Off the boolits for a minute, Lee LoadAll 12ga reloader

[possom813]

I'm looking at getting another 12ga reloader, simply because I still have 16lbs of green and red dot and about 200lbs of 6-8 shot.

I had a Mec791(I believe) and it worked well. I was looking on Midway at the Load All, I recall my dad had this loader when I was a kid. I don't remember anything negative about it, but I didn't get to load a lot when I was younger.

The Mec has done everything I wanted, but I sold it when the wife and I moved into our 'own' home in 2009. I only load a few hundred rounds a year of lead shot(still buying my steel shot). 90% of all of my loads were in Nitro Gold 2 3/4", every so often I'd reload a batch of 3", when I ran across the hulls.

Is the Load All up for that, because I see some really good reviews online and some horrible reviews as well. I'm not shooting 1,000's of rounds a month to reload, probably about 1,000 a year, at the most.

Should I go with the Loadall for 60 dlvd, or save for another Mec or a Mini Grand?

[Lloyd Smale]

never had a load all so i cant really say but you could about retire on what 200 lbs of shot is worth these days!!

[r1kk1]

Proprietary powder and shot bushings and non rotating crimp starter if memory does not fail me. I bought one years ago for portable field loading. I have a Lee hand press that goes with me hunting or for working up loads. Powder and shot hoppers are integrated and not easy to empty, especially if you need to swap out powder bushings because X drops so many grains but you need Y instead. Long story short, it was returned within 30 days for refund. Lee needs to come out with a Classic cast version of this press and 410 as well as 28 gauge. upside to Lee is gauge conversion are easy to do.

MEC has great customer support and will rebuild their current line of presses. The MEC supersizer tool is a must have item no matter what press you have. The simple tool comes in 10-410 collets. Precision reloading makes some beautiful brass spacer bushings for guys like me who load 3 1/2", 3" and 2 3/4" shotshells without changing press setting from 3 1/2". If you load steel shot or very large non toxic shot they have a steel conversion for it. MEC has the most powder bushings of any company. I use an adapter for my press to use MEC bushings. There are a lot of neat and useful third party accessories. BP makes a metal crimp starter for the MEC, great for new hulls. Downside is gauge conversions are time consuming to do. That's a reason why people own more than one machine.

RCBS has a single stage loader that will handle the 3.5 12 gauge and steel shot conversion. 12 gauge only and will use MEC powder bushings with an adapter as well as Hornady/PW/RCBS powder and shot bushings without adapter. No gauge conversions.

MEC you can get your money out of. Not sure of RCBS but they have great customer service also. Lee had a machine called the Load Fast and it took the same bushings as the Load All.

I use to buy MEC and if it was a single stage, I would convert it to what gauge sold at the time. Not easy to do. MEC will rebuild one for a few bucks if they have parts as I'm not sure about the old presses they use to make.

Take care

r1kk1

[Throckmorton]

I have loaded a couple thousand shells on 2 different LoadAlls over the years,I have one now.It will get the job done,but a MEC with adjustable charge bar.....aftermarket....is WAY better than a LoadAll.Yep,you'll spend more but u'll be a ton happier.

[LUBEDUDE]

I know of guys that are quite satisfied with Lee Loadalls. But Plastic on my bench? NO WAY!

[Moonie]

I have a Load All and it works quiet well, but then I'm not loading thousands of shells a year. I load some light skeet loads for the wife (can't go much as the kids don't enjoy it) and slugs for sons/son-in-laws for deer season.

[possom813]

I just picked up a Load All 2 at Cabelas. Had a $10 off for $50 purchase. It was 52, so out the door for 46 and change.

I forgot to pick up any wads, so I still can't load until after this weekend though:(

[kd185]

I forgot to pick up any wads, so I still can't load until after this weekend though



no wads no reloading
:(

[Throckmorton]

possom,the LoadAll powder bushings throw light.I"d suggest u install the next size bigger to begin with,and DON'T fill the hoppers in case you want to change the powder bushing.
..One way would be to just fill the powder hopper half way for compaction,and when ur happy with the bushing and charge,THEN add the shot.

once you get the hang of it,a shell a minute is pretty easy,I think I can do one in about 45 seconds.

[r1kk1]

Always check bushing weighted shot and powder on a scale. Charts are reference only. I have my own charts that I keep and the next powder lot may or may drop the same weight. It will also depend on the bushing manufacturer.

