Once again, I try this every 2 or 3 years, I have brought out my UCB's to see if I can make them work which of course they don't. I know, we either love them or we hate them. I want to like mine, I have 5 of them and they are all the same in any of my 4 Sizemasters or 4 Grabbers. I "only" have two for the Grabbers. I bought the first one for a Sizemaster and the rest were given to me by friends because they "don't work". Mostly I can hardly move the charge bar. Don't matter if I leave the washers out or not. It's just as hard to move with only the powder baffle in the powder hole. That's the major complaint but there's more. Of course it leaks the fine 410 powder all over the press, the Mec bar does not. It is not accurate at all, throws within a range of 12 grains of powder to 18 grains of W296. Shot meters better but not as good as the Mec bar. If you remove the powder baffle and look down from the top of the charge bar and operate the unit you can see why this happens. The bar does not move far enough either to the left for the shot or to the right for the powder. The drop holes barely move over the hole in the press and powder and shot remains on the charge bar ledge because of that. That explains why when the press handle goes to the top after dropping shot it drops 5 to 10 pellets all over the floor. They fall of the ledge and down the tube when the handle hits top. After a few loads the powder gets galled up under and over the charge bar making it much harder to use than it was when it was "clean". I wanted to meter between 15.5 and 16g of 296 which is why I decided to mess with these again. 12a bushing meters 14.5 grains 13 meters closer to 17g of it. I guess the 12a is okay as I can live with 1250 fps but wanted closer to 1300 for the 410's. I guess I'm gonna' have to ream out a 12a bushing unless anyone has any suggestions that I can make work for the UCB's. Regards, Fencepost.
Universal charge bar in Sizemaster, no good.
FencePost
1 - 20 of 25 Posts
Once again, I try this every 2 or 3 years, I have brought out my UCB's to see if I can make them work which of course they don't. I know, we either love them or we hate them. I want to like mine, I have 5 of them and they are all the same in any of my 4 Sizemasters or 4 Grabbers. I "only" have two for the Grabbers. I bought the first one for a Sizemaster and the rest were given to me by friends because they "don't work". Mostly I can hardly move the charge bar. Don't matter if I leave the washers out or not. It's just as hard to move with only the powder baffle in the powder hole. That's the major complaint but there's more. Of course it leaks the fine 410 powder all over the press, the Mec bar does not. It is not accurate at all, throws within a range of 12 grains of powder to 18 grains of W296. Shot meters better but not as good as the Mec bar. If you remove the powder baffle and look down from the top of the charge bar and operate the unit you can see why this happens. The bar does not move far enough either to the left for the shot or to the right for the powder. The drop holes barely move over the hole in the press and powder and shot remains on the charge bar ledge because of that. That explains why when the press handle goes to the top after dropping shot it drops 5 to 10 pellets all over the floor. They fall of the ledge and down the tube when the handle hits top. After a few loads the powder gets galled up under and over the charge bar making it much harder to use than it was when it was "clean". I wanted to meter between 15.5 and 16g of 296 which is why I decided to mess with these again. 12a bushing meters 14.5 grains 13 meters closer to 17g of it. I guess the 12a is okay as I can live with 1250 fps but wanted closer to 1300 for the 410's. I guess I'm gonna' have to ream out a 12a bushing unless anyone has any suggestions that I can make work for the UCB's. Regards, Fencepost.
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302 Posts
FencePost - I’ve only recently started using Universal Charge bars but something seems really wrong here. Hang on and see what the experts here may recommend.
I did give up on using a new Universal bar with a 410 9000 with 296 because I could not adjust the powder weights to be light enough. So I used the same bar on a 12 ga 650. It can keep powder drops to within +- o.1 grain. Yes, 0.1 grain. Had to check the results with a second scale. I may use it for powder droppng for metallic reloading...
I did give up on using a new Universal bar with a 410 9000 with 296 because I could not adjust the powder weights to be light enough. So I used the same bar on a 12 ga 650. It can keep powder drops to within +- o.1 grain. Yes, 0.1 grain. Had to check the results with a second scale. I may use it for powder droppng for metallic reloading...
