MEC Reloader - What do I have?

[pete.bauer]

Hello,

I was given this reloader by my uncle - can someone tell me what I've got? (Keep in mind I have ZERO experience in reloading)

I think it may be an old MEC 500 or 600? He said it worked when he put it away 20+ years ago. Is this obsolete? or any chance I can get it working? I got into sporting clays last year and got the bug bad this year shooting several cases per month - I'm interested in learning to reload (which is what started the convo in me getting this thing).

I've got a few pics and a quick video. I can pop a primer out but the next 'stage' it cant push a primer in and the stage after that the wad doesn't go down near as far as it should.

Anyway - any help or insight would be awesome.

Thanks,
Pete

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Hon63tA53Bs

[briandg]

That is a standard piece of mecl equipment. They are designed to work only within certain specs. Bases were cardboard when it was made, not thin plastic bases. You will have to adjust or replace the primer ram. It's going to be hard to find a wad/powder/shot combination, maybe that will work and fit the bar,unless you replace it with an adjustable. That is valuable, New ones cost a fortune. Clean it up, tune it up, find out what charge and dimensions you need, and for God's sake, get hull that are good for reloading, not throwaway. You're probably going to waste a lot of rounds getting yourself working. I have a twenty of about that vintage. It is like my brother in law, a fantastic tool.. mine used win aa wads, unique, and I think an o ounce of that between seven and nine. Using anything else would require a different bar.

[FrankenMauser]

Looks like an older model from the 600 series.
I think it's one of the 650s. There were a few variants, like 650, 650N, 650S, etc., but they're all very similar.

The press will likely need some adjustments after a thorough cleaning. You can download the basic 650 owner's manual here: MEC Owner's Manuals.
That should give a better idea of operation, adjustments, if it is assembled correctly, and whether or not you are missing important parts.
Right out of the gate, it appears that you're missing the charge bar locking lever (as was my 650 when I bought it at an auction).

The dies will be marked for gauge (you probably already figured that out, though). And the crimp dies will need to be checked for style (6-point or 8-point).

The charge bar is used for a particular shot charge, and then uses removable bushings to adjust powder charge. MEC sells various charge bars for different shot charge weights (7/8 oz, 1 oz, 1-1/8 oz, etc.); and powder bushings are cheap and common.

[BigJimP]

I agree, at 2nd look, that it looks like an older 650 model...Yes, it can be reconditioned.....there are a lot of guys around the US that work on MEC equipment...but the real question is whether it's worth it or not...hopefully you can find someone local to evaluate it.

But if you are shooting several cases a month ( 250 shells to a case)....you are very quickly going to realize this model is probably not what you want....vs a Grabber or series 9000 model.../ personally I use the 9000 HN series, their hydraulic machine, and while it easily produces 20 boxes an hour....the middle of the line Grabber is a solid machine to learn on. The 650 model is not a bad machine...its progressive ...but it makes it a slow process..and you will probably only get 3 or 4 boxes an hour off of it.

If you read and understand a manual for a mec loader - it gives you all the basics / there are also a number of books out there on shotshell loading...

Clay target shooters are your resource...talk to them about loaders, new & used, anyone who is loading shotshells - knows who in your area works on machines, who has reconditioned machines for sale, where to buy components, etc..../ use those guys as a resource....what hulls are best, wads, where to buy shot ....maybe meet a mentor to help you. A lot of skeet shooters especially -- load for 12ga, 20ga, 28ga and .410 ....because we really like customizing our shells for the performance we like ( in 12ga, I like 1oz loads of 8's at 1225 fps... )....but I also load some7/8oz and some 3/4oz as well....

[pete.bauer]

Thanks for all the feedback, guys! Really appreciate it.

I gave it a real quick clean up and was able to successfully reload a couple of shells. Since it appears most everything is there, I'll tear it down completely and give it a very throughout cleaning. Station 5 and 6 where it puts the final crimps on the hull worked but scratched the crap outta the outside of the hull. Rust and pitting might require those to be replaced.

I'm not looking for a show piece and I have no intention of reloading every load I shoot but it would be fun to at least try it. I will have to order a new block as the one I've got in there is too hot for my sporting clays loads.

Also, does anyone have have a similar unit that they can msg me how they have theirs setup? I know it will have to be tweaked based on hull etc but at least a good baseline to start.

