2 7/8" SHELLS IN 2 5/8"

[Paul Harm]

The shape of a spacer would be what goes under the shell guide on the drop and crimp stations. If you lift the main spring up you can pull the guide off, trace around it for your shape. You'll have to make it a bit smaller to fit under the curled lip, that that's about it. You can make it any thickness you want. Or order the short kit and use it for a pattern to make another so you get the height you want. It's not hard to do. I load 2 5/8 on my Mec jr all the time with only one 1/4" spacer. I had trouble sometimes with a shell sticking in the final crimp station and it would then pull up out of the guide. With a pliers I bent the lip on the outside edge of the guide straight , or 90 degrees to the plate itself. There's a 1/4 X 20 threaded hole in the back of the main plate of the press itelf - I drilled a clearance hole and then screwed down the shell guide through the 1/4' spacer so the guide would stay down in place. If this thread got moved to the reloading forum you may get a lot more replies.

[J. A. EARLY]

Thanks Paul. But my original hope was to just use 2 7/8" shells I load in the 2 5/8" gun. Just looking for those who did.

[J. A. EARLY]

Originally Posted by Rick Losey

I'll get a picture for you- I put a 1/4 riser under my MEC 10's short kit, just a scrap of maple plywood I had around- just traced the shell holder and cut it out on the band saw- works fine

but lately I have been using the Ballistic Products roll crimper- i like the results,

Rick,

Thanks for the photo of your riser. I finally made a riser for my short kit out of 1/4" plywood and that worked great.

Now the problem with the loader. I wanted to use 6 point crimps so I cut down some Federals to 2 5/8" and cut petals off of the SP10 wad, and put the 1 1/4 oz. lead load using 32 grains of SR7625 which called for a 6 point crimps.

Trouble is, even though it looks to have plenty of room in there my MEC crushes the side walls on every load I have made. If I back it off enough to avoid the destruction, it won't crimp. I'm guessing it is just too much stuff in there. I can roll crimp, but then I only can get one load out of each hull and that's too expensive.

2nd question: Any problem shooting shells with slight dimple in the wall? I can't see how that would hurt and it should straighten them back out!

Thoughts.

[William Davis]

My new to me old Mec 600-10 with a new from Mec short kit has small "feet" screwed to the plates bottom. Should be no problem to replace the feet with machine screws and stacked washers & make it any height you want.

Having said that rolling is easy. Been fold crimping regular loads rolling spreaders to tell them apart in my bag.

Willian

[J. A. EARLY]

When I try to use my hulls that were roll crimped on the MEC, the wad guide cannot open the mouth up enough and then the wad goes in only after compressing the piston; thus I end up with cocked wads (can see it on the side of the hull) and I know what will happen: bloopers. I found out I can trim a little more off the end to get rid of the roll and still roll crimp them a second time. Anyone have the secret to getting the wad in on a previously rolled hull?

Last week when patterning the gun, my first shot was a blooper where the roll crimp did not hold the shot tight enough I believe. Thus I wanted to 6 point crimp them. If it was a 1 1/8 oz. load I'm sure I would not crush the hulls, but these are turkey loads and I don't want a blooper there and want 1 1/4 oz. Just too much in a shorter hull.

I guess since I will shoot so few of them I'll roll crimp. Already have eight ready. Should be more than enough. Well, should be eight turkeys but you know how that goes.

[OH Osthaus]

i use one of Ballistic product's tools for reforming the case mouth

http://www.ballisticproducts.com/Spi...tinfo/SPINDOC/

[J. A. EARLY]

Rick,

Thanks again. That's just what I need not only for my roll-crimped 10s but for those that I have 6-point crimped. They are hard to put the wad in as well.

[William Davis]

I was not satisfied with BP's case mouth conditioning tools. Seemed to me friction and heat re formed the plastic Aluminum being slick needed pressure to increase friction. Plus wide mouth short case 10s point of the tool hit the primer pocket. Being tapered it tends to open the mouth too wide while leaving lower out of round. Does work well on smaller guages though.

Anyhow chucked up a piece of hard maple in the wood lathe turned shank to tight fit inside a 10 hull. Short tapered the end. It works real good I get perfect round mouths smooth inside using fired roll crimped cases Which makes for easy wad insertion loading. I should add I keep rolled and folded cases separate. Most of my rolled are cut down folded when the folds start to crack.

Not finished yet, you can't take wood out of the chuck and put it back in without runout. Since I have a lathe not a problem, turn a new one every session only takes a minute. Next step is make one up with a metal rod so it can be chucked in the drill press, and run true repeated. Will post a picture if new one works well.

William

[J. A. EARLY]

William,

You could make a few or many and sell them. I'd sure like to buy one from you at the Southern that had the metal rod for a drill press!

[William Davis]

Jerry

It's a prototype so far, am going to make one up with metal rod shaft this weekend, see how it works in the drill press. If you want to try one send me a PM with your contact details address etc.

William