MEC Shotshell Reloader Help

[Fix_F16]

First, I tried to search previous threads but no matches came up. I bought a used MEC Sizemaster and I'm interested in reloading shotshells. I'm having a hard time figuring out the correct shot/wad/powder combinations. I've looked at the charts on the MEC web site for charge bar and bushing information, however I feel like I'm stuck at what to do next.

I have several empty Winchester AA hulls, so naturally I want to use them in the set up.

Where can I get some direction for a shell component combinations?

Thanks

[J-D]

Sounds like you need a reloading manual . The powder manufactures put them out free. A lot of the sporting goods store that sell reloading supplies have them or you can down load them from the powder manufactures web sites. If you're new to this follow the recipes exactly ie powder type, hull ,primmer, wad and so on . These manuals usually have bushing charts for your amount of powder for a particular bushing . Have fun, you will save a lot of $ once you're set up, especially for the little guys like the 28 and the .410

[KLR]

You can research starting load data on the net once you figure out what powder you want to use. If your new to reloading, a reloading manual is an absolute must!!!!

Seriously, a good manual will give you safe starting shot/wad/powder/hull combos to start with, plus the basic mechanics of how to reload- ENJOY!!

[sneakboxer]

I have the Lyman 5th ed Shotshell Reloading book its pretty good. This book has hundereds of loads, from 7/8 to 3.5in mags, slugs and steel I was suprised to see that just changing the wad or primer could change your pressure so much in a shotgun. Have fun and stay safe.

[8nchuck]

What powder are you using?
What primer brand?
What wads?
What size load. 1oz, 1 1/8oz?

Need to know these things.

[dogwhistle]

the Lyman shotshell book is probably the best place to start. it not only gives you recipes but it explains the entire process and has photographs of the different hulls and wads. the first thing you need to understand is PRESSURE.

my advice is once you are ready to begin, choose one good target load recipe- one hull, one wad, one type and weight of powder and stick with it.

also, i would strongly recommend that you buy a powder scale, an inex*****ve one will do, to verify that yourr bushings are throwing the correct weight of powder.

[Mags]

also, i would strongly recommend that you buy a powder scale, an inex*****ve one will do, to verify that yourr bushings are throwing the correct weight of powder.

Very good and important advice!!!
I used to use a little "O-Haus"(sp) scale, and found that the powder charge for a particular bushing was not accurate at all. I had to buy and fiddle with several bushings 'till I got the correct powder charge weight. This was using my Versmec 700 reloader. Nowadays, they make a "universal charge bar" you can buy as an option for around $45 and you can adjust the openings to get the correct charge weight. Sure wish they had that 30 yrs. ago or so........would have made reloading life a good bit easier.:)

[Fix_F16]

Thanks guys.

The reloader came with a #30 bushing and a 302 118 charge bar. The MEC web site has that as a 1 1/8 oz shot load. I haven't bought any components yet, except for the hulls I already have. I thought I'd do some research and ask questions first.

Judging from the Hodgdon and MEC web sites, the current charge bar / bushing combination should work for a target and grouse load. I have a scale and I'll definitely ensure the bushing is throwing the proper charge.

My goal is to ultimately have a few different combinations for my hunting needs (grouse, pheasant, steel). I want to eventually load steel loads for an out of state pheasant hunt later this year.

[TSS Caddis]

IMO, buying a manual is overkill. This really is not rocket science.

Odds are you'll end up shooting Duster Wads, because of the price, Hodgdon's Clay's powder and a Winchester 209 primer with your AA hulls, but there are many other combination. This is what I shoot so I'm partial.

On the back of the Duster Wad bag(they carry at Gander) you find load information. If you want to shoot Clay's powder, then pick a recipe on the back of the duster bag that uses Clay's, a Winchester 209 primer, AA hull and gives you around 1150 fps(a load most auto's will cycle). The load data on the bag will probably list powder in grains of powder, just go to MEC's web site and it will give you the conversion between grains of Clay's and the MEC bushing, my guess is around a 30 bushing, but check.

Simple as that. Put bushing in charge bar, and have at it. You may or may not need to adjust your crimp, but that is about it.

I have not changed my 9000 in years so I could not tell you what gr of Clay's I'm running, except it's Clay's, Green 1oz Duster wad, Winchester 209 primer at about 1040fps. I run this in any hull I lay my hands on, AA, STS, Gold even el cheapo Remington gun club hulls.

