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Considering reloading but don't want to spend $200+ to get started. I typically shoot 2.75 inch 12 gauge AA target ammo that is costing me between $5-6 per box including tax. With gas at $2.50+ per gallon, I probably should start factoring in the driving cost as well. On fast calculation, Wallyworld is a 40 mile round trip that's another 50 cents per box if I'm buying one case at a time.

I noticed some Mec 650s going on eBay for $50-75. Are there any warning signs that a reloader for sale on eBay will be a problem? i.e. not the original owner selling, picture shows very dirty unit, no instructions included, telltale signs of damage etc? Are you better off buying a reloader new?

Personally, I like the idea of buying a used MEC on eBay, although I haven't done it myself. I sold a couple.

A lot of people start reloading with one of the cheaper MECs and eventually move up to a faster model. For that reason, there are always a number of used 600s and 650s for sale on eBay. If you buy one that way, you can get your money back when you move up and re-sell the 650.

You can download a manual free off of MEC's web site or order a paper copy for $5. http://www.mecreloaders.com/OwnerManual ... anuals.asp

Parts are cheap and easy to order online. If the reloader is dirty, so much the better - that will help hold the price down, and you can clean it up easily.

If it needs repairs that you can't do yourself (which is not likely!) just pack it up and send it to MEC, they will rebuild it for a small fee and you will have the equivalent of a brand new one.

Or, if all else fails, sell it on eBay like the other guy did!

Some people don't like the 650 because it doesn't have a resizer (not one that works, anyway). I started with a couple of 650's (12 and 28 ga) and I like them. I never needed a resizer when using hulls that have brass heads, like AA and STS. You may or may not need one with cheap hulls that have steel heads.

One thing to consider is whether you can justify paying the higher price for premium factory shells (AA or STS) when cheaper ones are available. I can, because I shoot a lot of tournaments that require factory shells, and I like the premium shells for competition, so I have lots of empty hulls of good quality with brass heads. If you want to economize on your factory shells, you might need a reloader with a resizer to load cheap hulls.

I don't recommend AA's for reloading, though. I load them once and throw them away. The separate basewad on the new-style AA's causes problems that are potentially dangerous. I prefer STS.

The bottom line is, it would be hard to lose more than a few bucks buying a used 650 on eBay, and the fun and experience would be worth it. Go for it!

Although you might get a good deal on Ebay, I would stay away from that as there are a lot of people selling on there that really don't know what they are selling. Communication with sellers on Ebay can be a chore and while the bidding is going on it can get confusing.

However I am in favor of buying used and would suggest that you keep an eye on the classifieds on this fourm and others, maybe even post that you are interested in one.

On classifieds you will probably run into someone who is selling one they were using and know more about it, than on a general auction site like Ebay where the seller may be someone who just picked it up at an estate sale or storage locker auctions with a mess of other stuff and had no knowledge about the product.

With classified ads you have a pretty good idea of what the price will be, but it will be the early bird with the worm (reloader).

I bought a Sizemaster off of EBAY and have been very happy with it. Have loaded around 2000 shells this summer. There isn't much can go wrong with a single stage press, I don't know about the progressives. You maybe taking a chance.

I've bought 3 loaders off ebay. If you know what you are looking at and what they are worth, no problem. Just being listed on ebay has nothing whatever to do with whether it is a good product or not. Just like any other auction. Caviot Emptor!!

BP

I bought a 600 for $31 and a 650 for $50 on Ebay. Shipping is high but even considering that you can still get one for half what a new one costs. Only way to go, nobody around here sells used loaders that I've seen.

It's hard to go wrong buying a single-stage loader on eBay and you can frequently get a very good one at a very good price. Single-stage MEC loaders have a tendency to last and function well after hundreds of thousands of rounds.

It's drop-dead easy to go wrong buying a progressive, which is a MUCH more complicated press and has parts that WILL wear out or get very sloppy.

It also has parts that very likely won't come along with it, unless the seller is a reloader and knows what he's packing up.

The main pitfall in buying a progressive press on eBay is it's likely just another item the seller's acquired somewhere for resale and he barely knows what it does, let alone anything about it.

Unless they specialize in firearms and shooting items, sellers with high feedback frequently fall into that category.

Email the seller and ask him point-blank if he's a reloader and is familiar with the press. Include some questions about its age, condition and extent of use.

If he's not an experienced reloader, that should end it right there.

You can usually tell from some good large pictures what kind of shape a press is in, but most sellers are either too stupid or too lazy to provide them.

Some "power seller" jerk can have five thousand feedbacks and still not have the first clue as to how to adequately merchandise an item, which is to say: The more you tell the more you sell -- and big pictures are great selling points.

The bottom line: If the seller isn't a reloader himself with a good reason for getting rid of a press, such as wanting to upgrade, avoid it like the plague.

And just hope and pray you don't win the bid on two progressive dogs I'm getting ready to dump back on eBay.

Nothing against E-bay at all. Mec is great for service and parts so you are not taking much of a chance buying used. But are you sure you want a 650? I sold one years ago and replaced it with a sizemaster. If you need the higher production rate and want to size seperately or skip it, then go for the 650. What I found is that I load is small volumes and change loads ocassionally and just did not like the hassle of making a mistake with the 650 and having to back it through 5 shells to straighten it out. I like my single station press better than I did the 650.

you don't have to back a shell out you can just remove it

If you live in a more rural area (like West Texas), eBay opens up a lot of opportunities for you to increase your purchasing options. I have bought and sold reloaders on eBay without grief. I am currently using a Hornady 366 Auto which I got a great deal for on eBay, and am very happy with it.

I bought my 366 from someone who, though he apparantly did try to reload with it, didn't know what he was doing. The reloader was completely dissassembled, which brought the price down a lot. I am pretty mechanically inclined, and with the help of a parts diagram I downloaded from Hornady's website, I was able to get it reassembled and adjusted in one afternoon.

It was also very dirty and had some surface rust. I was able to clean all of this up and it looks fine now - but more importantly, it works flawlessly. I had to order one part from Hornady to make it work, and I also ordered an upgrade part as well.

Mine came with everything to load both 12 and 20 gauges, and in both 2.75" and 3" lengths. This was a nice advantage, and made the deal even that much more of a bargain.

One hazzard I ran into was the person I bought mine from, in attempt to be very friendly, offered to send along with the reloader 4 lbs. of Hogden Clays powder he had left over, as well as some odd wads. I said "thank you very much" for the offer, but didn't want to pay a hazmat fee for shipping. He sent the powder anyways. I guess it got through the mail without incident - but this was before 911 too. I can only imagine what would have happened if he mailed that today without declaring it and paying the hazmat fee. I would probably be out $$$ and a reloader both!

Good luck and enjoy eBay. It works for me!

I guess I am one of the saps who got taken once on Ebay on a reloader. It was a MEC 650 and among other things the regulator (the thing the bottles screw into) was bent and could not be repaired plus several parts were pieces together from other loaders. Ended up sending it to MEC and having them work on it. When I got finished with replacement parts etc., I paid the same as I would have for a new one plus. Never again for me.