Suggestions on a cheap 28g shotshell loader

A MEC 600 Jr. is a good choice. It's easy to use and about as fool proof a loading system as you're going to find.

Another good acquisition is the Lyman Shotshell Reloading Manual. It has excellent step-by-step instructions on how to load shells with a MEC and an assortment of good information and recipes.

Do not depend on the bushing charts for your powder drops. Weigh them yourself. You don't need to weigh every load. Once you get the powder drop you want you might check every once in a while but nothing more is required. Don't worry about a half grain or two either way. It's not as precise as rifle reloading.

Loading 28 presented a couple more challenges than loading 12 gauge but none were insurmountable. Here are somethings I discovered along the way.

I use Winchester AAHS hulls with Claybuster replacement AAHS or AA wads, Winchester 209AA primers and Alliant Unique. My advice is to buy a flat of factory shells, shoot them and use the hulls. When you buy the shells check the lot number for an X or Y. These indicate more recent production and the hulls are slightly longer and load better. In the first runs of AAHS, the hulls were shorter and don't load as well.

Avoid Federal Gold Medal hulls. Some shooters including me have encoutered hull separations. FWIW, the Alliant site no longer lists loads for GM hulls.

Cheddite hulls (Challenger and Kent) are quite long and don't crimp as well as AAHS.

Two other suggestions are to listen carefully for the shot falling through the loading tube. Sometimes it can get caught in the tube and if you don't realize what has happened you end up with shot all over the floor. Secondly when in the first crimping station have one of the crimp points at 12 o'clock to ensure proper crimps.

There is a wealth of information on Shotgun World reloading forum and lots of good info on loading the 28.

http://www.shotgunworld.com/bbs/index.php
 
As suggested, the Mec is a good economical way to go.

IF....you can find a used Mec Sizemaster I'd suggest you go that way. But the Jr will certainly do the job for you.

Further to what Claybuster says about listening for the shot drop.....

Any Mec...any model.....if you go that way....I strongly recommend you pull the shot drop tube and look inside it. I will almost guarantee you will find it to be very rough inside.

I cleaned mine out with a rat tail file and smoothed it out as best I could. This eliminated completely the "shot bridging" issue for me that can and does occur with the small gauge Mec loaders.

I recommend this to every small gauge Mec owner who may be experiencing this "shot bridging" phenomenon.

Remember...you get what you pay for. And in Mec's case with the lower prices...you also get...in my opinion...a lower quality than you do with the other big name loaders.
 
I don't know what your price range is, but I would start on Ebay. I picked up a pair of mint Mec Grabber presses (one was an 8567) , one 20ga. & the other in 28ga. for $300 complete with shipping. Once a progressive press is up & running straight you can fill a box of 25 in about 10 mins at a snails pace.
 
Thanks gentlemen, good info, Claybuster appreciate the hull info will do. I will order new lot of Winchester and shop for a 600 Jr. Call me ignorant, but I take it I need an entire second press to load 20g as well as the 28 already mentioned, not just dies?
It is possible to swap the dies on a MEC 600 but it is a pain. Most shooters just go for two loaders. Much easier that way.
 
Sounds good, thanks again, and with the price I might as well just get set up with two.
You might find however that loading 20 guage doesn't provide the same savings as 28. And once you start shooting the 28 gauge you might find you have less reason to shoot the 20.

I know that's what happened to me. :D
 
Claybuster's advice about weighing your loads is the best advice to give any reloader.

I weigh all my loads ,which I agree is probably overkill.:)My favourite powder to use in my 28 gauge loads is Hi Skor 800 X, which does not always metre the best so I weigh all loads.I am not a high volume loader so the extra time it takes to weigh does not bother me.
 
I have a mec jr and load 12 ga 20 ga and 410 bore on the same machine. It takes about 20 minutes to change the dies etc. Maybe a few minor adjustments on the first few reloads, and away you go.
 
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