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Joined: 08 Mar 2022 Posts: 91

Anyone try this before? Your just put this "Plate" on the press that fits over the pre & crimp stations & it allows you to now load 2 1/2" hulls. Seems that easy, fold crimps you have going for your standard 2 3/4" hulls will work now. Is it that easy ?

Joined: 30 Sep 2019 Posts: 145 Location: Colorado

That’s pretty much it. I’ve used one for years on my 600 Jr.
Even made one for my second 600.

Joined: 04 Mar 2019 Posts: 1841 Location: Central ND

They work well. Even cuts down on adjustments with many loads.

Joined: 08 Mar 2022 Posts: 91

Thanks guys. I guess thats a purchase then. My new hunting buddy has a 16 short chamber SxS thats been laid up for awhile; NO ammo available. I got a 16 Sizemaster.

Member Joined: 02 Feb 2007 Posts: 371 Location: mpls mn

I have made several with 1/4 " aluminum plates very easy fabrication project
Trace the base, mark holes, cut it with a jig saw drill and tap holes its 1/4 20 threads
sand the edges with a belt or disc sander and install 30 minute project if you can find your tools!
I always wondered why nobody drills and taps the center post to get the adjustment height. That's what mec does to adjust between 3" and 2 3/4 inch ammunition for 12 20 and 410

still use a pile of change - that allows me any change needed shell tp shell . Have loaded a PILE this way .

Joined: 08 Mar 2022 Posts: 91

"still use a pile of change - that allows me any change needed shell tp shell . Have loaded a PILE this way ".

hahahah... read in some other blogs about that. Another guy used a quarter with a penny on top. American ingenuity hahah

Member Joined: 06 Oct 2007 Posts: 2347 Location: West MI

Joined: 07 Sep 2011 Posts: 567 Location: wheeling, wv

Short kit doesnt seem to be gauge specific--I can rotate it between my 12, 16, and 20 600jr.

Joined: 27 Sep 2015 Posts: 177 Location: Alabama

I've got one, works great. I've tried the washers, quarters, they work too, but this was best for me.

Joined: 08 Mar 2022 Posts: 91

hahahh. For S&Gs, tried the "pile of change", aka 1 US quarter on bottom with a similar size holed washer on top. Perfect height attained and folded up 3 test loads for my buddy. As stated, slow, but he's not after making/a very large stash.

He has a small amount of RST hulls, which will have to do for awhile since both BP & PR are out of stock on 2 1/2s for awhile. I was going to suggest he get a hull trimmer and use some 2 3/4 hulls. But if we went that route, would I still be able to use a super crown crimp starter to get the new pre-crimp? To do that, doesn't the hull have to be skived to form a new crimp ? I already have an 8pt. Does it really matter 8pt vs 6pt?

Member Joined: 02 Feb 2007 Posts: 371 Location: mpls mn

I cut all my hull on a table saw with a v-block mounted on the mitre gage.Works very well and is fast and accurate
As for skiving hull I bought a cone shaped carborundum bit at the local Ace hardware mounted it in a drill press and skive away i get very good results with both

Joined: 27 Oct 2017 Posts: 80 Location: Joliet, IL

I don't know whether it's a problem particular to my press, or me simply being an idiot. In any case I could not get the MEC short kit to work at all on my press for 65mm hulls. It crushed every hull and did not have the adjustment range to stop crushing hulls.

I fabbed a new plate out of 1/8" AL plate with a skilsaw and a file, and it worked beautifully from jumpstreet with modest crimp station adjustment.

Joined: 12 Sep 2010 Posts: 1973 Location: Maine

I am looking for a 6 point crimp starter to fit on a MEC Super 250 I picked up for the "best" price - free. It came with an 8 pointer. The Cheddite hulls I have are all once fired, 6 pointers and mixing 6s and 8s doesn't seem to work.

I now have 5 short-chambered guns - 2 @12ga, 2 @ 16, 1 @ 20. The RST ammo I've hoarded is way too expensive/precious to shoot at anything other than game. The loads I've found for short shells start with a Cheddite hull most of the time, thus I need to be able to crimp 6 pointers.

With a homemade short kit this Super 250 will make it possible for me to roll my own for these guns. The one 12, I bought shortly before Christmas and haven't shot at all.

So, I'm wondering: will the crimp starters MEC sells today fit on one of the old Super 250?

As an aside, I'm using a hull trimmer made by Byrdog to cut the hulls to length. It works great. I know he hasn't been heard from in some time. If someone has his real name and is willing to share, I'll do some Maine detective work to try to find out what's up. PM me.