Which shot shell press do you like?

[Happy Jack, SASS #20451]

If you are going to load precision shells in quantity nothing beats a P-W or Spolar. The Spolar people used to work for P-W. I have a P-W and love it but if I were starting over I would just sped the money on a Spolar. The quality of shells those presses produce is superior to any other press. But for SASS only ????

[Charlie Whiskers]

2 hours ago, Sedalia Dave said:

Winchester LNLR are 26 gram loads which converts to .917 ounces. Just a hair over 29/32nds of an ounce.

 Thanks SD. Now when I go through the 1500 7/8 wads I'll switch to 1/2oz wads. Will those be about what 26 gram is?

[Charlie Whiskers]

2 hours ago, Sedalia Dave said:

Winchester LNLR are 26 gram loads which converts to .917 ounces. Just a hair over 29/32nds of an ounce.

 

double tap

[Sedalia Dave]

5 minutes ago, Charlie Whiskers said:

 Thanks SD. Now when I go through the 1500 7/8 wads I'll switch to 1/2oz wads. Will those be about what 26 gram is?

 

26 grams is 0.917 ounces or almost 1 ounce. Long ways from 1/2 ounce 

 

7/8 ounce is 0.875 ounces in decimal

[Charlie Whiskers]

4 minutes ago, Sedalia Dave said:

 

26 grams is 0.917 ounces or almost 1 ounce. Long ways from 1/2 ounce 

 

7/8 ounce is 0.875 ounces in decimal

 

OK....DUH...I read it wrong. I'm loading less than the AA's now. They work very well though. Thanks SD.

 

PS.....I HATE METRIC

[Jefro, SASS#69420]

5 hours ago, Garrison Joe, SASS #60708 said:

I've liked using Mec 600 Jr and an old Bair non-progressive presss from the 1970s.  I've detested Lee LoadAll and RCBS Minigrand presses.  What I use now is a Mec Grabber (because, mainly, it resizes the brass bases very well).

 

I no longer trust Winchester factory loads.  A way too large a percentage will not pass a gauge (loaded shell size) test.  And reloading in them is asking for bulges in the case walls caused by the new (ten years ago) switch to a two-piece base wad.

 

I now trust only Remington STS loads, and since the 1 ounce or lighter loading in STS is VERY hard to find, I load my own, even though I don't save money doing so.   Quality is much more important than the cost of a box of shells every match.

 

Good luck, GJ

Yep, like many others here I started with a Mec jr 600, look around you may find a good used one.........then I moved up to the Mec Grabber I use the AA for BP one time and chuck em'. Even with the little ring on them they still feed and shuck fine. Of course the STS for everything else.

[Hollifer A. Dollar]

I started with a Lee Load-All II but found it would take forever to load 2 boxes of shells.  Got a used MEC Grabber & with it I can load 4 boxes in less than an hour - a big deal since I am loading for 2 shooters.  One thing I found about the Lee, the sizer ring didn't do a good job of sizing the base of the shell.  The "turkey feather" sizer on the MEC does a much better job.

 

With the MEC, you can easily dump shot &/or powder all over the place when starting up or closing out a loading session, or if you have an issue in process.  The powder bushings are a pain in the rear as well, until you have figured out the load you want to run.  Otherwise, it's a good system for loading quality shells.

 

Holler

[chestnut louie]

Lee Loader II is just fine for low volume and it only costs $55

 

Chestnut

[StirrupTrouble]

For the amount that I reload, my Lee Load All II works well. I can get about 4 boxes done in an hour, and it is cheap enough (caught an Amazon sale for $35), that when it wears out I will just buy another. I have one in 12ga and one in 20ga, and they both work flawlessly. By the time I buy components I probably don't save a ton of money, but my reloading time is my "zen" time, and I enjoy the relaxation of it

[Charlie Whiskers]

1 hour ago, Hollifer A. Dollar said:

With the MEC, you can easily dump shot &/or powder all over the place when starting up or closing out a loading session, or if you have an issue in process.  The powder bushings are a pain in the rear as well, until you have figured out the load you want to run.  Otherwise, it's a good system for loading quality shells.

 

 Same with my MEC 9000. I keep a couple of old hulls by the re-loader. I put one under the powder drop  and the other under the shot drop positions. Then I just dump the powder and shot where they belong and that isn't all over the place without the hulls. Just make sure they're not de-primed ones...did that ONCE by mistake, a lot of powder can sneak through that small primer hole. 

[Three Foot Johnson]

I don't reload enough shotshells to make anything more than a Lee Load-All necessary, not to mention a lot of them are BP shells where I use a dipper for the powder charge. Four boxes an hour (smokeless) is easy enough, and, with enough coffee and the stars all in alignment, I think six might be possible. The thing to watch with the Lee is the crimp starter isn't self-indexing, so ya have to figure out just how to position the shell and make a mark on the base or something to indicate where the hill or valley of the fold goes.

