MEC 600 JR crimp starter help

[rtyler8140]

I have an older MEC 600 JR in 16ga and am trying to load some new cheddite hulls. This is my first time using a mec, and first time loading shotshell on any press. The issue I am having is with the crimp. The crimp starter was not putting very pronounced starting crimps. I figure a combination of cold hulls and inexperience are not helping matters. I heated the top of the hull slightly with a heat gun before running through the crimp starter die. This helped quite a bit, but for some reason, it is only putting 7 crimps instead of 8. Any ideas, tips, or pointers would be appreciated. Pics below of a hull with my "custom 7" crimp haha.

https://i.ibb.co/d6FWLHt/IMG-20201212-164450448.jpg (https://ibb.co/7VPYR0Q)
https://i.ibb.co/Tg9Wv98/IMG-20201212-164613955.jpg (https://ibb.co/W2mVxmy)

[Hamish]

Silly question, but the hulls were 8 point crimp originally, yes? Does it immediately try to fold one crimp in from the beginning of the stroke?

Easing the crimp starter, ie, doing it in 2 or 3 strokes a bit more each time can help with stubborn hulls.

[rtyler8140]

Hulls were brand new so no crimp to begin with. Will try to go in slower stages to see if that helps. I had be just pulling the lever applying smooth, steady pressure and holding for a few seconds.

[Teddy (punchie)]

Make the die (crimp) turns inside (spins). Do what I call a double stamp (Hamish said the same thing) at this station. If I recall there is also a concave ring or a washer that can be use that may help.

[jsizemore]

Are your hulls skived?

[rtyler8140]

Tried in multiple passes, still collapses the one crimp. They are skived.

[MOA]

Rt, here's a few tips on shotshells regardless of gauge or in most cases brands. 1. When attaining your hulls IF once fired always crimp with same point count starter crimp. So pick up a 6 an a 8 point crimp insert. 2. On brand new hulls if your buying them always go for the ones that have in the description what is called skived mouths. What this is on hulls is the plastic mouth is thinner in thickness than the rest of the case body. This is very helpful in forming crimps both 6 and 8 point. 3. Unless it is a must all new uncrimped hulls should be done in 6 point crimp. Much easier to accomplish a good crimp from the get go. The only 8 point crimps I do are on once fired trap hulls that we're 8 point originally from the factory. 4. If needed a brass starter crimp can be purchased from BPI (Ballistic Products Inc). I've used them for years and any if you have any questions Eric is very experienced and helpful. Hope this helps.

https://i.postimg.cc/1tXwzYRY/20140228-123302.jpg (https://postimg.cc/Fdt7WpLj)

https://i.postimg.cc/k4GXS0bK/20140228-123328.jpg (https://postimg.cc/62sXJ1zp)

https://i.postimg.cc/C15rVN3w/20140228-123411.jpg (https://postimg.cc/FdtVyjF6)

[turtlezx]

problem with the hulls they have no orginal crimp lines to follow
use a different hull and no problem

you will have better luck with these hulls if you do the following

just litely touch the mouth of the hull then look for 8 points to start to form
if not try again once you see the points start to form then go all the way with handle
wont fix them all but most will be good

[MOA]

Rt, here's what BPI has in brass crimpers that are good in starting a crimp in uncrimped new hulls. You can get the 6 and 8 point MEC starter crimp from BPI or MEC but the crimp die will be made out of plastic not metal like the older ones are.

https://i.postimg.cc/FRft3Zcq/Screenshot-2020-12-12-17-31-22.png (https://postimg.cc/S2ptpcg7)

[Hamish]

Hulls were brand new so no crimp to begin with. Will try to go in slower stages to see if that helps. I had be just pulling the lever applying smooth, steady pressure and holding for a few seconds.

That’s what I figured,,,,,

Gently lowering the stroke multiple times will let it relax into it. Start by just kissing the crimp starter into it and then a bit more and so on. Stop and check it.

