Another 28 ga!

That is a very nice shotgun, and the fact that it has a properly-sized frame just makes it even better.

I finally got my first 28 gauge...a CZ Drake with 28” barrels, five chokes.

I plan to check out a sporting clays venue near me that also offers quail and pheasant hunts in November. I’ve stocked up on 500+ rounds of assorted ammo so far...both target and field loads. My Walmart carries 28 gauge!

The MEC Jr is the least expensive (although you will want to add the auto-prime accessory; it really speed things up and keeps you from handling primers with your fingers)
Next up is a MEC 650 Supersizer. Some like it better because it has a collet sizer as opposed to a steel ring. Better? Maybe, but I have both and see no difference. The Grabber is a manually-indexed progressive that works on several at once (like a metallic progressive). The MEC 9000 is the Grabber with auto advance. I USED to own the 9000, I now own the Grabber. I like the manual advance because when you get something slightly awry, you can stop, fix it and not have it trying to perform a function at that moment that will lead to a spill, crushed hull somewhere, cocked wad, etc. - things that are a little more prevalent with the smaller bores like 28 and 410. I mounted mine on a bench inside an aluminum steam tray (the cheap kind you buy in bulk form Sma's or Costco) It isn't a question of IF you have a shot or powder spill, just when, so this keeps the mess from getting on the floor.

If you do not have a scale, you need one - I prefer to use my RCBS 5-10 from my metallic reloading. Most shotshell reloader use powder and shot bushings (there is an adjustable one, some folks swear by it, others at it). Realize that the bushings are never 100% what they say in the charts, which is why you need the scale. If you are looking, for example for a 13.5 grain drop of 20/28 powder and it calls for a bushing #21 and that only drops 12.5, then you might need to go to bushing #22 - starting to see the picture?

The main differences between shotshell and metallic comes more into play with components. When I reload 9mm, for example, I use any range brass, mixed maker, whatever SPP I have on hand. Shotshells you will NOT mix different brands of hulls and most recipes specify which brand of primer (There are safe subs, ask me later). With metallic, you are more concerned about which bullet - shape, size, weight, OAL, etc.; with shotshell, you are concerned with weight/volume; in 28 gauge that is typically 3/4oz, it matters not whether it is #9 ,7.5, or 6s.

Hope I haven't overwhelmed you; there is a lot to learn, but it really isn't hard - like riding a bike or driving a car; the more you do it, the easier it becomes.

I know one shouldn't mention other sites, but in this case, you might want to check out ShotgunWorld.com; TONS of knowledge on reloading., MEC equipment, recipes, shortcuts and tricks, etc. The main Mod over there Curly, should sell his knowledge to MEC; he is a Godsend to those of having issues with progressive presses and how to tweak then right again.

If you need to, PM me for anything else.

The OLD AA CFs that Kudu is using are NOT what you will find today; in fact there are two series of the new AAHS, so you REALLY need to sort them by size- otherwise you'll have crimp issues

George P provided a wealth of information on the MEC loaders.

I'll add, if you buy one of the entry level MEC loaders such as the 600jr or 650, new or used, get one already set up for the gauge you are planning to load. Yes, they can be converted but you will only do it once.

This is the reason I have four 600jr presses, once each set for 12 ga, 20ga, 28 ga and .410 bore. When I bought the presses, I could get 4 600jr's for less money than 2 650's. A couple/three hours a week made more than enough shells for 100-200 targets on the weekends.

For tournaments, I'd shoot factory shells in part to generate hulls to reload for practice.

There is a universal charge bar available for the MEC loaders which permits dialing in the shot and powder charges. Except for .410 bore, I preferred the MEC fixed cavity charge bars and MEC powder bushings. With .410 bore, I could never get close enough to the powder charge I wanted using bushings. So, I have a universal charge bar on the .410 loader. I have a second universal charge bar that I use once in a while in one of the other presses when I am loading something that I do not have a bushing for.

I forgot to mention about cartridge conversion - good catch and addition. I have found that the UCB (Universal Charge Bar) gets real good results moreso with the single stages than with the progressive.

Oh yes, one real important thing - IF you can find the red PC powder baffle (now owned by Downrange I THINK) - get it. Do not go with the zinc pot metal one. The red baffle really makes powder drops very consistent with the MEC loaders. IIRC, they are currently out of production on backorder yadda yadda..look on Ebay or shotgun sites

Milkmaster said:

Few questions.... What happens if you forget to put the powder in a shell? How do you reopen it? Is it salvageable or just cut it open to get your wad and shot back? I am guessing that a person would not want to deprime an unused primer for safety reasons?

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With the 600jr, the first station "resizes" and deprimes the hull. The second station inserts the new primer.

The third station has two steps. The first step, you lower the handle then cycle the charge bar. This drops the powder. You raise the handle. A bar on the charge bar prevents the wad guide from raising from the hull. You insert the wad and lower the handle to insert the wad into the hull. The pre-load on the wad is done at this point. You cycle the charge bar the other way to drop the shot charge.

The next two stations crimp the hull. The first starts the crimp, the second finishes it. As a note, as the hull ages and is reloaded multiple times, the crimp becomes less effective.

While I won't say you cannot screw up the sequence of powder drop, wad insertion and then shot charge drop, it really is difficult to get things out of sequence.

Since you are doing one operation at a time on the 600jr, it is easy to keep things in perspective.

I hope this makes sense.

Removing a live primer from a damaged hull is easy and safe with some care. Put the hull in the station that deprimes the hull and carefully press the primer out of the hull. Do gentle pushes, not hard snaps and the primer will drop out of the hull and can be re-used in another hull.

If you are at this point, the hull is probably not usable anyway.

If a hull is damaged (aka crushed), the components are recoverable with some care in disassembling the hull. Open the crimp by what ever means. Pour out the shot. A needle nose pliers can remove the wad. Pour out the powder. See above for removing the primer.

Follow the data recipes and reloading shot shells is not difficult.

Hope this answers some questions.

P.S. In my opinion, the MEC 600jr is a good, starter shot shell reloader. You will not go wrong with one.

So i blew into my lgs to inspect and fill in paperwotk on a Uberti El Patron that i just bought, when in walked an old crotchety friend who offered to sell me an 870 28ga.
Now im hearing Jeopardy music playing in my head..........

Do it, AF; you know you want to.

cfullgraf said:

When I was shooting skeet competitive, I'd shoot .410 bore once in while to "adjust" my attitude.

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If you really want a humbling experience; shoot Trap with a .410. I've only shot skeet with a 28, (an 870 yet, and yes you want one, AF) and it did help with my 12 ga. Skeet game.

Milkmaster said:

I watched video after video tonight watching what happens during the reloader process. I think the MEC jr is probably my choice simply because I want to get into it economically first, slow down, and learn. After all I am reloading for myself only and may only shoot 4-8 trap rounds per month. As you say, I would like the primer feeder accessory. I noticed that one video shows the Mec Jr resizing on the first station. Few questions.... What happens if you forget to put the powder in a shell? How do you reopen it? Is it salvageable or just cut it open to get your wad and shot back? I am guessing that a person would not want to deprime an unused primer for safety reasons?

Click to expand...

You can't "forget" to put powder in the shell. When you get to the third station directly in front of you, after inserting the hull there, the first step is to push the bar to one side so the powder drops; then place the wad in the "fingers" and lower the ram to place it in the hull, then you push the bar to other side to drop the shot - so there are three operations to do at the third station before going to the pre-crimp and then the final crimp.