Reloading Shotgun Shells for Dummies

[TheKlawMan]

Oops! I remembered something in the videos I saw on youtube about the MEC 600 Jr and the ones that mention a scale indeed only talk about using it to spot check the accuracy of your powder loads. There are two guys recommending tapping the handle a few times after dropping shot to make shuer it has all fallen into the hull. My bet is BigJim has a tad more experience with reloading than those young guys, unless this is a recommendation peculiar to the MEC 600 JR.

 

[oneounceload]

I was just using my Jr. - I run it quick and hard - with the red PC powder baffle and the vibrations from running it, the load drops are very consistent for powder and shot

 

[zippy13]

I haven't run a MEC 600 Jr. for many years; but, as I recall, the charge bar is manually shuttled. Consequently, there's a quantum leap more tactile feedback from the 600 Jr. than the bigger progressive models. If a wad doesn't go in quite right, you'll know about it with a 600 Jr., but it might be missed with a bigger press. With the 600 Jr., you'd feel something is amiss and back-up the ram. With the big press, spilled shot might be your first sign of trouble.

 

[oneounceload]

Zippy - correct - it is a manual shuttle - I use the UCB instead of fixed bars - but I still use my finger and move them quick and hard.

One advantage about them......I broke my progressive this week - something went awry - parts are coming, but as in anything the absolute simplest you make something mechanical, the better it will last..........now I can't reload 10 boxes an hour like Jim....but I can do 6-8 and that includes boxing them and reloading the primer feed...it's a nice backup to have for any progressive

 

[olddrum1]

Klawman, I always weigh out ten charges before anything goes into a hull. This gives a pretty accurate idea of what your machine is dropping. I have to agree with my friends here on the Mec reloader. You have to own a Texan, two Pacifics and three or four Mecs to really appreciate your first PW. Did I say that out loud?

 

[TheKlawMan]

Thanks everyone. I think I have the basic info and know what I want to do if I reload, but for the time being the boss wants me to chose a long barrel or a loading press and since it seems I have no trouble anymore with recoil I am going with the barrel and the one ounce loads from WM. If not the cheapest, which are the Federals with 3-1/4 dram equivalent, I will pay an extra buck for the Winchester 2-3/4 dram 1 ounce target loads. My plan is to shoot the **** out of them so my shoulder brusies up and the boss then lets me buy the press, too. In the long run, I think my aging bones will thank me if I start shooting 7/8s.

 

[BigJimP]

Hey, now ....I'm not just a one trick pony ....(although I do rely on my MEC hydraulic machines to do 99% of my reloading ..) .... I have a MEC Grabber model ( manual pull handle ) as a backup right now ...in 12ga at least ...( and usually about 60 boxes of shells per gague ...in inventory ) ...

MEC's are so easy to fix / even if I break something ...I can have the loader up and running in a week or two tops. Depending on what breaks / since I have 4 loaders ...I've even scavenged parts off one or the other ....but the only thing I've broken in the last 10 yrs probably ...is a wad guide ...

Even if I broke the 20ga loader ....I'd just shoot more 28ga for awhile or something ...so having a backup to me /isn't a big deal.

My procedure is to make 3 or 4 drops of powder / dumping them all back into the hopper. Then I start weighing every powder drop for first 4 or 5 drops -- to make sure the press is dropping right at the goal for that shell. Once it is consistent / I check about every 15th shell or so ...to make sure nothing has changed.

Tapping that shot feed tube ...used to be a big deal ....because the shot would "bridge" in the tube ...and not drop thru to the hull. MEC redesigned their Shot feed tubes several yrs ago ...and I've never had it happen on 12, 20 or 28ga loading 7 1/2's, 8's or 9's ..... but I have had it happen in a
.410 once in a while if I'm trying to load 8's ...not so much in loading 9's in the .410's.

