Anybody reload at the range?

[Lefty7mmstw]

I live 10 miles from a 200 yard range... It's not really a bother to make a trip or three... Once I'm somewhat used to a pipe I can usually get her up and running in a few steps or less unless I'm trying to re-invent the wheel... Right now I'm playing a bit as I've brought a few new powders into the house and I'm working with a few new pills too. I bought 500 of the 185 grain 338 cal blems Midway had a while back and I've got a ladder to work with Imr 7383 mil surp powder (just bought a couple kegs over the winter); it's supposed to be interesting stuff. We will see; I'm not even playing with seating depth until I get safe pressure with decent accuracy. I've also got some test loads for my 7-08 pistol and I need to shoot some ammo up (perfectly good stuff- I just need the brass) so I can do load development on my 357 and 44 with a couple new powders using hand cast pills- some of which are from a new mold...

 

[TR1Hemi]

I would, but it's western Neb, no way I could trust a scale, it's almost always blowing 10, and for the last month up until 2 days ago it has been blowing 25-50, plus I live like walking distance from a private 130 yard "shooting gallery". 22's and pistols I do in the yard.

 

[del2les]

I still live rural, surrounded by several hundred acres of farm and hardwoods... My primary bench is about 30 feet from my back porch with targets at 10 and 25 yards (primarily for pistol) plus 100 and 250 yards. I go back into the house to the reloading bench if I want to mix up a different load. Once happy with a load I drive several hundred yards up my road (it's a dead end road) in my JD Gator to my bench at the 400 yard range that shoots across our 5 acre pond and try the load out.
I do have to watch out for wild game. Attached is a photo of a local resident who stops down occasionally, apparently when he hears shooting in the area. In this picture he is about 30 feet from my bench under the tarp.

Love it! I shot several deer, coyotes and other from my front and back yards. When I lived rural, I kept a 222Rem in summer and a 25-06 during hunting season in the corner behind my front door, which was almost always open with the storm door closed for outside viewing. My living room recliner was placed in such a way, I could watch TV and see out the storm door or the large plate window, and spot the occasional animal either crossing a field in front or coming out for an afternoon graze.

My bench and range went across a grassy depression, and it was surrounded by woods and a spring fed creek. Various animals would stroll across or down the grassy range. However, most avoided it when the sound of gunfire was in the air, which was most afternoons.

 

[XLR Industries]

I didn't read through the whole thread, but I had a rifle get finished 3 days before my goat hunt started. I took my powder thrower and press to the range and did some pretty good load development with it on my 7 mags. I had a small wooden dirtbike stand that I used to mount my press and plugged my powder thrower into the outlet in my ford! I brought my level and leveled it to the consol and calibrated it. Worked out very well actually and I am still running that load to this day!

 

[dennisinaz]

I have, but use an arbor press with Wilson dies rather than ⅞-14 threaded dies

 

[CrickBottom]

I've been meaning to put some sort of portable reloading bench together that I can just throw in the back of my suburban for range trips. I do all of my range work at my buddy's house 40min away. He has a 400yd range in his horse pasture and a bench on the back deck but it's kind of a pain to corral the horses and I want to shoot more than I do already. There's a 500yd range 30min away that I'm gonna join, so the mobile reloading setup is gonna become reality. Lots of good ideas in here.

 

[Stonyman88]

If you can do as Pdyson said, find your best powder charge and seat them all long, if you can bring your press with you and clamp in to something then all you have to do is as he said, that will work great but need to find the best combustion first, then do the seating depths. Start at .015or .020 off the lands and work up at .010 intervals, work over the best group a few rounds, Shoot 3 shot groups should work. You can tune closer when you find the best shots. Loading powder could be a issue at a range.

 

[del2les]

Along with small, used travel trailers, tents and such truck tailgate items for range loading, I have seen a couple of old cargo vans modified with more permanent work/loading stations in their back. One guy used his for P-dog shooting as well, and he had replaced the side window with a fold down shooting bench type arrangement. Complete with a small cover on the outside for shade.

 

[Firewater]

I am not going to reply to your question with an irrelevant answer bragging on one of those 1000yd ranges 5 steps out my shop, which you do not have.
It is simple to do what you need with hand tools and a small plywood box made to set your electronic gem scale inside. Frankford arsenal makes a blue powder trickler with rubber cap that seals the reservoir. You drill a hole in the side of the box so the spout pokes thru the sidewall and ends above the weigh pan. You do the primary charge with lee powder scoops or thrower, depending on powder type, and then trickle the rest in from the outside. Its not production fast but works well. The 'lid' to the box is a piece of plexiglass type material that slides in and out.
The rest you do with an arbor press and die in the breeze. You can use a lee seater die ( cheap and plenty precise) or whidden or wilson (more expensive).
+caliper mic + bullet comparator + bag of prepped brass and you are set!
If you want to do the works out there then the best portable press hands down is the Buchanan. pic attached

 

[Mike D Texas]

Chrono data verifies effect of any pressure changes, but does not guarantee precision. As you know, not sure if you are just trolling or not, there is not a magic formula you do this, you do that, you get what you want. Too many variables, but the case being a pressure vessel variance in initial volume, other things being equal, pressure changes. To what effect to precision is an empirical approach to most.

You probably know the answer, just trying to figure out if others do.

Carry on.

Not trolling for sure, just genuinely interested in what others do. Honestly I've never put a lot of effort into seating depth testing, that's why I was asking.

 

[del2les]

You may find this vid and article interesting. I do things a little different.

Reloading at the Range: Step By Step – Ultimate Reloader

ultimatereloader.com

 

[Snakebait]

Load development is a pain. I don't mind the process, but I am not a huge fan of the driving. 1:30 drive each way and a minimum of 4 trips (if everything goes well). Does anybody bring their press and scale out and reload at the range?

Trip 1… ladder
Trip 2… Ed/sd test on best nodes
Trip 3… bullet seating depth test
Trip 4… final test and start to doping.

Would sure be nice to find that mode then load up a couple 5 shot groups, then play with some seating depths all in the same trip! Would make for a long day but it's spring in Colorado. It's beautiful outside!

We have a guy here that uses a cargo trailer as his range reloading location. I on the other hand do my loads at home and drive the 4-4 miles each time. Outdoor reloading I think puts too many uncontrolled variables in the picture.

 

[Ken61]

If you could figure out the weighing part it would be easy. I have my press mounted on a 2'x2' butcher block. If you could park close enough to level to be able to level your scale, and do it in a van or under the truck topper it could work fine.

I use a Harrells powder measure. It has clicks just like a scope so It is reproducible. I set it to my starting load in the reloading room and work up from there at the range. You can ,of course, determine and record your max load setting at the reloading bench as well.

 

[HunterMann]

I never have but the idea of using a RV or trailer set up is interesting especially for some big events or prairie dog excursions.

When I a much younger guy, there was an older gentleman who would load and shoot at the range. He was shooting a vintage lever action with some straight wall rifle cartridge. I don't think it was thick as a 45/70. He would literally dip the case in a big can of power, tap the case on the bench to settle the powder, and then seat a bullet. He had both cast and jacketed bullets, and would set up and shoot in 5 shot groups. He was using a Lyman/Ideal style hand loader.

I REALLY wish that I had been SMART enough back then to pay more attention and ask him a few questions...