Which 12g press is the best.

[Styla247]

Hi Guys,

 

Ive been reloading for a few months now and i find it highly addictive.

I currently use a Lee Load All 2, I got it because it was cheap and if i didnt get on with reloading then i wouldnt have lost much.

 

Basically now im looking for a new press and cant decide what i want. I think id like a Mec 9000GN, The progressive feature looks very attractive.

Do any of you guys have experience with this press and do you know of any downsides or bad points to it.

 

Also what other presses are their, what are you guys using or what do you recomend and why.

 

Thanks

Styla247

[TONY R]

You are going to get a lot of answers mostly bassed on what folk have and use, so Mecs and PWs are going to get a lot of mentions, And i will say Nothing wrong with these machines in all their models and stryles, i have machines by mec and PW and they are great.

Now if by best you mean what do i like using the most or what do i want to own in the reloading press world thats easy.

I enjoy loading the most on my old Reeding round bar press, its super basic super strong not the fastest not the less labour intensive to use, but i can live with that, i just enjoy using it.

And what would i get what do i think is the press i most want and think is the crem de la creme. Again easy i so want a spooler progressive but i would want a 10ga version.

Edited February 18, 2016 by TONY R

[Lord Geordie]

The progressive feature is on more than the 9000 series. The auto rotate on the 9000 is neat, but the price difference is quite substantial. A 650 has the progressive features at a lower cost. But you manually index the carrier. There are a lot of loaders out there that produce a nice shell, it all depends on what you want. I had a 9000 and a old super 600 (650) and decided to stick with the 600 as in my view it produced better carts than the 9000. The PW seems to make a nice shell also. But as has been mentioned there are plenty of other loaders out there! The Pacifics, Bowmans, and a fair few others.

[hatsanmad]

If you want a progressive have a look at the mec 650 its smaller then the 9000 and its just as good and more then half the price iv seen them on that auction site selling for 150 or so from the states

[Styla247]

Thats great thanks guys.

 

I like the auto rotate of the 9000 but it isnt really needed I suppose. I was just looking at the 650 but it doesnt have a resizeing function. Is this critical i do shoot 2 different guns.

[sitsinhedges]

I bought a Mec 650 new a couple of years ago and it has been a great machine. It's only real bad point is that it is rubbish at resizing the brass, you have to take the primer tray off to do it and even then it does a poor job. I resize on a single stage machine before hand now. If I bought another it would be a Mec Grabber with has a collet resizer but none of the issues a full automatic like a 9000 can have.

[Guest cookoff013]

i load with a 9000. its fast, but i reload new virgin hulls,

 

i have a sizemaster also.

 

whatever mec you get, but the "long crimp punch" it is a godsend for european hulls. gives just alittle more travel.. 3mmm or so.

 

i still make by hand, use my sizemaster..... the 9000 is for serious shell volume.

[Guest cookoff013]

I bought a Mec 650 new a couple of years ago and it has been a great machine. It's only real bad point is that it is rubbish at resizing the brass, you have to take the primer tray off to do it and even then it does a poor job. I resize on a single stage machine before hand now. If I bought another it would be a Mec Grabber with has a collet resizer but none of the issues a full automatic like a 9000 can have.

 

most of the 9000 can be disabled.

single stage mode too.

[sitsinhedges]

 

most of the 9000 can be disabled.

single stage mode too.

 

Why pay £100 extra just to disable though? I wouldn't turn one down mind.

[Styla247]

Ok, what problems can the 9000 have.

I think ive got a bit of thinking to do before i comit to a new press.

[sitsinhedges]

Ok, what problems can the 9000 have.

I think ive got a bit of thinking to do before i comit to a new press.

 

None really, it's just that if something goes wrong on one you turn by hand you can do something about it before it cycles and messes everything up.

[Guest cookoff013]

you wouldnt, but if you were to reload normal clay and game shells in a no nonsese speedy approach it would have to be 9000.

 

reloading machines have different markets...

 

small high quality batch ammunition that needs unique components (buffer, wrap, ketchup) or high volume (still high quality) in as few steps as possible.

i wouldnt load buffer with a 9000.

[saddler]

Main machine is a Ponsness Warren 375C

Close second is my MEC Sizemaster

The little discontinued RCBS Mini Grand is ok too

 

Have a good few other presses, for curiosity purposes

 

A bit like cars....some have better features than others...all do what they were designed to do.

