[ihartm]

Has anyone had experience using the MEC universal charge bar and powder baffle.
Are the adjustments simplied? at $34.00 cheaper than the cost of 3 charge bsars.
Your impressions please.
I.Hartman

 

[Chuck Ledford]

I've used them for years......they are great.

 

[Shooting Jack]

I use them both and they are very simple to adjust where even a cave man can do it. Once the bar is adjusted they will stay in place as they have a set screw to tighten once you have it the way you want it. As for the powder baffle, I have heard mixed opinions but I use them anyway. Concerning the powder and universal charge bar, the most important thing is to adjust it so the charge bar goes all the way to the left where the set screw almost touches the bar housing. This will get you consistent powder drops. I learned about this the hard way. At first I didn't understand why one drop would be 15.3 and the next 15.9 and then noted that the charge bar wasn't going all the way over and I was fast pulling the loader handle sometimes. This can happen with the regular bar also. Jackie B.

 

[wayneo]

I've been using one for over 15 years. I keep a notebook on the adjustments I make for different powder and shot weights. For example: 17.5 grains of 700X is a 5+27, 17.5 grains of Red Dot is a 6+10. The guide that comes with the bar is low on all the weights. ALWAYS use a scale to check your weights. Wayne

 

[Dove Commander]

If you get one, still weigh your powder before you start a batch. As the bar gets older, it does not always go back to original settings. 17.5 grains of 700X may be be a 5+27 one month, but if you change the bar for another load, it may not throw 17.5 grains of 700X @ 5+27 the next time. Always weigh before loading, always.

 

[kraiza]

I have 3 universal charge bars for my MEC. I like then because you can set the load easy and were you need it. Shot or powder.
Just use a good scale. I do a check evey time I reload. Just to be on the safe side.

 

[jackw]

I used an universal charge bar for several years with no problems. I then switched from Clays to Titegroup which is a very dense pwoder. I had some consistency problems and had a few bloopers. The problem was that the drop space for the powder on an universal bar is rectangular in shape and when it is adjusted for the small volume of dense powders it wasn't lining up properly over the drop tube on my MEC 9000. So I went back to my regular bar with the circular drop space and the alignment is perfectly centered over the drop tube. All my consistency problems went away and no more bloopers. With high volume powders the universal bar is the way to go. But if you use some of the dense concentrated powders be careful with an universal bar.

 

[psfive]

I have three one for 7/8 oz one for 1 oz and one for 1-1/8 oz. Remember to make your final adjustment making your measure smaller. This will take all the slop out of the adjuster. Lock it down with the set screw and load away. Always use a good scale to check your drops. Paul

 

[dr.beav]

Point of error -- the bar is not made by MEC - and MEC does not claim it. However, it is great and the only way to go -- please check your powder drop weight often, often, often and then often! Lining up the powder cavity of the bar with the center of the drop is important to achieve even results, and you may want to grind off one side of the bar stop bolt head, so that it travels further over to the powder side and centers up properly on the drop tube -- leave the bottles off and look down into the cavity and see if it is centered. the beav

 

[cueguy2]

Best thing going. I have 6 on my MECs. No problems, but I do check the drops at every new session and in between. Have never found any major movements in the drops so far. Nubs Wagner

 

[halfmile]

With Titegroup, you have to hesitate a half second on the bottom of the stroke so the little tiny orifice can fill.

Learned that last year, no more short powder drops. Push the handle down, hold for a second, pull it up.

Just a little technique. In fact, I do that with all loads now, and I feel it gives me better control of the powder charge.

After all, it's not a speed contest. My aim is to make the best load possible for a reasonable cost.

HM