I have a chance to pick up a used 650 or 600 for $100. I want to start reloading for 2 3/4" 12ga sporting clays and eventually for my 3" turkey guns.
I am an absolute greenhorn when it comes to reloading shotshells (currently only load centerfires) and wondered what the best choice would be for me. I understand from the MEC site that the 650 doesn't resize the shell, but does the 600 resize? I understand the 600 is discontinued but does MEC still support this model?
For developing turkey loads, I imagine that just like centerfires, I would be loading small amounts at one time. Does either model have an advantage for this operation?
Thanks for taking the time to read this post and point me in the right direction.

quote:

I am an absolute greenhorn when it comes to reloading shotshells

I'm just getting started learning steel shotshell loading!!!! I understand the frustration catching on to something new!

Lets start here....the 650 was a turret machine that worked quite well but didn't resize the cases.....this often meant one usually was confined to reloading only the cases that were previously fired in your gun.....not someone els's.

The MEC 600 will resize nicely and for 2 3/4" shells you can pick them up at the range and reload them.....and it's a fabulous machine!

When it comes to turkey loads I strongly recommend you shell out a few bucks and buy them.....if you're like me you shoot less than five shells a year!!!!! Don't waste time reloading them. You must also stock different wads, powder, and shot than you would for "clays"

If you shoot more than 200 shells a week at clays maybe the 650 will be the better option.....there is a stand alone resizer one can buy if you need!

A MEC 600 can reload almost 200 rounds in an hour (especially if you're practiced and organized)

The MEC 600 is also among the safest presses ever made.....to make a dangerous shell you almost have to do it intentionally! I'm a big fan of this press and strongly recommend it as a starter press.....hell....I've been reloading lead shotshells since 1968 and still resort to my MEC 600s.....I have two 9000G presses and a RCBS grand.....and use the MEC 600 the most yet!

Vapo: Thanks for the recommendation. I will look at the 600. Lots to learn here!

Westernmassman,
Vapodog has given you a lot of good information.

Mec has NOT discontinued the 600jr. Mark V. It is a great machine and I have four of them in three gauges. (12,20&28) They have great support for their reloaders including the huge majority of obsolete machines. You can call their toll free number and talk to a technician with not much waiting. They are very helpful. They also have a great website with a FAQ section that will have info to solve most of the common problems that users run into.

I reload around 5K shells per year and have done so for about a decade or more. While most of my reloading these days is done on a 12ga. Grabber, I still do a lot on my 600s. For a beginner I strongly recommend a 600jr with a primer drop as it is about as simple as one can get and a newbie can learn the process fairly easily. A progressive has some added complexity and it can be much harder to fix a screw up without spilling powder, shot and primers all over the place. Once you have mastered the 600jr. and want more speed, then I would look at a Grabber.

One piece of advice is to find a cheap cookie sheet with a rim all the way around and clamp the reloader to the table on top of the cookie sheet. This will help contain spills and there will be some! Even experienced reloaders doo have spills.

Vapodog is also right about the Turkey loads. Most hunters don't use enough shells to justify the expense of the special components and setup.

One last bit of advice is to follow the recipe book!!! Component swapping can result in major pressure changes. This is not like metallic reloading where you work up the load till you find over-pressure indications. In shotguns, over-pressure indications are called blown barrels!!! It is acceptable to swap a component sold as a "clone" for the original, but if the mfg doesn't say they are equal then DON'T SWAP! An example is that Claybuster, Duster and Downrange sell wads that are replicas of Winchester, Remington and Federal wads. These are listed on the package as equivelants of the other wad and this swap is acceptable.

The advice you have gotten is solid. I could only add pick up a Lyman's 5th edition Shot Shell Loading manual and read it well, it will provide all the get started info you will need plus thousands of loading data. In addition you must pick up a good scale to verify your powder drops. Bushings seldom drop as listed and need to be checked on a scale.

$100 for a used 600 is to much unless it's a mark V with auto prime and universal bar.

If it's and older 600 ex-cond max $50-$65.

For what you want the 600 can't be beat.

Don't forget there was a Super 600 that was the father of the 650. It is a turret press as well.