I would like to reload my 3" .410 shells. I have a MEC 8567N Grabber for 2 1/2" .410s, and I have a MEC SuperSizer with a .410 collet kit, just for sizing them down to fit the tight chambers in my two Turkish .410 S x S guns. Since I can size them with the SuperSizer, what is the cheapest route to get what I need for loading 3" .410 shells? According to what I read on MEC's website, there is not a 3" kit available for the press I have.

Any ideas?

SRH

Buy a MEC non-progressive as a sister loader
Mike

Cheapest way may just be an old 600 JR. press. I loaded 3" .410 on one many years ago. It was not too bad because it was a low volume need. If I was loading many thousand .410s a year it would be too slow but for a few boxes now and then it worked well.

You need to add height to your loaders column. Take a closer look at your machine. There are two holes in the lower end of the main shaft column, (Mec part #84), and your machine most likely is using the lower of the two. If you move it upward you will gain column height. Might require only this step to alter your machine. But nothing can be that easy right? I bet you also have to drill another hole in the column to move pin #117, (see MEC parts list), half an inch. Then adjust the wad guide and other stations as needed. If the column is not stable in the upward position I would drill and tap a hole in the base of the shaft and add an extension to make it longer and more stable.

If you look at the MEC Sizemaster owners manual they show this is how they change from shorter to longer shells. Go to the MEC site and look at the pdf page 11 and they have a clear photo of what I am talking about.

Would a roll crimper solve your problem ?

I roll crimp .410 unfired, new hulls in 3”. I don’t reload them as I am not a high volume .410 shooter as you are, Stan. If I were, I’d probably use a press. Roll crimps can be reloaded, but hulls don’t last as long as a star-crimped load. Note in the top photo. First two on the left were roll crimped. The mouths would have to be straightened out before loading. Next is a factory load, fired. The unfired hull is last on your right. I think the reason roll crimped fired hulls are more fragile is because friction (heat) causes the plastic to bend making it more brittle than a star crimp. Unfired, primed Friocchi hulls 3”, run about $15 a 100. Not bad considering the cost of factory rounds.
The last photo is my collection of .410 crimpers. Didn’t start out to be a collection, but I couldn’t resist buying them. They are hard to find.

Stan, since you already have the Supersizer you could buy a MEC 600JR setup for 3" or spend some more and get a Sizemaster.

My .410 Sizemaster was set up for 2.5" but came with all the parts to convert it to 3" in the box and I'm almost certain that the 600JR also has the parts.

The MEC single stage presses aren't fast but they load good cartridges. I roll crimp 24 gauge but that's only because there is no fold crimp reloader made for the 24 gauge.

Thanks for all the suggestions. I don't think I want to try to roll crimp that many, jOe. I could, but it sounds like a 600JR is what I need. I loaded with single stage presses for many years until I got into sporting clays. But, I could load all the 3" stuff I need on a single stage.

Most appreciated, SRH

Another consideration is the size of shot to be loaded. In my experience, any size larger than #9 bridges in the drop tube, which is not a good thing on a progressive. I have loaded a good many 3" .410 shells, most with #7 1/2 and #8 shot, and I found the best results with a single stage MEC 700 press. I kept a large wooden dowel beside the loader to tap the drop tube when the shot bridged, which was often. I prefer the collet sizer on later MEC presses, but don't own any of them of the single stage variety, so don't know how they would work for 3" shells.

I have been through the shot bridging aggravations, too, Tom. I found the best solution to be the same as you, tapping on the drop tube. Thanks for the suggestion on the 700.

I had decided earlier that this would probably be my route, hence buying the .410 collet for my SuperSizer. I knew with the small chambers on two of my .410 guns I would need a collet type sizer to get the heads small enough. I was fortunate and recently bought a flat of 3" loads of 7 1/2s for $110, but I can do considerably better than that by reloading. In my estimation, reloading .410s is worth the troubles it entails.

