Lead shot hanging up in the tube

[allen newell]

I am loading 410 ga shotshells in a new MEC 600 jr Sizemaster reloader. At the moment I'm loading 7 1/2 shot but its not all dropping down the tube when reloading. For some reason the 7 1/2 shot is hanging up in the tube. Is there a fix for this or do I need to just reload smaller shot sizes like #8 or #9 shot?

Please advise
A

[Greg Baehman]

Shot bridging on a MEC is not unique, it can happen with any manufacturer’s machine.

There is only ONE fairly certain way of loading larger shot, (7-1/2), in a .410 machine that works with any consistency.

1) Polish the inside of the drop tube.
2) Make sure your shot is well graphite'd. Add graphite to the shot if necessary, before attempting to load it. Make sure the shot is well coated, but don't over-do it.
3) Raise the drop tube to approx. 1/2 inch below the mouth of the hull, when dropping the shot. (This is an important step).

Do these things and you will have fairly consistent success.

[allen newell]

Thanks Greg, Ill try them

[Daniel Carter]

Allen i have found Greg's # 3 to be very important. I had the same problem with #9 and found that by giving it room to drop free from the tube that cured it.

[Ken Burgess]

I stick with 9's in the loader and load shot with a dipper for larger shot. a lap full of shot is frustrating!

[allen newell]

You got that right Ken.
I called MEC and spoke with one of their customer service reps. He recommended Greg's #3. I tried it and it works.

[edgarspencer]

The solution to the problem was given in Frank Srebro's recent post about shot bridging in his 9000 press. The nose of the ram tube is rolled in, to prevent the wad from being pulled back up. Rolling the end of the tube means the inside is also rolled in, (picture a choke) and the shot will bridge at that point. Reaming the inside of the tube eliminates the 'choke' and after that, it makes no difference how high up the tube is when you drop the shot.

[Randy G Roberts]

The solution to the problem was given in Frank Srebro's recent post about shot bridging in his 9000 press. The nose of the ram tube is rolled in, to prevent the wad from being pulled back up. Rolling the end of the tube means the inside is also rolled in, (picture a choke) and the shot will bridge at that point. Reaming the inside of the tube eliminates the 'choke' and after that, it makes no difference how high up the tube is when you drop the shot.

Link below to the thread that Edgar refers to in which Frank solved the issue.

https://parkerguns.org/forums/showthread.php?t=38925&highlight=bridging

[Greg Baehman]

The solution to the problem was given in Frank Srebro's recent post about shot bridging in his 9000 press. The nose of the ram tube is rolled in, to prevent the wad from being pulled back up. Rolling the end of the tube means the inside is also rolled in, (picture a choke) and the shot will bridge at that point. Reaming the inside of the tube eliminates the 'choke' and after that, it makes no difference how high up the tube is when you drop the shot.
Should we really be comparing Allen's issue of shot bridging with his .410 MEC 600Jr. dropping #7 1/2 shot vs. Frank's 28ga. MEC 9000 dropping #8 shot?

I've been reloading both .410 and 28ga. shells for over four decades on P-W 375 machines, both ram/drop tubes are as they came from the factory, straight and without the noses being rolled over. I can tell you that shot bridging is a whole lot more common occurrence with the .410 than with the 28 -- especially with the larger shot size...maybe your experience differs from mine.

[Bill Davis]

While it slows you down a little bit, I raise the handle slightly and tap the drop tube with a screwdriver. That’s been very successful in limiting the problem of bridging.

[allen newell]

I've been raising the handle also and moving the bar over slowly so the shot more or less trickles down the tube. While this slows down the time to reload a shell, it's working very well. No more bridging

[edgarspencer]

Should we really be comparing Allen's issue of shot bridging with his .410 MEC 600Jr. dropping #7 1/2 shot vs. Frank's 28ga. MEC 9000 dropping #8 shot?


It's America, Greg. Do as you like. Frank found that the cause of the bridging was the restriction at the end of the ram tube, corrected it and cured his problem. 9000, 600Jr, or Sizemaster, the ram tube design is the same, so I think it's reasonable to start there. I'll agree with you (yeah, rare, right?) that the tube ID on the .410 is smaller than the 28, though if it bridges with with 71/2, It's likely to bridge with#8.
My only point in my previous post was to bring attention to Frank's cure of the restriction.

[Chris Robenalt]

Allen, I do the same as Bill. While raising the handle or tube, I tap the tube with a small rubber mallot. With the Mec Jr, it's a matter of feel and listening to the shot and powder dropping. No "magic pill" for this problem. I've never filed, altered or washed shot. It happens even with 20s and 28s, regardless of the shot size. I rely mostly on the sound of the drop, before I lift the tube completely out of the hull.