Thinking About Getting Into Reloading: Questions

[TheBig1]

Ok, so I've been reading a ton about reloading and have been thinking about getting into it for a long time now.  Since I just picked up a new Howa 1500 Hogue Cryptek Package in 22-250 it's gotten me thinking even more about doing it.

I'm not asking about all that I should get or what brands to get just yet.

My first question is, where should I put the equipment? You see, I have a concrete basement that's unfinished. I have a gym down there and plenty of stuff being stored. My only concern is that in the months such as this, when the furnace isn't on, you can feel the dampness in the air. It just smells musty and wet although there's no real water in the basement. There are windows which stay open from spring until fall as well as a fan down there to try to keep air moving.

My other option is a detached garage which is not climate controlled at all. I would assume that the same damp feeling, as well as the sweltering heat of the summer with no air flow, would be present in the garage.

So for starters, where would the best spot be to place my reloading equipment?

Chad

[Misterjake23]

I would suggest getting a dehumidifier and putting it in the basement.

[Papa1]

You have Gym Equipment and storage in a damp basement.  The Question for you is why don't you have a dehumidifier down there already???  Dick

[Misterjake23]

Sometimes its the most obvious things we fail to recognize until they are pointed out to us .......

[coyotejohn]

Set up my first reloading equipment on the dining room table.  Bolted everything to a section of plywood then clamped it to the table when I wanted to reload.  Placed some padding (heavy carpet pieces) between the plywood and the table.  Worked out fine until I dropped 25 pounds of #7 shot on the carpet. 

[TheBig1]

25lbs of heavy shot in the carpet lol My wife would love that.

In talking to my wife I've been granted some space in the office / sewing room.  I just got a line on an old steel Desk and will be putting that up there as my bench. Prior to being granted my own personal space and finding the desk I was going to go the simple, portable route.

[Dale]

loading rifle cases, you need a heavily built bench that can take a lot of pressure both on the up and the down stroke, as sometimes cases get a bit finicky on either side for any number of reasons...  not saying a portable set up won't work, but it could lead to a bit of frustration... 

  the 22-250 is probably one of the easiest rounds to load for of all of them... the cases are strong, don't crush easily, they fill to a good capacity with most sensible loads, and digest about anything you want to do with them within reason...  I've never had a problem finding a load for any of them I've ever worked with...  if your Howa has the standard 1-14" twist in it it'll shoot from 35gr up to 55gr without a problem, and maybe even a 60gr if you can push it fast enough, but be careful with that... as you can probably tell I really like the 22-250...   

[TheBig1]

It's good that you like the 22-250, another resource for me to have.

My Howa is a 1 in 12 twist. I looked it up on the website.

[Dale]

good for you... forget about anything lighter then 45grain, BUT you can go up to 65gr bullets with that twist...

WW makes a really nice 64gr SP in 22 cal, I shoot a lot of those and it works well on anything you want, on up to deer...  just don't shoot'em on the shoulder, slip it in between the ribs and you got the money shot...  if you're shooting nannies, a 55gr to the noggin does very well also...

[TheBig1]

Thanks Dale, I appreciate it.