The Firing Line Forums - View Single Post - Shot my first round of .410 Sporting today

BigJimP · November 19, 2012, 08:18 PM

Shot bridging is a common issue ....but thankfully, it has not been a problem on my press...

I'm using a MEC 9000-HN ( its their hydraulic press) ...and I have their 9000 HN's in all 4 gagues...12, 20, 28 and .410 .....and my press is about 5 yrs old or so ....and shot bridging on it has never been an issue regardless of whether I load 9's, 8's or 7 1/2's...but I keep a close eye on station 4 - to make sure I get a good charge of shot on each case....( shot drops in station 3 ) ...but station 4 is where you can look into the case and see the shot level in the wad inside the case....

I don't know if MEC revised the size of the shot drop tube ...or not....on my press.

Maybe its the smooth motion of the hydraulic ...that allows it to drop easily - don't know ..../ but, I do turn the control valve on the amount of oil coming into the actuation cyclinder on the back of the press down, to where the press travels both up and down at a little slower pace...primarily so the shells don't rock in the stations...throwing shot around.....

but I do recommend the MEC hydraulics ...if you have room for them / and shoot enough to justify them. I only have one motor and pump that sets on the floor - and then 4 presses. My bench allows for 2 presses to sit side by side....and I control the flow to one press or the other - so only one press operates at a time...with a simple shutoff valve on top of the pump on the floor. My 12ga stays in its left hand spot on the bench. I then just shut off the valve on the other press ..and rotate either the 20ga, 28ga or .410 in and out ....and keep the other 2 presses on an adjacent table.

The first 9000 HN press - with the pump and motor is about $1,000 ...but then you can add each press you want for about $500 each - because you don't need a 2nd motor and pump ...so you could do a 12ga ....410 combo for around $ 1,500 or so..../ your payback is really quick on .410's and 28ga ...and still pretty good on 12ga and 20ga these days as well - in my opinion. Drop me a personal note...if you want more specifics.

November 19, 2012, 08:18 PM	#7
BigJimP Senior Member Join Date: February 23, 2005 Posts: 13,195	Shot bridging is a common issue ....but thankfully, it has not been a problem on my press... I'm using a MEC 9000-HN ( its their hydraulic press) ...and I have their 9000 HN's in all 4 gagues...12, 20, 28 and .410 .....and my press is about 5 yrs old or so ....and shot bridging on it has never been an issue regardless of whether I load 9's, 8's or 7 1/2's...but I keep a close eye on station 4 - to make sure I get a good charge of shot on each case....( shot drops in station 3 ) ...but station 4 is where you can look into the case and see the shot level in the wad inside the case.... I don't know if MEC revised the size of the shot drop tube ...or not....on my press. Maybe its the smooth motion of the hydraulic ...that allows it to drop easily - don't know ..../ but, I do turn the control valve on the amount of oil coming into the actuation cyclinder on the back of the press down, to where the press travels both up and down at a little slower pace...primarily so the shells don't rock in the stations...throwing shot around..... but I do recommend the MEC hydraulics ...if you have room for them / and shoot enough to justify them. I only have one motor and pump that sets on the floor - and then 4 presses. My bench allows for 2 presses to sit side by side....and I control the flow to one press or the other - so only one press operates at a time...with a simple shutoff valve on top of the pump on the floor. My 12ga stays in its left hand spot on the bench. I then just shut off the valve on the other press ..and rotate either the 20ga, 28ga or .410 in and out ....and keep the other 2 presses on an adjacent table. The first 9000 HN press - with the pump and motor is about $1,000 ...but then you can add each press you want for about $500 each - because you don't need a 2nd motor and pump ...so you could do a 12ga ....410 combo for around $ 1,500 or so..../ your payback is really quick on .410's and 28ga ...and still pretty good on 12ga and 20ga these days as well - in my opinion. Drop me a personal note...if you want more specifics.