[$$$SHTR]

With shot at $40, or more, per bag, my son and I have decided it's time to shoot more .410. They are a blast to shoot and the 1/2 ounce of shot cuts the cost of reloading down to less than half just for the shot. The reduced powder requirement also saves a bunch.

I have a Mec 600Jr that I load on, but it's slooow! I'm thinking of getting a progressive loader to load .410 on, I'm just not sure which one to buy. I have two Pacific 366's and a Spolar for 12 gauge loads so I am familiar with using these in the 12 gauge. However, I'm sure loading the .410 will be completely different.

What has your experience been using the different .410 progressive loaders?? I'm leaning towards the Mec Grabber, as I think the collet re-sizer is the best re-sizer made. Also, I think the hand indexing would be a little smoother.

Please share your likes and dis-likes on the various brands of .410 loaders.

Tomas

 

[oleww]

Agree with the grabber in 410. Turning by hand is better. When you get rolling, The 9000g sometimes indexes too fast and the little 410 wobbles and spills a couple of shot.

 

[fly]

9000G with a Smooth Operator installed and it will load very nice. STS hulls are my favorite with Little Gun powder. I have been loading with this machine since the early 90's.

 

[Bruce Em]

Welcome to the 410; be sure to use good hard hogh antimony "magnum" shot

Here's my thoughts on reloaders:

I have a 600 and a grabber. See below on tips for the 600. The Grabber is good especially for manual indexing, less tipping and spillage. I like it but have no experience with others, only comments from others.



First the 600 jr can really hustle if you are creative in its use.

Put a shell on the decapper/resizer and pull.

Add a primer to the well and move that shell to the reprime station.

Put a new shell in the decapper and pull

repeat; you are now doing 2 shells at once

For the rest, at midstation put powder wad and shot in and move to crimp start

forget about it while you do another powder wad and shot.

Slide crimp started shell over to crimp and put the other shell at crimp start while you add another to the powder wad and shot station

remove crimped shell, slide the started over and move filled shell in its place

You are now doing 3 steps at once

 

[Hammer1]

.

The Spolar is available in 410. And they make a lot of them in 410.

.

 

[Setterman]

I have a 9000G and it works great. You can't get to rammy on the upstroke or it will vibrate the machine and shot will jump out of the hulls.

 

[LDAddi]

While I have been using a .410 Mec Grabber for about 25 years, everything said re this loader is true...it must be operated slow and smoothly and indexed properly and then works quite well. However, in your case I question why you don't just get the .410 die set for your Spolar that you are familiar with.

JMO

Larry

 

[eightbore]

I have loaded tens of thousands of .410s on my two antique PW 800B loaders. However, I don't know anything about later generation PW .410s. I would go with the Spolar because that is what my serious shooter friends use. I would stay far away from the MEC 9000 because I wouldn't trust the auto advance feature with the .410. I would also recommend a complete new loader rather than a conversion die set.

 

[billn]

I have a 9000G 410 loader, MEC told me not to us a baffle because of the powder drop is not constant, I removed the powder baffle and had no more trouble with the powder drop being low.

I have loaded many 410 , AA and Remington, both load great. I use Alliant 410. There is a new powder out, that is supposed to be better than 410. IT takes care of the burn out that the 410 creates on the side of the shell.

 

[wm rike]

I long ago bought a PW 800B because it holds the cases firmly. Everything lines up all the time - no wobble, no spills, no regrets

 

[Erik W]

Mec Grabber works well for me. Gives you a chance to assess status of primer fall, wad & shot drop and determine that all little shells stop wobbling in plate before next stroke. Tried a 9000H a few years ago. It was a nightmare. I am still using old CF AA hulls and Little Gun.

 

[trapperpg]

Only difference in loading 410 is you have to make sure you have enough "shake, rattle, and bump" going on to prevent powder bridging in the drop tube. The way a MEC works, the motion is pretty much built-in.

 

[leftex]

My vote is for the 366.

 

[travisalfrey]

I use the grabber but if I had a spolar in my hands I would get the gauge set for it. I have seen many that load 410s on it with no problem at all.

 

[$$$SHTR]

Thanks for all the info. The reason I don't use either 366 or the Spolar, is once I have the loader set for a load, I hate to change anything. The only time I change is when I can't get the powder I was using. If I have to change a load, I start to work the load per the published recipe on a single stage Pacific 266. It will take me many trips to the club with a couple of boxes of the new recipe until I get it tweaked to just what I want. Then, I change the bushings from the 266 to whichever loader I will be using.

I've had a PW 900 Elite for some time and had nothing but trouble with it. Doubt I would ever try a PW again, especially with .410.

If I can, I usually buy new. Used loaders and me have never been a good match. I usually try to use them, but the previous owner had adjusted them so far out of specs it just doesn't work for me. It's not long before they find their way to E-bay.

Still leaning towards a Mec Grabber. I'll have to see if anyone around here has one I can watch them load on.

Thanks again,

Tomas

 

[johnboy]

Reload on a 9000G and I enjoy loading the 410, cheapest shell to reload as far as power and shot. I have found that the 410 is the most finicky of the guns to reload. I stick to wads of the manufacturer of the hulls I am reloading. Having reloaded winchester and remington 410s, I currently reload only AA's.

 

[Bruce Em]

Where's "around here"

I can show mine in use

 

[skeeljc]

In order to appreciate how well the Ponsness/Warren 800 Plus loads .410 shells you need to see it in operation with the Auto-Drive. The full length shell holders keep the .410 hull from wobbling during reloading.

Here is a video of my 800 Plus with the Auto-Drive loading .410 gauge shells.

PM or email me with your ZIP for a price including shipping.<br>
(just click on one of the blue icons at the top of this post)

The following video shows how the Auto-Drive operates with the Joystick Control.


<iframe width="560" height="315" src="http://www.youtube.com/embed/PCTJlIOy4tA" frameborder="0" allowfullscreen></iframe>

 

[tulsey]

The wobble is probably why Hornady quit offering the .410 in a conversion for the 366. The dedicated .410 has a much thicker shell holder which minimizes the wobble. I was lucky to have an old conversion kit along with an extra shell plate I put on top of each other. The 366 I put it on does not have the auto advance and it works just fine. I suspect the dedicated model works very well and if you got too carried away and started sloshing stuff you could add the gas assist to make things smoother, If you are familiar with the 366, the dedicated .410 model might be an option.

 

[Mark Gadbois]

I'll jump in on this one. I have a Spolar with all 4 gauges and the hydraulic drive. It took a little "learning" but the 410 goes almost as fast as the other gauges. I have 3 half-ounce bushings. Each one throws just a little different amount of shot but all still skeet legal 410 loads. Depending on the hull I use, Win AA or Rem and shot size 8.5 or 9 determines the bushing I use. I don't like "baby rattles." Since you already have a Spolar all you would need to buy is the die set and some bushings. The powder you want to use for 410 is 300MP.