[Fix_F16]

Another question, does more PSI equal more recoil? I noticed in the charts that changing the wad and/or primer can drastically change the pressure and muzzle velocity. However, I also noticed that some have lower pressures but maintain a higher velocity. My thinking is, if recoil does come from the pressure, then the lowest PSI with the highest muzzle velocity would be the most desirable combination. Am I wrong here?

Thanks

[dogwhistle]

a reloading manual isnt absolutey necessary. but a knowledge of what you are doing is and you dont get that from just reading recipes from wad or powder manufacurers. look at the question previous to this post.

[roger23]

Psi means split barrel if to much....Ben there done that put the wrong combination of wad, powder,and powder bushing in,,,,,

[TSS Caddis]

There really is not much to learn with reloading shot shells. It really is as simple as following a published recipe on the back of the Wads or from Winchester or where ever. All Fix needs to do is read the MEC manual and it really is as simple as that. Odds are his reloader came setup close to what he needs.

Please enlighten me on anything else he should know other than following the recipe?

Reading the MEC manual, he'll learn, put shell into position A, depress the handle, this will unseat the primer, manually put a primer into position B, move hull to position B and depress the handle, this will seat the primer, move shell to position C, depress the handle, while the handle is depressed move the charge bar, this will drop roughly the number of grains of your powder that the bushing allows, lift up on handle, put wad on powder drop tube, depress handle again, this will seat the wad, without moving shell move slide charge bar, this will drop the oz. of shot for the bar you have into the wad, move to station D, depress handle, this will start the crimp, move shell to station E, depress handle, this will finish the crimp. If your finished shell's crimp has a swirl then you may need to move adjust your crimp up a bit. If your shell does not fit your gun(auto loaders are sloppy so he won't have to do this) you may need to adjust your sizer.

I have a sizemaster I use for 410, I may be slightly off on the above since I have not used it in a year, but I bet I'm spot on with each step.

Not trying to be confrontational, but it really is that simple.

[TSS Caddis]

Fix, it is very simple to reload shot shells and is a lot of fun.

Here is a source for recipes: http://data.hodgdon.com/shotshell_load.asp

Pick a middle of the road recipe as far as fps to start with. Buy the components, go home and use this web site to make sure you have the right bushing for the grains of powder brand you want: http://www.mecreloaders.com/PowderBushingBar/bushhodgdon.asp

Get out the MEC Sizemaster manual and walk through the steps. It really is that simple and safe. I'm betting the steps I listed in the post above match the MEC manual very closely.

Here are some recipes for AA's from the link above using Clays powder:

Shell: 2 3/4" WINCHESTER COMPRESSION - FORMED AA & HS TYPE PLASTIC SHELLS

Load Type Gauge Shot Wt. Powder Primer Wad Powder Wt. (Gr.) Pressure Vel. (ft/s)

