Low brass is way easier to reload and quality hulls like Winchester AA's, Remington Gun Clubs, or Nitro STS hulls last me 10-12 reloads before the crimp petals begin to split. High brass hulls are a holdover from the bygone era of paper shotshells that couldn't withstand the firing temperature and pressure around the initial ignition of the powder charge. The brass portion was extended forwards to contain the initial pressure spike and heat, so the paper wouldn't fail. With modern polymer hull bodies, that is no longer and issue and the added brass doesn't achieve anything the polymer doesn't other than complicating the reloading process. There's a lot of misinformation out there on high brass hulls being superior when they're really not, for anyone loading trap and skeet or normal pressure loads. Also the sizing mechanism on the 600JR doesn't eject high brass hulls all the way out and often it gets stuck and has to be pulled out by hand.Hope this helps!
Correct me if I’m wrong. Not trying to be a Dick or anything just want to learn. If you reload low brass isint there a higher probability of it exploding when fired? Or am I wrong?
@@thereloadingcraft I never got into trap and skeet like he did. So we sold his mec 600 and mine, but still have a mec900 and ponsness warren collecting dust.
Instantly fell into a state of nostalgia remembering the uncountable amount of ammunition I helped my dad reload. Reloading was his life and it's one thing that will always be a special link between him and I.
I have a MEC 650 (progressive reloader) . All I have to do is feed it hulls and wads. Every time I pull down on the handle a finished shell comes off of the turret. I believe that there's a way to motorize it and operate it by a foot operated switch. I've loaded thousands of shells on that machine.
@@thereloadingcraft well the higher end hulls are, sadly the cheaper hulls don’t last near as long, for example the white box Winchester hulls can only last abt 2 reloads
It’s doing alright haha, just over 24k the other day and pretty decent view counts too. Shoot me a text or give me a call sometime, it’s been a while since we’ve caught up last ☺️
For anyone wondering about detailed information on this press, check out my latest full-format video here ⤵️ MEC 600 Jr. - Setting Up and Adjusting The Best Shotshell Press For The Money ru-vid.com/video/%D0%B2%D0%B8%D0%B4%D0%B5%D0%BE-x1Cm5kDEXQ8.html Video chapters are available, and if you have any questions feel free to drop a comment!
hey man just wanted to ask an correct me if im wrong but arnt short brass shells dangerous to reload ? i was told the lack of brass causes failure at the plastic behind the wading agin tho correct if im wrong im genuinely curious and want to know more about reloading
@@DEDSHOGUN nope, if anything they’re better to reload, since the sizing process has less brass to size. Unless you’re really hot-rodding your 12 gauge loads, the crimp will fail before you can overpressure the base.
Damn my dad worked at a shogun shells manufacturing facility but never got to see how it worked, all I remember is when he showed me a video of a pool of 12 unloaded 12 gauge shells
Have you seen how high the profits are at ammo companies? Nah, they will keep selling, people who are afraid of ammo shortages are making them very wealthy.
Profits are up I’m sure, especially post-COVID. However raw material costs are up as well, which I’ve seen firsthand. I think the truth is somewhere in the middle.
@@thereloadingcraft well, if raw materials are up, AND they are profiting MORE, then the truth isn't in the middle. They are simply playing the "inflation" lie, as are so many other industries.
@@rickyanke9407 If you havent paid attention disarming populous globally has been going on for decades already. Its not ammo companies you need to be worried but governments. You can thankfully still make ammo your self from raw materials, though shells are bit harder to make, but where there is a will there is a way.
So this particular press cost me about $150 used, before I restored it. New they run closer to 300, although you can find them anywhere in between. For more info on the press and to see details of how it works, check out my latest video here ->ru-vid.com/video/%D0%B2%D0%B8%D0%B4%D0%B5%D0%BE-x1Cm5kDEXQ8.html
@@rolfanderson3925 came here thinking the same thing. With how much I enjoy this process (even though I don't own a gun!) I may have to get one of these to do this as a hobby. Autism be damned, I can reload a shot shell
Yup. My dad invented the home reloader. It was seen and copied and patented before my dad could get funding. That was over 50 years ago! The re-loader you showed was a different setup than Dad's. one word of caution...make sure no shot get into the cup where your re-primer station is, for obvious reasons !!!
After I have personally loaded well over 10 thousand trap loads winchester AAs are the best hulls you can buy but the Remington gun clubs do come close. But great job with the video we need more people that know how to reload
My mom and dad bought me a 600 Jr. for my 14 birthday because I started shooting trap at a local club. I'm 67 and still loading shells on that same 600 Jr. for myself and my grandchildren so they can shoot trap at that same club. It literally has to have 500,000 rounds loaded off it. Only maintenance has been a drop or 2 of turbine oil on pivots and wear points once in a while. Nuff said.
