I have been away from trapshooting for over a decade and now I feel the itch to get back into it this fall. While I still have my guns, clothing, and accessories, my poor MEC 900 died a while ago. I' thinking of either the Grand or the Dillon. Any good (or bad) experiences with either one. Let me know!

-=BDD=-

Have you given any consideration to the Ponsness Warren loader. In my opinion they are a world ahead of either of the two mentioned.

My 12g progressive shotshell loader is a Pacific DL 366 purchased here in CA.The company was bought by Hornaday many years ago now listed as a Hornaday DL 366.

I've never operated either one, so I'm well qualified to contribute here..... .

Several people I well respect (including Chic) steer people away from both the Dillon and the Grand. Serious reloaders use and recommend either the Mec 9000 or the PW. The debate between those two camps can get a little heated. Those obsessed (or with so much money it doesn't matter) use the Spolar, and no one seems to argue it is the best out there.

The best place to buy the Mec is conniescomponents.com. HTH, Dutch.

Big Dog dad,
Did you mean a Mec 9000? I have never heard of a MEC 900. I happen to have one of those high priced spread Spolars Dutch referred to ( along with two PW's) but bought it used with two gauge tool heads for less than the price of a new PW. I also have a Mec 9000GN in .410 that I am going to be peddling soon and from my experience with the Mec it is probably the best bang for the buck in progressive loaders. You can also get the parts from Mec to rebuild your loader and have heard you can send it back to them and have the factory redo what is needed. I am not sure of this option as I have only heard it from users and have no first hand knowledge. Most of the progressives load near the same speed and all of them make a reload that looks like a factory shell. The difference I have seen is in the small gauges and I am not sure if the price of the higher end machines is worth it. I happen to like the ease of use and ability to fix problems and extract shells along the way.