 

[TheKlawMan]

OK. I finally took a lesson, like everyone said, and it was well worth the money. Now, I guess I am going to finally pick up a MEC Jr. , like everyone recommended so as to save some money and shoot some body & fllinching saving loads(Hitting head agaist wall since I had located one within a 10 mile drive for $60 and didn't jump on it when I had the chance.)

I have a question about shot, which seems to be one of the main expenses. Since this will all be for practice, is used shot well enough?

 

[zippy13]

K-Law, my friend, my club used to sell the shot we reclaimed from the trap and skeet fields. I loaded reclaimed in practice loads for many years. The only reason I stopped was the club stopped selling reclaimed because they decided to have it re-manufactured off site. The price difference wasn't significantly higher to the members. Some shooters say reclaimed is full of rocks and other nasty stuff, but I never found this to be true with the product from the shot cleaning crews that came to our club. Actually, the reclaimed shot looked better than some of the stuff I've seen loaded in promotional dove loads.

Most of the shot was from the trap fields, so it tended to have a higher percentage of 7-1/2s. The stuff worked fine the for trap and the skeet gauges; however, I found new 9s worked better in .410-bore skeet loads.

 

[TheKlawMan]

Thank you, Zippy. I am not certain what Prado sells shot for but Phillips Wholesale, the place I mistakenly thought was mentioned in the past by you, had reclaimed shot at $26 for a 25# bag as compared to $38 for new. Those are one bag prices. I ran some numbers and see why people aren't happy with the price of shot. I am only guessing which powder and components I will get, but figure I can reload for around $4.65 a box without buying in massive quantities. I think the case price at Prado is around $6.70 for Estate so reloading significantly cuts down on the cost of shooting. (Calcs do not include the amorized cost of equipment which is minor given the price for an MEC Jr. and scales.)

 

[zippy13]

When I started seriously reloading shot shells in '68, new shot was $36/100#, and folks were still looking to save with reclaimed.

 

[oneounceload]

One thing about reclaimed is the quality of the reclamation the miner does - some uses too much graphite and it can gunk your machine; some do not sweep the shot with a magnet or pick out small stones - both bad ju-ju to have in your mix.

IF the miner does take care of those issues, reclaimed is great.......for practice. When the money is on the line, the best quality factory stuff should be used - besides it will give you more empties for reloading

 

[TheKlawMan]

Just returned from the gun fair at Raahauge's. Just as we were leaving we found the MEC exhibit. The didn't have a JR but two Sizemasters and one more expensive press, which I think was teh 9000GN. I may try to get the Sizemaster, which to me is a 600 Jr with the $65 primer feed and a different type of resizer. Does anyone familiar with the 600 Jr think the primer feed is worth the money?

 

[oneounceload]

Having owned 3 Jr's - I can tell you I have the primer feed on everyone of them - speeds up production a LOT. No oily fingers trying to grasp a primer and put it in the reloading hole. When I get into a rhythm, I can get 6 boxes an hour done.

One other accessory you'll want is the EZ-pack - that's the red sloping metal holder you place each finished shell into so you can slip a box over the top and VOILA!, boxed and ready to go

 

[BigJimP]

Look over the MEC website before you decide ...

http://www.mecreloaders.com/ProductLine/Product.asp

The 600 Jr isn't a bad machine ....but yes, add the primer feed. You can get about 4 boxes an hour off the machine. Recob's target shop out of Wisconsin sells it new for about $ 135 / and they're a good company to deal with / I've bought lots of loaders and lots of components from them.

http://www.recobstargetshop.com/browse.cfm/2,197.html

The sizemaster, in my view, is really there because you can adjust it for 2 3/4" or 3" shells ...so its more designed for the "hunter" vs a target shooter. It doesn't increase your speed much - its still a 4 box per hour machine in my mind.

The next step up - is the Grabber / and its the first in the line of the progressive machines and will give you about 8 boxes an hour / so it really increses your volume. Recobs target shop sells it new for about $ 370.