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317 Posts
I had similar problems and found that the top of the bar wasn't very smooth and was binding in the MEC. Poor casting or finishing I guess. I wrapped a piece of 400 grit sandpaper over a block of marble and used it to finish the top of the bar. It works pretty good now.
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584 Posts
The bar needs to move freely and easily, within the measure assembly.
Take your UCB out of the machine.
Close both cavities down to their zero settings, inspect the top and bottom of the bar, look to see if any part of the moveable shot or powder valve is sticking above the top or below the bottom of the bar.
Open both cavities to their maximum and repeat.
In some cases you may have a high spot that remains high throughout the entire travel of the valve, if thats the case then file it flush.
It is also possible that you have a bent adjustment knob screw, in that case you might see a high spot at one end of the travel and not the other. Ive had success in straightening them simply by putting the bar on a hard flat surface and using a hammer and block to tap the section flush the body of the bar.
Ive tuned up several of these and never had one that I couldn't get to work properly.
View attachment 1548199
Take your UCB out of the machine.
Close both cavities down to their zero settings, inspect the top and bottom of the bar, look to see if any part of the moveable shot or powder valve is sticking above the top or below the bottom of the bar.
Open both cavities to their maximum and repeat.
In some cases you may have a high spot that remains high throughout the entire travel of the valve, if thats the case then file it flush.
It is also possible that you have a bent adjustment knob screw, in that case you might see a high spot at one end of the travel and not the other. Ive had success in straightening them simply by putting the bar on a hard flat surface and using a hammer and block to tap the section flush the body of the bar.
Ive tuned up several of these and never had one that I couldn't get to work properly.
View attachment 1548199
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2,663 Posts
I use the UCB in all my machines EXCEPT the .410. If you look thru where the powder bottle goes and operate the charge bar, you'll see that the (very) small cavity for .410 loads is way off center. My UCB's that I do use are on hydraulic machines that tend to fairly consistent in operation, leading to uniform powder drops. As far as the baffle goes, only the red PC baffle is worth a hoot IMHO. The spring load bottom must ride directly on the charge bar, with no rubber or brass washer. I do not get significant powder leakage, even with the Alliant 300MP I use for .410.
I had half dozen at one time. When I left MEC products I gave them to friends. Most ended up feeling like me. I always thought it was the square hole which caused a lot of the issues. Either way I never cared for them and its obvious as to what my opinion is.
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5,484 Posts
I bought 2 used 9000s that had them on, and I took them off. I never really liked them.
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8,614 Posts
Always figured the worst place for a UCB would be on a MEC that required manual manipulation of the charge bar. I know the UCB adjusters have set screws to keep you from boogering up your settings, but the "hands on" needed with the charge bar twice every shell always seemed like a great source for variation and error. Bad enough shoving the stock MEC charge bar back and forth manually. On the 600 Jr. we used to shove the bar to the left to get powder, then "bottom" the bar a second time to make sure the charges were "consistent". Once I got my 9000G I bought a UCB and never looked back. Later when I picked up a Grabber I put a UCB in it as well. That old Grabber still makes the best looking shells ever.
Bob Falfa
Bob Falfa
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1,492 Posts
Icyclefar has got it. The bar needs to move freely. Check if you a hang up on the shot insert. I had to file mine down quite a bit to get to seat just below flush with the top of the bar. Be sure the travel of the bar is set correctly. The center screw on the front must travel all the way to the left. This is adjusted with the rod on the right of the press. Do not over tighten the powder and shot bottles This will cause a hang up or slow travel
In my experience, the UCB does not work well with fine powder or really low settings. I was using Winchester Super Handicap powder and could not get a consistent drop. The opening on the bar is really small and must have full travel or it will not fill a full charge. I try to stay with powder that use a setting of 4-20 or higher. My Handicap load of 23.3 gr of WSH only has a 3-35 setting. I had to pause for a full two second count at the bottom of the down stroke to get a full consistent charge.
The pictures below show a 5-+ setting with full travel, the same setting without full travel, the center screw when it does NOT have full travel, and finally full travel of the bar.