Lead Shot 12 1 1/8 oz. Clays CCI 209 Fed. 12S3 16.2 7,200 LUP 1090
Lead Shot 12 1 1/8 oz. Clays CCI 209 Fed. 12S3 17.6 8,700 LUP 1145
Lead Shot 12 1 1/8 oz. Clays CCI 209 Fed. 12S3 19 10,100 LUP 1200
Lead Shot 12 1 1/8 oz. Clays CCI 209 Hor. Versalite 15.8 9,900 PSI 1090
Lead Shot 12 1 1/8 oz. Clays CCI 209 Hor. Versalite 16.8 10,400 PSI 1145
Lead Shot 12 1 1/8 oz. Clays CCI 209 Red PC 16.5 8,400 PSI 1090
Lead Shot 12 1 1/8 oz. Clays CCI 209 Red PC 17 10,000 PSI 1145
Lead Shot 12 1 1/8 oz. Clays CCI 209 Red PC 18.3 11,400 PSI 1200
Lead Shot 12 1 1/8 oz. Clays CCI 209 Rem. Fig. 8 16 8,700 PSI 1090
Lead Shot 12 1 1/8 oz. Clays CCI 209 Rem. Fig. 8 16.8 9,600 PSI 1145
Lead Shot 12 1 1/8 oz. Clays CCI 209 WAA12 16 8,900 PSI 1090
Lead Shot 12 1 1/8 oz. Clays CCI 209 WAA12 17 9,800 PSI 1145
Lead Shot 12 1 1/8 oz. Clays CCI 209 WAA12 18.1 11,300 PSI 1200
Lead Shot 12 1 1/8 oz. Clays CCI 209 Windjammer 16 8,200 PSI 1090
Lead Shot 12 1 1/8 oz. Clays CCI 209 Windjammer 16.8 8,600 PSI 1145
Lead Shot 12 1 1/8 oz. Clays CCI 209 Windjammer 18.5 11,100 PSI 1200
Lead Shot 12 1 1/8 oz. Clays CCI 209SC Hor. Versalite 16 9,700 PSI 1090
Lead Shot 12 1 1/8 oz. Clays CCI 209SC Hor. Versalite 17 10,900 PSI 1145
Lead Shot 12 1 1/8 oz. Clays CCI 209SC Red PC 16 9,800 PSI 1090
Lead Shot 12 1 1/8 oz. Clays CCI 209SC Red PC 17.1 10,100 PSI 1145
Lead Shot 12 1 1/8 oz. Clays CCI 209SC Red PC 18.2 11,500 PSI 1200
Lead Shot 12 1 1/8 oz. Clays CCI 209SC Rem. Fig. 8 15.7 8,800 PSI 1090
Lead Shot 12 1 1/8 oz. Clays CCI 209SC Rem. Fig. 8 16.5 10,400 PSI 1145
Lead Shot 12 1 1/8 oz. Clays CCI 209SC Trapper 15.5 10,300 PSI 1090
Lead Shot 12 1 1/8 oz. Clays CCI 209SC Trapper 16 11,400 PSI 1145
Lead Shot 12 1 1/8 oz. Clays CCI 209SC WAA12 15.5 9,300 PSI 1090
Lead Shot 12 1 1/8 oz. Clays CCI 209SC WAA12 16 10,600 PSI 1145
Lead Shot 12 1 1/8 oz. Clays CCI 209SC Windjammer 16.1 8,600 PSI 1090
Lead Shot 12 1 1/8 oz. Clays CCI 209SC Windjammer 16.7 9,100 PSI 1145
Lead Shot 12 1 1/8 oz. Clays CCI 209SC Windjammer 17.8 11,500 PSI 1200
Lead Shot 12 1 1/8 oz. Clays Ched. 209 Rem. Fig. 8 16.4 8,800 PSI 1090
Lead Shot 12 1 1/8 oz. Clays Ched. 209 Rem. Fig. 8 17.5 10,200 PSI 1145
Lead Shot 12 1 1/8 oz. Clays Ched. 209 WAA12 15.8 9,400 PSI 1090
Lead Shot 12 1 1/8 oz. Clays Ched. 209 WAA12 17.2 10,700 PSI 1145
Lead Shot 12 1 1/8 oz. Clays Ched. 209 Windjammer 15.7 7,900 PSI 1090
Lead Shot 12 1 1/8 oz. Clays Ched. 209 Windjammer 17.4 9,500 PSI 1145
Lead Shot 12 1 1/8 oz. Clays Ched. 209 Windjammer 19 11,100 PSI 1200
Lead Shot 12 1 1/8 oz. Clays Fed. 209A Red PC 15.8 9,400 PSI 1090
Lead Shot 12 1 1/8 oz. Clays Fed. 209A Red PC 16.7 10,300 PSI 1145
Lead Shot 12 1 1/8 oz. Clays Fed. 209A Rem. Fig. 8 15.8 10,700 PSI 1090
Lead Shot 12 1 1/8 oz. Clays Fed. 209A Rem. Fig. 8 16.6 11,100 PSI 1145
Lead Shot 12 1 1/8 oz. Clays Fed. 209A WAA12 15 9,700 PSI 1090