There is also this option MOA posted: https://www.ballisticproducts.com/Super-Crown-Crimpers/products/931/

[skeettx]

https://www.precisionreloading.com/cart.php#!l=HN&i=490500

You will need to mount it to the press with different bolts but
it is great

[turtlezx]

good ideas above 1 or more will work for you

[rtyler8140]

Thanks for all the responses! I'll probably just break down and buy the 6pt brass crimp starter from BPI. I wish midway had it in stock. They are shipping a little quicker than BPI right now. Was hoping to crank out a few boxes for my dad for Christmas. I'm in the process of refinishing his Winchester Model 12.

[rtyler8140]

Double post

[Teddy (punchie)]

Show us a pic of what your finishing with. There is a cam that needs to be set.

Wad pressure can also effect the crimp. If shot is setting up too high or to low.

The blue shell MOA is showing needs to be set a little better. Should have a nice formed step to it.

Not sure if a card over the load would work. Have to watch changing to load data, make sure your not change anything with out finding data for it.

[rtyler8140]

https://i.ibb.co/4MfZPW3/IMG-20201212-230654116.jpg (https://ibb.co/rMtG4kN)
https://i.ibb.co/1GWxh7b/IMG-20201212-230701738.jpg (https://ibb.co/s9Yrkbt)

[MOA]

Show us a pic of what your finishing with. There is a cam that needs to be set.

Wad pressure can also effect the crimp. If shot is setting up too high or to low.

The blue shell MOA is showing needs to be set a little better. Should have a nice formed step to it.

Not sure if a card over the load would work. Have to watch changing to load data, make sure your not change anything with out finding data for it.

Right you are on the crimp teddy. As I was explaining in my post how a new uncrimped hull ...1. needs a 6 point crimp not a 8 point and a sharp crimp starter like those sold by BPI go a long way in starting the crimp memory of a new hull. The images I included were of my first experience with new never crimped hulls and my suggestion on what I did to remedy the issue.

This is how the crimp should look when adjustments are correct. These are also new uncrimped hulls but I'm using a 6 point crimp on them, not an 8 point one.

https://i.postimg.cc/rmpjrDkM/20150524_145530.jpg (https://postimg.cc/kVkWrXGp)

https://i.postimg.cc/pTTNLVcn/20150524_145538.jpg (https://postimg.cc/LqrQySpH)

https://i.postimg.cc/0QQpWhrs/20150524_145549.jpg (https://postimg.cc/p9whyGDG)

https://i.postimg.cc/DZZMrjTW/20150524_145558.jpg (https://postimg.cc/3ys17ZW7)

https://i.postimg.cc/V6vzJWZg/20150524_150412.jpg (https://postimg.cc/f3GGFmNS)

Another fine crimp on some blue. Uncrimped hulls using the metal sharp edge pre crimp to provide the needed starter crease to give a terrific crimp.

https://i.postimg.cc/tCjCGdrY/Photo0370.jpg (https://postimages.org/)

https://i.postimg.cc/Qdjt1g5R/Photo0372.jpg (https://postimages.org/)

https://i.postimg.cc/jd0CdYjq/Photo0373.jpg (https://postimages.org/)

[megasupermagnum]

Yes, get the brass starter from BPI. I put one on all My MECs. The original MEC starters do a poor job, presumably because they are not very sharp edged.

[W.R.Buchanan]

Rt, here's what BPI has in brass crimpers that are good in starting a crimp in uncrimped new hulls. You can get the 6 and 8 point MEC starter crimp from BPI or MEC but the crimp die will be made out of plastic not metal like the older ones are.

https://i.postimg.cc/FRft3Zcq/Screenshot-2020-12-12-17-31-22.png (https://postimg.cc/S2ptpcg7)

this ^^^^^

Randy

[Muddydogs]

https://i.ibb.co/4MfZPW3/IMG-20201212-230654116.jpg (https://ibb.co/rMtG4kN)
https://i.ibb.co/1GWxh7b/IMG-20201212-230701738.jpg (https://ibb.co/s9Yrkbt)

I crimp New Cheddite hulls just fine with the old metal 8 point crimp. First off lower your precrimp die by placing one or two flat washers under it, you precrimp is not deep enough.
Then on your final crimp die lower the inner crimp stem a little as your overall crimp is way to shallow, just move the inner stem a quarter turn at a time. If you don't have enough room to lower the final crimp without buckling hulls then your stack height is a little to tall.

