Mec JR reloading quiestion

[cordell]

Hello dovehunter & skeet,
dovehunter you are well on the way to "The sickness".... I load for 35+ cartridges and 12, 20, and 28 gauge. BTW my next small bore will be in 225 Win I have always liked that cartridge.

skeet, My Pacific turret and one of my Rock Chuckers are set up on the other side of the 650 Dillon. I use the RC mostly and let guests use the others. I think what the young fellow was referring to (although all my "stuff" is old) was my CH progressive, my bullet moulds, and some of my reloading books going back to the early 50's. I also have some early cartridges and just junk in general. I still use the old trickle/ powder scale method unless I am doing a massive amount then I will set up a powder measure and keep it full. I will try to post a few more pictures of my junk room. Take care and God bless

[Duffy]

Dang! You guys have a lot of "stuff"!

My wife got me a new MEC 600 Jr for Xmas, as I wanted to start reloading to help enable my skeet addiction. I have an alcove of the basement that I can call my own, and where I plan on doing my reloading, a place where my wife seldom ventures. I look forward to the day when my basement looks as "organized" as yours!

BTW, I admire your Dutch Masters cigar box. My dad had a ton of those, and I have snagged a few over the years. They're good containers for just about anything.

[cordell]

Hello Duffy,
Sounds like you have a plan starting there, but be careful if it is big enough for a reloading nook it is big enough for a closet!!! Start complaining now and never stop....mice....bugs..... maybe there are mice & bugs in that corner.

Laying all jokes aside I do like the cigar boxes and coffee cans! Under that bench are probably (very concervatively) 30,000+++ once fired brass cases (some in 3lb coffee cans) that I have aquired over the past bajillion years, and I am able to help others periodically with a handfull here and there. As a matter of fact a neighbor/friend just called a few weeks ago and came over and dug out a few hundred .357 magnum cases.

Now getting on to your Mec 600 Jr, you are going to love it once you get it running like you want it. If you are one of those 100 straight guys and shooting on 2 leagues a week you will probably want to go with a progressive soon, but if you still have your 25 straight patch (and glad to have it) the 600 will keep you going for a long time.

What type of shotgun do you use and where is your range located? Take care and God bless. cordell....................BTW I just shot Sporting Clays for the first time last summer......................................what a humbling experience. TC&GB

[Duffy]

Well cordell, it is a plan, anyway. I'm really looking forward to getting started and I've been studying various manuals to get my basic understanding down pat. I plan on starting out reloading only what I shoot in league, 12 gauge Federal Gold Medal hulls, 1 1/8 ounce shot, 209A primer, Claybuster equivalent for Fed. 12S wad, and 19.2 grains Red Dot, which is the charge my #32 bushing will drop. I also got a digital scale to check my shot and charge weights periodically, something recommended to me by others, as well as in the manuals. I will stick with only those reloads for now, since that is all I shoot in skeet; and I don't plan on reloading any hunting rounds yet, mostly because as I see it the cost of components to retool for game bird loads and/or steel is not justified by the infrequency of my shooting those rounds. I may branch out into 20 gauge eventually, though.

I shoot weekly leagues starting in late April/early May, ending around late September/early October, and lots of other practice sessions throughout. I shoot a Remington/Spartan SPR 310 O/U (the old Baikal) mostly, and a Mossberg 930 occasionally. I shoot at a club east of Canton, Ohio.

Since I am in just the beginning stages of this process, I'll take all the advice I can get. There is a lot of information out there, and I plan on studying as much as I can, and look forward to getting started.

[dovehunter]

Duffy:

You may want to check what that bushing #32 actually throws with your powder scales. I am a huge fan of MEC products but I have found that their powder bushings usually throw lighter charges than what is shown in their tables. When I find that to be the case I usually buy a couple of bushings in the next larger sizes and use the one that throws closest to (but just under) the charge I need. Someone else said they got one of the adjustible charge bars. I have one too but found, though it works fine, that the adjustments are cumbersome and you still have to check the charges thus thrown with an accurate powder scales. It's also probably cheaper just buying extra bushings.

If you decide to start loading 20 ga. shells I'd advise buying another whole new press in that guage rather than getting a conversion kit. Changing back and forth frequently will become a hassle.

If you haven't already bought one, I'd strongly advise getting a copy Lyman's shotshell loading manual. It is very comprehensive, is well suited to a beginner, and has a huge number of loads.

Lastly I'd also suggest buying only target grade shot. It'll cost a little more but, at least in my humble opinion, you'll get results which will be worth it.

[popplecop]

Take a good look at the MEC Sizemaster. I went to the factory and told them what I wanted to reload, 16 & 28 with non toxic shot and this was the reloader they suggested.