The whole premise behind my publication of these articles is to share with the world what gear I have found to work exceptionally well for me. And a company that has yet to fail me is Inline Fabrication.
Who Is Inline Fabrication?
Inline fabrication is a small business out in Oregon run by Dan and his wife, Jenn, as well as the rest of their crew. They make a profusion of products, all with the intention of optimizing your reloading gear. They offer press mounts, accessory mounts, wall panel systems, lighting kits, storage systems, and so much more. All their products are well planned and designed, offering peak performance and standing as the pinnacle of design and function for reloading equipment accessories. My bench is packed with all kinds of gear from them, and I would like to share some of those pieces with you today.
The Tall Ultramount
My first experience with Inline Fab was when I purchased my RCBS Rock Chucker IV Supreme. I bought that press used on eBay, and it came attached to an Inline Ultramount. The mount was a dedicated mount, which means it did not have their quick-change base for other accessories they offer. When I first set up that press, I fell in love with the mount. I elevated my press 11 inches from the bench top. This puts the press at a much better height for me to work. And while the offer three different sizes of mounts, the tallest works best for me. The mount is incredibly sturdy, allowing for virtually no flex while using. The press does not shake or shift while loading, even during sizing, which, in my experience, can be the step where the most force is applied to the press. After my first 500 rounds loaded on the press, I decided I liked it so much that I would see what else they had to offer.
The Piggyback System
One of the many things Dan offers over at Inline Fab is what he calls the “Piggyback mount”. There are numerous options for these. One can mount a set of die holders, which can accommodate both a standard 7/8ths inch die as well as the Hornady Lock N Load bushing system, as well as the LEE Breech Lock system. He also offers a shell holder/collet rack that will hold 10 shell holders or collets. However, the option that I like is to mount his bench top die rack on an adapter mount to use it on the back of my mount. This allows me to mount 18 dies readily available right on the back of my press. The way the holes are laid out, I can organize my dies by caliber. I organize my four die sets from left to right, and my 3 die sets from front to back. There is enough space for me to keep (3) four die sets, and (2) three die sets on hand. On the sides of the die holder, there are mounting holes, which I use to hold my assortment of shell-holders. All accessories mount with ease, regardless of where they are being mounted.
The Quick Change Plate
The quick-change plate may be the most versatile and valuable upgrade that Inline offers. The way these work is by installing the quick-change plate host on your Ultramount (or ordering the quick-change Ultramount to begin with), and then ordering the corresponding quick-change plate for your piece of equipment. I have quick-change plates for my Lyman Universal Case Trimmer, RCBS RC IV Supreme, RCBS Bench Primer, and for the Inline Fabs powder stand ( more on that in a moment). Dan has over 900 footprints on hand to make plates for, so there is a good chance he has what you need. And even if you have a piece of gear that he somehow doesn’t already have a plate for, he offers a template that can be printed off and traced to the footprint of the equipment. Once you have the outline traced, just send him the template, and he will custom-make it for you. And the price for these plates is incredibly reasonable. I believe that I paid around $28 for each plate, but remember that prices are subject to change over time.
Inline Fabrication Powder Measure Stand
This one is a unique offering. This powder stand can either be mounted directly to a bench top or on a quick-change plate to elevate the powder measure closer to eye level. For me, the combination of the Ultramount and the Powder Measure Stand places the powder drop at the perfect height for operation, comfort, and to ensure quality control. This stand is every bit as durable as all the other offerings from the crew at Inline Fab. There is also the ability to have quick-change legs for different powder measures, so for those with multiple powder measures, all you need is an additional leg. All that needs to be done is a quick removal of a wing nut, pull one leg, and place the new one. Replace the wing nut, and you are ready to roll. Another excellent feature is the adjustable height working plate. You can see in the fourth picture the slots and the wing nuts. Just loosen the wingnuts, place the plate where you want it, and tighten the wingnuts. Simple, easy, and quick. This piece of equipment just furthers Inlines’ reputation for gear that optimizes your bench and adds loads of versatility to the bench.
The Storage Dock
Not only does Dan make incredible gear to optimize your bench, but he also makes fantastic storage options. He offers both single and double mount storage docks. While right now I only have double docks, I have my eyes set on some single docks due to having some large, cumbersome pieces of equipment. He also makes some storage docks for additional powder measure legs. These can be mounted on a stand, or what I do is just mount them on the edge of my short bench. For those who prefer a superbly clean look, he offers a flush mount for the top of the bench. The storage docks fit each mount quite well, and shocker, the strength of these is exactly what I have become accustomed to.
