mec shotgun reloader question

[Zalinth]

So my grandpa told me I could have his old mec 12 gauge shotgun shell reloader he bought in the 70's sometime. He hasn't used it in years and it's just collecting dust in his basement and I can come get it whenever I want. He also warned me and said but you are probably going to have to buy some parts for it because it's setup for paper. I asked him paper wads or paper hulls and he stared at me blankly and said you know what I really don't remember and then started talking about the way it crimped.

So I am taking a wild guess and it's setup for paper hulls but I am not sure. So I went downstairs too take a quick look at it and I wish I took some pictures of it but I didn't think of it at the time and too me it looked like a Mec 600 JR with a yellow handle and not red like I seen on Mec site. I also been looking over the before 1982 600 JR parts list for a couple of days and I don't see anything about paper either and was hoping to get some help from anyone who uses mec on what part I should order to switch it to plastic. Will be heading over for family dinner again tonight and probably take some pictures of it this time.

 

[Steve C]

The general setup on a Mec Jr. Reloader is the same for paper and plastic shells. The only difference is what plastic wads where used with paper hulls that have no taper to the hull being as thick toward the base as it is at the mouth while plastic hulls have a taper from base to mouth. Loading with old fashion over the powder and shot cards and wads without plastic pedals uses the same wad seater but the depth of the different wads require adjusting on the depth setting.

Some of the parts to look for are the crimp starters for the typical 6 star crimp used mostly on heavy shot game shells and the 8 star crimp found on most target and small 7-1/2 or 8 shot game shells. The wad guide is also a part that needs changing after a while as the fingers that guide the wad into the hull wear out.

 

[JimKirk]

The only real difference will be the crimp starter ... on that model it will be a brass colored "star" in either six or eight crimp ... all you have to do is unscrew the crimp starter holder and replace the one that fits the type hulls you are reloading .... there is a round metal disc make sure to install it also ...

As said above the wad starter will break fingers off and need replacing if it has missing fingers ...

All very easy to do ....

 

[entropy]

I haven't used my Mec 600 Jr. in about 25 years.....but I don't recall any major difference in setup for paper or plastic hulls. I preferred AA hulls, but loaded Peters (Rem.) and even tried Eclipse all-plastic hulls for a while. They worked OK for Trap, but jammed pumps and semis, AA wads were too wide-based for the tapered Eclipse hulls. I loaded paper hulls when I started loading 12 ga., but I was @10, and didn't set the machine up then, it was my Dad's. I got it @ 30 years ago when he stopped duck hunting because of steel shot. I worked at a Trap range and shot leagues, so I used it quite a bit with both Federal paper and AA plastic hulls. Adjusting the wad pressure was the only change I remembered between the two.

 

[Zalinth]

Thanks for the info everyone. Well I was wrong after family dinner I went downstairs to take a closer look at it and I found a metal tag on the left side and it's not a mec 600 JR, it would be a Mec 400 Super Speeder. Did a quick google search and I might be SOL anyway, looks like that model has been discontinued and no longer make it parts for it.

 

[FROGO207]

Get out your Google Foo. There are some parts floating around still. I would go to MEC and download a manual for it if there is not one already. Look up by part number on google. The part numbers on some of the parts are the same as used in other current models. You might be OK.

 

[splattergun]

If I can find parts (used) for a 1962 outboard boat motor, you can find parts for a 1970s press. Be patient and, as was said, use your most basic Google Fu.

 

[JimKirk]

Please disregard what I said ... I based my info on a 600 Jr. ... not familiar with a MEC 400 ...