chambered221 wrote:

If your not gonna shoot a lot it may not be worth the investment.

I shoot 2-3 rounds of trap a week. They sell ammo for 6$ a box.

Vince wrote:

BB's ain't so bad mate...wait till its a 1 oz load of #7.5 or #9 shot...now that's a mess.

Sorry Vince.........we sometimes refer to shot in general as BB's !!!

Have done it a few times with a 1 1/8 oz of 9's..........The worst was a nearly full bag of 7 1/2's on the floor.

stovepipe wrote:

I shoot 2-3 rounds of trap a week. They sell ammo for 6$ a box.

It's as simple as doing some math to calculate the savings and decide if it's worth it. Don't forget to factor in the price of the press and how long it will take to recoup your investment. Single stage is obviously cheaper and progressive can run you 500+


I should have also mentioned in last post that wad pressure although critical isn't something you have to monitor today. With the components and recipes available it as simple as picking the load, checking to make sure everything goes together correctly in the initial set up and loading. As far as the crimp.....I've loaded some pretty ragged stuff. As long as the shot stays in your good to go. Might not be the thing to do when shooting registered birds but none the less it works. Cold weather can play into it with the slower powders. That's usually a good time to switch to the new hulls.

I did the math w/ a LEE press. It's close if I shoot every single weekend but...I gotta load a LOT.

I've seen a pretty nice gun jammed due to a pellet or two sneaking out into places they dont belong. My partners BT wouldnt lock back up and he had to miss the last two stations 3 weeks ago and send the gun in to fish out one #9 pellet that snuck out. It would close but the lever would not lock up. He was pretty low due to that.

DON'T BUY A LEE SHOTSHELL RELOADER !!!
Buy a Mec instead.

BB's sneaking into places they don't belong is always a possibility......can't say it's something I've seen as a common occurrence.

OK- MEC...3 times as much.

I've not seen it a ton but more than once. Some shoot pumps and those don't get hung up and I've seen pellets on the ground at stations. I wont shoot anyone's reloads in my Benelli for this reason. There's a ton of open spaces pellets could get into. Had reloads come apart in my pump before, no big and no FTF. That thing could eat hammers and it wouldnt hurt it.

Mostly see issues during double's. Prob due to recoil?

OK 3 times as much in worth........trust me on this one or you'll be dealing with another warranty department !!!



In all my years around shotguns I've seen it once..........your worrying about something you shouldn't !!!

Chambered wrote:

Have done it a few times with a 1 1/8 oz of 9's..........The worst was a nearly full bag of 7 1/2's on the floor.

10lb of #7.5's OUCH...mate...I'd still be hiding from the missus if that happened to me.

Chambered wrote:

DON'T BUY A LEE SHOTSHELL RELOADER !!! Buy a Mec instead.

I agree that the MEC is pretty much the best loader on the market...bar none...however, don't write off the little LEE Load All. I bought my little LEE about 5 years ago and have loaded heaps of shotshell rounds...from #9 shot up to and including slugs...24 grams to 36 grams...and its been brilliant. Best part was the price...$80. Works fer me.

Cheers, Vince

The LEE is what got me interested in shot shell reloading as it was affordable.

In my opinion: go ahead with the Lee Load All II, but when you start, pay attention on station 4 where you start the crimp. You should put your cartridge under the stamp with the star pointing in your direction. And when you didn't put too much in your shell, keeping the lever down for a few seconds on the last stage will help to keep your star closed.

And don't push the lever too hard down because the iron bars on the sides will jump out.
That's all practical advise from someone who already lost some sweat on these points

Vince wrote:

10lb of #7.5's OUCH...mate...I'd still be hiding from the missus if that happened to me.

10lb.........I wish !!! Around these parts of the world we buy shot in 25lb bags !!!

Look around for a used Mec 600 or a Pacific DL105 !!! (pacific uses Hornady bushings)
They can usually be had for under a 100 bucks.


Vince, Mecs are the best for the money !!!
The best bar none is the Spolar a better made copy of the Ponsness Warren.

IF...I get a press it'll be a LEE. I'll be relaoding 2-3 boxes attat time, max. I'm on a tighter budget than one might think.

The last time I reloaded for 12 ga. the powder, primer and shot cost more per load than I paid for the same loads on sale. I have several hundred once fired hulls that I have had for.... 30? years.
I got them free and saved the ones I buy - just in case at some point I can get a bunch of lead shot real cheap.

Isn't therea MEC Junior? Cheaper than the 600?