Woa, that’s such a cool piece of history and conversation piece, as well as still being a good press! They really are made to last the long haul. (And a couple drops of oil now and then are all mine gets too, they don’t need much)
100% agree! I have nothing but praise for the design, and part availability should you want to change or miraculously end up wearing anything out. Absolutely the best shotshell press for the money
@The Reloading Craft Well... as I've just learned from my father, it's more expensive at the current time to buy Primers and Powder than shells. Still, I've been wanting to get into firearm stuff, so it'll happen eventually.
On the Lee primer four station progressive press dish feeder a few grains of powder would jam the feeder. Usually when I am getting a good rhythm. It sucks when you have primer jam and one powder load to clean. Before restarting the process. Primer feeder dish has a curve that mostly works. But could be better designed and improved.
@@thereloadingcraft Lee processive press, four station model, primer feed chute wasn't their greatest design, the weight of the primers should allow for easy feeding, the reality unfortunately is more annoying, jamming, then next stage you have the deep joy of powder exiting the empty primer hole. i would watch the primers feeding correctly look away because its working then have primers jam up.
Sweet deal! Check out my full length video below if you’d like some info on how to set it up/dial in the different stations 👌🏻 Thanks for watching! MEC 600 Jr. - Setting Up and Adjusting The Best Shotshell Press For The Money ru-vid.com/video/%D0%B2%D0%B8%D0%B4%D0%B5%D0%BE-x1Cm5kDEXQ8.html
Super cool. Would love to see if someone can be so efficient as to have multiple shells being prepared on multiple parts of that station at the same time
With a progressive press it is possible, with this one it is not since multiple operations are performed in the powder/wad/shot station before the shell advanced to the pre-crimp stage.
I love reloading, and I love MEC presses too, I've got a Grabber manual progressive model and it really pumps the rounds out when you get into your groove. I especially like casting and loading Lyman 525gr diabolo slugs which I use to plink with or for bartering with friends, everyone loves slugs and slugs are normally expensive so it's nice when I can load a box of 25 for about $6-$7 and sell it for $15 which goes right back into buying reloading supplies. I recently came upon 350 pounds of lead for free so I've got quite a stockpile now too lol, I can cast slugs for years at this rate. Primers are finally becoming available here and there which is awesome, I picked up 5000 Cheddite 209s for $360 shipped a few months ago and have been able to reload for the first time in literally years.
Nice!! For me lead is the hard thing to find, shot is available, and “some” powders are available. My usual Hodgdon clays or clay dot have been near impossible to find and have slowed down my shotshell reloading a good bit. What do the grabber’s run as far as price usually?
@@thereloadingcraft I paid about $600 after tax for the reloader a couple years ago but it's a little over $700 before tax now unfortunately, this inflation is really screwing us. And yeah powder is a bear to find now too, I run Alliant Green Dot in all my loads and I'm down to my last two pounds, I've got to order some soon while I still can. Crazy what ammo prices are doing, I just got back from the gun store a few hours ago (bought a Sig P365X too!) everything has gone wild, $100 for a box of Cheddite primers, $45 for a pound of smokeless, no wads, and the cheapest crappiest .308 I could find was $30 a box of 20. It's gone insane.
Was going to ask how many reloads you get per shell before they are no good , but I think I read below 10 to 12 times that's way more than I thought, was thinking maybe 5 times , definitely worth doing it for that many uses, thanks for the video .
I griped and grumbled at my uncle the first time he took me hunting, over having to save the empty shells. When we got home he took me into his shed and showed me how to reload. And explained how much money we just saved. I was surprised to say the least.
Yo I have this same reload station set up at home my dad and I always try to synchronize and do multiple shells on the same machine at the same time. Endless hours of fun and a good way to save money.
Great video. Thanks for sharing. I will say your final crimp isn't seated correctly. This could be a result of an overcharge of powder or shot. Or the wad not being seated properly. Ideally, you want your shot and wad to be within roughly an 1/8th inch from the top of the hull. So when the final crimp is finished the edge of the hull is slightly rolled and tapered. With the crimp recessed into the hull. An overfilled or unfilled shell will alter your shotgun pressures. If your hull is overfilled ensure your load recipe and components are correct. If your hull is underfilled you can use shot cards, or cork and felt fillers to take up space. Obviously these can potentially affect your pressures so ensure you are following load recipes to a T. I love the MEC 600 JR mine is almost 40 years old.
This is an older video, and changes have been made since then but I appreciate the catch. All load data is followed to a T, and checked on a calibrated scale. The crimp was fine, however the taper on the hull mouth was a bit excessive and was the cause of the excess bulge.
