Where to set up my reloading area?

M

Meobius

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Montreal
New to reloading and I want to setup a reloading area.
I have a Lee Load-Master, as well as some Classic Lee Loaders

I was orginally thinking of doing it my office, until I realized that it would be seen whenever I do video. Also being near all sorts of electrical devices, including the main panel makes me a bit nervous.
The garage was the next logical choice, and was what I was going with until I realized the attic might be an option.
Right now I'm thinking I would store the supplies in the garage, and do the reloading in the attic.

The possible locations are

Office/Gun Room
This is where I store my ammunition and firearms.
Pros
  • Room is locked
  • Lockable containers (Gun Safes)
  • No windows
  • Temperature controlled
  • Lots of room

Cons
  • Would be visible on conference calls for work
  • Near many potential sources of sparks


Basement
Basement is finished, however we haven't figured out exactly what we are going to do with a large open space.
Pros
  • Temperature Controlled
  • Lots of room
  • Great lighting

Cons
  • Common Area

Garage
Garage is heated 2 car garage.

Pros
  • Access to tools
  • Lockable storage (locking cabinets)
  • Great Lighting

Cons
  • During the winter there is a car stored in it, so less room.
  • No cooling, so it can get warm in the summer.
  • Somewhat common area

Attic
Above the garage is an attic space that is somewhat easily accessed and has a floor. It's designed as a storage space, but could make a nice reloading area.
A tall person could easily stand in the available space.

Pros
  • Private space

Cons
  • Not much room since it's also being used for storage.
  • Lighting is limited and no power outlets, though it extremely easy to add an outlet up there (Electrician would spend less than 10 minutes, no wires to run)
  • No temperature or humidity control - it seems ok now, but no idea how it would be in winter or summer.

Shed
The shed is fairly large and is used to store bicycles and yard equipment, as well as garden furniture in winter.

Pros
  • Private space

Cons
  • No temperature or humidity controls
  • Limited space
  • No power (for now, electricity will be run to it in the spring)
  • No lighting

I would love to get your thoughts,
Is there anything I'm missing? Something I haven't considered.
 
It looks like you've thought it out well. My 25c worth.....
Can your new loading bench be placed in such a manner in your office ( maybe move a desk) that it won't be visible on your conference calls? You will need to build a bench anyway, do you have some flexibility in location? Cover your bench with a dust sheet when not in use? Your electrical panel is not a hazard and you will need one or more electrical outlets.
The garage can be too humid when wet or snowy vehicles are stored there, bad for your components, rust on your tools.
The attic can be unbearably hot in the summer and can also have humidity problems., plus accessibilty problems.
Under a staircase will work for a very small set up if you frame in an access door. No room for expansion.
If you can frame in a dedicated room with an electrical outlet in the basement you will have the perfect dedicated room that is more easily secured from children, guests and nosy neighbours, peaceful and quiet and can be sized to expand your hobby, no compromises. Leave the room at any time, just lock the door and walk away, no worries. This presumes a dry basement, not a damp cellar as seen in some older homes in the east. Call it your hobby room.
 
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Having it somewhere you have to clean up after a session might really help the reloading bench not become a place of clutter!

Really helps to have storage nearby, ideally a bin for the bits for each calibre so that you don't have to have stuff you're not currently using spread out on the bench. Secure storage for powder, primers, loaded ammo, and duds is helpful. Space for brass and bullets is needed too, and don't forget how heavy bullets are!

The press itself is usually bolted down so difficult to hide when company is coming over. With videoconferencing there's "the cone" of what the camera can see, which might just be the wall behind your desk, so perhaps there is still a chance of reloading on another side of the room?

Electricity is needed mostly for light, although some high-end automated presses have motor drive.
 
The basement is the logical choice if you build a gun room on a corner. It is climate controlled and can be as secure as you want to make it. Maybe I'm reading between the lines but the "we" factor is likely playing a big part here as you are suggesting locations that no one else is attracted to such as your office, the attic, the garage or shed.
 
Ashcroft said:
It looks like you've thought it out well. My 25c worth.....
Can your new loading bench be placed in such a manner in your office ( maybe move a desk) that it won't be visible on your conference calls? You will need to build a bench anyway, do you have some flexibility in location? Cover your bench with a dust sheet when not in use? Your electrical panel is not a hazard and you will need one or more electrical outlets.
The garage can be too humid when wet or snowy vehicles are stored there, bad for your components, rust on your tools.
The attic can be unbearably hot in the summer and can also have humidity problems., plus accessibilty problems.
Under a staircase will work for a very small set up if you frame in an access door. No room for expansion.
If you can frame in a dedicated room with an electrical outlet in the basement you will have the perfect dedicated room that is more easily secured from children, guests and nosy neighbours, peaceful and quiet and can be sized to expand your hobby, no compromises. Leave the room at any time, just lock the door and walk away, no worries. This presumes a dry basement, not a damp cellar as seen in some older homes in the east. Call it your hobby room.
Click to expand...

