28’s
 

Took both my 28 gauge MEC 9000 loaders in to the shop Monday and fiddled around just about the whole day with the one I thought worked better when I used them last . And I messed with it about two more hours today until I got fed up . I then swapped presses and loaded 500+ 28’s with Unique and #8 shot . Thursday I’ll see if I can’t get 500 done with #9’s and start on 500 more with #8 1/2’s . Get all that done I’d like to get about 250 loaded with #7 1/2’s then a hundred with #6’s . Want the 7 1/2’s and 6’s for Pheasent tower shoots later in 2020and early 2021 .

Can't imagine anyone differentiating between 7 1/2, 8 1/2 and 9 shot. It's a fool's errand in my mind

You have your opinion on that and I most certainly have my opinion about your opinion .

What is the hangup on your 9000?

Not really sure on the first one . I have a friend thats a MEC guru of sorts and he was baffled a bit . The second one is doing well enough after I'm finished friday or saturday I'll move on to the 20 and then the 410 . Dunno if I'll bother with the 12 gauge as I don't shoot a 12 very often generally I shoot the 10 and 16 the most followed by the 28 .

No one will ever be able to convince me that these rube goldberg looking MEC's are in the same league with a PW or a Spolar but I can't find those very easily in the used market and certainly now for the same price . IF and it's a mighty big if , if I had my druthers and I wasn't so frugal lately I'd have five nice new Ponsness Warren 800 Plus's bolted down and a new Ponsness Warren LS-1000 10 gauge 2 7/8" . Might even see if I could talk PW in converting a LS-1000 for the 8 gauge but I suspect that would be over 2 grand for the 8 gauge .

(Content edited by John)

I have Mec 9000 in 16, 20, 28 and 410. There a great press and I haven't had to many issues with them. The 16 and 20 are both set up for 2 1/2 inch hulls. I have had one occasion to send the 16 back to Mec but it came back just like new. I wish they would make one for me in a 2 1/2 12 but they won't do that any more :(.

I’ve got a pair of 12’s a 16 a 20 a pair of 28’s and a 410 . All bought used except the 16 . And while they’re not bad as such if a person cut their teeth on PW’s a MEC never will make the grade in comparison . Granted a new PW 800 is now at or over a grand and if I’m not mistaken dealer cost on a 9000 is less then $700 for the manually powered ones . Now I might change my tune on the 9000’s or even a Grabber if they made one in 10 gauge 2 7/8” ! I’ve got Grabbers for the 28 and 410 as well :eek:

I’ve got a pair of 12’s a 16 a 20 a pair of 28’s and a 410 . All bought used except the 16 . And while they’re not bad as such if a person cut their teeth on PW’s a MEC never will make the grade in comparison . Granted a new PW 800 is now at or over a grand and if I’m not mistaken dealer cost on a 9000 is less then $700 for the manually powered ones . Now I might change my tune on the 9000’s or even a Grabber if they made one in 10 gauge 2 7/8” ! I’ve got Grabbers for the 28 and 410 as well :eek:

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I learned something this time loading 28's I'd not encountered before . Seems 6's and 4's bridge rather easily in the drop tube of a 28 loader .

Only time I'd loaded 4's and 6's previousely had been in the 10 gauge so obviousely the drop tube was larger and handled the larger size shot easily . But that ain't the case in the 28 loaders I have . I'll see if I can't get 1500 or so 20's loaded this week before I give the 410 a try . Hopefully I'll be able to start the 410's monday of next week . Once I get 1000 or so 410's I think Ill try and get a couple thousand 12's taken care of as well .