Bought a new loading bench yesterday...
Posted: Thu Mar 11, 2010 10:10 am
I've been dragging my heels getting my reloading stuff set up. I bought everything but a bench several months ago, but every time I set aside time to put it all together, something else intruded. That meant that putting together a good work bench got put back too. Any bench I bought had to meet my own requirements, plus it also had to meet my "district manager's" requirements since it would be inside the house.
Yesterday, HighVelocity and I took his pickup truck down to Harbor Freight and I bought ONE OF THESE. The price is $159.99. However, when I was checking out, the guy just ahead of me who was leaving said, "Yah want a 20% off coupon?" "Heck, yeah!" sez I. So the cashier canceled the sale and rung it up again at $127.99 — saving me $32.00!
The bench comes in a box and needs to be assembled, which we did as soon as I got it home. Two people are recommended for assembly, and it took us about an hour or so to put it together, working at a relaxed pace and yukking it up while working. All hardware is included. There was even a bag of "spares" included in case you lose a screw or something. Tools necessary for assembly were a hex key (included) and a Phillips head screwdriver. We also used a cordless drill motor to drive a lot of the screws to make the job go faster, but basically, assembly was easy.
The bench really does use solid wood, and the assembled product weighs about 100 lbs and is quite substantial. It is 60" in width, and the drawers work quite well and have felt lining. It also has a wooden vise on the right end, and some wooden pegs which fit pre-drilled holes in the top for making jigs, etc. Also included are 4 plastic "anvil pegs" which can be dropped into pre-drilled holes and are used for keeping anything you might be pounding on from direct contact with the wooden surface of the bench, preventing the bench surface from being marred.
I'll be getting the press bolted down and the other stuff set up on Friday, and I hope to be able to take a few of my first reloads to the range on Saturday. We're starting with .308 and .223. I haven't bought any dies or components yet for the pistol calibers we own, but that will come pretty soon.
Here's a picture of what the bench looks like:
Anyway, it is a well done bench for the price (particularly with the 20% knocked off), and this might make a good option for anyone who either needs to replace an existing bench, or is looking for an inexpensive way to get into putting together a reloading setup.
Yesterday, HighVelocity and I took his pickup truck down to Harbor Freight and I bought ONE OF THESE. The price is $159.99. However, when I was checking out, the guy just ahead of me who was leaving said, "Yah want a 20% off coupon?" "Heck, yeah!" sez I. So the cashier canceled the sale and rung it up again at $127.99 — saving me $32.00!
The bench comes in a box and needs to be assembled, which we did as soon as I got it home. Two people are recommended for assembly, and it took us about an hour or so to put it together, working at a relaxed pace and yukking it up while working. All hardware is included. There was even a bag of "spares" included in case you lose a screw or something. Tools necessary for assembly were a hex key (included) and a Phillips head screwdriver. We also used a cordless drill motor to drive a lot of the screws to make the job go faster, but basically, assembly was easy.
The bench really does use solid wood, and the assembled product weighs about 100 lbs and is quite substantial. It is 60" in width, and the drawers work quite well and have felt lining. It also has a wooden vise on the right end, and some wooden pegs which fit pre-drilled holes in the top for making jigs, etc. Also included are 4 plastic "anvil pegs" which can be dropped into pre-drilled holes and are used for keeping anything you might be pounding on from direct contact with the wooden surface of the bench, preventing the bench surface from being marred.
I'll be getting the press bolted down and the other stuff set up on Friday, and I hope to be able to take a few of my first reloads to the range on Saturday. We're starting with .308 and .223. I haven't bought any dies or components yet for the pistol calibers we own, but that will come pretty soon.
Here's a picture of what the bench looks like:
Anyway, it is a well done bench for the price (particularly with the 20% knocked off), and this might make a good option for anyone who either needs to replace an existing bench, or is looking for an inexpensive way to get into putting together a reloading setup.
