Gotta get the reloading bench going again.

This is Serenity, the old trailer that’s been my reloading shack for all this decade. I used to spend a lot of time there because I used to shoot my pistol a lot more than I do now. I wrecked my right shoulder 3 years ago and it’s been a long time healing. It was the better part of a year before I could even hold a .44 out straight, and working a press for any length of time was kind of an ordeal.

Now I’ve been getting the itch again, and again I’m relearning that OMFG COMMERCIAL AMMO IS STUPID EXPENSIVE! I can’t afford to shoot that stuff for practice, which means getting back into the reloading habit.

Unfortunately…

My years-long war against the rats in Serenity is over. The rats won. It’s completely disgusting in there. I could glove and mask up and renew the battle but at this point it would involve pretty much gutting the trailer because the rats own everything not immediately under my eye and have for a really long time. So I conceded defeat.

I built a new bench some time ago in Ian’s powershed, and today I gloved up and brought buckets into Serenity to move my stuff out. A lot of it will require a thorough cleaning – but at least the damned rodents left most of my brass alone.

While I had them dismounted I brought the presses home for a good clean’n’lube…

I need to get another shelf since I don’t have proper counter space for mess-making. But within the next week or so I should be back in business making practice ammo.

I also made this, for bullseye shooting farther back in the boonies where certain neighbors won’t complain…

…and we’ll see how much use I get out of it. Didn’t cost anything but a few fittings, the pipe had been out in the sun long enough to get too brittle for proper use.