Shotgun Reloading, what to buy?

[Dr.Who]

Not trying to start a brand war.... However, I'm looking at reloading 12 guage shotgun. Currently, I do reload pistol caliber 45acp, 38, 357, and 9mm, using a dillion 550. Yes I like My Dillion...

Now, I'm looking at the options in load presses. What are the pro's and con's of the different brands. There are MEC, RCBS, Lee, Dillion, etc...

For those of you that reload 12 guage, what do you use and why? Knowing what you know now, would you buy the same press over again? What would you change? Any words of wisdom, concerning reloading shotguns.

Again, I'm not trying to start a brand war! Just some research.... Thanks for your reply.

 

[mc223]

I do not load a lot of shotshells, so I have found the MEC 600 Jr to adequately fill my needs. Simple to set and plenty fast enough to make up a couple boxes in an hour or so. If I had a need for huge quantities, I would get the Dillon SL-900.

 

[Rustynuts]

Lee Loadall for casual, MEC 9000G for serious.

 

[AZ Pete]

MEC 600 would be my recomendation. I have a Ponsness Warren, but would recommend starting with a MEC due to price.

 

[snuffy]

MEC Hornady

I have 3 mec 600's, 12, 20, .410. Those are for hunting loads. The Hornady is a 366 progressive,(formerly pacific 366). The 366 is 1950's technology, it does NOT have shell activated shot/powder dies. Meaning it WILL dump shot/powder on an empty station if the valve is turned on. Same goes for the auto primer feeder. IF you have your head in the game, paying attention, it loads a lot of shells very quickly.

That said, if I were starting out now, I would look at the MEC 9000g, or the dillon machine.

The lee is a very cheap,(and I don't mean inexpensive), reloader wannabe. The difference between solid steel and plastic/nylon/aluminum.

 

[Rod B]

Another vote for the MEC600JR, add the primer feed & you're good to go.

 

[winchester243]

Depends on how much you're going to load. If you are going to do a large volume I would get the Mec 9000GN. IMO it is the best value. When I was buying I looked at both the Dillon and the RCBS but they were a bit pricey for me. You can pick up a new Mec 9000GN for $379.99 shipping included.

If you go the ebay route and pick a used 9000G I would buy the new primer feeder which is considerably better than the old pull chain primer feeder they had. The 9000GN already has the new primer feed on it.

 

[mswestfall]

I've loaded over 30,000 rounds through a MEC 9000G in the last three and a half years. It is a quality tool at a relatively low cost. This is a manually pulled, auto indexing tool. I would recommend this style reloader for someone that shoots more than 2,500 to 3,000 rounds per year. The 600Jr is great for less than 2,500 rpy.

The only other brand of reloader that I know first hand is a Ponsness Warren. They make quality equipment.

I know nothing about RCBS or Dillion's except what I've read.

I am considering moving up to a MEC 9000H.

If you have any specific questions about one of the reloaders let me know. I'll ask at my club.

I'd guess that about 90% of the people I know use one or more MEC 9000's.

 

[scrat]

The mec is awesome. but then you need to ask yourself how much your going to load and shoot. Otherwise there is no reason not to get a lee loadall. Heck i still have a lee load all Jr. Talk about old school. But then i dont load a lot of shot gun shells so it fits me fine. But then so do my lee loaders.

 

[Vacek]

I agree with Scrat.

I do not load many shells per year but want to custom load my own depending on use. The Lee is great for that application. It fits my needs for less than $40.

 

[Dr.Who]

Thank you for your answers...