Progressive Shot Shell Reloader’s

[Lefty Vaquero #39185]

Hello Pard’s 

 

Would like some input on those using a Progressive Shot Shell Reloader, which brand you may be using if you don’t mind. The pro’s and con’s of them, set up issues, parts easily available which hull runs best in them. Easily switching from STS to AA hulls, wanting to load equivalent to low recoil load. Looking for info prior to making the costly leap. Looking forward to all input.

 

Thank you, Lefty Vaquero

[The Original Lumpy Gritz]

Been run'n a MEC 600jr since 1978.

[Badlands Bob #61228]

I reload on a Mec 9000.  It loads shells fast when everything is working and adjusted correctly.  It does come with a pretty good learning curve.  

[Cheyenne Ranger, 48747L]

using an old MEC 8567 Grabber.  Works fine for me.  I can load 100 hulls in an hour, taking my time.  That's from walking into the garage, loading, cleaning up, boxing, and walking out.

 

I do reside with a sizemaster when I get back from matches--that's when I sort/discard hulls.

 

Also run them all through a QuikLoader to put the 3° crimp at the top.  These two are off the clock.  QuikLoader: https://coyotesmercantile.com/products/quikloader?srsltid=AfmBOorr4_xqoVeZSqgVy_Hr-ltm2YtodxskgdACEQymSKDSME3wEXjs   just a happy customer

 

I enjoy the reloading process and see it as another hobby

 

 

 

 

[Cheyenne Ranger, 48747L]

Forgot to mention:  if you can find a mentor, life is so much easier learning how to do this

[SouthwestShooter]

I went from a mec progressive to mec  single stage cause they are foolproof.  Just takes  a bit longer to load 100 rounds.

[Eyesa Horg]

I use a Grabber as well. No issues unless I do something Stoopid, then the mess sucks! 🥲

[Chas B. Wolfson, SASS #11104]

 I have been using this Hornady/Pacific 366 progressive for SASS loads since 1998.  Changed out the plastic powder tube with stainless and have loaded real black powder since 2001.

Eight stations plus a sizer die station.  Uses bushings identical to Spolar.  You can lift the foot and manually index if preferred.

The powder and shot cutoffs are a must have.  Primer cutoff is nice to have.  Very reliable and produces factory appearance shells.  This one gets fed STS hulls.

I have another setup for AA hulls that I load trap, skeet, sporting clays and hunting loads on.

If using different hulls on one press, the only real adjustment I have found is the ram that applies primer seating pressure.  Maybe a small crimp adjustment.

I load Federal Metro Field hulls for my 1887.  I trim the crimp ears off and use an overshot card.  The final station on the press puts a roll on the case mouth.  This comes in real handy loading the Federal hulls.  That roll keeps the overshot card in place, no water glass of Elmers Glue required.

Very reliable with small learning curve.

Yes, that is a Dillon handle.

Deprime, primer seat, powder drop, wad seat, shot drop, starter crimp, final crimp and case mouth roll.

Resize die also deprimes.

Very robust press that is still supported.  Only plastic items are spent primer container, powder and shot tubes with caps and primer feed tray.

Can be purchased new, still being made or used: E-Bay $500.00 and up.

Regards,

Chas B 

The assistant to the left is Bailey Buddy.

And I do know press could use a cleaning.

 

 

 

 

Edited June 15 by Chas B. Wolfson, SASS #11104

[Edward R S Canby, SASS#59971]

I have an RCBS Grand I load trap loads on.  The press is out-of-production, has some fragile plastic parts and often fails to drop powder.  I would not acquire another.  I load my black powder shells for CAS on a MEC Jr.  It's robust and 100% reliable.

[Larsen E. Pettifogger, SASS #32933]

Bascically right now there is Mec, Hornady, Dillon, Ponsness-Warren, and Spolar.  Each one has its idiosyncracies and trying to list the pros and cons of each would take thousands of pages of comments.  Not to mention what some people view as a "con" others view as a "pro."  Mec is the least expensive and is well supported.  In the past four years the prices on progressive machines has doubled or more.  Machines I paid $999.00 for four years ago are now $1,999.00.  I picked up a Spolar at Winter Range in 2019 for $1,900.00.  They are now $4,500.00!  Your best best is to go to YouTube and seach the brands you are intersted in.  There are videos on all of them explaining what works and what does not and most have how to fix problems videos.  If you buy a used machine make sure there are still parts available.

