MEC reloader

[sam1700]

Found a mec reloader at a garage sale for $10. Wondering if it's a discontinued reloader now. The model number is 650 "85". I am thinking the "85" is the year. Am I correct? Also, is this a good reloader?

Thanks, Sammy

 

[aloreman]

Re: MEC reloader

Great reloader. All parts are still available thru mecreloaders.com Only down side to a mec 650 is that it doesnt resize the brass base of the shell and you may have trouble loading that ammo into different guns. Buy a super sizer and ur gtg

 

[ToddKS]

Re: MEC reloader

At $10 that is a steal.

The Model 650 is a good reloader. Not a true progressive, but very close and much faster than a single stage reloader.

I don't know what the 85 means.

Are you familiar with Mech reloaders? If not, go download and print the manual. Proper set up is key to the unit functioning. Getting the unit set up can be frustrating at first, but once set up they run well.

What charge bar and powder bushings did it come with? You may need to purchase some extra sizes depending on what you want to load.

I have 4 Mech 9000's which are essentially 650's with an auto advancing baseplate. I have been using them for years. They are solid machines and parts are cheap and readily available from Mech should you need them.

What type of shotgun are you planning to load for? If you shoot an over/under, the lack of brass resizing will likely not be an issue. If you are shooting an auto, it will depend on the individual gun and the hulls you are using to reload. If shooting an auto you will just have to load a box and see how it goes. If you get FTF issues that are not normal for the gun, then you likely will need to size the brass.

Not all hulls reload well. Assuming this is a 12ga unit, I recommend the Remington Premier hulls, 2nd choice would be Remington game load hulls. The cheaper the hull, the more likely you are to have issues due to the lack of sizing the brass.

 

[sam1700]

Re: MEC reloader

thanks for the info. I have a 12 gauge pump that I want to use it for. It came with one charge bar 502 118. From what i have read on their website the 118 stands for 1 1/8 oz of lead shot. The reloader came with only one powder bushing 30.

As far as what i want to load...I hunt dove and quail with my 12 gauge pump and occasionally shoot skeet.

If I was to not resize what problems could I run into with my pump? Also, does opting not to resize limit the reloads to my gun only?

It looks like mec has a resizing die that I could put on the reloader but I dont know if it would be too much of a hassle. It looks like you have to remove the primer feeder and do all of the resizing first. Any thoughts on this resizing die.

Again, I appreciate the help

Sammy

 

[ToddKS]

Re: MEC reloader

If you are going to have a problem with your pump shotgun due to lack of resizing the symptom will be that the gun is difficult to cycle after the shot. This can range from a minor stick to so stuck that you have to bang the butt on the ground to clear the empty shell. There is no way to know whether or not this will be an issue until you load some shells and give it a try. Using good hulls will reduce the likelyhood of having a problem.

As for limiting the use of the ammunition to just your gun, the answer is the same as above. You won't know until you try it in that gun. It is likely that single shot or O/U type shotguns will have no issue. Autoloaders are the most likely to have a problem as anything that slows down the extraction process throws off the timing of the action. The issue is how tightly the chamber is cut and that varies from barrel to barrel and manufacturer to manufacturer.

To keep things simple to start out, here is a combination that will let you shoot skeet, hunt dove, and hunt quail with just one powder selection:

Remington Hull
Winchester Primer
International Clays Powder
Claybuster White 8 wad (or Remington Fig. 8 which is more expensive)

For skeet you can reduce the powder charge down to 19gr and be around 1175 fps which is more than adequate for skeet. Shot size can be 7 1/2, 8, or 9, your choice. It will make no difference either way.

For dove you can up the powder charge to 21gr which will put you at 1255 fps. Use 7 1/2 shot here. For quail use the same powder charge, but I like 6 shot for quail.

To do this you will need a couple more bushings. A 29, 31, and 32 will likely be all you need.

That combination of components will keep you from stocking 3 different types of powder for your shotshell loads.