powder trickler

The truck has a topper with side windows that open. At the range a wooden box is placed in the truck bed and I reach in a side window and charge powder and seat bullets. If too windy, I crawl in the back of the truck and close all windows.

Becuase the range I mostly attended had a reloading room for the more serious among us, it was easy to spread it all out and develop great loads in a single day for several rifles.

If the range has no facilities, I would recommend that you take several loads with the bullets seated out to secire the powder charges. I write the loads on the cases with a felt pen and set the bullets to the required depth based on the group shape when you find the best load.

My press is also mounted onto a chunk of hardwood which can be G-Clamped to a bench or table.

JW

Clamp a press mounted to a board on the bench in front of the computer.

Watch TV on the computer.

If you get the press right in the middle, the hands will reach around to the keyboard.

I also don't like going back and forth so I load at the range,step out the door and fire away through the chrono..I bought a portable reloading table from Midway that I now use in my 29' TT and clamp the press to it...Wind or even a breeze and scales don't work to good.I can reload accurately anywhere I choose.

A while back in a camper I once had.



Loaded a box plus of 300 grain/.458 Noslers waiting for my son to mow a lawn.



Jayco