The GREAT, POWERFUL, AND ALL KNOWING OB!!!!

I need your input. I have one shot at this. I am in the process of designing a barn. In one end of the barn will be my office. Approximate size of my office will be 22' x 14'. With 10' ceiling. Could also vault the ceiling.

This will be my office and reloading/gun building/tinkering room. Let me be clear, this will not be an escape from my family. I have a great wife and 3 boys that I do not want to take time away from. I reload at night after kids are in bed and work on guns with my boys. I'm not looking for a man cave. NO TV! Beer fridge is a must though for times when I am not reloading. I am also considering a shooting bench inside the office with a shooting hatch/window in the side wall. May be able to get ranges out to 400 yards from my office. Need to verify angles for sure though.

I am looking for ideas on how to set up the room. What have y'all done in the past that worked well? Lot's of countertop space or more storage with multiple countertop work spaces? Any good wall organizing ideas? I have a Dillon RL550 press on a strong mount plus a couple other single stage presses. I have considered taking the Dillon off the strong mount to get it lower but then I lose bullet tray. Maybe a tall work chair is the ticket. Look forward to your help in setting up the perfect workspace.

And before I get roasted about NO TV, I moved out in the middle of nowhere on 40+ acres to get away. I get TV for 6 months a year so I can watch Aggie Football. Other than that, I would rather be outside fishing or shooting than plopped down in front of a TV so roast away.

You clearly need to look at Barnes' reloading room in the workroom thread.

IBMFB





Sorry could nt help myself

What the heck is IBMFB?

Willie, do you have a link? I just searched workroom under the outdoor board and didn't come up with anything.

Are you familiar with the saga of MF Barnes on Texags? Dude held out as being all world everything posting pics of all his cool toys and cars. Turns out he was a poser and it all cratered around pics of his supposed reloading room that someone recognized from another forum.

http://texags.com/forums/34/topics/2608388/1

here is the thread. Barnes posts "his" workshop on page 2. then the saga unfolds...

SIA for your loss of the next 3 hours reading it

he also got simultaneously outed on the auto board. although that thread failed to be nearly as epic

http://texags.com/forums/46/topics/2610710

Give it a few minutes 72 and after everyone has had their laugh you'll start getting better replies.

BlackGold, there goes 40 minutes of my life I will never get back. I only got to page 15. I do have a mutual FB friend with him though. So back on topic....more ideas....

I'm thinking a big block aTm on one wall!

Ironically, I really didn't post "take a look at Barnes reloading room" as a joke. The guy he copied the pictures from had a pretty sweet setup...it unfortunately was not Barnes'. It couldn't be. How could the hardest working man in oil have time for a reload room?

quote:

---

How could the hardest working man in oil have time for a reload room?

---

Well, he was really hard working.

oh, and '72, how did your OCW test pan out?

My thoughts:

Lots of LF of counter/workbench space, but don't make it too deep. The deeper the counter, the more apt you are to let it get cluttered. My bench is only about 18" deep (may be less than that). But give yourself plenty of room to work. I have a system that most of my tools are on removable blocks that screw into the worktop with threaded rod with handles on the end - lets me play with my setup so that i have the tools out that i need for whatever I'm doing, and have them in the configuration i want them in.

Storage is pretty personal - I have shelves under the workbench, and a mess of pegboard on the walls, but almost no drawers. I don't like drawers becuase things hide in them and get lost. The only real drawers I have are on my machinist's chest that i use for storage of tools and parts, and in the rubbermaid bins below one part that i keep brass in.

Keep your tumbling setup completely separate from your bench, unless you really like dust and dirty tools.

quote:

---

What the heck is IBMFB?

---

Guessing-- In Before M F Barnes

Sh****, it went good. I started over and ran a true OCW. Settled on load now am playing with seating depth.

quote:

---

Sh****, it went good. I started over and ran a true OCW. Settled on load now am playing with seating depth.

---

If you have more questions I check here daily. Barnes won't be much help apparently.

Any other ideas?

As to the shooting window/hatch. My concern is the field of view. Too many things (including kids and dogs) could come in to your sight path from either side and from below.

Read this thread. More good - and bad - ideas than you can shake a stick at.

http://thefiringline.com/forums/showthread.php?t=231150&highlight=reloading+bench

A couple of views of my Man Cave/reloading room....severely cluttered as of today. I used a quarter of my 30x50 metal building, fully insulated, and there is also a closet just out of sight (next to the camo refrigerator).
Safes and saddle stored to the left of pics.

