FROM SARGE:
Recently I tested two inexpensive shotshell loaders.
The Mec 600 JR and the Lee Load All.
Here is my findings. I will rate the loaders by the number system with 10 being tops and 1 being the worse.
The Mec was easy to get started with, all I had to do was screw it to the bench and that was it. Everything was set up on it. The powder and shot was easy to use as they were put into plastic bottles that hinged off backwards and could be unscrewed to refill them or change shot or powder types. A adjustable shot and powder bar is recommended by me as it cuts down the number of things you have to keep stacked on your bench. Also the powder and shot dies were not close enough to be versatile. One powder die would be too much and the next smaller would be too little. Not fun. The Mec required the loader to adjust the press to a certain extent but once you got it adjusted it should be the only time you have to adjust. But after I got the press set up, adjusted and powder and shot filled, then it was very easy to load a box of shells in less than 30 min. This would pick up as I got used to the press except for one unfortunate problem. The crimp starter broke off during the first box of shell loaded. When I saw how poorly it was engineered I couldn't believe they did it that way. It was practically guaranteed to break. From then on I had to hold the crimp starter over the shell and index it by hand and then use the press to push it down on the case. Not fun and it kept me from loading many shells in the time I had to load.
The Lee Load All was different right off the bat as it was all in a row, instead of starting left rear, and moving in a circle motion ending up at right rear again. You start left on the Load All and move to the right. When you get to the far right you should have a loaded shell. The Lee press did require some assemble, not much as all the settings are factory set. But you had to figure out how the primer post went in without any pictures to help you and just a "put the primer post in the press" description. There was actually three parts to the primer post and how they went together was not mentioned. After reading and trying and reading some more I had the Lee press functioning in about an hour. Good tables were included to tell you what powders the powder dies drop which did help me a lot. So far so good, now let's try to load a shell. There are crimp starters for either 6 pt or 8 pt already mounted so you just have to use which ever one you need for your shells. Unfortunately they are solid as a brick house and do not auto-index. Which means that you have to try and feel the crimp into alignment with the vanes inside well hidden from your eyes. This is not an easy thing to do. And my first 5 shells had crumpled up crimps. As a matter of record, I have been loading shotshells since 1964 and never had this much trouble with getting a good crimp. Out of my first box of shells I had only 9 good crimps. That is not good and will cause you poor performance in the field or trap range. The Lee was slow for other reasons. The sizing die is a separate piece of steel tube that you must put over the shell and then two stations later taken off the shell. Takes time. The top of the loader has a hole in every postition centered where the shell will sit. It is, I would guess, for the primer to sit in. Why I do not know. But it is there and it is an invitation to loose something in that hole. I already put a primer in the wrong hole instead of the primer cup hole and that primer is lost to the universe. The only way you could get it out would be to empty the entire press of powder and shot and then unscrew it and turn it upside down and shake the primer out. The holes are in the base which is a blind hole without any access from the outside. Now I got a box of primers minus one which means I must open another box and break it by one to finish my box of shells. It took me an hour to get the press to give me one box of shells and I worked harder than I do when I get paid to work, to get it.
Conclusion:
The Mec 600 Jr gets an 8 It would have gotten more but that poorly engineered crimp starter breaking ticked me off right at the bat. On the plus side the press would work fast if everything was working correctly. And I would recommed it for someone that needs lots of shells in a short time. The price for the 600JR was $99 at Sportsman's Warehouse.
The Lee Loadall gets a 4 It was just too hard to load and put out such poor looking shells with that solid crimp starter that I would not recommend it to anyone that expects to load the night before a Trap shoot or a hunting trip. It's usefulness would be limited to a family that wants to shoot a few clay pidgeons few times a year and save some money on shells. There must be some way they can make that crimp starter self index. I paid about $49 for the Lee Loadall, which makes it the more economical of the two and like I said good for someone that doesn't want to invest in a expensive press and has time to load a few for the weekend family outing.
Sarge
|
Recommend
First 