MEC 20ga Press

[Sprue]

Did some searching abt Mec Presses but no luck. I haven't done any reloading in a long time. I have a Mec for 12ga but I'm wanting to reload for 20ga. Question is, in order to load 20ga. Does Mec presses have inter- changeable dies or are the Mec presses dedicated to the different gages. I'm thinking that they are dedicated. tia

[W.R.Buchanan]

You are better off just getting a complete new press.

Randy

[Sprue]

You are right. The 20ga conversion kit is a mere $185. My Model # is Mec 600 Jr Mark 5

[Sprue]

You are right. The 20ga conversion kit is a mere $185. My Model # is Mec 600 Jr Mark 5

[Sprue]

Just checked Midway and they have the 20ga conv kit for $ 115. And the new 20ga press is abt $250

[dverna]

See if you can find a YouTube video of doing a changeover and determine if that is acceptable for your needs/desires.

Also, I have seen some decent buys on used machines. I bought a used MEC in 20 ga many years ago and had no regrets. Parts for them are not expensive

[MarkP]

I bought a used Mec about 30 yrs ago it had 12, 20, 28 ga dies. I bought it for the 28 ga. I would not want to change and readjust. Pacific / Hornady DL-266 are a great single stage, the 155's are decent as well. The Pacific 105's are similar to the Mec Jr's.

[rkrcpa]

I have three MEC 600's in various gauges. I have them mounted on cutting boards and just pull out the one I need and clamp it to the bench.

[kungfustyle]

Keep your eye out on facebook, ebay and craigslist. Someone will get rid of one cheep. You won't have to wait long.

[rkrcpa]

Keep your eye out on facebook, ebay and craigslist. Someone will get rid of one cheep. You won't have to wait long.

The last two I bought were under $100. Patience is your friend.

[Fast Asleep]

With 20 gauge shot shells becoming available at reasonable prices again, you should see used Mec loaders for sale again. Keep an eye on eBay listings and be patient.

[Streetwalker]

I've picked up Mec's at flea markets, swap meets, garage sales and gun shows for really good prices. It's amazing what's out there so just be patient and keep looking around. I would strongly advise that you become very familiar with the various parts of Mec's so you can bargain when you find one that just happens to be missing a part. Parts can be obtained from Mec for reasonable prices and what may be missing is usually the powder and shot bottles, charge bar or the primer seating die. Mec's are great loading tools, they are simple and seem to last forever with just a little care and proper lubing.

[hoodat]

Some of the die components are easily do-able with a lathe -- some not so much. I lost my 20 ga model somewhere along the line, and been thinking of okie machine shop solutions to the problem. I'd still prefer to just have two separate presses. jd

[15meter]

A WTB flier at your local trap and skeet clubs may get you what you want. I've seen decent single stage presses go for as low as $65, beater old ones for $50.

We've got 10+ gun clubs in the county I live in, I suspect if I needed a press, It would not take long for one to come out of the woodwork. With the aging of the shooting population, they are collecting dust and the old guys just need a little prodding to get them moving.

One of the last presses I bought was a MEC 650. The flier hung on the bulletin board at the club for several months. I had no need for ANOTHER shotgun press. $100. Broke down and called the guy. Got to his house and he threw in a full brick of primers, ~11 pounds of 700X, wads and a 5 gallon bucket of AA hulls. Sold the press a year later for $150 on Craigslist. Sometimes you get lucky.