Mec 600

[Rich219]

I got a MEC 600 a few days ago and have a question. How do I tell what kind of crimp is in the press? I crimed an empty shell and it came out like you would crimp a slug, I think its referred to as a roll crimp.

[Heavy lead]

Maybe a short shell? Or maybe it's set up to load 3" shells? I don't know of any roll crimp dies for a press, I thought roll crimps always had to be done on a drill press.

[Storydude]

Without a shot column in the shell, you won;t get the flat-crimp fold.

[376Steyr]

Maybe you have a crimp starter for paper hulls. IIRC, these are smooth inside instead of having ridges. Assuming you are loading fired plastic hulls, you'll need to sort them between crimps having "six" points and "eight" points. Trying to close the hull with the wrong crimp starter will result in a lot of mashed hull mouths.

[Storydude]

If they look like this:
http://castboolits.gunloads.com/attachment.php?attachmentid=14731&stc=1&d=1247772912



Put some shot into the hull.

[woody1]

I got a MEC 600 a few days ago and have a question. How do I tell what kind of crimp is in the press? I crimed an empty shell and it came out like you would crimp a slug, I think its referred to as a roll crimp.

Your problem is that you crimped an empty. With nothing inside to keep the crimp from going into the tube (hull) a rolled crimp is about what you'd get. If your empty was loaded to the approx. correct height you would get the 6 or 8 point crimp, The crimper does have to be tweaked a little depending on the hull your using. Check your crimp starter. It should correspond to your empies, ie 6 or 8 point crimp. If you've got lots of emptys to use for testing, just stuff one full of something......how about cornmeal? Leave about ..... well I dunno...is this a 12 ga? If so leave about 1/2" or a little more unfilled and run 'er thru the crimper. You will get either 6 or 8 point crimp depending on your crimp starter. HTH Regards, Woody

Here's a thought.....go to the MEC sight and download the Owner's Manual.
http://www.mecreloaders.com/OwnerManuals/OwnerManuals.asp

[Newtire]

That's the 6-point crimp starter that's in there and they make an 8-point also. I find that if you carefully pump the handle a few times when crimping (after filling with shot to the levels the guys previously mentioned), the crimp forms more uniformly. That little press is a real gem. I started in the 60's with a Lee hand tool and would have felt like I'd died and gone to heaven with a tool like that. I have 2 of them and load .410, 20 gauge, and 12 gauge. The cam adjuster meeds a little tweaking one way or the other as previously mentioned and you get some great looking shells. The MEC people are great about shipping out spare parts and you can find stuff on Gunbroker and E-screw all the time for those things. I have managed to get all the stuff in the old metal configuration and like that the best.

[oneokie]

I got a MEC 600 a few days ago and have a question. How do I tell what kind of crimp is in the press?

Look in the crimp starter. (the station to the left of the charging station) Turn the press upside down and look.

Is this a 410 gauge? If it is, it will be a 6 pt. crimp.

Woody1 made a good suggestion about the operating instruction manual.

[Newtire]

Originally Posted by Rich219
I got a MEC 600 a few days ago and have a question. How do I tell what kind of crimp is in the press?

6-points = six point crimp. That looks like a Brenneke slug hull judging by the color. Regardless, it is a 6-pointed crimp.

[Storydude]

If you are talking to me, that's a 6Pt crimp on a Fiocchi hull.

[Newtire]

I thought it was a question of what kind of crimp it was. I was just looking into the bottom of my range box and saw the Brenneke slug empties there-same color but roll crimp so wouldn't be those right? Never mind!