MEC 600Jr Mark V question

[cbuttre835]

Well I just got my Christmas gift from my wife set up and running and it is making nicely crimped shells. I have used the Lee Load-All IIs for years but they don't make one in 28 ga. so off to Mayville it was.

I also am lacking a .410 press and have amassed quite a bit of spent 2 1/2" hulls.

It looks like a die set to convert the Mark V to another gauge is about 1/3 the cost of a new press.

Question: how much of a headache is it to convert a MEC press to another gauge? In particular, thinking about the crimp stations, getting them set right. Keeping in mind that .410 is tough to handload / reload anyway, so "they" say.

Would I be better off just buying the whole press, or is that stuff simple to get back right?

 

[BigJimP]

Most of us found a long time ago ....it was a pain in the butt ( how many hours did it take to get the press you have set just right ...for primer seating, crimp start, crimp finish...??) .....and if every time you change gagues ...you have to go thru the same thing...its a pain in the butt, in my view.

Its also a pain in the butt...if you change anything in the recipe you use...if you change the wad ..or the hull especially .....because the different hulls are always a little different.../ and if you line up 3 or 4 3/4 oz hulls for the 28ga side by side...you'll see a little bit of height difference....

So all of the guys I know that reload a lot of shotshells...tend to keep our recipes set ...and we have a separate loader for each gague. Then its easy to crank out 15 or 20 boxes in an hour or two - depending on which press you have.

I've used Mec machines for a long time.../ my grandpa taught me how to reload on one in the early 60's....and I've been thru a variety of their machines ...single stages, Grabber, the 900 G's and now I've settled on the 9000 HN's in all 4 gagues ( 12, 20, 28 and .410 )..../ and now I've been teaching my grandkids how to reload - at least the older ones from 10 - 21..../ geez, I'm getting old ...

welcome to the fraternity ....28ga is probably my favorite - all around gague.

 

[ADKWOODSMAN]

My press was the 700 versa Mec and found the same situation.

 

[Armored farmer]

If at all possible, and feasible.....get both loaders. I load 12, 28, and .410. i cant imagine swapping dies back. and forth.

 

[Armored farmer]

welcome to the fraternity ....28ga is probably my favorite - all around gague.

^^^same here^^^

 

[243winxb]

Just buy the whole press. Or run an ad in local free publications, penny pincher type papers. Should get used for 1/2 of new. I got a 410 that way & for a few $$ extra, the guy delivered it to my shop. Sold this >

 

[cbuttre835]

Cool. that settles it.

I am really enjoying the 28. 3/4 oz of new shot and the new-old-stock stuff I bought at a gun show, I'm loading for around $4 a box. I even bought some of the old Win AA (not the HS hulls) for $4 a 100 at the same show.

So you get nearly the payload of a 20 ga (and I've even seen 7/8 oz 12 ga shells recently) with very mild recoil and report. What's not to like....???

 

[cfullgraf]

Yes, changing gauges on a MEC 600 jr is not pleasent. As mentioned, it is best to have a complete second or third press. I have one for each major gauge that I used when I was shooting skeet competively.

I found the universal charge bar did a better job for .410 bore than the MEC charge bar. I did add a spacer to the powder cavity to get it centered in the port.

The MEC charge bar and bushings worked fine for 28 gauge.

I also like 28 gauge. It was the first shotgun I used when hunting with my Dad. .410 is always great for an attitude adjustment

 

[gamestalker]

it really is quite cumbersome to do the conversion, and especially if you plan on bouncing back and forth between gauges. To say it is a head ache would be an under statement of extreme measure.

GS

 

[NCsmitty]

I've found that just changing from 2.5" to 3" in 410 and back again can be a bit trying to get it right, and I consider myself mechanically inclined.


NCsmitty

 

[David Wile]

Hey Cbuttre835,

I am one of those guys who never minded changing dies - as long as it was for metallic cartridge presses. I have a L&L progressive press and do not bother using their bushing system. I just don't mind changing metallic dies. It's no big deal to me.

Shotshell reloading, on the other hand, is a very different thing. It's not just the MEC 650 that is a real pain to change dies; it is all MECs and every other brand and type of shotshell press that is just way too much to change as other folks have already stated earlier. Some folks that use the Pacific/Hornady 366 progressive press will purchase a complete head unit in other guages, and it can be changed out with the removal and replacement of a few bolts. You also have to change out shell plates and tweak things a bit. Changing guages on a 366 by changing heads may be OK for some guys, but I really would not even bother doing that.

Multiple presses as other folks have said is the easiest and least frustrating way to go. Until last year when I sold most of my equipment, I had seven shotshell presses and a whole bunch of metallic presses that used to take up all the space on my reloading bench which was 20 feet long. When we moved to our present location in 2005, I built a new reloading bench which was 12 feet long and would never accomodate all my reloading presses.

I solved the problem by cutting two plates of half inch steel (each 12"X16"), bolting each of them to the bench 4 feet in from each end, and then drilling and tapping bolt holes in each steel plate for each press I owned. It really wasn't that many holes considering I had three 366 presses that could all use the same holes, three MEC Sizemasters that all used the same holes, and several RCBS presses that used the same holes. I also made bolt holes for my lubrisizer and casetrimmer in each plate. With my two plates, I could solidly mount any two pieces of equipment and change them out very rapidly. I also made two shelves on an adjacent wall to hold all the presses and equipment that would be used on the steel plates. That way, I could store the equipment in a small space on the storage shelves when not in use, and I would have plenty of room to work on the bench. I did mount one RCBS powder measure on an RCBS stand directly to the bench, but it is the only piece of equipment permantly mounted to the bench.

In the past year and a half, however, I sold over 50 guns and most of my presses and dies. I still like using my steel plates to change the presses I still have, but my equipment storage shelves look mighty empty now.

In any case, consider multiple shotshell presses instead of changing dies. It really is less frustrating. You might also consider steel plates with your own bolt holes if space becomes a problem for you.

Best wishes,
Dave Wile

 

[Joatmon]

Go with the mulitple presses, if you use 600 jr machines the cost is not that great and you can save more money if you buy used. If on the other hand you want to set up multiple PW presses or Hornady 366's you need to have much deeper pockets. I use MECs for the gauges and loads that I dont shoot much of, and have PW equipment for the higher volume work. I also tend not to buy anything new. So far it has worked out ok.