I took the advice of a few here and bought new bars and bushings for my old MEC 600. I bought the #35 powder bushing which should have given me 25.3 gr. of Herco. I loaded 3 boxes of shells that should have been 3.25 dr. eq. I took 4 samples while loading and had to wait till today at work to weigh them. I'm getting between 21.5 and 22 gr. These are good lab scales which are very accurate. I've read that the charges would be a little low but didn't expect that much. Is this normal and should I just buy larger bushings till I find what I need?

That's a little lower than I'd expect, as I can't remember being more than 2 bushing sizes off the chart. How fast you move the bar does make a difference, and it's easy to slap it across if the shot is hanging a bit. You could try pushing the bar back a 1/4", then pushing it home again. The other thing is, did you take these samples after a full cycle, i.e., you loaded a shell and ran the next one through depriming and priming before you took a sample. If you didn't, you'll get a light charge. It takes a while for flake powders to settle down and the first 5 or so charges are usually light. Some lots of powder aren't as dense as others, which can make a big difference.

I load both 12 and 20 gauge and both target and hunting loads. I've got 16 bushings.

Bye
Jack

I did not take the sample like you said. I will try that and see if it makes a difference. Do you have a favorite load for grouse hunting in your 12 ga?

Last year for Grouse I loaded lighter than I usually do. Downrange sent me a bag of sample wads, their DRXXL Pink for 7/8 ounce loads. 20.5 Grains of Green Dot, AA hull and a Winchester 209 primer, 7/8 ounce of #6 shot. A little faster than I usually load, but I don’t normally have any Red Dot. Seemed just as deadly as the heavier loads I had used for years.
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DC

This is normal. The bushing charts are almost alway way to light. That is why they make scales to weigh the drops. If you rely on charts you will always be off.

The grouse around here are Sharptails, so my load might be heavier than you need for Ruffs in the bush. Federal case with paper base wad, 1 1/4 oz. #6 lead shot, Federal 12S4 wad, Federal primer, 23.0 grains of Unique.

Bye
Jack

That 3 1/4 - 1 1/4 - X is what I've loaded for upland for many years. #4 through #7 shot, depending what I'm after. I. usually use Remington components for it, but basically the same load. This past season, considering the Ruffs are mostly close (and the price of shot is so high and the wads were free), I loaded light. The "new" load isn't going to replace my "go-to" load anytime soon, just for Grouse.

DC

A friend of mine gave me a MEC 600 with 12 gauge fittings. I have never used a MEC. Always an old LEE from the early '60's.

This MEC has a Red Charge bar, but there are no bushings. I need to know what bushings to buy. What numbers.

I have green dot powder, AA hulls, 209 primers, and the wads I have are for about an 1 1/4 oz load. I would like to load about a 3.25 equiv.

Frankly the main thing I want is to be able to load a nice load with all the stuff I already have based on teh load I have been loading with my LEE loader. The bushings there have been bored out with a drill to the load my Dad wanted 20 years ago. We have that one dialed and I want to replicate it with this MEC rathere than going to his house to load every time.

I don't mind buying several bushings to go up and down and try different ones, but I don't know where to start. If nothing else, tell me where to find tables with MEC bushings.

Your help is greatly appreciated! Thanks in advance!!
TY

It is a MEC 600 Jr
I took the charge bar out. It says 302 on top and 118 on the bottom. It does have a bushing in it. It is a #30.

What others do I need?

Thanks!
TY

302 bars are for single stage loaders like your 600. 502 bars are for MEC's progressive loaders and won't work in a 600 or Sizemaster. A 118 bar drops 1 1/8 oz. of shot. Mec has all the data on their website and I've found them helpful when I've phoned.

http://www.mecreloaders.com/

Bye
Jack

I use an adjustable bar, called Universal I think. It can be used for any gauge because the shot and powder chambers are adjustable in capacity. But you must have a scale to set it up. They are available from many suppliers but I know Cabela's carrys it.

As mentioned, you should always run about 5-10 charges thru the bar (putting the powder back in the jar) then take one for measure. Be sure to get all the powder in the scale pan too. (Using a hull to pass powder from machine to scale, you could have some stuck in the hull if you don't tap it over the pan.)

I always set my bar to drop a tenth of a grain light for safety and check the batch about every 10-15 shells. I always have a little variation. Years ago, I did some testing to see how consistant reloads were compared to factory loads. The variation in velocity, shot-to-shot, was greater in the reloads but they also existed in the factory loads. The reloads came closer to achieving published speeds than the factory ammo. FA was slower than published. This was MY test and over 10 years old but it proved interesting.

I guess what I am saying is, I don't expect perfection in bulk shotshell reloading but maintain safety margins.

If you don't use a scale to check your loads then you should not be reloading.

I ordered the universal charge bar night before last. I think it will take me a while to dial it in, but I believe it will be worth it.

I saw some with & some without the powder baffle. Which Do y'all recommend:
With or Without?

I've got a baffle on all my MECs. The plastic PC baffle is a better baffle than the metal ones I've used. The baffle will make the powder drops very consistent.

DC