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Member Joined: 15 Mar 2005 Posts: 358 Location: Houston

Anybody have experience with the MEC universal charge bar?. The concept makes a lot of sense to me. But do they actually work?

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

Those that use them, love them.
I don't like them. I have 8 different loaders set up for 5 different gauges, depending on shell height. I slip in the fixed bar I want for that particular load, and I'm good to go. Don't have to monkey around setting up the universal bar. Just my opinion.

Member Joined: 25 Jul 2006 Posts: 781

Solid bar + Bushings + File = Universal Bar

If there is a load you really want, and your going to load a lot of them, and you want the powder drop somewhere between the ready made bushings just modify a bushing by enlarging the opening with a file or decreasing it with a little nail polish laquer.

The only advantage the universal has over that is if your going to tweek the load every time you get powder from a new lot.

And in reality, how many of us are able to tell the difference a couple tenths of a grain make? It could be an issue if your loading hot rounds but for the loads most of us 16 ga guys like it should not be that big a concern.

Jeff

They are worth every penny.
All my 8567's have them. (12,16,20) and my soon to be 28 will have one also. I load different weight shot as well as different powder weights and different kinds of powder. If you are a one load guy, then they don't make a lot of sense, but I do love mine.

Joined: 21 Jun 2006 Posts: 81 Location: Illinois

I use one and it works great. Saves money too. I reload everything from 5/8 oz. to 1 1/4 oz. loads with the universal charge bar. I would have to buy 6 fixed charge bars and who knows how many powder bushings to do that.

I liked the model that used MEC powder bushings. It dropped very uniform charges of powder and the adjustable shot bushing allowed me to throw close to perfect weight drops of any siize pellet I wanted.

However, I don't like the odd shaped adjustable powder bushing. It does not throw flake type powder charges as uniform as a perfectly round bushing and baffle combined do.

I've not seen the older type offered for sale in some time now. I have a couple, but don't use them much anymore.

.

Member Joined: 28 Oct 2005 Posts: 665 Location: Louisiana

Have used them for some time now and find them to be vastly superior to bushings. With few exceptions the bushings I have used were not accurate (MEC & P/W). With a little practice, a powder baffle and a good scale, the universal bar, for me, solves many problems and gives consistent charges.
The shot side of that same bar gives me the opportunity to get exact payload weights regardless of shot size, a circumstance that is difficult to achieve with a pre-bored bar.

Member Joined: 15 Mar 2005 Posts: 358 Location: Houston

Thanks, everybody, for your replies. Not sure yet which direction I'll go, but the above info will help immensely in deciding.

Whatever you decide, one of the inexpensive tube type powder baffles under your powder bottle will help keep your powder drops nice and uniform. However, they also tend to throw lighter than nominal charges. The answer is always use a powder scale to check what your bushing is actually throwing.

I usually have to go up two whole numbers for charges over 15 grains and under 33 grains. for instance, if the MEC bushing chart says a #24 bushing will throw 15 grains of Green Dot, you can bet it will take a #26 to get that 15 grains. This is done by MEC to insure you will not throw too much powder. All the shotshell reloader companies use a similar fudge factor so you won't be able to file a suit against them.

The other point to be aware of is sometimes a bushing with throw a 1/10 of a grain under or over on average of the powder charge you need. In any shell in any gauge from 12 to 28 ga, a tenth of a grain of powder up or down is not going to cause any problems or danger. A half a grain might, but don't worry about a 1/10th of a grain or even 2/10ths. Most baffled metering systems will throw inside of this plus or minus a tenth grain very well. you will never know the difference either from shell to shell. so find the bushing closest to the charge you need and load away. you will be good to go.

They're made for Mec loaders by Multi-scale, who are manufactured by Shooting Chrony chronographs. I have two.

If I had a dedicated loader for every shotgun gauge and load, I wouldn't need the universal charge bar; bushings would work fine. But I tend to fiddle with loads for all occasions and the $35 multi-scale fits the way I load ammo. I'd probably lose some of the bushings anyway. It's not unlike the powder measure on my Dillon pistol loader.

Member Joined: 08 Nov 2005 Posts: 3438 Location: Illinois

Two hints--
1. When adjusting the charge down turn back another full turn than needed---then start back--this will take out any slack.
2.Tighten the adjustment knob down when satisfied with the drop---they will vibrate and start to throw high/low.
I agree with the comments about the one load =one standard bar-TO A POINT.If you load enough over time the money saved by not throwing over all the time will pay for the bar.And these are so nice to have when dialing in PRECISELY what you want.

Joined: 01 Oct 2006 Posts: 171 Location: western PA

I have and use both an adjustable bar and the mec 302 bars. I like them both for different reasons. my go to target loads never change, so i use the mec 302 fixed bar with powder bushings. But i also tend to play around with adjusting my hunting loads for pattern adjustments. for this the adjustable bar is nice, and can acomplish loads with out filing bushings and changing bars. It does take a little practice to get used to adjusting the bar, but once you get used to it, it works very well.

Ben