This is shown on a MEC 9000 your press could be different but the principals will be the same
![Image]()
View attachment 1548431
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![Image]()
In my experience, the UCB does not work well with fine powder or really low settings. I was using Winchester Super Handicap powder and could not get a consistent drop. The opening on the bar is really small and must have full travel or it will not fill a full charge. I try to stay with powder that use a setting of 4-20 or higher. My Handicap load of 23.3 gr of WSH only has a 3-35 setting. I had to pause for a full two second count at the bottom of the down stroke to get a full consistent charge.
The pictures below show a 5-+ setting with full travel, the same setting without full travel, the center screw when it does NOT have full travel, and finally full travel of the bar.
This is shown on a MEC 9000 your press could be different but the principals will be the same
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136 Posts
Well it appears from the pics that your press isn't set right to run the charge bar all the way to the left. After thousands of loaded rounds using a UCB in 600 jr's, 650's and 9000's I have to say that if your not getting good powder drops or full bar travel its operator error. Set your press up right, make sure the UCB is moving freely and fully and figure out how to adjust the charge bar and they work fine. Some powders might need the powder baffle to meter better, some need the rubber washer and brass ring and others don't but a guy has to experiment with stuff to figure it out. There's nothing wrong with the UCB.
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3,437 Posts
i have used a UCB on a mec 650 that i bought about 2 years ago and never had any of the problems you describe, it has worked great for me
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15,842 Posts
Bought one -Hated it--gave it away- never regretted doing so !
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1,069 Posts
I got one and it works fine, kind of a pain to change loads because of all the adjusting to dial it in. But if you get it dialed in for a load its the berries...
As others have said, make sure the screw in the face of the picture above, travels to the extreme left, JUST touching the end of the slot when the handle is all the way down.
As others have said, make sure the screw in the face of the picture above, travels to the extreme left, JUST touching the end of the slot when the handle is all the way down.
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1,492 Posts
I have found the UCB to be extremely fast now. I made an excel chart for each powder, as well as shot size and brand. Turn the dial to what my chart shows.
The process I use is quick. Measure five to make sure its close. Make a final adjustment if needed, then weigh ten and average it out. Seldom need a second adjustment.
I never have to try two bushings or more to get as close as the bushings will throw that day. Never need to remove the bar. When I used bushings I kept a similar chart for powder so I could use the right bushing the first time. However for shot, there is not an alternative, use what the bar throws. You still need to remove the bar for each bushing change. Takes less time to turn the dial.
If all you ever wanted was to get as close as bushings, you would never have to adjust the UCB a second time. I had a tough time getting within a half grain of the prescribed drop when I used bushings. Using the UCB, I will be within .2 grains most every time on the initial setting. The charts provided with the UCB are about as accurate as the MEC charts. They get you in the neighborhood. My personal chart gets me real close.
End of the day, both methods will produce quality shells.
Shoot em all.
The process I use is quick. Measure five to make sure its close. Make a final adjustment if needed, then weigh ten and average it out. Seldom need a second adjustment.
I never have to try two bushings or more to get as close as the bushings will throw that day. Never need to remove the bar. When I used bushings I kept a similar chart for powder so I could use the right bushing the first time. However for shot, there is not an alternative, use what the bar throws. You still need to remove the bar for each bushing change. Takes less time to turn the dial.
If all you ever wanted was to get as close as bushings, you would never have to adjust the UCB a second time. I had a tough time getting within a half grain of the prescribed drop when I used bushings. Using the UCB, I will be within .2 grains most every time on the initial setting. The charts provided with the UCB are about as accurate as the MEC charts. They get you in the neighborhood. My personal chart gets me real close.
End of the day, both methods will produce quality shells.
Shoot em all.
Had a UCB on MEC Sizemaster 12ga that seemed to work fine. Converted the press to 410 and could not get consistent powder drops. Found the when the openings in the UCB were set very fine that the opening in the bar did not match up very well with the drop opening dropping the powder to the shell. Went back to a MEC charge bar.
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5,484 Posts
Better yet, is the charge bar that takes a bushing on both sides.
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