Thanks for the reply, definately gives me some things to think about.

Not really able to (easily) frame up a new room in the basement. I already looked into that option as I wanted another bedroom or office, but it wasn't in the budget.
The car going into the garage is there for storage during the winter (dry day, summer car only), but I think your comment on humidity is still valid.
Under the staircase isn't an option as it already is home to my hot water tank and HVAC system.
 
My vote is for the first room you picked - your office/gun room. yomomma already addressed your "sparks" concern and I agree with him. Your conference concerns would be easily ameliorated, unless I don't understand what you are referring to. If you're talking about tele-conferencing, it would be pretty easy to set up a temporary screen behind you, to block anyone's view of your bench. Or you could change where you are sitting, so that the bench is not in the screen. Additionally - anyone who recognises "loading paraphernalia" would be a gun person and wouldn't be bothered by it and anyone who isn't a gun person, wouldn't have any idea what they were looking at.
 
You didn't mention your marital status, but when I was single my reloading was done in the dining room.

Presses were bolted to the dining room table, and if I ever had company in, I simple but pillow cases over them(presses).

Alas, my prospective wife frowned on this setup, so now I can no longer eat and de-prime at the same time..
 
In my previous home I reloaded in the basement which was fine. When my wife and I built our new home about 4 years ago I got loved to the garage for reloading. I built a standing bench that is rock solid. Lots of storage at my fingertips. My garage does have wet vehicles come in but overall humidity is not a big issue in Saskatchewan. I leave my presses bolted down and my components stay at my fingertips. Everyone in my area either hunts or shoots anyway so no one cares about my stockpile of projectiles on the bench, lol.

It’s nice being able to do all the brass prep in the garage rather than the house especially when wet tumbling brass.

I never leave powder in the hopper and it gets stored in a different location so humidity and temperature fluctuations don’t matter.

I’ll post a pic when I get a chance.
 
Going through the same thing right now; finishing my basement and trying to decide whether to use my basement office or heated garage for my reloading gear. The big downside with the garage is all the water\moisture that gets tracked in during the winter, and in the summer my garage gets really dusty...you would definitely want covers on your press or scale imo. Personally I'm leaning towards the basement myself.
 
Anomaly said:
Going through the same thing right now; finishing my basement and trying to decide whether to use my basement office or heated garage for my reloading gear. The big downside with the garage is all the water\moisture that gets tracked in during the winter, and in the summer my garage gets really dusty...you would definitely want covers on your press or scale imo. Personally I'm leaning towards the basement myself.
Click to expand...

After reading all the comments, I'm leaning that way myself. Especially after cleaning up all the sawdust that was created doing a small project.
I did manage to find plans for a corner cabinet reloading bench that I could close and lock which is perfect.
 
I just refinished my basement and moved a wall or two around to create my gun/reloading room. It also has some workout equipment and my desktop setup in there. Best decision I ever made. Love my setup, really makes it easier to get into when everything is setup nice and have a good work flow.
 
I framed the basement with 2 large-ish bedrooms and claimed the biggest as my reloading room. Built shelves in the closet for storage, and it's out of sight when the bifold closet doors are closed. If we ever sell the house it can revert back to a bedroom for the new owners.

Consider putting a dedicated electrical outlet in for a charge scale, not hard to do when it's being framed in an unfinished basement but harder to do later.
 
For OP: I'm late to the discussion but I'd vote for the gun room. I have my firearms (NR, and in locked cases) and outdoor gear in an upstairs room with a lock on the door. Ammo is in another room. But the reloading stuff is in the garage two stories below. The garage is cramped, especially with a car in it.

I find that having my stuff separated into multiple rooms, just getting set up to do some reloading is a pain in the butt. Want to measure the chamber using a modified case? I have to assemble stuff from two rooms, take it to another floor, and do the measurement, then put the stuff back.

Since you use (a) safe(s) you can keep all your stuff in the same room. It's much, MUCH easier to work that way.

The sparks aren't a concern, and as for conference calls, most non-gun folks won't know what a reloading bench looks like. Or you could drape a sheet over it if it's a real concern.
 
Thanks for all of your responses.
After reading all the feedback, I've decided to put it in my office with my rifles. I've found plans for a closing reloading bench (Corner Bench with Swinging Doors - based on plans by M. L. McPherson as published in the October 1993 American Rifleman.
Also after seeing that, I've also decided to build another workbench to clean my rifles, and some small hobbywork based on the Mummenthaler & Meier Foldable Desk.
 
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