tequillaeagle
Member
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- Apr 18, 2009
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im looking into getting into shot gun reloading, and i was hoping to get a reloader that can do both 2-3/4" and 3" any sugestions ?
shot gun reloader?
- Thread starter tequillaeagle
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243winxb
Member
Mec is a good brand. The 600 press has to be adjusted before switching. http://www.mecreloaders.com/
NCsmitty
Member
First off, I'm not trying to discourage you from loading shotshells.
If you want to get into reloading 12Ga and 20GA for economic reasons, then I say don't do it. If you want to make custom specialty loads or load for 28GA or 410 bore, or just to do it for the enjoyment, then it will pay to reload shotshells.
It does require a substantial cash outlay to get into reloading shotshells in a serious way, but it also can be done on the cheap if that's your aim.
It's hard to beat the price of bulk packs of ammo that Walmart and other box stores sell in 12 & 20GA.
Most shotshell loaders that I know about, require a conversion of some sort to go from 2-3/4" to 3".
Let's hear what others have to say on the subject.
NCsmitty
If you want to get into reloading 12Ga and 20GA for economic reasons, then I say don't do it. If you want to make custom specialty loads or load for 28GA or 410 bore, or just to do it for the enjoyment, then it will pay to reload shotshells.
It does require a substantial cash outlay to get into reloading shotshells in a serious way, but it also can be done on the cheap if that's your aim.
It's hard to beat the price of bulk packs of ammo that Walmart and other box stores sell in 12 & 20GA.
Most shotshell loaders that I know about, require a conversion of some sort to go from 2-3/4" to 3".
Let's hear what others have to say on the subject.
NCsmitty
snuffy
Member
Here's my spiel on whether to reload shotshells or not;
Does loading shotshells make sense today?
Yes! Oh I know how wally world and the other big box stores have those economy packs of shotshells. But if you took one of those econo shells apart, you would find soft chilled shot, a small charge of very fast powder, and the cheapest thin wad they could find. Loaded inside a hull that’s NOT made to be reloaded, in some cases attempting to reload them could be dangerous.
Now take one or more of those cheapy shells to the pattern board. Ummm, you do pattern your shotgun,,,right? No? Then how do you really know how the chokes really work? Anyway, the cheapo shells will have blotchy patterns, holes a bird, rabbit, or clays could sit in unharmed!
You can not reload shells cheaper than those econo shells. Can’t be done! Especially with what shot, powder, primers, and wads cost these days. Why would you WANT to?
What you want to load are shells that are as good as, or even better than the top of the line target shells put out by Winchester, Remington, and Federal. That would be the AA, STS and gold medal. To do that you must either buy the loaded shells, shoot them to get empties, or buy once fired empties. The new AA is no where near as good as the older compression formed AA. That leaves the STS and gold medal.
To duplicate the performance of the original loading, you need to buy all top of the line components. No skimping here. Magnum shot,(don’t let that name fool you), is high antimony shot. It’s harder than plain old chilled shot. The hardness translates into better patterns. It’s what the factory STS and others target shells have in them. Wads; The big 3 all sell their wads for reloading. They all work, but you can save some $ by buying claybuster wads. They’re made to the same dimensions as the wad they’re replacing, just cheaper. Some say the plastic isn’t as soft, but I’ve found them to work just fine. Powder; Just about any of the shotshell powders will work well. Just be sure of your recipe and follow it exactly. Primers; Again they all work well, be sure to match them to your recipe.
I have that stored in microsoft word format to save me a lot of typing
Now as far as your question about 2-¾ and 3", buy a 12ga. MEC 600 JR. mark5 loader. Then get the 3" conversion kit with it. It take about 15-20 minutes to convert from 2-¾ to 3" and back again. Some tools are also required.
If you're looking to load non-toxic loads, the MEC Steelmaster would be your best bet, again the 3" conversion would be needed.
Does loading shotshells make sense today?
Yes! Oh I know how wally world and the other big box stores have those economy packs of shotshells. But if you took one of those econo shells apart, you would find soft chilled shot, a small charge of very fast powder, and the cheapest thin wad they could find. Loaded inside a hull that’s NOT made to be reloaded, in some cases attempting to reload them could be dangerous.
Now take one or more of those cheapy shells to the pattern board. Ummm, you do pattern your shotgun,,,right? No? Then how do you really know how the chokes really work? Anyway, the cheapo shells will have blotchy patterns, holes a bird, rabbit, or clays could sit in unharmed!
You can not reload shells cheaper than those econo shells. Can’t be done! Especially with what shot, powder, primers, and wads cost these days. Why would you WANT to?
