If I ever decide to load for waterfowl, I'd spend the money on buying the Hevi-shot, and forget about the 3 or 3.5". I'd take the money saved by not buying the conversion kit, and spend it on the Hevi-shot in 2 3/4" loads, instead.

If 3" is on your list, for sure, also consider the Steelmaster from Mec. It's their Sizemaster set up for the 3", but can also load the 2 3/4.

Quality wise, there is nothing wrong with Mec. They are solid machines, and GREAT customer service to back them up. Parts are available just about anywhere; neither of which can be said about PW.

I'd sure weigh getting set up for reloading against the cost of just ordering whatever cases of shells you want to shoot. There is an excellent calculator for calculating what your reloading costs will be at http://www.trapshooters.com/calculators.htm

HTH, Dutch.

I think you would do well to start with a single stage loading machine -- not a progressive one because this will permit you to get going with the least fuss, confusion, and difficulty. I also think that the MEC machines offer the best value/price ratio of any tools available for shotshell loading. Start with a MEC single stage loader and learn all you can on it. (They are frequently available used, if price matters to you.) Then, if and when you want to do so, you will be able to move up to a progresive loader, and you will have a much better idea of what you need and want.

Most loading tools, including the MEC ones, regulate the amount of powder and shot that goes into your loads by having charge bars that have holes in them that measure the amount of shot and powder that are thrown in cycling the tool. In MEC tools, you get the charge bar that delivers the amount of shot you want. The charge bar also has a hole for a powder bushing, and you get the bushing that delivers the charge you want; you can vary the amount of powder by changing powder budhings.

All popular shotshell loading books give charts that show the amount of a given powder delivered by a given powder bushing. But you do have to weigh the first few charges with a scale to see that you are getting what the book or chart says you should. I find that in my MEC single-stage loader, I always get a heavier charge than the chart says I should get for a given bushing number and powder, so I use the next smaller bushing, and this usually gives me about just I want. In 12 gauge loads, you can ignore deviances of 1/2 grain or less from the intended amount of powder.

If you have access to a trap and/or skeet range, go there and pick up a bunch of empty hulls -- Winchester AA hulls and/or Remington ones. (The Remington STS, Gun Club, and Remington Target hulls are completely interchangeable.)

Next, decide what amount of shot you want to load. The standard target load for 12 ga. is 1 1/8 oz of shot, and that's a very good place to start. Get Winchester WAA12 wads; they are designed for 1 1/8 oz loads in Winchester AA hulls, and you can use these completely interchangeably in Winchester and Remington hulls. (I don't recommend that you start with Federal hulls, or anything other than Winchester AA and/or Remington plastic ones -- the others can be reloaded, but doing so introduces additional complications you don't need right now because they often need different wads and different final stage settings on your loading tool to get a proper crimp.)

I recommend the Winchester 209 primer. You can use it in Winchester and Remington (and other) hulls. Get whatever powder you can get least expensively of Alliant Red Dot, IMR 700X, Hodgdon Clays, or Winchester Super Target. All these produce superb results in 12 ga. target and light hunting loads -- I've used all of them, as well as some others. There are extremely small differences among these, but you should ignore the differences and go with whatever you can get that is least expensive.

Shotshell loading, unlike rifle loading, is a "cookbook" deal. Get the loading manual for whatever powder you are using, and follow the directions for the hull, primer, powder, and wad you are using. (Hodgdon produces the most elaborate loading manual, giving instructions for loading most different hulls with their powders and a large assortment of primers and wads, and with different shot charges at different velocities.) Unlike rifle loading, in shotshells you don't start with reduced loads -- instead, you follow the cookbook exactly for the load you have chosen.

If you want a universal shot size, I recommend you begin by getting a 25 pound bag of #8 shot; it will work for trap and skeet and sporting clays, for informal target shooting, and also for small birds such as dove and quail.

The standard for 1 1/8 oz. 12 gauge target loads is about 1135 f.p.s. (2 3/4 dram equivalent) or 1200 f.p.s. (3 dram equivalent). If you are recoil sensitive or want to shoot a large number of shots one after another (say 50 rounds or more), go for the lower velocity. If you are not recoil sensitive at all, go for the 1200 f.p.s. loads, as they will work for everything.

As you get more experience, you can vary things, using a lower weight load (7/8 oz. or 1 oz.) or heavier one (1 1/4 oz. or more). Those changes almost always require you to use a different wad to get the best results. You can also load for higher velocity if you really think you need to do so. But beginning with a 1 1/8 ounce load using #8 shot in Winchester AA or Remington hulls, using Winchester or Remington 209 primers, and Winchester WAA12 wads, with one of the powders mentioned above, will get you an excellent load that you can use for trap, skeet, sporting clays, informal target shooting, and small birds. If you want to shoot pheasant, you could get a bag of #5 or #6 shot, and change only the shot, and then have a load that would be good for almost all upland hunting.

Steel shot is a different problem, requiring different components and equipment. I recommend that you not start with it.

I load shotshells for the joy of loading them as well as saving money. I also shoot them a lot, especially at skeet and sometimes trap.

Again thank you very much to all for all the kind help. I find myself reading your postings over and over to get to a final decision as to what I am going to do, once more thank you all.