Which progressive reloader have you guys had good experience with? I'm looking at the MEC 9000GN for $350 and the RCBS The Grand for $550. While the RCBS looks better built, is it worth the extra $ over the MEC?
Thanks

I have both.......the grand just pissed me off....I retruned it to RCBS and they set it up for me and returned it.....it's OK.....but for my money the MEC is the better.....I now have MEC 9000G in 12 and 20 Ga.

Try Ponsness Warren or Hornaday DL366 I load with a Pacific DL366 (before Hornaday bougfht the company) biggest problem is keeping extra wad guides on hand one messed up finger and you're in for poof loads from tipped wads.

I bought a 9000G for my 12 gauge. It was easy to set up. It's been very reliable and makes good crimps/nice shells for thousands of rounds and 7 years. I highly recommend it.

The PW I played with was also very nice, and it was versatile (could change gauges). It also turned out nice shells.

I have no experience with the RCBS, but their metallic cartridge reloading gear it top rate.

The MEC 9000G is the "Chevrolet" (Volkwagen, Toyota, whatever) of progressive reloaders. Nothing fancy, just simple reliable service.

They have a few "quirks", but once you get used to them, you can really "crank em out".

I've used MEC 9000's (12 and 20 ga.) for many years. Nothing is close for the money; they turn out great shells and are the 'defacto standard' of progressive reloaders.

At the bigger gun shows or possibly at your local gun club you can sometimes find older Ponsness Warrens 800Bs in the $250 to $350 range. They are extremely good loaders but for all practical purposes are committed to one ga. This is really not a serious disadvantage, if you're loading enough shells to need switch ga capabilities, you really need another loader dedicated to that ga. Just remember, don't use extreme force on the handle if something won't move. Stop, and figure out what is wrong. They're tough but not idiot proof. Otherwise, the first thing you will bend/break is the star wheel. Usually, if you're at all handy, unless you actually broke a point off, you can hammer it back to working order. Another disadvantage to the 800s is the older models did not roll the edge of the crimp like Mecs do. Not a problem if you're using O/Us, or single barrels but some autos won't feed them reliably.

I haven't used the Mecs mentioned above but two people (one to place the hull and one to place the wad and pull handle if you're right handed) can easily turn out 800 to 1000 shells per hour on an 800. One usually does about 300 to 450/hour, you can do more but you're really humping.

I have 4 Pacific/Hornady 366's. One set up for each guage, 12, 20, 28, and .410. I've used one since the early 70's. Modified the old ones to auto rotate, and added the powder and shot shutoff, plus a few other modifications of my own. I load 5,000-10,000 shells a year on them. There are newer, faster ones on the market today, but these have worked fine for me.

Thanks guys, right now I'm leaning toward the hornady 366, just seems better built than the RCBS to me.