Oh No! My Shells Won't Fit
 

Loaded up 14lb of ITX in Federal hulls with my MEC Sizemaster, only to find that the shells are to "thick", and won't allow the gun to shut. The same hulls from the factory do fit, so this caught me off guard, as the season opens next week.

Would appreciate suggestions to fix my problem. These are my first reloads in 25 years.

Are you reloading 2-7/8" 10ga. with SP-10 wads?

theo have you solved your problem with shells not fitting yet....these reloads you reloaded were they unfierd hulls or had they been fired before....if they have been fierd before maybe you need a good resizer... charlie

I agree with Charlie. If factory ammo fits fine, than the empty hulls you are trying to reload were previously fired in an oversized chamber. You have 2 choices. Use factory shells until you have enough empties to reload or find a Mec Supersizer in 10ga. Size the hulls, then run them through the Sizemaster.

Once you have resized them the first time and keep using them in the same gun, you won't have to resize them again because they will fire form to your chamber.

Actually, I'm reloading for 12 gauge. These are once fired hulls and the problem seems to be at the crimp. The shells must be a little bulged at that end as they will not drop into the chambers, but must be pushed.

Thanks for the help.

It is hard to tell what is wrong without a picture or two. From what you describe I am guessing there was not enough room for the volume of the shot charge and the final station crimped/crushed the top of the shell and expanded the top of it outward in all directions. ITX is expensive so you will have pry them open and salvage at least the shot. When reloading you need about 3/8 to 1/2 inch from the top of the shot to the end of the wad fingers for it to close properly. When done right the crimps should look near factory.

If you mean that your shell is flared at the end, something may be wrong with your final crimp station adjustment. I'm not familiar with single station Mec's but on the progressive loaders there is a final station which tapers the shell for easy loading into the gun.

My advice is to call Mec for help. They are experts at helping over the phone. Should be easy for you to fix it.

Good luck

Crazy thing is, the shells fit and shoot in my buddies Fox and LC Smith. I'm beginning to wonder if the 1906 might have shorter chambers than 2 3/4"? I took for granted that the chambers were 2 3/4 inch as that is the length of shell I have been using for clay. The gun has shipped to my gunsmith, so I guess he can check the chamber length when he receives it.

Theo - Remember that the 2 3/4" measurement is for fired shells. Unfired, they will measure closer to 2 1/2". At 2 1/2, they should fit in virtually any gun (except a 2 1/2" gun such as the British used to make.

You likely have a final crimp problem. If you don't have one, get a owner manual from MEC. You will find a section in there about your problem. When you are doing the final crimp you are bulging out the mouth of the loaded case. JF

I'd be checking/adjusting the final crimp station and running them all through that station again if that's the issue.

theo have you solved the problem yet...if what the guys said about final adjustment dont help it may be that your chambers mite be a little tight...you said they fierd fine in youbuddies guns...i have a old single barrel that some factory ammo dont go in the chamber to good you can push the ones that are to tight but then it will not eject them and you have to use a long metal rod to push them out...i need to emory cloth the chamber but have not done so yet....hope you have solved the problem.... charlie

Here is a quick method of finding out if the mouth of the reloaded case is flared from too much pressure in the final crimp stage. Using a vernier caliper with a dial indicator (if you don't own one, you should) check the dimension of the base (.745) where it meets the plastic hull. Then check the dimension of the mouth of the case. The mouth, when crimped right, should be about ten thousandths smaller than the base where you measured it. Your cases will drop in and eject without trouble if those dimensions are correct. JF

Charlie, thanks for asking. I sold all my hand loaded ITX shells to my buddy and bought ITX factory loads. Waterfowl season is opened and I have run out of time to correct the problem.

After the season, Ill have my reloader adjusted by MEC ( advantage of living near the factory), and will have my Parkers chambers reamed to modern 12ga. standards.