Lead Shot 12 1 1/8 oz. Clays Fed. 209A WAA12 16 10,800 PSI 1145
Lead Shot 12 1 1/8 oz. Clays Fed. 209A Windjammer 16 9,100 PSI 1090
Lead Shot 12 1 1/8 oz. Clays Fed. 209A Windjammer 16.7 10,300 PSI 1145
Lead Shot 12 1 1/8 oz. Clays Fed. 209A Windjammer 18 11,400 PSI 1200
Lead Shot 12 1 1/8 oz. Clays Fio. 616 Rem. Fig. 8 15.5 9,200 PSI 1090
Lead Shot 12 1 1/8 oz. Clays Fio. 616 Rem. Fig. 8 16.5 10,700 PSI 1145
Lead Shot 12 1 1/8 oz. Clays Fio. 616 WAA12 15.5 9,400 PSI 1090
Lead Shot 12 1 1/8 oz. Clays Fio. 616 WAA12 16 10,900 PSI 1145
Lead Shot 12 1 1/8 oz. Clays Fio. 616 Windjammer 15.3 8,400 PSI 1090
Lead Shot 12 1 1/8 oz. Clays Fio. 616 Windjammer 16.3 9,500 PSI 1145
Lead Shot 12 1 1/8 oz. Clays Fio. 616 Windjammer 17.7 11,200 PSI 1200
Lead Shot 12 1 1/8 oz. Clays Rem. 209P Hor. Versalite 16 8,800 PSI 1090
Lead Shot 12 1 1/8 oz. Clays Rem. 209P Hor. Versalite 16.5 9,200 PSI 1145
Lead Shot 12 1 1/8 oz. Clays Rem. 209P Hor. Versalite 18 11,100 PSI 1200
Lead Shot 12 1 1/8 oz. Clays Rem. 209P Red PC 17.1 7,200 LUP 1090
Lead Shot 12 1 1/8 oz. Clays Rem. 209P Red PC 18.4 7,800 LUP 1145
Lead Shot 12 1 1/8 oz. Clays Rem. 209P Red PC 19.6 8,400 LUP 1200
Lead Shot 12 1 1/8 oz. Clays Rem. 209P Rem. Fig. 8 16.3 9,000 PSI 1090
Lead Shot 12 1 1/8 oz. Clays Rem. 209P Rem. Fig. 8 17.3 10,100 PSI 1145
Lead Shot 12 1 1/8 oz. Clays Rem. 209P Rem. Fig. 8 18.5 11,500 PSI 1200
Lead Shot 12 1 1/8 oz. Clays Rem. 209P WAA12 15.9 8,900 PSI 1090
Lead Shot 12 1 1/8 oz. Clays Rem. 209P WAA12 17 9,400 PSI 1145
Lead Shot 12 1 1/8 oz. Clays Rem. 209P Windjammer 16.5 8,100 PSI 1090
Lead Shot 12 1 1/8 oz. Clays Rem. 209P Windjammer 17.5 9,400 PSI 1145
Lead Shot 12 1 1/8 oz. Clays Rem. 209P Windjammer 18.5 10,400 PSI 1200
Lead Shot 12 1 1/8 oz. Clays Win. 209 Fio. TL1 16 9,700 PSI 1090
Lead Shot 12 1 1/8 oz. Clays Win. 209 Fio. TL1 17 10,900 PSI 1145
Lead Shot 12 1 1/8 oz. Clays Win. 209 Hor. Versalite 16.4 8,300 LUP 1090
Lead Shot 12 1 1/8 oz. Clays Win. 209 Hor. Versalite 17.6 9,400 LUP 1145
Lead Shot 12 1 1/8 oz. Clays Win. 209 Hor. Versalite 18.8 10,600 LUP 1200
Lead Shot 12 1 1/8 oz. Clays Win. 209 LAGE Uniwad 16 9,700 PSI 1090
Lead Shot 12 1 1/8 oz. Clays Win. 209 LAGE Uniwad 16.9 10,600 PSI 1145
Lead Shot 12 1 1/8 oz. Clays Win. 209 Red PC 16.3 7,900 PSI 1090
Lead Shot 12 1 1/8 oz. Clays Win. 209 Red PC 17 9,100 PSI 1145
Lead Shot 12 1 1/8 oz. Clays Win. 209 Red PC 18.3 10,900 PSI 1200
Lead Shot 12 1 1/8 oz. Clays Win. 209 Rem. Fig. 8 16 7,700 LUP 1090
Lead Shot 12 1 1/8 oz. Clays Win. 209 Rem. Fig. 8 17 8,500 LUP 1145
Lead Shot 12 1 1/8 oz. Clays Win. 209 Rem. Fig. 8 18.1 9,400 LUP 1200
Lead Shot 12 1 1/8 oz. Clays Win. 209 WAA12 16.1 7,700 LUP 1090
Lead Shot 12 1 1/8 oz. Clays Win. 209 WAA12 17.3 8,800 LUP 1145
Lead Shot 12 1 1/8 oz. Clays Win. 209 WAA12 18.2 9,800 LUP 1200