I have MEC Jr's for .410 and 28g, Lee Load-Alls for 16, 20, and 12g (One modified for 2 1/2" using a star crimp cuz I couldn't find my roll crimper one time), and a homemade setup for 10g brass shells.

[Rooster Ron Wayne]

For Smokeless loads .

I use Mec JR

For BP loads .

I use Lee load all ll 

Rooster 

[Silver Sam, SASS #34718L]

Several years ago when I was thinking about getting a shotgun press I was over at the Black Dawge Ammo Factory

(when it was still in Murphy Texas)

and Wally showed me what they used to make their Factory BP Ammo !

 

MEC Grabbers.... So Thats what I got.... 'bout 15 years and several thousand rounds now with never a bobble.

[Garrison Joe, SASS #60708]

1 hour ago, Charlie Whiskers said:

 

 Same with my MEC 9000. I keep a couple of old hulls by the re-loader. I put one under the powder drop  and the other under the shot drop positions. Then I just dump the powder and shot where they belong and that isn't all over the place without the hulls. Just make sure they're not de-primed ones...did that ONCE by mistake, a lot of powder can sneak through that small primer hole. 

 

Ditto.   Now all I have to do is remember to tip back the hoppers or put the empty hulls in to catch powder or shot at right time.

 

[Chuckaroo #13080 Regulator]

Mec Grabber. Can still beat local shell prices by loading my own.

[Palmetto Traveller]

Ditto what Jefro said. I load for three shooters and started out on a used Mec 600 Jr . Used it for 2 years  before picking up a used Grabber. Wished I'd of done that to start with. Now the Jr is for BP and High Cotton Kitty's glitter rounds and everything else is on the Grabber.

[Sedalia Dave]

5 hours ago, Hollifer A. Dollar said:

 

With the MEC, you can easily dump shot &/or powder all over the place when starting up or closing out a loading session, or if you have an issue in process.  The powder bushings are a pain in the rear as well, until you have figured out the load you want to run.  Otherwise, it's a good system for loading quality shells.

 

Holler

 

Best thing I ever did was sit my shotshell press inside a cookie sheet. Catches all the spilled powder and shot. Also makes it easy to seperate the two.

 

Also get the adjustable charge bar.

[Gateway Kid SASS# 70038 Life]

I started with a MEC Sizemaster. It was my first ever shotshell reloader, made very good ammo and never once broke down. Now retired to a back up role.

Came into a bunch of STS hulls and decided it was time for a progressive and got a MEC 9000GN. Four times as fast, same very good quality ammo and never once broken down.

Only issue has been a few operator errors when I did not have my empty hulls in position to catch the last shot or powder and ended up with a mess. Now have the cookie sheet under it and pay a bit more attention. All is good. Love my MEC

 

Regards

 

  

 

Gateway Kid

[Captain Clark]

And no matter what brand or model loader you have or may purchase......Get a shell checker!!!!  They are cheap and will save you grief when your on the clock!

 

[Hoss]

Started with a free Lee Load-all (thanks PitBull Tex!) found a used size master, much better. Stumbled onto a Pacific 336 (now Hornady) progressive at an estate sale. Got a really good price on it. I can crank out several hundred in an afternoon. But it is a complicated machine. 

 

I sold the size master (wish I had kept it) and so picked up another Lee Loadall for my BP shells. 

 

Long story short,  the Loadall is cheap, but it works. Size master is much better than loadall. If you come across a deal on a progressive go for it!

 

i can load low recoil loads for about 4.50/box. More importantly, low recoils shells are hard to find in my neck of the woods. 

[Dead Eye Jake]

Thanks for all of the replies.  Lots of good info.  Reason I asked the questions is after I got home from the match I realized I have a five gallon bucket full of hulls.  Theyre AA's.  Thought maybe it might be worth it to reload them.  Once the holidays are past I'll decide on something.  Anyway, thanks again.

 

See ya down the trail.

[Church Key, SASS # 33713]

I second what Jefro posted. Started with a MEC Jr and now use a MEC Grabber as I also shoot trap.

 

At one point had a MEC 9000 Hydraulic. Got rid of it as it took up too much space, but was blazingly fast. Only other issue was that there was no touch feel like when pulling a Grabber handle. When something went wrong, here came the dumped shot or powder.  MEC should provide a proper-sized cookie sheet and a small shop vac with each Hydraulic press as standard equipment.

 

Church Key  

[Joe LaFives #5481]

6 hours ago, Hollifer A. Dollar said:

I started with a Lee Load-All II but found it would take forever to load 2 boxes of shells.  Got a used MEC Grabber & with it I can load 4 boxes in less than an hour - a big deal since I am loading for 2 shooters.  One thing I found about the Lee, the sizer ring didn't do a good job of sizing the base of the shell.  The "turkey feather" sizer on the MEC does a much better job.

 

With the MEC, you can easily dump shot &/or powder all over the place when starting up or closing out a loading session, or if you have an issue in process.  The powder bushings are a pain in the rear as well, until you have figured out the load you want to run.  Otherwise, it's a good system for loading quality shells.