[Leroy Luck]

1 hour ago, Cheyenne Ranger, 48747L said:

 

I do reside with a sizemaster

Resizing on a sizemaster press or using a supersizer?

[KingSnake]

A few years back I came across a Ponsness Warren 800+ at a really good price. Haven’t regretted it at all. 

[El Sobrante Kid]

Lefty Vaquero, it would help if you would list your expectations for ease of use, reliability, and number of rounds you expect to load per month or year. Along with your planned budget for the machine and any useful upgrades. Are you willing to buy a used machine, or do you want new? GL!

[Sedalia Dave]

The question you have to ask yourself is how many boxes of shells do you shoot a month?

 

A single stage MEC will load about 4 boxes of shells an hour with 99.99% reliability. 

 

A MEC progressive that is working properly 100% of the time will load about 16 boxes per hour. One that is not 100% reliable will load about 10 boxes an hour and can be really frustrating to use.

 

A used MEC single stage can be picked up for under $200 pretty easily. A used progressive MEC will cost $400 or more. The kicker is that the used progressive MEC will take 10 times the level of effort to get running smoothly when compared to a single stage press.

 

Used Ponsness Warren 800 series progressive presses are pretty common in pawn shops. Just be aware that some critical parts are no longer being manufactured and used parts can be hard to find.

[Chief Rick]

4 hours ago, Lefty Vaquero #39185 said:

Hello Pard’s 

 

Would like some input on those using a Progressive Shot Shell Reloader, which brand you may be using if you don’t mind. The pro’s and con’s of them, set up issues, parts easily available which hull runs best in them. Easily switching from STS to AA hulls, wanting to load equivalent to low recoil load. Looking for info prior to making the costly leap. Looking forward to all input.

 

Thank you, Lefty Vaquero

Just curious, how many rounds do you plan on reloading at a time?  In a month?  In a year?

 

I ask because I thought I needed a progressive press.  I load anywhere from three to six boxes a month, depending on the month.

 

I bought a used Ponsness-Warren that was set up and ready to go.  It made beautiful loads (I only used AA hulls) until I let the machine get a way from me.  The amount of time that it took me to straighten out the machine more than eclipsed what it would have taken me to just load them all on my MEC Sizemaster.

 

I'm back to using my MEC Sizemaster.

[Jack Spade]

I have loaded on many different shotgun loaders from a hand loader that you used a hammer to MEC,'s, RCBS grand, Pacific 366, Lee Load all and Ponsness Warren 375, 800 and 950.  Some I owned, some belonged to friends.  Personally I load on a couple of different Ponsness Warren loaders.  I have four actually, two 800 convertibles, and 800 plus and a 950 elite.  Ponsness Warren is still in business and still has almost all parts for even the 800B machines.  The only thing they don't have is the cross head but I think they have every other part.  There are also lots of parts on ebay and a few other sources.  They take the same bushings as the RCBS and Hornady or they make an adapter so you can use MEC bushings. 

Ponsness Warren reloaders make a shell you can't tell from factory.  Once set up they very rarely need adjustment or have any issues.   That being said, if something does happen you have to have an understanding of mechanics and how things work to work on them.  They are kind of a complicated machine but they are also built like a tank.  Pull the handle on a mec 9000 then pull the handle on a PW 800.  It's very evident which machine is better built.  I have a friend who runs a small specialty shotgun ammo business.  He has two PW 800 plus machines he loads on.  

All that said if you only want to load a couple of boxes a week just get a MEC 600 jr and save the $$ for more shot, powder, wads, etc.  If you are trying to feed a couple of cowboy shooters who shoot 4 matches a month or you play the clay games then it is worth it to invest in a PW loader.   I buy, repair and sell PW loaders.  I find them quite frequently at yard sales, on marketplace and sometimes buy them off of ebay or shotgun world forums.   I usually buy ones that are not working or that someone has "worked" on so much they lock it up.  When I get them I go completely through them and re-adjust them and replace any broken or missing parts.  I haven't bought one yet that I couldn't get to work like new.   I have sold lots of these to other cowboy shooters and I ask them what shell and load they are shooting and fine tune the machine to their specs before I deliver it.  