GSS,

Great looking room. The clutter on countertops is something I worry about. I'm good at cluttering. Would you have less clutter if some of your countertop save was actually full height storage cabinets? What size is your room?

A&I,

That is something I considered as well. Kids would be the only concern in the direction I would be shooting. I would have to communicate to them if I am shooting. We do that now anyways, if I will be at the shooting bench I tell them and they know they have to stay at the top of our property and not down by the lake or field where I would be shooting. But still a good consideration. Thanks.

quote:

---

GSS,

Great looking room. The clutter on countertops is something I worry about. I'm good at cluttering. Would you have less clutter if some of your countertop save was actually full height storage cabinets? What size is your room?

---

Some full height cabinets might be a great idea, to reduce clutter, while increasing storage.
Also deep drawers are great, versus lower cabinets w/shelves. With full travel drawer slides, accessing items is easy, vs digging around for those items in the back.

The exterior of the room is 24x15 ft, w 9 ft ceiling. All OSB interior walls/ceiling.

If kids/people might be an issue with the hatch I'd leave it out. There's always a chance of a kid going in there without permission or a kid unknowingly getting in the way somehow.
Of course I know you are probably very safe. It's the uncontrollable variables I'd worry about. If you're out If you are out in The open you eliminate most of those.

GSS............ How dare you flaunt that in front of us!!!!

Ooooo, look at me. I have Blue Bell....

I am the opposite of GSS - I don't like drawers and what not. I also don't have the room that he has.

Frame out:

[url=http://s43.photobucket.com/user/schmellba99/media/Firearm%20Stuff/IMG00178-20120102-2047_zpsdc563cd1.jpg.html][/url]

I used a butcher block surface (from Ikea of all places. BTW, Ikea sucks to actually have to go to. You are a rat in a maze in some massive social experiment....). Pegboard on the walls to store tools, accessories, etc.

[url=http://s43.photobucket.com/user/schmellba99/media/Firearm%20Stuff/IMG00181-20120108-2032_zpsa3e8d530.jpg.html][/url]

View showing the whole bench about halfway through the buildout:

[url=http://s43.photobucket.com/user/schmellba99/media/Firearm%20Stuff/IMG00179-20120107-2035_zps494e836a.jpg.html][/url]

Trim, paint and a few coats of polyurethane on the benchtop surface:

[url=http://s43.photobucket.com/user/schmellba99/media/Firearm%20Stuff/IMG00187-20120114-1457_zpse6951fd5.jpg.html][/url]

The LNL AP is the only thing that is permanently mounted to the bench, mostly because it is just heavy and it wasn't something that was going to be moved like other presses, vices, etc. are.

[url=http://s43.photobucket.com/user/schmellba99/media/Firearm%20Stuff/IMG00189-20120114-1902_zpsf22e000a.jpg.html][/url]

Storage shelving undeneath - it wraps around and goes for about 2/3 of the long side as well. I store some components, etc. here. Loaded ammo is stored in ammo cans under the shelf.

[url=http://s43.photobucket.com/user/schmellba99/media/Firearm%20Stuff/IMG_20130629_210322_012_zpse024d3ff.jpg.html][/url]

Here you can see the removable blocks with various other tools on them. I store them on shelves above everything when not in use - it actually works well because I can make it to where I have a large empty surface if need be. Great for other projects and my wife uses it during Christmas and around birthdays to wrap presents, etc., so I actually ended up with good buy-in from her.

The white rubbermaid bin is now on the floor out of the way, and like any other bench - things are always changing and moving. But it pretty much looks like this. It's not very deep because I didn't want a lot of area for things to get cluttered on. I have a lot of shelves on the wall above the pegboard as well that houses some reloading and some hunting gear that I don't want to keep out in the garage.

[url=http://s43.photobucket.com/user/schmellba99/media/Firearm%20Stuff/photobucket-8399-1343272982218_zpsfc5d7371.jpg.html][/url]

I'd build a 5' wide by 3' deep insulated extension out of the side of the barn, instead of just a hatch. Use swing out windows to keep reverberation down, and you'd also be able to see if there is anything approaching your shooting lane.