What you want to load are shells that are as good as, or even better than the top of the line target shells put out by Winchester, Remington, and Federal. That would be the AA, STS and gold medal. To do that you must either buy the loaded shells, shoot them to get empties, or buy once fired empties. The new AA is no where near as good as the older compression formed AA. That leaves the STS and gold medal.
To duplicate the performance of the original loading, you need to buy all top of the line components. No skimping here. Magnum shot,(don’t let that name fool you), is high antimony shot. It’s harder than plain old chilled shot. The hardness translates into better patterns. It’s what the factory STS and others target shells have in them. Wads; The big 3 all sell their wads for reloading. They all work, but you can save some $ by buying claybuster wads. They’re made to the same dimensions as the wad they’re replacing, just cheaper. Some say the plastic isn’t as soft, but I’ve found them to work just fine. Powder; Just about any of the shotshell powders will work well. Just be sure of your recipe and follow it exactly. Primers; Again they all work well, be sure to match them to your recipe.
I have that stored in microsoft word format to save me a lot of typing
Now as far as your question about 2-¾ and 3", buy a 12ga. MEC 600 JR. mark5 loader. Then get the 3" conversion kit with it. It take about 15-20 minutes to convert from 2-¾ to 3" and back again. Some tools are also required.
If you're looking to load non-toxic loads, the MEC Steelmaster would be your best bet, again the 3" conversion would be needed.
243winxb
Member
The die sets are to change gauge. I did this switching between 410 and 28gr. This works IF you load a case or 2 before swapping back. I think going from 2 3/4 to 3" only takes moving the center column up 1/4" then making adjustment in the dies with the press. Not 100% on this. You could email Mec. If you want to go from lead to steel kit #8433 is necessary along with a steel shot bar. The correct info is on the last page. Read the owner manual here > http://www.mecreloaders.com/documents/OwnerManuals/600jr.pdf
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snuffy
Member
The 3" conversion has a longer sizer die tube, and a spacer for the re-prime punch. Maybe some other things I've forgotten about. Yes, the center column has to be moved up to bolt into a different hole in the base to accommodate the longer shells.
As to the dies to change gauges, they do exist, but it takes about 1.5 HOURS to do the switch. Much better to buy a whole nuther press!
243winxb
Member
Exactly what i did , got tired of readjusting dies.
rcmodel
Member in memoriam
Another vote for two presses for the different lengths.
It's just way too much trouble & fiddling to change one back & forth.
rc
It's just way too much trouble & fiddling to change one back & forth.
rc
627PCFan
Member
2 presses.
JimKirk
Member
I'd have to vote for the two press option too.
I'd also go for a 600 MEC Jr. for the least used shell loaded,
and a MEC 9000 progressive(if you shoot enough) for the shell used the most.
I'd agree that you can't really load "cheap" as far as price, it just won't add up.
What you can do is load cheaper as far as price per box of "Premium","Supreme", "Extra High Quality" or whatever you call them loads. My thinking is that you probably shoot less of the 3" Magnums than the 2-3/4", also that you shoot 3" for Turkeys and Ducks. I don't see reloading the turkey loads, because once you pattern your gun, you just don't shoot that many shells turkey hunting. Because of the no-lead laws, the duck loads mean Steel or some version of heavy shot and that open a whole new chapter as far as reloading goes.
Jimmy K
I'd also go for a 600 MEC Jr. for the least used shell loaded,
and a MEC 9000 progressive(if you shoot enough) for the shell used the most.
I'd agree that you can't really load "cheap" as far as price, it just won't add up.
What you can do is load cheaper as far as price per box of "Premium","Supreme", "Extra High Quality" or whatever you call them loads. My thinking is that you probably shoot less of the 3" Magnums than the 2-3/4", also that you shoot 3" for Turkeys and Ducks. I don't see reloading the turkey loads, because once you pattern your gun, you just don't shoot that many shells turkey hunting. Because of the no-lead laws, the duck loads mean Steel or some version of heavy shot and that open a whole new chapter as far as reloading goes.
Jimmy K
I like my Mec SizeMaster shotshell loader. It will do 2 3/4-3" shells without too much adjustment. For hunting loads and casual shooting it's a fine press. Other gauge die sets are available and changing from 12-20 ga doesn't take very long at all. Now if you're a competition shooter and shoot a lot another automated press would be better. Right now with shot at near $40 or higher it's not cheap to load shotshells anymore.
oneounceload
member
A MEC Jr. can be bought used for about $50. You'll need the proper charge bar for shot load and powder drop. (You'll need a scale to verify the powder drop) Loading shotshells are easy to do.
