Razorback Red Posted October 26, 2019 Share Posted October 26, 2019 I have a Sizemaster and have a chance to buy a used Grabber for a good price. I shoot a double and reload sts one time hulls. Does the grabber resize the hulls the same way or at least as good as the Sizemaster? My reloads are perfect now. Worth it? Time saver? Thanks! Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Sedalia Dave Posted October 26, 2019 Share Posted October 26, 2019 https://www.mecoutdoors.com/mec-reloaders Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Cholla Posted October 26, 2019 Share Posted October 26, 2019 I don't have a MEC that fancy but there are a ton of videos on youtube showing the operation of both. Both appear to use the collet-style resizer. Since you already use one I recommend watching the video on the Grabber to see it looks the same to you. https://youtu.be/q7VHW_X5GmA Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Razorback Red Posted October 26, 2019 Author Share Posted October 26, 2019 20 minutes ago, Sedalia Dave said: https://www.mecoutdoors.com/mec-reloaders Yep. Read through those. Looks like the same style of resizer. Just looking for first hand feedback if anyone has used both. Thanks. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Cat Brules Posted October 26, 2019 Share Posted October 26, 2019 I do not have either one, but I’m of the school that believes that, “if it ain’t broke don’t fix it!”. Why bother getting something that is, for the most part, is the same as what you already have, only different? If you can dramatically improve your reloading experience by getting a newer reloader, with more features to help you, then that makes sense to me. But, you, of course, should do what you want. Cat Brules Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Beartrap SASS#57175 Posted October 26, 2019 Share Posted October 26, 2019 Anyone as concerned about style points as you are (and I might add you're getting good at it!) should invest that money in brass hulls and earn even more of them. That's dependent on you continuing to shoot the smokey stuff, of course. If you were to revert to the heathen smokeless stuff it would be pointless. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Anvil Al #59168 Posted October 26, 2019 Share Posted October 26, 2019 Yes and Yes. It has the resizer on it and it works like your sizemaster. And Yes. It will be much faster. Really like my Grabber. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Still hand Bill Posted October 26, 2019 Share Posted October 26, 2019 I started on a grabber. Decent press for the $$. Much faster than single loading. Really a 9000 without the auto advance. The only upgrade I did was going to the new primer tray instead of the old light chain style. Was worth the $$. If it’s a newer press it is probably already upgraded. one thing to check is that the sizing die has not been bent due to shot getting down in it. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Sedalia Dave Posted October 26, 2019 Share Posted October 26, 2019 Sizemaster is a single stage, Grabber is a manually indexed progressive. Both use the same collet style base resizer. Grabber will load more shells in the same amount of time but requires significantly more attention to keep running smoothly. Pay special attention to the primer feed. I have a 76 Series Grabber (Very old model) and the primer feed is very finicky. In the last few years MEC has made a lot of improvement in their primer feed systems. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Razorback Red Posted October 26, 2019 Author Share Posted October 26, 2019 1 hour ago, Still hand Bill said: I started on a grabber. Decent press for the $$. Much faster than single loading. Really a 9000 without the auto advance. The only upgrade I did was going to the new primer tray instead of the old light chain style. Was worth the $$. If it’s a newer press it is probably already upgraded. one thing to check is that the sizing die has not been bent due to shot getting down in it. I like the option of the new primer tray. Can’t add that to my shotmaster and it slows me down significantly. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Eyesa Horg Posted October 26, 2019 Share Posted October 26, 2019 2 hours ago, Sedalia Dave said: Sizemaster is a single stage, Grabber is a manually indexed progressive. Both use the same collet style base resizer. Grabber will load more shells in the same amount of time but requires significantly more attention to keep running smoothly. Pay special attention to the primer feed. I have a 76 Series Grabber (Very old model) and the primer feed is very finicky. In the last few years MEC has made a lot of improvement in their primer feed systems. +1 to the primer feed, make sure one drops each time or you end up with powder all over the press & bench! Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Rance - SASS # 54090 Posted October 26, 2019 Share Posted October 26, 2019 If you get the Grabber..( I have one) one pull.. one shell done.. Make sure you have a couple of dedicated hulls (I have different colored ones from what I reload to distinguish them) to place under the powder and shot drops as you start your reloads.. They dump powder and shot on every pull.. Might save you a mess Rance Thinkin' don't ask how I know Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Yul Lose Posted October 26, 2019 Share Posted October 26, 2019 27 minutes ago, Rance - SASS # 54090 said: If you get the Grabber..( I have one) one pull.. one shell done.. Make sure you have a couple of dedicated hulls (I have different colored ones from what I reload to distinguish them) to place under the powder and shot drops as you start your reloads.. They dump powder and shot on every pull.. Might save you a mess Rance Thinkin' don't ask how I know Yep, if you have a MEC those are a must. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Sedalia Dave Posted October 26, 2019 Share Posted October 26, 2019 36 minutes ago, Rance - SASS # 54090 said: If you get the Grabber..