 

Only press I'd never give space to again?

Hornady 366

[Lord Geordie]

I de cap, resize on the lee, I just crack on of an evening and turn out a thousand a time. Then the priming and loading are done on the MEC. I can de cap and resize while listening to the radio and its quite therapeutic.

[Styla247]

Ah I see what you mean. Id probably end up in a right mess with it if it went wrong.

Im not sure about Buffer I think thats a bit to complicated for me at the moment.

[Cyrus1988]

1000 in an evening?! That's dedication, I get bored after 50.

[mecman]

if you can afford the mec 9000g go for one i've had one for 30 yrs and love it. it produces lovely shells with factory like crimps and very fast loading if that's what you are after.i also have a pw 375 which is a nice loader but not in the same league.

[hawkeye]

Had the MEC 9000g for quite a few years very good press but sold it and got a PW 800 this is the one for me can knock up 100 shells in 15 minutes no problem,

i use cases picked up from the clay ground not a lot of problems might get a couple of bad crimps in every 100 or so but not enough to worry about...

[pinfireman]

The best press is a Spolar, but extremely difficult to obtain in this country! There,s a waiting list for them in the US. They cost around £1200 there, and shipping would be horrendous, plus VAT and import duties. Next in line is a Ponsness Warren, my favourites, a new progressive machine in this country from Clay & Game would cost you around £975, but you can get used machines occasionally from approx £250 to £500. I have had a couple of MECs, but found them too fiddly, not built as well as a Ponsness. Occasionally, a Pacific 366, or Hornady APEX machine comes along...... they are basically the same machine, and all parts are interchangeable.....spares are available from Hornady in the U S

 

All these machines are "progressives"....for large volume reloading. Of the single stage machines, far and away the best is a Ponsness warren 375 Duo-Matic. Easy to use, all spares available, can carry two different tool heads at once, and built like the proverbial brick toilet! I have been reloading for 40 years, and have around 25 machines in my "man cave"!... I,ve tried most, but always come back to a Ponsness ! Good luck!

[pinfireman]

One of the reasons so many posts plug for a MEC, is that MEC have had a good agency here for many years, whilst Ponsness warren have struggled at times with various importers, Not Ponsness Warrens fault, just the way it was.....I was lucky, got my first P/W back in 1976..........had a couple of MECs over the years, but sold them on....I found them a bit fiddly at times. I like solid engineering, and that,s what Ponsness give you.

[TONY R]

PWs are a better made machine by far over the MEC thats not debastable, but Mecs do work and if adjusted properly work very well.

Pacifics are another nice press but not as popular here as the mec.

I must say the spooler has the edge on anything for me i so want a ten ga progressive spolar .

Edited February 22, 2016 by TONY R

[hawkeye]

Got to admit that is the one i fancied (spooler ) but after reading a lot of american reloading web sites the feed back was not that good for the extra cost so i went for a PW 800

from clay and game and do not regret it one bit....

[TONY R]

At the end of the day it is all down to what the individual likes and wants not all reloading is about volume production. Some times a more basic single stage is preferable, and then of course there are other aspects like parts availability bushes and the like. If you want to custom make any bushings aftermarket or how practical is the press for different case lengths. It is all relative and buying the best made or most expensive press may not be the best option in every application.

[panoma1]

PWs are a better made machine by far over the MEC thats not debastable, but Mecs do work and if adjusted properly work very well.

Pacifics are another nice press but not as popular here as the mec.

I must say the spooler has the edge on anything for me i so want a ten ga progressive spolar .

Genuine question.......why do you want a high volume progressive press for loading for 10 Bore? The only reason I can think of for owning a progressive press is for high volume reloading such as clay reloads and this mainly for 12 Bore!

 

I also think the P&W 375 is the best made single stage press I have ever used!

[pinfireman]

^{I have owned many machines over the last 40 years. Many of them came to me as basket cases, and I enjoyed refurbishing them, bringing them back to life. Reddings, Savage, Lyman Easy, Pacific, MEC, Texan,etc, I get as much fun fixing them up as I do reloading! But the best of the bunch are the Ponsness warren machines...by far. Last year I was over in the States, where a friend let me loose on his new Spolar.......................a beautiful, well engineered machine for the 21st Century! Only problem....costs a fortune, and unless you are going to be loading for a club, and sharing the costs with friends, then it,s not really cost effective. But it would be nice just to own one} .