Home Forums Hunting & Shooting Hunter's Campfire One example of a handloading and shooting lab

In response to some off-line questions...

The Bonanaza Co-Ax, the Redding, the Lyman, the Hornady, and other presses are on the other side of the room. The three Ted Smith Mity-Might bullet swaging presses are setup to be portable and mounted when being used.

Bullet casting in the winter is done in front of the exhaust fan built into the wall for that purpose. In the summer, the casting setup is just inside the building with the garage door open. There is a 1000-gallon propane tank just to support this building and there is propane plumbing to both casting locations in the building to support bullet casting. There is also 220 electrical service to support bullet casting at both places too.

Hammer

Hammer, you da man!

I feel like such a piker.

Thats enuff to drive a man to never leaving the house - have "Meals on Wheels" come and bring me lucnh - don't think I would ever get bored.

PLEASE adopt me!!

<img src="/ubbthreads/images/graemlins/grin.gif" alt="" />

Response to more off-line questions...

My wife does have sisters, but the last single one is getting married in May.

My wife does put limits on my hobbies. She only allows me to have three. In addition to things that go bang...

I hate you!

(I mean that in the nicest way possible . . . . . . . . *wink*)

BMT

Wow, nice set up and nice mounts. I like the range too.

A Mooney, CLASS TELLS AGAIN!

Heck I have horses, finally a comparison! <img src="/ubbthreads/images/graemlins/blush.gif" alt="" />

Wow, just caught this thread today! What an impressive setup, thanks for sharing it with all of us and keeping the dreams alive. Seems like your living my signature line. I congratulate you for doing so. Just so I don't hate you please tell me your money wasn't inherited <img src="/ubbthreads/images/graemlins/blush.gif" alt="" /> <img src="/ubbthreads/images/graemlins/shocked.gif" alt="" /> Just kidding Hammer, none of my biz how you came by your funds, I'm just glad to see they are put to good use! Congrats on a wonderful setup, some good looking horse flesh, a beautiful spread, and what seems to be a wonderful wife along with a good life. 1ak

tturner,

Next to the shooting port and within reach of the pivoting chair, there is a Dillon 550 (formerly a Lee turret press), a Harrelson Precision powder measure, an RCBS priming tool, and a case length trimmer. Without leaving the shooting stool, can take the just fired cartridge and completely reload it. A five-shot group with the same case can be fired in less than 2 to 3 minutes. With the Harrelson Precision powder measure and utilizing the chronographs and micrometers, a load for a given powder and bullet can be worked up in minutes including bullet seating depth.

Depend on the spotting scope and gridpaper targets for immediate group size which will be verified later in the shed.

The Windprobe is valuable for determining the wind conditions and giving a recordable wind value for later comparisons.

EVOP and Response Surface Methodology utilizing maximum ascent/descent strategies speeds the process and assures statistically valid results.

Hammer

100+ hour work weeks for nearly thirty years. And continuing.

Hammer

Reply to another off-line question...

The credit for the idea behind the handloading and shooting lab should go to Bob Hagel. Over the past 25 years he has tolerated my visits both to Gibbonsville and his current home near Salmon. Tolerated my never ending questions.

Seeing his handloading shed behind his house at Gibbonsville inspired all this. Loved hearing how he worked up loads for Handloader magazine articles.

My shed is just Bob Hagel's shed on steroids.

Have never been satisfied with my reproduction of Hagel's shooting box, aka bullet penetration box. Have spent more hours trying to duplicate it than anyone could imagine. Have been tempted many times to sneak to Salmon at night and steal it. Short of that, guess could go to Gibbonsville and scoop some silt out of the creek across from his old house and visit the old lumber yards near Salmon and get some genuine Hagel sawdust. But then the exact mixture is still a problem. And probably the water from the creek would not match the water from my wells. So would have to bring back a large supply of creek water to keep the proper dampness to the bullet penetration mixture. Ah, well... The pursuit of...

Hammer

Hammer,

I am very glad that you posted these pictures and your commentary. When I first saw these, I was speechless. You really have a first class set-up.

To all,

I have had a couple of off line conversations with Hammer and he is as classy as his shooting/reloading set-up. Can anyone get past how beautiful his view is???? I'd be afraid to shoot off my Lott in fear that it would wake me up or something....

One more picture for Longbob...

Looking east from the shed...






Appreciate all the kind words from everyone.

Hammer

Hammer,

If you've been working 100+ hours per week, where do you find time to play with your toys? If I worked that hard I wouldn't have the energy to do much playing. I hope retirement is in your sights.

As Steve said, "You da man!"

Paul

ALL I can say is GOD's country, yeah, you da man Sir.

I saw this post yesterday and was so awestuck that I too was speechless. What an incredible setup & I'd be happy to just have the view ... let alone the reloading/shooting setup.

Just a thought, but you ought to have your engineer wifey set up a data acquisition system with your chronos & equipment. That way you could catalog everything ... time ... temp ... wind speed ... load ... velocity ... group size? and dump it into your computer for load development. (granted this idea is coming from another engineer <img src="/ubbthreads/images/graemlins/grin.gif" alt="" /> ... let one of us come up with an idea and within 10 minutes another will have "improvements" already planned)

After seeing your place, my basement bench sure doesn't look like quite the "get-away" that it used to be. Thanks for sharing. <img src="/ubbthreads/images/graemlins/crazy.gif" alt="" />

Paul,

My wife ask about retirement every day, but...

My Father was traveling and tending to his business affairs until six weeks before he died at age 94. My mentor was doing likewise until two days before he died at age 93. Neither man told me that not working was an option. Both considered the word "retirement" a four-letter word. They also maintained that there was plenty of time for sleep after we're dead.

This is not a recommendation for anyone else. Just the way I was raised.

There are days that I envy my retired friends.


Hammer

WOW!!! In addition to everything else a nice Jeep for hanging paper targets! Very nice setup!

Jian Wa

Who tends the ranch? Got a foreman and crew? At that altitude there is always something. -- no