16ga.com ~ View topic

Member Joined: 27 Jun 2005 Posts: 1545 Location: Michigan

Okay, I've about had it with single stage loaders, way to slow. Mad

Does anyone reload 16 gauge 2-9/16" shells on either a 650 Mec or a Grabber. I called Mec and they said they didn't think you could load the shorter shells on a progressive machine. If you guys have the some experience. Is there a progressive reloader that will work for what I want to do?
Thanks, Dave Miles

Dave, I know that BPR sells 2-1/2 to 2-3/4 shell lifters for doing the shorter shell on a 2-3/4" press or a 2-3/4 on one set up for 3" shells. I think they sell them for the 16 ga too. You could use them in the Grabber, just not until station three. you will need four of them. You can probably adjust the dies on the grabber upwards to allow for the added 1/16 inch. The shell length will not be a problem on station one, the sizing/depriming station nor station two, the reprime and powder drop station. Just insert the shell into one after station two and then remove it after station six for the next shell going to station 4. I think there will be room below the crimp ing and taper dies at stations 5 and 6 for clearing the inserts, because the single stage presses all use the same basic crimp die at station 5.

Member Joined: 27 Jun 2005 Posts: 1545 Location: Michigan

Well, I bought the MEC Grabber, in 16 gauge. Took a few minor adjustments, but I'm loading 2-9/16" Cheddite hulls, with crimps as good as the factory. No short kit or lifters required. Very Happy

One thing I did notice, on the new loaders. The bottle spacing is farther apart. My bottle support bracket from the old loader won't fit. Mad

Guest

Dave did you start with new unfired hulls or did you use once fired 2 3/4 hulls trimmed to 2 9/16th?

Member Joined: 27 Jun 2005 Posts: 1545 Location: Michigan

I am loading once fired 2-9/16" ARMUSA Hulls. I have 1000 of the new Cheddite hulls, that I have not tried loading with a 6 point crimp yet. I have roll crimped the new hulls, with great success. It's just a much slower loading process. I also have over a 1000 of the Black Remington hulls. If you measure these, they are 2-5/8". I'm hoping I can load these with the same settings as for the -9/16" hulls. I'll let you know, when I try them.

Well live and learn. I've never bothered to measure a Remington GL case, but I bet I know why its not 2-3/4" long. In fact most all factory shells are about an 1/8 inch short of their stated length to avoid any problems with short chambers. Most American 2-9/16 chambers are actually a tad over 2-5/8 for the same reason. So it all works out nicely.

I'm glad you are able to use the Grabber. It is a time challenged man's dream. You can even load Poly Wad spreader loads on it easy as pie. Just insert the spreader pin down in the wad guide and seat it into the shot with an extra but very light pull of the handle. Just go easy to avoid dropping more shot. The wad guide will center the insert perfectly every time right smack into the middle of the shot. However, don't use short cupped Euro wads for these loads. They work best with American wads. R16 wads should work perfectly here.

Joined: 24 Dec 2011 Posts: 35 Location: United States

I reload three different shotshell gauges, but 16 ga. has always been the problem for me. Why? I haven't been able to find factory loads or hulls with brass bases. That is important for me. I have two guns with chambers at opposite limits of the SAAMI standard. That means I have to do some serious resizing on all the hulls that I fire in the "looser" gun, to get them to fit the "tighter" gun. Often that means multiple passes through the resizing die or collet, because steel tends to spring back.

I've given up talking to the reloader manufacturers hoping for an improvement in their tooling and machines. I just wish the ammo and component manufacturers would address the base issue.

Joined: 11 Jul 2011 Posts: 38 Location: Missouri

Buy your self a MEC Super Sizer and I believe your problems will disappear.

Hey Dave, that bottle spacing is not "new". Because two different drop tubes are used on the MEC progressives, the spacing is different than on their single stage loaders. That goes all the way back to the original progressive MEC, the 500. That's why the progressive charge bars are 500 series and the single stage bars are 300 series -- the single stage spacing goes all the way back to the First MEC, the 300. You've also noticed by now the shot and powder bottles are reversed, left-to-right on the progressive vs. the single stage MEC's.

You made a good choice in the Grabber. Did you have to modify any parts to be able to crimp 2 9/16'" shells? On my 16 ga MEC I made the adjustment slot in the crimp cam a little longer to get down to the shorter shell -- a little work with a round file. That's all it took. For the progressive MEC's, it helps to lower the wad guide a little, too, to make sure the wad does not catch on the crimp folds occasionally.

Joined: 24 Dec 2011 Posts: 35 Location: United States

Joined: 16 Aug 2012 Posts: 13

how about on a 9000? Same thing? (file out the slot)

Joined: 16 Aug 2012 Posts: 13

Incidentally the 1632 wad from Grafs also works great with either polywads or x stream spreaders because the cup is real long. I use one oz instead of 1 1/8 with 22 grs of 800x and I shot 250 of them at the Rocky Mtn Vintagers shoot at Whittington this weekend out of my JC Higgins 100 (F&M) and they were perfect for Sporting Clays and Flurry

I loaded them on a sizemaster but sure would like to do it on my 9000

Member Joined: 09 Jan 2013 Posts: 2169 Location: Florida

Member Joined: 15 Mar 2007 Posts: 601 Location: Virginia

I've been using a 9000 for the 16 for about a decade now. None of my guns need "short" shells, so I can't comment on adjusting specifically for those. I will say that the various stations have a pretty wide range of adjustments up and down. I try to hit a happy medium and keep everything the same no matter what shell is going through the press. I also tend to batch load and build up a large quantity of one kind of load (mostly light skeet loads) before switching to another 9000 in a different gauge. There's only room for one press at a time on my bench.

Dan