9000 GN is a better machine than the Grabber / and its $ 60 more ....but it auto indexes ..so its faster easily 12 - 15 boxes an hour.

9000 HN is their hydraulic ( which I like / but you need a permanent location for the motor and pump that rests on the floor ) so its not portable. Its a little faster than the 9000 GN - ( call it 15 - 18 boxes an hour )...

On the easy pak ...sure they work / but I'm lazy ....I toss 30 shells into a quart sized zip lock bag ( gives me a few extra shells per round) ...and then put 10 bags into an 8 gallon tupperware tub...

Going with a Jr isn't bad / and they're easy to sell ...but time is a factor .. / so I'd take a serious look at the Grabber model instead. ( I know none of this stuff is cheap / but you'll have it a long time ...)...

 

[TheKlawMan]

Great input. The guy demonstrating the MECs at the Shooting Sports Fair emphasized the collett type resizer on all of the MECs other than the Jr, which resizes with a ring. I fo course am looking at some used ones and there is one that looks good with a primer feed.

I checked out recob's and it does have good prices and reasonable shipping. Combined they are $10 less than the price list I got at the fair, but that didn't include shipping.

As for hunting, I look forward to trying that some time but if needed I can buy shells for that.

And I have already figured out that I will likely want a one ounce shot bar and another powder bushing.

 

[zippy13]

My first .410-bore loader was a used MEC 600 Jr, but I didn't shoot much little gun in those days. When I got serious about the .410, I bought a new Grabber and sold the 600 Jr for what I'd paid for it. Buying a used 600 Jr is probably a good way to get into shot shell re-loading. After you've become totally familiarized with re-loading, you may wish to up grade to a higher capacity loader and pass on the 600 Jr at no loss.

 

[BigJimP]

Re-Sizing is really important on any gun ....like a pump or semi-auto where you are feeding shells into the action out of a magazine. Its less important on an O/U ....because if we have a mis-shaped shell -- we can usually ram it into the chamber ...

But buying a press - that won't resize on the press ...makes very little sense to me / espcially in this time and age ...where everything we need to do is faster, and faster ....

I had an hour to kill this morning at home ...before I came into my office ....so I loaded up about 12 boxes of 12ga shells and 12 boxes of 20ga shells. Bagged them up ...and put them into tubs. I bag 30 shells to a bag ( but 300 shells is 300 shells ) ...

In another hour this evening ....I'll load up 20 boxes or about 1,000 rounds of 9mm ...( 115 gr FMJ bullets ) for some of my handguns ....( my 32 yr old son and my 19 yr old grandson are coming over on Sat and Sunday ...and we're going to the handgun range on Sat evening / and 5 stand and sporting clays on Sunday ...)...

Doing those 24 boxes on a couple of 600 Jr's ....would have taken me 3 -- maybe 4 times as long .... I like reloading / but I like it a lot more ...when it only takes me an hour instead of 4 hours !! I'll help them to crank out another 20 boxes or so on Sat evening ...which they like doing too ... Having a good reloader - that does a good job / fairly quickly ..makes it part of the hobby as opposed to a "chore"...

 

[TheKlawMan]

The MEC Jr resizes but uses a different system than the rest of the MEC line. The one expense I will have whether or not I get a used or new one is the shot bar. So far I have only seen one used Jr for sale with a one ounce. For the time being, though, I don't know if I want to cut down on shot or just powder. I may just go new because a lot of the used ones on ebay seem to be missing a part here and there.

I lilke the idea that I can probably sell the used Jr for what I have in it if I decide to go with a more elaborate rig.

As for time, I have more than $$$$ at the moment.

 

[oneounceload]

Better than me Jim - I get about 300 of one type in an hour or a little more - period. I have found going too fast produces too many issues with things going wrong...........

Besides, it's 92 degrees in my garage with no breeze....after 15 minutes, it's time to go inside for a cold drink of water