As far as shell resizer - I've read some people saying you need to do it, others say it's not needed for a couple reloads, and some say you NEED it. Is resizing it a safety concern or as long as it slides into my 725 I should be OK?

Thanks again for the feedback - you guys are great.

[BigJimP]

There is no safety issue ...requiring resizing in shotshells.

You resize - so the shells feed properly. Its not a big deal in an O/U but it is important if you shoot a semi-auto or a pump gun obviously.

If you have to cram the shells into the chamber of your Citori ...( then the chamber of your gun is acting as a resizer .. --- which makes no sense to me --- /... its an expensive resizer, but it won't hurt your gun). I resize every shell I reload...resizing is built into most of the progressive machines ( Grabber, 9000 GN, 9000 HN ...)...

There is no reason not to reload every shell you shoot ...if you have a good machine. I find the reloading process ..for shotshells and metallic for handguns to be part of the hobby .....and good quiet time in my shop / and customizing your shells to exactily what you want builds a little quiet confidence.

Don't go by old "handed down" recipes...look up current recipes from a good source, like Hodgdon, they have a good online guide. Pick one kind of hull and stick with it ...it may not be logical to you at this point, but not all 12ga hulls are the same internally or in overall length ....and you need to adjust your crimp starter, final crimp, final resizing to one brand of hull to be most sucessful. By far these days, in 12ga and 20ga ...the most common shell...and the most durable to reload is Remington STS or Nitro. Winchester hulls have some unique issues...and most of the other hulls, for serious shooters, are considered junk / and we don't bother reloading them ( Rio's, Estates, Fiocchi, etc...)

[FrankenMauser]

I shoot informally, generally chasing chickens in the mountains or breaking clays with family. Shots on pine chickens are often only 5-15 feet, and my family generally can't throw clays more than about 35 yards.
So, a light payload makes sense and my load is nothing special: 7/8 oz of whatever shot (often reclaimed, mixed from #4 to #9), riding in a CB wad, on top of Red Dot. Actual powder charge and wad used depends upon the hulls I'm using.

I don't know what, exactly, the previous owner of my 650 was doing, but the machine was set for 1-1/4 oz of #8 shot in a 2-3/4" hull with a #29 powder bushing and 8-point crimp. And one of the spare charge bars (1 oz - much more wear on it) had a #33 powder bushing stuck in it (corroded).


For the best advice on what might be the best load for you, it would probably be best to start another thread for that topic.

--

I have two 12 ga shotguns, both pump-action, one with a larger chamber than the other.
And most of my reloads are based on range hulls, anyway.

So, if I don't size, I'm just setting myself up for failure. I've run into quite a few hulls that won't chamber in one or both of the 12 gauges without being sized.

Though I only have one 20 ga, it has a fairly tight chamber and 95% of my hulls were not fired in that shotgun.
So, if I ever reload for it... failing to resize is certain to give me problems.


I have not yet used my MEC 650, and don't plan to any time soon. But I figured what I would do is just size the hulls with my Lee Load-All, and then run them through the 650 to finish off.

It would be a slow process, but I don't take the shotguns out much. I wouldn't recommend it for a guy shooting 200-300 rounds per week. But for someone like me, that might shoot 4-5 boxes per year, the Load-All is all I need for sizing - and I already have it. I think it has actually been over 4 years (maybe 5) since I loaded any standard* shot shells, and I have never used the 20 ga conversion.



*(I've loaded plenty of shot shells in the last few years ... but they were based on .30-40 Krag/.303 British cases cut to cylinder length for .44 Mag, and .410 loads in .444 Marlin brass. Remember the chickens I mentioned? )

[IMtheNRA]

I bought a used press that had rust inside the final crimp die and like your die, it scratched the hulls pretty badly. Really, really badly.

However, it took only a few minutes with an oiled fine grit sandpaper sheet to get the interior die surface really smooth. I disassembled the die, got it very wet with oil, wrapped the sandpaper around my gloved finger and just rotated the die on it for a few minutes. Worked great, and now there is no hint of scratching on my hulls.

Try that before you replace the rusty dies.