Depending on the volume you plan on shooting, a progressive is a fast way to load quickly.
There is not a lot to adjust to accommodate different lengths; I would, however, do large batches of one size, then the other.
With a MEC Jr. you can load a box every 10-12 minutes without working up a sweat. Add a primer feed and you can cut that time down some.
Buying components in bulk is the way to really save money per round and spread out hazmat fees.
Incorrect.
I just calculated my costs for reloading using already owned hulls, NobelSport primers, claybuster wads and locally produced shot. The final cost? $3.50/box. Using reclaimed shot would drop the cost to $3.12/box.
Wally world cheapos go for 20.67 a 4-pack around here, or 5.50 per box. At $2/box savings, a reloading press is paid for in very short order.
Changing from 2-3/4 to 3 means adjusting the precrimp and final crimp
Depending on the volume you plan on shooting, a progressive is a fast way to load quickly.
There is not a lot to adjust to accommodate different lengths; I would, however, do large batches of one size, then the other.
With a MEC Jr. you can load a box every 10-12 minutes without working up a sweat. Add a primer feed and you can cut that time down some.
Buying components in bulk is the way to really save money per round and spread out hazmat fees.
Incorrect.
I just calculated my costs for reloading using already owned hulls, NobelSport primers, claybuster wads and locally produced shot. The final cost? $3.50/box. Using reclaimed shot would drop the cost to $3.12/box.
Wally world cheapos go for 20.67 a 4-pack around here, or 5.50 per box. At $2/box savings, a reloading press is paid for in very short order.
Changing from 2-3/4 to 3 means adjusting the precrimp and final crimp
Rugg_Ed
Member
I would go with Two presses Mec is pretty and look around I have seen several for sale on line.
You can get good QUALITY loads and adjust the loads to match your guns chokes.
If your shooting competition you want the best you can get for your $$, A pattern with a hole in it may cost you a match.
Best Enjoy reloading it is Fun
You can get good QUALITY loads and adjust the loads to match your guns chokes.
If your shooting competition you want the best you can get for your $$, A pattern with a hole in it may cost you a match.
Best Enjoy reloading it is Fun
OrangePwrx9
Member
I'll be odd-man out here.
Several years ago I too was "looking to get into" shotshell reloading. Wanted to reload both 12 ga. and 20 ga. Only shot a few rounds of trap a week, so I didn't need much volume. Also wanted something that was easy to experiment with.
I bought a Lee Load-All in 12 ga. and liked it so much I bought one in 20. Haven't had any desire for anything more. They're less than a third the cost of the MEC 600 jr. With the selection of bushings they come with, you can experiment with almost any load you find in the manuals. They'll do 3" shells too, but I've never used the capability.
Even if you end up with a high quality, volume reloader, I think you'd find the Lee very useful for short runs and experimenting.
Bob
Several years ago I too was "looking to get into" shotshell reloading. Wanted to reload both 12 ga. and 20 ga. Only shot a few rounds of trap a week, so I didn't need much volume. Also wanted something that was easy to experiment with.
I bought a Lee Load-All in 12 ga. and liked it so much I bought one in 20. Haven't had any desire for anything more. They're less than a third the cost of the MEC 600 jr. With the selection of bushings they come with, you can experiment with almost any load you find in the manuals. They'll do 3" shells too, but I've never used the capability.
Even if you end up with a high quality, volume reloader, I think you'd find the Lee very useful for short runs and experimenting.
Bob
oneounceload
member
And to add to this - even IF the cost was the same as the cheap wally world ones, you'd be loading premium grade fodder tailored to YOUR gun and YOUR needs. No different than reloading for metallic - the reasons, cost savings, and satisfaction of "rolling your own".
Signcutter
Member
Get two MEC Jrs. I tried the one machine route. Reloading 12 and 20. I just got tired of fiddlen with those dies. You can pickup good machines on ebay. I have bought four 600 Jr. on ebay. The most I paid was $72.00. And that one was in excellent condition.
ArchAngelCD
Member.
I would suggest buying a Lee Load All II to start with. A MEC is a great press but it is expensive and if you decide you don't like/want to reload shotshells you spent a lot of money. The Lee Load All II can be found new for only $42. IMO that would be the place to start.
Maj Dad
Member
I bought my first MEC 600 Jr from Gopher Shooters Supply for $36 in 1973; I bought the second & third on ebay, one for ~$35, one for ~$50 (Versamec). It is much easier to use different machines if you want to load different gauges/lengths, but it is possible to change dies. I have no experience with the Lee machines, but the MEC is a very simple & straight forward loader in my experience.
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