MEC 650 in 16 gauge Reloader adaptation Archived Message
Posted by Jent P Mitchell III on November 16, 2015, 6:33 pm, in reply to "Reloader adaptation "
Hello Les, When I think of a MEC 650 I think of a reloading tool that is 30 to 40 years old, maybe as young as 25 years old. I have 3 or 4 of them and they are all over 30 years old and maybe over 40 years old. The MEC 650 does not have a resizing station. You have to have a separate tool known as a MEC Case Conditioner to resize and deprime the empty cases before you can reload the cases with a MEC 650. There are other tools available that can be used to resize and deprime cases before you reload them with a MEC 650. I do not recall seeing a MEC 650 in 16 gauge 30 and 40 years ago but maybe they made them in 16 gauge. The MEC 650 12 gauge has 2 holes in the center post and 2 holes in the base to allow the machine to be converted from 2 and 3/4 inch to 3 inch shotgun shells. These holes go from the front to the back of the machine. If you figured out where to lock the post down in the base for 2 and 1/2 inch shells then you could drill and tap a hole from the right to the left in the base through the post and the machine would be all set. You might need to make some small adjustments on the cam on the crimper but that would be about it. Now, has someone already made this conversion for a 2 and 1/2 inch 12 gauge ??? If they have the position of that drilled and tapped hole would be the same for a 16 gauge 2 and 1/2 inch 16 gauge. If you measured the difference between the dead centers of the 3 inch and 2.75 inch conversion holes in the center post and the frame that should give you the number of inches you need to adjust the post down shorter then the 2.75 setting. An easier way to get this number would be to set the machine for 3 inch shells and scratch a witness line on the center post of the machine. Then reset the machine for 2.75 inch shells and scratch a witness line on the center post. Measure the distance between the two witness lines, this is the distance that you will need to lower or shorten the center post to go from 2.75 inch shells to 2.50 inch shells. To lower the center post this much might require cutting off some of the bottom of the center post because the center post will hit the bottom of the frame sooner or later. OK all you old guys like me that have used a MEC 650 for decades does this sound right to you all ???....Jent....ph 703-855-1110.