[Longshot4]

I think that is a 600 series. the rotating base tells me it's year would be in the 1980s. It would be a early progressive type press. I have a 12gage and a 20gage from 1970s. they work well. You have a lot of cleaning to do. All though after its cleaned up just keep it oiled and you wont ware it out. You can order up a adjustable charge bar so you won't have to hunt for all the bushings $$... pick up a few Lyman Shot shell hand books and they will get you going. Go to the local trap, skeet, sporting clay range and pick up your cases. I have been using Low Brass Winchester AA cases and Remington cases for 40+ years with no trouble. Avoid mixing your cases. Good luck.

[pete.bauer]

Quick update. I went ahead and disassembled the reloader and cleaned it the best I could. It doesn't look new but it looks a lot better than it did. I did replace the crimp die and finishing die - even after I got all the rust out, they still seemed to scratch the hulls some.

Bought a different bar to load for sporting clays (1oz) and some supplies (newbie). Took me some time to get everything back adjusted (and I'm still not sure it's 100% where it needs to be) but looks pretty good.

Ended up using 15.5g Hogdon 700x, Fed 209A, TGT12 Wad, and 8 shot which was supposed to put me in that 1150fps range.

Loaded about 30 shells as test and brought them out - worked great! Very happy.

Next question or thing I need to research is if my powder wad primer is ideal for sporting clays - hehe. I basically bought what was available at the time that fit a recipe online. I'm looking for a soft shooting 1150-1200fps 1oz load. I broke a lot of clays with the 30 I made and recoil was minimal so I was happy.

I also messed up and bought 1000 CCI 209M primers. I didn't pay attention to the 'Magnum' on the package since there wasn't any normal ones next to it for comparison. I'm currently using the Fed 209A's which I've read are hot? Would it be possible to substitute the cci 209M's for the Fed 209A's? I haven't tried to return them but I've heard places wont take them back for liability reasons.

Thanks again for all your help!

[Longshot4]

What is very important is get a shotgun shell loading book and read it from cover to cover. There is a lot to understand but don't be spooked.

[BigJimP]

You cannot substitute primers in shotshells....not all 209 primers are the same.

You will need to find a published recipe to use those primers.

A 1oz load at 1150 fps is about as soft a shooting she'll you are going to find ....unless you want to drop down to 7/8 oz.....

[FrankenMauser]

Unlike metallic reloading, the shot shell world is pretty much a list of 'set' ("hard and fast") recipes.
Substituting components or changing 'ingredients' may not work well and is highly discouraged.

For the 209M primers, I'd suggest you find a load that calls for them or find a shotgun shooter/reloader that will trade you standard 209s (or some other component) in exchange for the 209Ms.

[FITASC]

Next question or thing I need to research is if my powder wad primer is ideal for sporting clays - hehe. I basically bought what was available at the time that fit a recipe online. I'm looking for a soft shooting 1150-1200fps 1oz load. I broke a lot of clays with the 30 I made and recoil was minimal so I was happy.

They should be fine IF that primer isn't the "hot" one from Federal

Unlike metallic reloading, the shot shell world is pretty much a list of 'set' ("hard and fast") recipes.
Substituting components or changing 'ingredients' may not work well and is highly discouraged.

Somewhat yes, somewhat no.
Subbing standard primers for one another, when not loading max loads, will really have no bearing from a safety perspective or a performance one. Subbing similar hulls tapered for tapered, or straight walled for straight walled from different makers also has little bearing. There are clone wads from various makers that can be subbed for the OEM ones as well.

OP, if you don't have a scale already, get one. Bushing charts and their drops are notoriously off from what is printed on paper.

Good luck in getting it working. You might want to check on the availability of those orange wad guide fingers, and if not available, look into replacing that unit with the newer Delrin one thst comes on the modern machines.

[pete.bauer]

Hello,

I think it is the 'hot' one from Federal - It shows Federal 209A and at the gun shop the guy mentioned they're a hot primer. From what I found on other forums it looked like the CCI 209M was actually a little lighter than the Fed 209A ? I emailed Hodgdson today to see what they say.

This is the recipe I followed from Hodgdon's site.

Hodgdon 700-X Fed. 209A Rem. TGT12 15.5 8,100 PSI 1,150

Using a AA Hull

I did purchase a digital scale because I want to be sure exactly what I'm putting in. I measured 5 back/fourth cycles to check and I'm dropping between 15.7 - 15.9 grains of powder and .99oz of shot.