 

Holler

Ditto - started with a lee load-all and used it about two years.  Found a Grabber on ebay about 12 years ago.  Like it

[Dirt Hill Bill]

Mec 9000 may not save much money but don't like grabbing new shells. 3rd time around is best.

[Charlie Whiskers]

1 hour ago, Sedalia Dave said:

 

Best thing I ever did was sit my shotshell press inside a cookie sheet. Catches all the spilled powder and shot. Also makes it easy to seperate the two.

 

Also get the adjustable charge bar.

 

I did the same thing after wising up about chasing shot all over the floor.

[John Henry Quick]

I switched to a Sizemaster about ten years ago because my Ruger Red Label was finicky about the brass, but I loaded more shells than I can count with an old Lee Load-All for more than 30 years and my son still has that press. 

[Mo Likka]

I can't put a cookie sheet under my MEC because it's bolted to my reloading bench. Any other ideas on how to catch stray shot and powder?

[Warden Callaway]

I have the Loadall II and two MEC 600JR - One old one in 12 gauge and a new one in 10 gauge.   Economic wise, the Lee Loadall can't be beat.  It comes with all the powder bushings.  With the MEC,  you're stuck buying more bushings to change loads or buying an adjustable charge bar - a better way to go, in my opinion.  

 

The Loadall has a couple of disadvantages.   One is that the primers punch out and build up under the base.   The other is having fixed hoppers for powder and shot. 

 

 

I found a way to manage these shortcomings. 

[Garrison Joe, SASS #60708]

1 hour ago, Mo Likka said:

I can't put a cookie sheet under my MEC because it's bolted to my reloading bench. Any other ideas on how to catch stray shot and powder?

 

Well, you unbolt that press, mark and drill bolt holes through the sheet, and cut some rubber washers or squirt silicone caulk around the holes and mount press again.    Then, if you want to get real fancy, you drill a 1" hole through corner of sheet and bench top and put a pan under that hole to sweep shot and powder into the pan.

 

Good luck, GJ

[Sedalia Dave]

1 hour ago, Mo Likka said:

I can't put a cookie sheet under my MEC because it's bolted to my reloading bench. Any other ideas on how to catch stray shot and powder?

 

I bolt right through the cookie sheet. When I am done I take a paint brush and sweep all the powder and shot to one corner of the sheet.  Then I carefully unbolt the press and remove it leaving the sheet in place.

 

To separate the powder and shot I pour everything into another cookie sheet without any holes in the bottom. Then lift up one end of the cookie sheet a couple of inches. Now use the brush to pull the powder and shot towards the raised side. As you do this the powder will stay there while the shot will roll back to the bottom.

 

 

[Cheyenne Ranger, 48747L]

got a used MEC 650N

 

it's a progressive but nowhere near like a Dillon

takes a bit of time but does a good job

 

4 shoulder surgeries require extra light loads--sorta like Feather-Lite--Lights

[Goatneck Clem]

I use a Spolar Gold.  The only way to go......

[Driftwood Johnson, SASS #38283]

Howdy

 

I just did some math. I shoot about 4,000 rounds of 12 gauge ammunition per year in Trap. I started out using a Mec Jr, then a Mec Grabber, then a MEC 9000, and now there is an RCBS Grand taking up a lot of room on my loading bench.

 

Guess what. I don't load Smokeless shotshells any more and I need to get rid of that Grand.

 

Doing the math, I agree with Duece Stevens. Unless I was going to custom load my shotgun shells, it is not worth my time to sit and load 4,000 rounds per year. Unlike metallic reloading, the savings are just not there. When I find cases of Remington Gun Clubs, Estate, or Rio trap loads on sale for less than $60.00 per case (ten boxes per case), I buy a few cases. It simply is not worth my time to save a few pennies per box, and sometimes I can find cases for as little as $55.00.

 

For my Black Powder CAS loads, I still use my reliable old MEC Jr. It is slow, but it is considerably faster than the Lee press, and it is mostly steel, very little plastic.

 

P.S. I do not bolt the old MEC Jr down to the loading bench. I pull it into position when I am going to use it. Pulling the operating lever down it is quite stable and does not bounce around. It does not need to be bolted down. Easy to put it on top of a cookie sheet in case of a spill.

 

 

[Go West]

Back when I started SASS, I was able to buy Remington Game Loads for $2.78/box by buying by the case during dove season. Those days are long gone, but I did find a used Hornady 366 progressive press that came with many extras, including the baking sheet.  

[Westwood Willie]

Me, I choose the Lee Load All because of the low cost and the company. I figured I would be only loading one or two boxes a month so I didn't need to rush my enjoyment of reloading. I will reload for the enjoyment that it can bring, same for cartridge reloading, and I am in no hurry to speed up that process.

I could have afforded a more expensive press, but decided to spend the money on the Holster Rig and Shell belt I just picked up yesterday from Indian Creek Leather.

Too Much Fun

WW