Take care

r1kk1

[Springfield]

I do shotshells for the wife, the kids and myself. I have 3 Mec 600 JR's all set up, smokeless for the wife, BP for me and 410 for the kids. A shell a minute? I'b be there all day if I had to do that. I can do at least 3 shells minute with the MEC's and don't have to worry about breaking anything, MEC's are pretty much indestructible. I've been loading 3-5 boxes a month for the last 9 years, still happy with them. Bought them all used, didn't seem to matter, nothing much wears out on them. I do recommend the adjustable powder/shot bar if you are going to be changing recipes very often. Otherwise just set it up and load a bunch.

[Moonie]

FYI, you can run an empty shell down in the shot and powder hoppers over the hole and cycle the charge bar a few times, problem with changing out the bushings solved. I read this on here somewhere I think.

Great simple solution.

Freaking geniuses on here.

[r1kk1]

FYI, you can run an empty shell down in the shot and powder hoppers over the hole and cycle the charge bar a few times, problem with changing out the bushings solved. I read this on here somewhere I think.

Great simple solution.

Freaking geniuses on here.

Not a great solution. It cycles either powder than shot than powder etc. I have not tried short stroking the charge bar repeatedly to isolate one side when I owned one briefly. The mini grand by RCBS has a thumb screw to remove and lift the hopper assembly off. Each side has a cover and you drain into the respective containers. MECs assemblies tilt backward to unscrew bottles and remove screw or thumb screw to remove charge bar or use a universal charge bar. It is very easy to drain. P/W will drain straight into containers as it has no bar system. Very easy. I don't have to drain anything to change powder or shot bushing.

If someone made a separate powder and shot lids for the load all then you could pick the machine up and drain each hopper back into their containers. Can you imagine a Classic Cast turret shotshell press? You could go from 3-1/2" to 2" hulls by just setting a pin on one main shaft to dictate shell length. Heads could be interchangeable from 10 to 410 gauge. That would clean up the single stage shotshell press market. Use existing powder measures and come out with one for shot. No bushings.

Take care

r1kk1

[woody1]

I had a Lee Loadall II in 20 ga. Note the operative word........had. Especially if wanting to load 12 ga. there's no way I'd buy a Lee. Used 12 ga. MEC 600 jr.s are cheap around here at gunshows. Less than new price for Lee Loadalls and as someone said, MEC customer service is great and parts are reasonable. My $0.02. Regards, Woody

[HangFireW8]

Proprietary Lee powder and shot bushings? Really? Since they give you every possible one when you buy the press, what could possibly be the complaint here?

Lee's LA is good enough for low volume reloading. I have 3 of the original metal LA's, one in each gauge. If you reload heavily, buy a progressive.

HF

[r1kk1]

Proprietary Lee powder and shot bushings? Really? Since they give you every possible one when you buy the press, what could possibly be the complaint here?

Lee's LA is good enough for low volume reloading. I have 3 of the original metal LA's, one in each gauge. If you reload heavily, buy a progressive.

HF

Yes proprietary. 16 powder bushings. 8 shot bushings. They don't furnish 1-3/8 oz, 1-5/8, or even 2 oz bushings for shot. You can make a 1-3/8 shot bushing. MEC has 50 powder bushings that cover the most range of any company minus the multi scale. You can get an adapter for the P/W 375c, RCBS mini grand and for the progressive crowd, the three mentioned before plus Hornady and Spolar.

I don't get every possible one I want or use. Where the possible gaps are in MEC I use P/W and Hornady/RCBS. I have a 3/4 oz load for my 12 gauge that works well with crows in my barn. This is using 9 shot.

Lee states on their site their bushings are calibrated for lead. I hunt areas that require nontoxic. I don't shoot steel but use to shoot bismuth, now hard to find. It's ITX or nice shot for me now. They also state it won't do 2-1/2" or 3-1/2" shells. Both of these I'm fond of.

The Load-All didn't work for me for reasons stated in earlier post. If it works for you great. I load 10-410 swapping head assemblies in less than five minutes. The machine handles lead, nontoxic and of course steel. I can empty containers of powder or shot easily and swap bushings in less than a hand full of seconds. I sold a 9000 a few years ago but will look elsewhere for my next progressive. Now the 375c is mounted to a hardwood board and clamped on my bench when I need it.

Take care,

r1kk1