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Shotshell Press Recommendation


j1b

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Hello: Jim loading 1oz loads will give you 400 rounds per 25lb bag. 3/4oz loads will give you 533 rounds per bag. If you can find Extra Lite or Clays or Clay Dot they work well for 12ga light loads. Green Dot is great for 20 gauge 3/4oz loads. Once you get your SL900 running, they are a great machine. I was thinking a Spolar but after you get all the goodies it is $2000. Thanks, Eric

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I really appreciate all the help and suggestions. Right now I will probably keep running the heavier loads. One reason is that this load runs my Stoeger M3k so one load does all. That said, after I get more comfortable loading, I'll start switching up runs.

I was having one new issue, the darned primer system started hanging up. I think lubrication has solved that.

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  • 7 months later...

I don't shoot a whole bunch of shot gun maybe 1k in a good year. I've had my 12 ga MEC 600jr forever and it has never failed me. I just picked up a lee for 16 ga. Do to the low cost, for low volume standard loads it works. But I have found the MEC is what is needed for custom loads. On the lee load all you have to take it half apart to work on your custom loads. The MEC I just flip the powder shot bottles to the back and drop you powder and shot down the funnel, no tools needed. Since the lee was 1/3 the price of the MEC die set I thought I would give it a shot. You get what you pay for.

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For loaders, it kind depends on the volume. When we shot a TON of shotgun back in my HS/College days when the price of loading was cheap (12-14 bucks a bag for shot, primers under 100 5K and 8 pounds of poweder under 100 bucks) and tried a couple loaders. For normal volume shooting for the average person the Mec 9000G will do everything you want and last forever. We had 4 shooters in the family running huge volumes and ended up going to a heavier duty press just due to the volume we were doing. If it were just one of us shooting even the volume we did would have stopped at the 9000G. the place that the 9000G does suffer is on the 410 as it does not hold the hull just they very bottom base so you have to slow down a touch or it will wobble. For that the PW or spolar does a better job. For the 28, 20 and 12 ga especially its not an issue. I could crank them out pretty fast on the 9000G and would have the hulls set up on the bench so I could grab a few at a time with one hand and have a few wads in the other and pull the handle with the wad hand.

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Hello: I have a Dillon and a Spolar. Both great presses and make wonderful shells. The Dillon is a little faster than the Spolar even with the Hydro unit. Bought the used Spolar since Dillon doesn't make a 410 conversion. I will say both presses stay in adjustment compared to some of the others. I would say learn as much as you can about the different press designs then decide which one is best for you. Sure wish Dillon made a 410 conversion. Thanks, Eric

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I am not a longtime Shotshell reloader, I've only loaded a few hundred so far so take this for what it is worth, I have a Dillon 900 that I bought used, It sat on my bench for just about ever until recently. I finally decided I wanted to try my hand at trap and even wtih component costs I can reload a bit cheaper than I can buy quality loads. The Dillon works pretty darned smooth, there are a few issues that you have to watch, it is not the same as loading metallic cartridge. That said, Dillon support is there for you and they have answered my questions and got me on the road to smooth reloading, that to me is worth a lot.

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  • 1 year later...

Started with Mec 600 jrs. went to used Hornady 366 in 12 and 28 gauges. found a

NIB hornady 366 in 20ga. couldn't find one in 410. Dillon doesn't make one. Bought

new P/W in .410. all wrk great. P/W is a marvle but not at 4 times the price of used 366.

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I have 4 mec 9000Gs that I have used for over 25 years with very few parts needing replacement (fingers, bottles(plastic cracked due to age) and 1 hydro cyl.)

I shot comp skeet for many years (high volume) I load 7/8 oz 12 ga loads with 700x and have not adjusted anything on the loader in 20 years or so. I made plywood bases for the mecs (slightly larger than the base of the machine) and put 4 bolts facing up from the bottom of the bench (standard nut on top with a wingnut to secure base to bolt) to switch from one ga to the other loosen wingnut, set machine with wooden base over the bolts tighten wing nuts and away you go . I have a cut out on the table on the left side of the loader (looking at it) so loaded shells drop through the hole into a plastic box on a shelf under the table and another hole drilled under the loader for spent primers

 

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  • 9 months later...

My Dillon was great when it was in new condition. Fast forward 50000 rounds and the powder measure spills about 20gr every 100 reloads. Ended up getting a well used pw 800b and it works so much better, but a lot slower

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  • 1 month later...

Best loader I have found is a MEC 9000G for 12, 20, 28 and 410 gauge. They are economical, fast loading, efficient, do not spill shot/powder, and I have loaded thousands of rounds- especially the 12 ga- without replacing parts- just an adjustment to the machines.  They give you a great crimp on the hulls. I have them lined up and fastened to my loading bench.

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I sold all my shot shell reloading equipment about 3 years ago. The biggest reason was because of shot going up so much. I can remember buying shot for $16.00 per 25 lbs bag. (BTW, I have loaded and shot a ton of shot, that's 80 bag).

 

Sorry for the long story but Ponsness/Warren is the way to go. Can't remember which model I had but it was a great machine. 

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1 hour ago, Philip Dedmon said:

I sold all my shot shell reloading equipment about 3 years ago. The biggest reason was because of shot going up so much. I can remember buying shot for $16.00 per 25 lbs bag. (BTW, I have loaded and shot a ton of shot, that's 80 bag).

 

Sorry for the long story but Ponsness/Warren is the way to go. Can't remember which model I had but it was a great machine. 

Magnum shot was 13.95 last time I bought a skid. Years and years ago. Cheaper to buy AA nowadays 

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  • 3 months later...

I have had a mec 9000g with the adjustable bar for 6 years now. I shoot about 500 shells a month. And as long as I keep up on husbandry it runs fine. I can turn out 100 shells in about 10-15mins. 

 

As someone said before shell prices have been coming down dramatically lately. If you are shooting an off the shelf load it might be cheaper to just buy shells. Walmart had 1oz loads the other day for $3.80!

 

I shoot 7/8oz loads so it’s easier for me to reload than to try to hunt them down. 

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  • 6 months later...

These days I load a lot of 28ga for skeet since I have lots, lots of once fired hulls. Cost per box according to the calculator on trapshooters.com is about $3.50 even with the cost of shot at $40/bag vs about $12/box is you purchase factory.

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  • 1 year later...

I use a MEC 9000G to load my cowboy shells. 1100fps, 1 oz, and they are soft shooting since cannot find WW factory low recoil shells (980fps). This press is economical, auto indexing, and runs well if maintained. Can load 2 boxes per half-hour easily and the crimps are great.

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I have a 12ga MEC 9000GN that I have loaded thousands of trap and skeet shells on. Very efficient, cost effective, and easy. Suggest you get a roller handle from in line fabrication if you are going to load lots of shells- easier on the hand.

You can add a hydraulic unit to this press and make it automatic for a reasonable cost.

Before purchasing a press do a cost analysis per box of shells reloaded vs factory. Margins are decreasing between factory and  reloads. However, I am still reloading 28 ga skeet for about $3/box (have lots of free once fired hulls) vs $12+/box factory shells. About the same for 20 ga skeet (have lots of free once fired hulls).

Have been reloading 12ga for 40+ years for trap. Little less for skeet- still reload for 28 and 20ga skeet.

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