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yes, they are 2 3/4" ...even though the fired length you measured is at ... 2 5/8" ( the crimp on the fired shells might be angled in a little ) or they may be 1/8" shorter...
You will find that a lot of mfg's hulls vary in length a little bit ...and brand to brand within each mfg vary a little as well.
Shotguns shells are available in 2 1/2", 2 3/4" and 3" ....and of course the chamber on your gun lists the chamber size. As you probably know you can fire a 2 3/4" hull in a 3" chamber ....but you cannot fire a 3" shell in a 2 3/4" chamber.
What gets people in trouble / is they don't realize a shell is sized "by its fired lenth" not its crimped length. So they measure a 3" shell - before its fired - and they think, since it only measures 2 3/4" it not a 3" shell, they think its a 2 3/4" shell...
Speed isn't the most important issue in picking a loader ....like you said a Grabber may meet all your needs. A Grabber met my needs for over 20yrs as well ...and now not so much. I like reloading ...but if I have a large volume of shells to reload / I'd rather do it in a couple of hours vs 10 or 12 hours. The MEC Jr, the Grabber - or one of the 9000 level machines -- all make very high quality shells ..../ and MEC isn't the only loader out there - RCBS, Dillon, etc make good shotshell loaders too. My grandpa started me loading shotshells when I was about 10 ( in the early 60's ) ...and I've stayed with MEC loaders all along .../ but look at the other options too.
If reloading wasn't fun - most of us wouldn't do it / and even if the cost savings was a wash - I'd still reload anyway. Quiet time in the shop is always a plus ...I'm spending the day in my shop - putting the last coats of finish on a little jewelry box for one of the granddaughters ...and loading some 9mm and some .410 shells...( house is quiet / stereo is playing --- what's not to like )....
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