Thanks again, SRH

Stan, have you loaded any of the Alliant MP -300? I used it for early season dove and recently on two quail hunts. It worked very well with good velocity and low pressures. Some of theses 3" .410 loads can be a little slow (1050-1100fps). It is 1200 fps not the Skeet shooters norm of 1300 plus that smokes clay targets. But it does pattern well and gave good clean kills. I know your guns are modern and fully capable of dealing with highs pressures but I have found many of those type loads pattern poorly and the .410 is one gun you can not afford poorly pattern ammo.

It also works well in the 28 ga.. I used it last year pass shooting doves late season and found it to be amazing. So good that I thought I might have learned how to shoot better just by reading of Mr. Woods fine shooting progress under the gentle tutoring he is getting.

Geeze, Stan, how many 3" 410s do you need? These roll crimped once fired shells may not crimp so well when run through a star crimp die. Let us know how they crimp. By the way, the best .410 3" loader in the world is the Ponsness Warren Model 375. Price is $475 plus $38.50 for the 3" conversion. I bought a .410 PW 375 when I was in high school and it is still in the loading room. I turned 70 this year.

I have loaded 12,20, and 28 for years.
On PW progressive machines.
just now starting on 410 with a Versa Mec.
Having a lot of trouble with the case mouths of RP hulls splitting when dropping shot.
All the fingers on the wad guide are present.
Any suggestions?
Also I'm trying IMR 4227,
Any suggestions for newer powders?
Not enough room for the shot column.
any clues on wad pressure?
Thanks

No, I haven't, Jon. Really have only loaded a few hundred 2 1/2" shells, and those mainly because a friend gave me a MEC 8567N a couple years ago. I don't shoot a lot of 2 1/2" stuff, mainly for clays every now and then. For me, the ultimate use of a .410 is doves and quail ............. and there I really prefer the 11/16 oz. load of the 3" shell.

Bill, It's not only that I wouldn't really want to take the time to roll crimp 12-15 boxes of 3" shells, but it's that, as Gil said, once is about it for them. I used to load a few 2 7/8" 10 ga. shells and roll crimp them, but it wasn't but a few. You don't shoot many shells at turkeys. I can see myself using this new 30" Dickinson .410 a lot on doves in the future. But .......... I also am not going to spend nearly $300 bucks, or more, on a reloader to load 300-400 shells a year.

SRH

Stan, did you look at changing the column position to see if your reloader can go from 2 1/2 to 3"? Being able to use a progressive loader would increase you loading speed by about five times as fast. And on the sizemaster loaders all it require is moving the column bolt from bottom hole to top hole. The progressive loaders have two hole options as well. The only thing I'm not sure about is the hold down pin which may need moving as well or may not. Another option is to call MEC and ask them. They are very friendly to deal with. I altered several 650 from 2 3/4 to 2 1/2" which was a lot less easy than going up I think.

Jon, i did look briefly at it and it appears to me that it is already in the top hole. I may shoot off an email to MEC to discuss it with them, tho'. I have had timely responses from them in the past via email. Thanks again for the suggestion. I will pursue it until satisfied one way or the other.

SRH

Stan, it has already been mentioned about the height difference between the holes in the frame. There is probably enough range to do what you want. I was loading both 2 1/2" & 3" .410 shells on two presses but I was killing birds with the short shells so I butchered the 3" press to convert to a 32 gauge press. There was enough adjustment for me to load (with a folded crimp) 2 1/2" 32 gauge shells on that press.

I will look more closely, but I believe mine is already in the top hole. Thanks for the post, Skip. Merry CHRISTmas.

SRH

Thank you Stan. Merry Christmas to you as well.

I looked at it again awhile ago. The bolt that secures the outer part of the column to the base has two holes in the front of the base. It is in the lower hole now. I do believe it will move up 1/2" if I use that top hole for the bolt. I am about to email MEC for further info about it. Thanks again, KYJon and Skip, for suggesting that.

SRH

KYJon and Skip,

Received a reply from Ron Freitag at MEC today. He says that none of the MEC progressives are able to be converted to 3" loading, with the exception of the 650n4103, which is a "special order".

Thanks for the suggestions. Still watching for a good used single stage.

SRH