[tdp333]

I would like to purchase a reloader. I don't want to spend a lot. Could anyone recomend a reloader to me and where I could purchase it?

 

[Guest]

Dude,

I would purchase a Lee Load All for about 35.00. They are very easy to operate and need little adjustment unlike the MEC reloaders. It is a good first reloader that will let you learn and will let you see if you like reloading.

 

[AFGunner]

Received a MEC 600Jr from a friend when he upgraded and I have found it very easy to use with very little adjustment required once you are set up for the type shell you are loading. I would recommend that you stick to one type of hull so that you are not having to make adjustments.

 

[billyboy]

if you buy a lee loadall,you will hate reloading.buy the mec.

 

[Gil6640]

I swear by my Mec 650! I've had it for 3+ years, and it was my first reloader. It only took 30 minutes of adjusting, then I got to reloading 80 rounds/hour. I started with 12Ga 1 1/8 oz, then as I learned more about reloading, I ended up moving into 1 oz and now 7/8 oz duplex loads.

Don't be drawn towards the 9000G or other higher-end loaders -the 650 runs around $200 (I got mine for $187 on Cabela's), and they last forever.

I really believe the adjustabilty is a benefit; without it, I wouldn't have been able to experiment with different recipes like I did.

Get yourself a mec 650, then have an experienced reloader help you do the adjustments... then you'll be all set!

Have fun! :wink:

 

[AFGunner]

I did a kind of informal survey of the members of my gun club to ask what kind of reloader they own/use and what would they recommend and here are the results:
7 MEC 650s
2 MEC 600 Jrs
1 MEC 9000
2 Hornady 366
1 P/W
It would seem from this little survey that the predominant reloader of choice is the MEC 650. I have one of the 600 Jrs and love it. Check them out and enjoy yourself. -- AFGunner

 

[Pogo]

I have a MEC 600 Jr. It works great, but if I had it to over again I'd spend just a few more bucks and get the 650.

I have a good buddy that has a Lee, and he brings his powder, wads, shells, etc. over to my house and reloads on my MEC. I'm trying to talk him into buying a 650 so we can go over to his house and use his machine. :lol:

 

[ralphtt]

Pogo . . . get your buddy to spend a very few dollars more (over the cost of the 650) and buy a MEC Grabber. Then you will be able to shoot resized shells. Sooner or later, it will make a difference.

 

[Gil6640]

You really ought to use a resizer. I know some who don't use one, and the tend to force their shells into their guns; then again, they shoot O/U's. You DON'T want to load without a resizer if you shoot a semi-auto! A jammed shell that is oversized can be dangerous.

I use a 650, and have a separate resizer. I actually like the separate resizer better. My buddy uses a 9000G, and once in a rare while, a hull won't fall square into the resizer, and he has to stop and straighten things out. This is all subjective of course.

Good luck!

 

[Guest]

Has anyone reloaded with Bismouth ammo?

 

[Guest]

I just got me a Lee load all 12 gauge, I like this thing, works great, loaded about 100 rounds, no problems. they fire good. didnt take anytime to load them either. Cant beat the price 36 bucks and all the bushings I will ever need.

 

[Rick618]

A resizer is important if you are shooting different guns. If you are shooting the same o/u with the same reloads a resizer isnt a concern.

I like the idea of having the 9000 as it can atleast double the output of shells per hour.

he new RCBS Grand is a neat one, but I think I would let some others work any bugs out for a year or so.

Dillion has some of the best customer service and you can tell from the design that an engineer was behind the making, but he was practical with the change outs. Pricey!!

The mac daddy is a Spolar with a hydraulic unit, big bucks and fast output but with a hefty price.

 

[Birdbrained]

Does a Mec not come with a resizer built in? I know the Lee Load All does. Just curious - and thinking about getting into reloading.

 

[Jersey Hunter]

I have two Mec 650 28 & 410 they have a resizer but it's a separate operation and is not very convenient. I bought a super sizer and the dies for 12, 28, & 410. My guns are all doubles so I only resize every forth or fifth time I reload. I read on another site where the guys said if you have a shot spill with a grabber or 9000 and it gets into the resizer it's a real pain. That's was the reason I bought the 650.

 

[Guest]

I have 4 Mec reloaders and with the exception of the jr's they drive me crazy. Shot & powder everywhere at least once a nite and I have used them for years. The 8567 grabber 20 ga is a real pain in the sitter. Adjust, adjust and more adjust. Thats it. Tonite I'm ordering a Dillion. It cost but anything good does. Having said all this no offense to Mec users I have used them for literally thousands of rounds and they all went bang nicely. But you have to have a lot of time when you shoot alot and the new press are faster.