[243winxb]

https://youtu.be/Kd5NiYk1TLU Adjust the taper to the upper body.

[MOA]

Excellent post 243winxb. That should help all of us out. Ya sometimes get a little rusty between seasons.

[fcvan]

Seeing all the worries and woes of shot shell crimping makes me miss the days when I mostly loaded paper hulls. Dad's Ithaca M37 would only shoot paper. I loaded plastic hulls for the rest of the family until Dad bought me my 870, as he did my Mother and Brothers before me.

His press is an Pacific, he's 81 and still has it, but hasn't loaded a shell in a dozen years. We had to switch over to load Mom's 20 ga 870 or Dad's Charles Daly until he bought a Mec just for 20 ga. The last time he loaded, he had bought a couple of shot guns for his grandsons who were getting into upland hunting/target shooting about a dozen years ago.

When I started out loading shot shells on my own, a buddy wanted me to load him some steel BBs so I bought a Lee LoadAll II and some Crossman BBs. I didn't have any problems loading with that, save for one design flaw in the press that a sheet metal screw fixed. Sure, I had read that the Lee was junk but it was $25 and it worked, still does.

Dad offered me his press, I feel funny about that. Folks who give up their gear seem to be giving up on living. He certainly is not but I still feel funny about it. Heck, he gave away his Mec 20 ga and Mom's 20 ga 870 to a young man from his Church just getting into shot gunning. He asked us boys about it before hand. Unanimously, we told him it's their stuff, they can do with it as they please, Mom was the one who originally suggested the gift. I am happy to say the young man took care of things like you would expect and fully enjoyed the entry into the sport. He has since graduated middle and high school, and entered the Marine Corps.

Still, I remember being taught to load with paper and plastic during grade school, did all the loading during middle and high school for the whole family. Fond memories of listening to Waylon, Merle, Johnny, and the local station while after school for Dove, Quail, Pheasant, and pigeon, not to mention the occasional cotton tail. Paper made the prettiest crimps, but old WW hulls did too.

[MOA]

Still, I remember being taught to load with paper and plastic during grade school, did all the loading during middle and high school for the whole family. Fond memories of listening to Waylon, Merle, Johnny, and the local station while after school for Dove, Quail, Pheasant, and pigeon, not to mention the occasional cotton tail. Paper made the prettiest crimps, but old WW hulls did too.

I too started loading shotgun shells made of paper. Head of the trap n skeet club in town got me fixed up. I got a used demo MEC loader in 12 gauge that was missing some parts for twenty-five bucks so along with getting me the missing parts he set me up with red dot, WWA12 wads, reclaimed 25lb bag of shot and a big box of champion paper hulls and federal primers. A paper hull just fired smells so different than plastic. Unless it raining or very wet I prefer to shoot paper.

[rtyler8140]

So the BPI crimp starter came in the other day. In the meantime, I realized I had the press bolted in the wrong place for 2 3/4 shells. Even when the press was set up properly, I was having trouble with the crimp starter. I went with the 6 point crimp starter from BPI & that made a huge difference. I was able to crank out 25 shells is short order. Crimp is not perfect, but should do the job.

https://i.ibb.co/mtLL2vx/IMG-20210102-224137830.jpg (https://ibb.co/BjXXQ41)

[MOA]

rtyler, looking much better. Now you just need to tweek the adjustment a bit more to get rid of the slight swirl your getting on a few of your crimps. That adjustment if you don't have a copy of the 600 jr. manual can be downloaded free. It tells you how to make the adjustment to eliminate the swirl.