Press Optimization
If I could think of three words to describe Inline Fabrications’ gear, those would be durability, optimization, and ergonomic. And these next pieces of gear offer all of these traits in droves. The first is the Ergonomic Roller Handle for my RCBS press. This handle easily replaces the straight handle that came with my press. It gives a shorter throw of the press, as well as a very comfortable roller handle. While the stock handle is okay for use, this improved handle is phenomenal, especially when working out large quantities on your press. All that is needed is the appropriately sized wrench. Just unscrew the old handle and screw in the new handle. It truly is that simple.
Not only do they offer roller handles for my press, but they also offer handles for the RCBS Bench Primer. This is a straight lever with a roller handle mounted on the end. This keeps everything nice and comfortable for those long sessions. I frequently load high volume batches of pistol cartridges, and both handles make this process much more usable and significantly reduce user fatigue.
One of the best additions I have made to my kit is the upgraded primer catch. When I bought my press, it was used, and the only thing it was missing was the original primer catch. I noticed Dan had one on his site, so I threw it in my cart. It is 3D printed, which allows some necessary flex in its operation. Mine does rub the ram ever so slightly, but does not impede operation. In the thousands of cases that I have deprimed, I have not had a single primer fall on the floor, with this exception. Sometimes spent primers will fall out of the front of the ramp. While this is absolutely not Inlines’ fault, it is worth mentioning. Dan, if you are reading this, I would love to see you come up with something to fix this. On the bright side, when a primer makes it to the catch, it is disposed of down the tubing that is sent with the catcher, and I have routed it into a small bucket. No mess, no problems.
Next up, we have yet another well-thought-out, high-quality piece of gear. This is the bin bracket for the RCBS RC press. This plate mounts between the press and the quick-change plate. Or for those with the dedicated mounts, just place the plate between the press and the mount itself. This plate offers a couple of different storage options. The first being the option to add two ACRO bins for the storage of different components. I typically keep brass and bullets in these containers. The bins just snap on and off, so one could have multiple bins loaded up and snap them in as needed. The second storage option is for additional dies. This option is also available for either 7/8 inch dies or for the Hornady LNL bushing. You can keep three dies in the storage rack, plus the one in the die. For me, this means I can keep 6 different sets of dies on my press, at the ready, no adjustments needed. Just change dies and go.
Why Buy From Inline Fabrication?
There are a plethora of reasons to check out Inlines’ website and give them your business. Here are some of mine.
The most of these is quality. These are all products that I fully expect to outlive me. My initial reloading setup was a hand-me-down. And when the time comes for me to give up reloading and I get to hand my equipment down to the next generation, I fully expect every single piece of Inline gear to still be just as functional as it is now. I have found no failure points in this gear. It all works as advertised. No hassle, no “creative” marketing, no games, just good equipment at a reasonable price.
The second reason to support Dan, Jenn, and the crew is that they are just that. They are an American small business that thoroughly tests their products. And above that, they listen to their customers. If you have an idea, reach out to them and let them know what is on your mind. I have reached out to Dan about a couple of different ideas, and responses are timely, professional, and helpful. I could never ask for more than that.
Another reason, one that I just touched on, is their fantastic customer service. When I had some questions about which piece of gear to buy, I got a quick answer with a link to the product. When I had a question about a quick change plate for my bench vice, that is, shall we say “seasoned”, he was more than willing to accommodate my special request. Many of their products ship out with special instructions on setup and use, but should you need them, they are there for you.
Here comes the big thing on everyone’s mind: what is this all going to cost? I don’t want to quote the price of each piece of equipment, due to price changes over time, but I have yet to find something that I thought was overpriced. For the level of versatility and performance you get, I think every piece of gear is well worth the cost.
I don’t know what it is that you consider when deciding where to spend your money, and what businesses you want to support. But if a reputable American-made company, which makes excellent, high-quality gear, all at a very reasonable cost, doesn’t fall on your list, I am not sure what would. I can think of no company that I would be happier to spend my money on the products they offer. And the products you see featured here today are just a sampling of what they offer. I have purchased over two dozen of their products, and I still have many more that I would like to have.
In the quest for finding what works, Inline Fabrication definitely holds a spot on the roster.
As always, friends, I have one final request for you. Have you tried Inline Fabrication? What pieces of gear do they offer that have helped you? Jump down to the comments and let me know.
Until next time, friends
Chuck