 

[SamL]

I've been kicking around the idea of reloading for a while. Someone started a topic over in another forum on this site, I had a couple of questions, and it looked like this was a better place to put them then that other forum (Trap/Skeet). And viola, here I find a "getting started" topic. So here goes:

What equipment do you need to start reloading, other than a press? I know that in brass cartridge reloading you need sizing dies, case polishers, powder scales, and all sorts of things that push the "entry fee" (equipment price) higher and higher. At one point I figured t would cost about $300 to start reloading .45ACP brass, not including components.

I see shotgun presses for sale used for $50. What else would I need to get going? Do the hulls have to be cleaned? How do you de-prime them?

Thanks in advance,

-- Sam

 

[Yo]

I have 4 Mec reloaders and with the exception of the jr's they drive me crazy. Shot & powder everywhere at least once a nite and I have used them for years. The 8567 grabber 20 ga is a real pain in the sitter. Adjust, adjust and more adjust. Thats it.

I recently bought a Grabber 8567. New to shotshell reloading, but many years of experience with metallic. I have to say the Grabber is giving me lots of aggravation. Some really stupid design elements. Today's session problems: 1. Spring for lock bar slid off--result, spilled powder (now I've taped it down to the lock bar tab; fixed for now, but what a stupid design). 2. Lock failed to release, cause still a mystery--result, two cases crimped without powder or shot before I noticed it 3. Weight of shot pushed out plug in shot bottle when I flipped top back--result, lots of shot spilled 4. Powder tube clamp came loose (set by factory)--result three high primers, the last of which locked the machine up real good 5. Despite being locked in tight with set screw, universal charge bar powder throw changed ONE Full Grain after 30 shells loaded; thankfully I was under max, but this made the whole exercise of loading some low recoil shells pointless. 7. Lock bar trip rod stuck in channel--result, powder dropped despite no hull in powder station.

And we won't even go into the primer feed problems.

Now I always have a hull under the powder and shot tubes, and when I've moved the last hull to the wad station, I manually engage the shot bar lock on the downstroke just to be sure. I also weigh the powder throw every five shells to be safe.

As far as I'm concerned the bar lock mechanism is a defective design (come on, the whole thing is controlled by a piece of piano wire), as is the primer feed. There should be a better closure for the shot and powder bottles. There should be a positive hold-down for the tilt head, and the adjustment for the bar pusher rod should be more positive--seems I have to adjust it 4 or times a night to mantain full left movement of the charge bar.

Frankly, I am amazed this thing is as popular as it is. It's a finicky, Rube Goldberg device conceived by the devil. I wish I spent more money on a better machine. I have ZERO confidence in the MEC to not spill powder and/or shot do to mechanical failures. And I'm nervous as heck about squib loads--so I inspect each case after the powder drop. I'm also very skeptical now of the utility of the Univ. Charge bar. Trust me, the adjuster was locked in tight and it still changed from 16gr to 17gr. Not good.

Blow up one gun because of your MEC's design defects and you could have paid for a PW.

 

[winders]

Yo,

It sounds like you would have a problem with anything mechanical. The MEC is a pretty straightforward device. Yes, there are some issues to deal with...the primer feed being the main problem. Other than keeping the unit clean and properly lubed, there is not much maintenance to do.

I have 8000 reloads through my MEC 9000G and I have not spilled shot or powder in the last 5000. I have the primer feed working well but I still keep an eye on every primer drop. The only shell I have made that did not work properly had a defective primer.

I enjoy the time I spend reloading shells. I have used a Dillon and a Ponsness Warren. My uncle has both of those and MEC's. He has loaded over 500,000 shells and still likes the MEC best. The only other loader I would consider is a Spolar.

The MEC's aren't perfect. But none of the reloaders are.

Scott

 

[Yo]

Well maybe I'm unlucky but consider this. Zero problems with an RCBS Pro 2000 in over 10,000 rounds loaded. Zero problems with a Ponsness Warren Duo-matic I used before.

So it's my fault that the lock bar spring popped off -- Why isn't it secured at both ends? And how much more would it cost MEC to put a proper closure on the bottom of the shot bottle? Maybe 5 cents per machine?

And it's my fault that the charge bar lock is erratic--sometimes it works, some times it doesn't. That's nonsense. It's just crummy engineering.

What tool-maker in their right mind would have the entire system depend on a 1" piece of piano wire to retain the shot and powder in a system that is jouncing up and down while the charge bar snaps from side to side. Thank god the morons who designed this thing aren't working for Boeing.

I'm pleased someone can get a MEC machine to work reliably. Perhaps there is some hope. Personally, the Grabber is certainly the least fool-proof piece of reloading equipment I have ever encountered. I won't go so far as to call it junk, but any machine that fails in five different ways in one loading session -- all because of mechanical malfunction -- is one seriously messed up tool in my book.

I'm already saving my pennies for something better.