All of my PW loaders will load STS, Nitro, Gun Club, HOA (Federal High Overall) and red or silver Win AA's with no adjustment at all.  Good clean used PW 800 B's sell for around $500, maybe more if they have a bunch of bushings or spare parts.  An 800 convertible usually brings a little more, 800 plus start around $800 and go to $1000.   900 and 950 elites are usually in the $600-$800 range.  If you are patient you will find one that someone has messed up so bad they threw it in the corner and went back to their sizemaster and you can usually get those pretty cheap.   If you get one of those send me a PM and I will tell you where to get detailed instructions on how to fix any PW 800 series loader.  I have had loaders given to me to get them out of the way because they were locked up and wouldn't cycle and I had them loading in an hour.  

 

 

[Lefty Vaquero #39185]

Thank all for the information,

 

Regarding the amount I plan on reloading any were from 1,500 to 2000 a year, would consider buying used if the company is still making available parts for their reloading machine. Larsen that was a very good price on the Spolar considering today’s rising cost of reloader’s, hull feeder would be a plus but not a deal breaker. I have spoken to shooters in the past regarding Dillon’s SL 900, most tell me it’s a love hate relationship, will look into the Hornady 366 and Posness Warren. Seems there is quite the wait time on reloader’s. Thank you all who replied and continue too.

 

Regards, Lefty Vaquero

[Lefty Vaquero #39185]

Jack thank you for your info regarding Ponsness Warren, will look further into them regarding used for sale. If I may ask which of these model will be able use there Hull Feeder?

 

Lefty Vaquero 

[Cowtown Scout, SASS #53540 L]

I load on a Hornady 366 because that is what a good friend gave me about 20 years ago, along with Dillion 550 and a large custom made wood loading bench.

[Gateway Kid SASS# 70038 Life]

When I started CAS I had been reloading cartridges on my Dillon 550 for nearly 25 years. I had never reloaded a single shot shell. Quickly realized I could save a lot of time and money using progressive shotshell presses. Started/learned on a MEC Sizemaster. Spend an evening once or twice a month, load 200-300 rounds (all the hulls I had at the time) and they looked, loaded and fired like factory. Bought a MEC 9000 from Cabelas and have never regretted it. In the couple evenings per month that I had previously made 2-3 hundred shells on the Sizemaster the 9000 will crank out 800-1000 at least. I don’t reload as fast as some but my 9000 fulfills all my shotshell needs at a nice comfortable pace, the shells look nice and I have found it very easy to maintain and adjust. If you want a case feeder machine go for it but unless you’re shooting four matches per month with family it is a bit of overkill. I like the collet resizer, (i shoot a double) which puts the base to minimum and everything going into the hull being right in front of you means it is easy to monitor. Only problem I have had was I got a shot pellet wedged into the collet once and broke one of the fingers. Ordered a new one, arrived 3 days later and 25 minutes later had it installed and adjusted. 
Regards

    

Gateway Kid

[Jack Spade]

There is a hull feeder available for the Ponsness warren 800 and 900/950 machines, I do not use one and for 2000 rounds a year it isn't worth the expense.  You pull the handle down, put a shell on the post, push the handle up and put a wad in the wad guide, repeat.  I put a bin  of hulls on the right side and a bin of wads on the left.  The loader isn't spring loaded so the handle stays in the down position while you put the hull on the post.  You push the handle all the way forward until you hear the click, the forward stroke seats the new primer.  The click is the machine resetting to advance the carriage on the next stroke.  The PW machines also have a plate under the shot and powder bushings that have ON, OFF and DRAIN on them.  They also have drain tubes for the shot and powder so you don't have to remove the bottles to change shot or powder.  The newer machines or upgrades allow you to even change bushings without removing anything or draining the shot or powder.  They are very user friendly and well thought out machines.  