( I have one) one pull.. one shell done.. Make sure you have a couple of dedicated hulls (I have different colored ones from what I reload to distinguish them) to place under the powder and shot drops as you start your reloads.. They dump powder and shot on every pull.. Might save you a mess Rance Thinkin' don't ask how I know 48 minutes ago, Eyesa Horg said: +1 to the primer feed, make sure one drops each time or you end up with powder all over the press & bench! This is why I bolt the press down through a small cookie sheet. Keeps the mess contained. To separate the powder and shot I sweep it all to one end of hte cookie sheet and unbolt the press. Pour it into another cookie sheet and raise one end 2 or 3 inches. Use a small paint brush to sweep everything up the incline. The shot will roll back to the bottom and the powder stays at the top. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Church Key, SASS # 33713 Posted October 27, 2019 Share Posted October 27, 2019 A properly set up Grabber will not dump shot & powder unless shells are in station 2 & 3, provided the charge bar is locked to the left when starting and everything is adjusted correctly. See the MEC adjustment video: MEC Bar lock Adjustment That said, a cookie sheet is a great insurance item. IMHO if you are only reloading for CAS, no need to upgrade to a Grabber as MEC single stage presses produce first-rate ammo with no issues at all. The progressives are much faster, but a degree in Mechanical Engineering seems to be required to keep them fully tuned. It costs me approximately $5.75 to load a box of trap shells (free hulls + retail powder, wads, shot & primers) vs going to Wally World and buying Remington Nitro's for $7 a box. The Nitro's have premier Remington shot which I cannot get anywhere. I then use the hulls for CAS/WB. My latest Grabber adventure is with the lock nut on crimp station 5 unscrewing itself, causing slight crushing of loaded hulls which I did not notice for about 30 shells. Was loading trap loads, mainly experimenting to kill some time. Had to dismantle the bent hulls, which was an afternoon exercise in futility. Ordered a new nut and cam crimp punch which I will install using a lock washer and some blue Locktite. From now on, my shot shell reloading is going to be an annual affair to load up a years supply of CAS/WB shells in a few hours. My only good reason for suggesting using a progressive for CAS is if pulling the handle 6 times for loading each shell is too fatiguing for the operator. Then a progressive makes sense from a health standpoint. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Yul Lose Posted October 27, 2019 Share Posted October 27, 2019 Hey Red, I’ll be at the Cowboys selling raffle tickets at the picnic tables in the morning, come on by and I’ll give you a few tips on your Grabber. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
bgavin Posted October 27, 2019 Share Posted October 27, 2019 58 minutes ago, Church Key, SASS # 33713 said: That said, a cookie sheet is a great insurance item. ... vs going to Wally World and buying Remington Nitro's for $7 a box. The Nitro's have premier Remington shot which I cannot get anywhere. I then use the hulls for CAS/WB. Does Walmart still sell ammo outside of California? They have closed up shop here in the PRK. Q: cookie sheet: Is is bolted down under a MEC mounting jig or ?? I'm thinking about using the jig so I can take the MEC down and use the bench for other stuff than just reloading. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Church Key, SASS # 33713 Posted October 27, 2019 Share Posted October 27, 2019 I'm in Inwood, WV just above the VA line and do most of my shopping in Winchester, VA as it has cheap gas, a COSTCO, and I bank there.. Anyhow, Walmart's in WV and VA both sell guns and ammo at the same price. BTW - I have four gun shops within four miles of my house. Folks regularly open carry in stores and bars; no one notices or comments. We also have multiple ranges 10 to 20 minutes away from my house. I have my MEC on a cookie sheet bolted to a 1'X2'X3/4" plank that started out as a shelf. This I bolt on my workbench when I want to reload; when done, it goes back to a corner of my work area. Same thing with my Dillon 550, except I bolt down the strong mount to the bench. I'll post some pics tomorrow, if you are interested. My workbench is made from a kitchen cabinet that got damaged when my house was being built as was the top of the bench. The builder asked me if I wanted them; yep! This is a friendly area and there is no zoning in the county. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Eyesa Horg Posted October 27, 2019 Share Posted October 27, 2019 14 hours ago, Rance - SASS # 54090 said: If you get the Grabber..( I have one) one pull.. one shell done.. Make sure you have a couple of dedicated hulls (I have different colored ones from what I reload to distinguish them) to place under the powder and shot drops as you start your reloads.. They dump powder and shot on every pull.. Might save you a mess Rance Thinkin' don't ask how I know I had that problem a lot when I first starting using the machine. Found in the manual an adjustment for the primer seating and now the bar locks back every time I get to the last shells and the first for that matter and it doesn't drop powder or shot in the empty slots. YMMV and it probably will. I now think I'm going with the cookie sheet method going forward! Especially for the missing primer issue. Once lapse in sighting and you have a nice mess! Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
High Spade Mikey Wilson Posted October 27, 2019 Share Posted October 27, 2019 18 hours ago, Cat Brules said: I do not have either one, but I’m of the school that believes that, “if it ain’t broke don’t fix it!”. Why bother getting something that, for the most part, is the same as what you already have, only different? If you can dramatically improve your reloading experience by getting a newer reloader, with more features to help you, then that makes sense to me. But, you, of course, should do what you want. Cat Brules Sounds like the misses everytime I want to get another cowboy gun........LOL Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Recommended Posts
Archived
This topic is now archived and is closed to further replies.