Loading at your range

[grgohio]

I prep and prime all the brass and just take a couple things.
I leave my fx120 at home and take my Ohaus SPX 123 that works with batteries, my K&M arbor press and Wilson chamber type bullet seating die and my powder measure that I mounted on a granite stand. A few extra small accessories and I'm mobile.

 

[1yotedog]

I have gone to load development at the range and am saving a LOT of time and money by moving directly to solutions rather than experimenting over many trips. Several portable digital scales were tested but wind effects during cal and trickling in power made results questionable. Efforts to make windscreens didn't solve the wind problem. I found that the RCBS Chargemaster Lite lets you cal and drop power with a very good wind screen in place.... absolutely zero wind effect. It's powered by a laptop charger battery with AC outlet that was bought off Amazon. Mines and Omars unit but there are many others as well. It's carried to the range in an open top canvas tool tote from Home Depot. The press is the small RCBS Partner mounted to a small aluminum plate and clamped to the adjacent bench with a cutoff pipe clamp (Bessy?). Brass is fully prepped at home except, maybe primers, which can be done at the range if that is in the testing plan. I've compared this setup at home against my bench equipment and loads put together at the range are fully equivalent. It is so much more rewarding to move directly to solutions.

 

[jrg]

I load all my rounds Long at home & the only thing I need to change at the range is Seating depth. I use a K & M Arbor press & WIlson inline seating die for that.

 

[Chuck32571]

I have a Sinclair Arbor press and Wilson micro seating dies. All my brass is prepped and primed at home. My RCBS battery operated scale is mounted in a wooden box to protect from the wind and powder is in 1 lb. cans. Bullets are kept in their original boxes. I only work on one caliber during my range sessions.

 

[J E Custom]

When I load at the range for workup, I prep all of my cases at home and use a hand bullet seater after powder charges have been weighed (I use a Plexiglas enclosure For my scale that blocks the wind from effecting the scales). it works well and doesn't require having a bunch of pre-charged containers that limit the amount of change in weight and the chance of getting different powders mixed up. (Murphy's law).

While working up loads this way, I have only one type and weight of bullets on the table at a time and only one brand/type of powder. The rest of the components are stored in the truck. Sometime if I want to try different primers, I will pre prime the cases at home and place them primer up in the ammo storage box for easy identification.

Just be care full and double check each component before loading. The range can be distracting and you need to pay close attention to the process. At home I prefer to load alone and avoid distractions.

J E CUSTOM

 

[sierracharlie338]

I load all my rounds Long at home & the only thing I need to change at the range is Seating depth. I use a K & M Arbor press & WIlson inline seating die for that.

I'll be needing to make the appropriate loads after shooting a round of tests so I won't know the charge weight until after the rounds are fired. But I have done your method before when testing seating depths. It works good.

 

[Ol' Red]

I feel pretty lucky right now, since I can drive to three ranges in a short time. I have never considered loading at the range before. What are the advantages? That said, none of the ranges near me have spot inside to load and outside is not a very good option here.

 

[milo-2]

This is all take to range, enough to seat bullets. Usually I will charge cases at home, and seat long, but have been part of guys bringing gen sets for chargemasters. If I am concerned about having to pull bullets from hotter charges, I will powder cases and stick foam ear plugs in them, then seat bullets if I can keep going, just dump powder if not.
I guess I cannot fathom driving 1.5hrs to a range.

 

[mustang58]

Go to a benchrest match and observe what they use. 99% load at the match. You an pick what looks best for you.

 

[sierracharlie338]

This is all take to range, enough to seat bullets. Usually I will charge cases at home, and seat long, but have been part of guys bringing gen sets for chargemasters. If I am concerned about having to pull bullets from hotter charges, I will powder cases and stick foam ear plugs in them, then seat bullets if I can keep going, just dump powder if not.
I guess I cannot fathom driving 1.5hrs to a range.

I've been spoiled with exclusive access to a private 200 yard range for the last 10 years. Sadly that will be changing. A 1.5 hour trip guarantees me with access to shoot to 950 any time I want.

 

[Patriot007]

View attachment 213887

Hand press was my best investment ever- saves me lots of powder and barrel life. I travel a lot for work as well, load all my pistol rounds in the hotel room.

Scale I use a beam type and made a political sign (plastic corrugated "card board) box to cover most of it. Use a simple spoon to trickle powder in.

Its a 45 min drive to my range and just hate it when I forget something. Liking the looks of the preweighed options I seen above.

I have that Press in my bug out bag. I have also used in the Hotels while out of town on the job. For what it is,,, It's a great little press. Also a good work out for the arms and abbs.

 

[milanuk]

Just be care full and double check each component before loading. The range can be distracting and you need to pay close attention to the process.

^ this!!!

I've had to stop working on loading at the range on more than one occasion because other people showed up. Most folks have never seen anyone ever load at the range, and have a million (or three) questions. Some times I'm happy to chat... other times, I'm there on a mission, and a limited time window to boot - whether it's an upcoming event, or trying to beat the heat, or the wind...

On at least one occasion, I had a guy ask me why I stopped working on the loads I was quite obviously in the middle of. My response was something along the lines of "because you won't shut up and let me concentrate"

And yes, I'd tried all sorts of 'signals', both verbal and non, to communicate that particular point much more nicely. At that point, I'd already screwed up something, lost track of something else, and was going to have to go home and pull down loaded rounds - one of my least favorite things to do, and part of the whole *reason* for loading at the range in the first place.

 

[milanuk]

This is all take to range, enough to seat bullets.

The good old c4m3r0n base Bonus points for mounting the press so it doesn't try to tip the whole assembly over!

Been meaning to make something similar for taking to the range, actually.

Just had kind of a 'ah-hah!' moment... pictured that base, with an Inline fabrication flush mount in the top, so I could easily swap the press between my home set up, and the portable one...

 

[338 dude]

I've been spoiled with exclusive access to a private 200 yard range for the last 10 years. Sadly that will be changing. A 1.5 hour trip guarantees me with access to shoot to 950 any time I want.

I drive two hours each way but at our range that gives me access to targets out to 1250 yards check us out on the web at www.strategicedge.us