[Sixgun Seamus]

+1 for the Mec 9000. Although I have shot guns most of my life, I had fired less than 200 shotshells until I started shooting Cowboy. I started with a Lee Load All. When my wife started shooting with me I picked up a used MEC 9000 from Gunbroker for reasonable price. Loaded for 8 or 9 years till I wore out one part. Sent for new parts and installed them and did something wrong and it wouldn't work at all. I called MEC and ended sending it to them for a rebuild. One month later I had a loader that loads perfect shells. When they are adjusted and working properly, they are a dream and can crank out a whole bunch of shells in no time. If you're not paying attention and something goes wrong, that's when the problems start, but that can happen with any machine. I like my 9000.

Edited June 16 by Sixgun Seamus
correction

[Larsen E. Pettifogger, SASS #32933]

3 hours ago, Lefty Vaquero #39185 said:

Larsen that was a very good price on the Spolar considering today’s rising cost of reloader’s,

 

Yeah Spolar was a vendor at several Winter Range's.  Here is Cole the owner/operator of Spolar.  Generally at the end of the match he would sell whatever demos he had with him.  The year of this  photo one person bought the press, one bought the table and one bought the hydraulics.  Saved Cole a lot of packing for the trip home.

 

[watab kid]

started out with a honaday 366 that worked well till it didnt [about 10k rounds ] i sold it and used a mec single stage for a bit , now running a poncess warn , great press but way overkill for what im doing these days 

[Johnny Meadows,SASS#28485L]

18 hours ago, SouthwestShooter said:

I went from a mec progressive to mec  single stage cause they are foolproof.  Just takes  a bit longer to load 100 rounds.

Me too, after using a Dillon 900 for close to 30 years.

 

[High Spade Mikey Wilson]

18 hours ago, SouthwestShooter said:

I went from a mec progressive to mec  single stage cause they are foolproof.  Just takes  a bit longer to load 100 rounds.

Ditto !!

[largo casey #19191]

If we were closer we might get together on 366. 12 & 20

                                                                                                         Largo

[Lefty Vaquero #39185]

Thanks for all the information Pards, Largo yes possibly. Larsen looks like when Cole departed from Winter Range that year his trailer was light and his pockets were heavy! Sounds like everyone made out all the way around.

 

Thank you to all again,

 

Lefty Vaquero 

[Skullbone Willie]

Ex Skeet Shooter turned Cowboy here, Hornady 366 in every gauge. There is a learning curve with these but once you get the hang of them they are bulletproof. 

[Dapper Dave]

On 6/15/2025 at 8:06 AM, The Original Lumpy Gritz said:

Been run'n a MEC 600jr since 1978.

Been runnin' a MEC 600 Jr since last week.

[Blackwater 53393]

Just for a good laugh, I’m posting pictures of my Deitemeyer 300 semi-progressive shot shell press.

 

It was manufactured in the ‘50s and it still works great!  I use it for my standard smokeless CAS loads.  It’s not fully progressive as you do have to advance the shells manually, but it drops powder and shot consistently and gives really nice finished crimps.

 

I HAVE made a few modifications to it.  The charge bar has been machined to accept bushings for powder and shot. The originals were bored like some of the MEC bars with no provision to change charges without replacing the entire bar. A full set of bushings cost me less than $50.00 and the machine shop charged me $20.00.

 

 

 

 

 

 

I fabricated a spent primer catcher to keep primers from falling all over everything when they get punched out.  ‘Bout $10.00 for a pack of measuring spoons and some allen bolts to attach it. I still have a little tinkering to do with it, but it’s working fairly nicely.
 

 

My son, Hatfield, has produced an easy couple hundred shells on it in an hour or so and they all go BANG!!!

 

 

It’s a fun old machine and it’s built like an anvil! The thing is somewhere around 70 years old and it is pretty darned reliable if I do my part

 

 

Edited June 19 by Blackwater 53393

[Jack Spade]

Fireball just posted an absolute steal on a hornady 366 12 ga loader in the classifieds.  

