Best press for shot shell

[Trakker]

MEC or Dillon?


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[rsrocket1]

At twice the price, the Dillon is better.

If you're asking what's a better value, I could tell you about the the Mec 9000GN which is very good and works fine for upwards of a couple hundred shells a week or more. Loading 100 shells takes about 1/2 hour to 45 minutes even without the electric or hydraulic drive and manually feeding a shell and a wad in it. Almost everything is infinitely adjustable which could get you in trouble if you don't know what you're adjusting or if you don't know that adjusting something at one station can have consequences at another station. The good thing is there are lots of them out there at over in the reloading section of shotgunworld.com, the moderator is an expert and can tell you how to adjust everything.

If you buy new, almost everything is factory set to make good shells and very little adjustment is necessary. Over time, things drift out of adjustment and you do need to make adjustments after several thousands of shells and they are not too bad.

If money is no object, the Dillon wins. If you are trying to save money and shoot a lot, the Mec is a good value.

[beetle]

i'm going to have to disagree. I bought the Dillon SL900 first, based on Dillon's great reputation for metallic reloaders. That press has all kinds of issues. First Dillon tried to re-use the same frame from their 650 line as a shotgun press. that means everything is super cramped. It's very hard to make adjustments, and in some cases you have to remove stuff to get to the adjustment. Second, most Remington hulls (Gun club, STS) will be too tall to load on the Dillon due to the design of the wad arm. It's a simple fix, but still rather annoying that you have to mickey mouse a brand new press. check out trapshooters.com in the reloading section, there is a guy struggling with a brand new SL900 and he is running to a lot of the same issues I had before I ended up returning it.

The MEC is a lot flimsier, it's made of sheet metal. But there are a lot of people out there with MECs, and a lot of people who know how to adjust them. Ultimately it works better than the Dillon even if it's made more cheaply. Analogy, the MEC is a honda that just works, while the Dillon is a jaguar that costs more but has more issues.

If you really want to step up to a better press look into Ponsness Warren or the top of the line Spolar.

[anyracoon]

Yep, Ponsness Warren, have 2 of them. Have had Mec's and a Hornady in the past, all junk as far as I am concerned!

[Revoman]

"all junk as far as I am concerned! "

Yeah....junk that the majority of loaders use because they work and work well, yet don't cost all that much compared to a PW or the Cadillac; Spolar.

[bigbossman]

The MEC is a lot flimsier, it's made of sheet metal.

I'm looking at my two MEC 650's, and the only sheet metal I see is the primer tray attachment. Everything else - base, frame, handle, springs, rods, etc..... all steel.

Can you show us a picture of a MEC shot shell press that is made out of sheet metal?

[foxtrotuniformlima]

I like my Dillon. The biggest advantage the Dillon has it that it doesn't use bushings for shot or powder. It also won't drop either without a shell present.

I have a couple of MEC presses. Non progressive. They are fine.

I've owned a PW. It made fine shells but has its own quirks.

I'd love a Spolar. Some day I'll get one.

Just out of curiosity, what are you planning on loading for?

[nickrdz]

RCBS!

[at_liberty]

It is pretty common among Cowboy Action shooters to not bother with reloading shot shells, so unless you shoot in great volume it might be quite a while before you amortize the cost of an expensive alternative machine against any savings over purchasing shells by the case. I like to reload on my MEC 600 Jr. but am only using about two boxes a month. As I recall, my primer feeder was optional. If I was shooting clays or doing a lot of three-gun matches, I might be a lot more interested in output rate and what that capability might cost.

[Cheep]

Ponsness Warren are great shotgun loaders and a great value if you pick up a good used one. All shotgun loaders are going to need tweaks to get them to load well. I have two PW 12ga presses (one for sale...) and a couple of MECs. The MECs are good for working up loads and the PW for volume loads. Just my 2cents.

[Rockzilla]

Have MEC's 650's and a Grabber all work fine. Ponsness Warren Spolar
is the way to go though.The old P&W are great,keep working.built well.
Everyone has their favorites, or works "best" for them.They all need
adjustments and fine tuning. But once set they run....

-Rock

[beetle]

I'm looking at my two MEC 650's, and the only sheet metal I see is the primer tray attachment. Everything else - base, frame, handle, springs, rods, etc..... all steel.

Can you show us a picture of a MEC shot shell press that is made out of sheet metal?

ok you got me -- I think I got the terminology wrong. What I meant was that most of the MEC press is made from unhardened stamped steel. it's pretty easy to bend the pieces by hand. but it's designed to work that way and kicks out a nice shell.

[sargenv]

I pick different MEC presses for different reasons. If I'm running off a bunch of target shells, I use a grabber or 9000. If I'm loading hunting ammo where the shot won't go through the bar or loading buck/slugs, the Sizemaster is my preference. The 650 is a good progressive but I don't like that it doesn't resize the brass.. The Sizemaster and 9000 both use a collet to resize the base of the shell.

I replace the powder/charge bar with an adjustable so I don't have to use powder bushings or change the bar when I want to change payload size. I can also get a more accurate shot drop based on shot size.