[Griff]

I'm been using a Hornady 366 for the past 2 years to load my BP shotshells on.  Once you get each station set up to perform, it does a remarkable job, my finished hulls look and function better than what I'd previously loaded on my MEC 600Jr.  I still have that machine for those instances when I'm in the workshop and only want a round or two to test something... (new primer, different hull, wad, etc.) 

 

The only problem I've had on this "new-to-me" 366 is the auto advance.  The "claw", or whatever that part is actually called, doesn't always return all the way to grab the shell plate.  I haven't studied up on how to adjust its' travel, so it might just be a matter of adjustment, but if I watch for it, it's not a real hang-up.  Again, once each station is occupied, one loaded, finished round per pull of the handle is far more productive than the 6 pulls per round of the MEC.  My particular 336 doesn't have an easy method to shut off the primer feed, other than unscrewing it to raise it far enough so it doesn't drop a primer as the ram is raised.  (Don't positively know that any do, but recently read that someone's does).

 

I'm way past the point where I was about to give up in frustration, (coordinating all the hand movements, moving shells from the decap/sizer, to the moveable platten, replacing that shell with a fresh on, inserting a wad) and visually checking each station that its ready for the handle pull.  While not much different to running a Dillon, just different enough that the learning curve was greater than I anticipated.  

Edited June 20 by Griff

[Skullbone Willie]

On 6/20/2025 at 9:06 AM, Griff said:

I'm been using a Hornady 366 for the past 2 years to load my BP shotshells on.  Once you get each station set up to perform, it does a remarkable job, my finished hulls look and function better than what I'd previously loaded on my MEC 600Jr.  I still have that machine for those instances when I'm in the workshop and only want a round or two to test something... (new primer, different hull, wad, etc.) 

 

The only problem I've had on this "new-to-me" 366 is the auto advance.  The "claw", or whatever that part is actually called, doesn't always return all the way to grab the shell plate.  I haven't studied up on how to adjust its' travel, so it might just be a matter of adjustment, but if I watch for it, it's not a real hang-up.  Again, once each station is occupied, one loaded, finished round per pull of the handle is far more productive than the 6 pulls per round of the MEC.  My particular 336 doesn't have an easy method to shut off the primer feed, other than unscrewing it to raise it far enough so it doesn't drop a primer as the ram is raised.  (Don't positively know that any do, but recently read that someone's does).

 

I'm way past the point where I was about to give up in frustration, (coordinating all the hand movements, moving shells from the decap/sizer, to the moveable platten, replacing that shell with a fresh on, inserting a wad) and visually checking each station that its ready for the handle pull.  While not much different to running a Dillon, just different enough that the learning curve was greater than I anticipated.  

Insert a primer upside down will effectively shut off the primer drop. 

[Garrison Joe, SASS #60708]

On 6/20/2025 at 8:06 AM, Griff said:

The only problem I've had on this "new-to-me" 366 is the auto advance.  The "claw", or whatever that part is actually called, doesn't always return all the way to grab the shell plate.  I haven't studied up on how to adjust its' travel, so it might just be a matter of adjustment, but if I watch for it, it's not a real hang-up. 

 

Right in the manual for the 366 are the instructions of how to adjust the auto-advance.   The $6 pawl (which is the hand that pushes the shell plate to next station) is replaceable in 5 minutes, as well, when it wears the pawl tip down.

 

I've run Lee whack-a-moles, a Bair, Mecs of several types, an RCBS MiniGrand and now have two Hornady 366s which load up to 2000 rounds a month.  Downside - A used 366 will only last you about 50 years (if you don't maintain it). 😄So, hunt down a used one and save $800.  Hornady continues to make parts that will be shipped to you in 3 days to fit any 366 ever made. It's so hard to compare the customer service on the 366 to other machines due to the longevity of that 366 model soldiering on with minimal parts required.

 

All progressives have a learning curve.  Most progressives need careful adjustment periodically.    Put a spilled shot and powder collection pan under ANY progressive you use.  You will thank yourself many times over.  I find the 366 to be the simplest progressive to run and to adjust.    And, adjusted properly, it makes a better-than- factory looking shell.  

 

good luck, GJ

Edited July 1 by Garrison Joe, SASS #60708