MEC 600 JR

[kd5exp]

I had one of these given to me, 12 ga, by a friend and it needed some parts. I found where to order them and have gotten it all together. I found an adjustable bar and have been trying to use it. It leaks powder out of the end and makes a mess. I have not tried the original bar to see if it leaks but have no bushings. Am I still missing something. The slide bar is a little loose. I had to get a drop tube and a primer seater for it, missing. Looking at a exploded veiw I don't see anything. Maybe a rubber seal on the slide bar?

[WR Moore]

There are supposed to be a brass washer (against the bar) and a rubber seal (between washer and powder/shot jugs) above the sliding bar. They go into the holes where the powder & shot jugs go to act as seals, riding on the bar to do so. Don't screw them down so tight you have difficulty sliding the bar, just tight enough to seal.

When you say you 'found an adjustable bar', you do mean that it's designed for the 600 Jr, right? I can't recall what company made the adjustable bars I use and I'm not in a position to check the paperwork.

[davekp]

There is a rubber washer that goes under the powder reservoir that seals against the bar. Looks like a hose washer. I don't know the exact nomenclature.

[David Sinko]

Mine says "Universal Charge Bar," "Model C," and "Made in Canada" on the front. It has U.S. and Canadian patents on the back. Is this what you have?

Dave Sinko

[Nevada Ed]

With the "Uni-bar".............
be very careful not to over tighten the settings with the small allen wrench. The screws can strip very easy...........
It is a nice thing to have but the single bars and bushings are great for lead loads,if you have them..........and yes you will need the rubber gaskets.
Some powders that are bulky do not need the brass fitting but powders like Bullseye and ball powders will often leak a little and it is a nice option to have,to keep the mess down.
I also used a larger screw to hold the bar in place and filed down the large head, so the bar would line up with the bottles, since mine was getting worn on the frame from manys years of slapping those bars back and forth.
Take a little time getting the crimps down and you will be putting shells out that look as good as factory loads.
Good loading.

[venomballistics]

I have one ... yeah theres a rubber gasket on the powder side.
By design, it handles flake powders far better than ball.
when using a ball powder I leave the powder side empty and throw charges with a metallic loading measure.

[kd5exp]

MEC 600 Jr Mark5 Parts Order Page
I found this blown up diagram for parts. It calls #5 part as a, charge bar rubber insert. But this is on a standard bar and not an adjustable, will it still work? I have the #8 seal on the powder side. I have been using my Lee Load All to drop the powder and the MEC to pack and crimp. Would be nice to do it all on one. i am loading slugs for now so not worried about the shot side.

[kd5exp]

My bar says "Model D" and maybe it's the wrong one. Has No 1026599 also. The biggest bushing that came with the Load All only drops 21 gr of 700X and I would like to get a little more if possible.

[2152hq]

I had to shim the charge bar on my 410ga MEC 600jr.
It leaked powder really bad using the factory charge bar.
Just used some business card cardboard to do the job.

The bar itself was loose enough to be rattled up and down while it sits in the chrome plated steel channel it rides in on the machine.

I took a piece of cardboard the width of the channel an slipped it underneath the bar on the powder (left) side of the bar. It extends all the way to the drop tube in the center but doesn't interfere with it.
At the left end I just folded it around and down and taped it into position to hold it there.
You may have to experiment with the length of the shim as well as the thickness to get the right working combination.

The cardboard shim boosts the charge bar upwards a tiny bit and holds it against the rubber washer with enough pressure to seal it so the powder doesn't leak out.
With out it, there was enough room between the bar and the top of the channel for powder to migrate through there and spill out as you operated the bar back and forth. Made a real mess.

Shim has been there for about 6 years now. Still going strong.
It's on the bottom of the bar, so it doesn't interfere with removing or filling the powder bottle. Nothing was needed on the lead shot side as the shot is big enough not to get through any space between the bar and channel. There doesn't seem to be a problem on that side anyway, but if there was, I'd shim that side too.

Don't seat the powder bottle too tight. Just firm enough to seal it down.

The combination of the brass washer and the rubber one with a tiny bit of pressure from the bottle will seal it just fine.

w/o the brass washer used in combination with the rubber one, it may still leak some powder, especially with flake type powders.

[kd5exp]

sounds like my problem 2152hg. the bar does rattle and powder leaks from underneath. I don't have a brass washer to put under it so will the card trick still work? I don't see a brass washer in the diagram either. It lists a brass washer as 8a, is that it?

[H Richard]

I have never used an adjustable bar. I found very consistent powder drops with the regular bar, and have only changed powder types once in 15 years when they discontinued Rex powder. Bushings are cheap.

[kd5exp]

All I have is what it came with. It doesn't look like the regular bar that came with it uses bushings but then again I don't know. There is no recesses in it just smooth top and bottom.

[Bib]

I have one of those bars somewhere.....fixed cavities. I think I got mine with a used Mec way back when.

[Nevada Ed]

the bars should come in various sizes for the amout of shot to be thrown..............1oz,7/8oz etc
and the hole for the powder should have a beveled out area on top for the powder bushings on one side or the otherof the bar........ and a screw hole in the center of the bar for the locking screw.

I have bushings #26 to 35 that work from bullseye to Unique for loading the 12 Ga. The charts give a close match to the powders but you might have to move up or down one size to get it right on or within .2 grs of powder. A little emery cloth can fine tune the bushings if needed and finish with some steel wool.

[kd5exp]

My fix bar has no bevels, recesses or nothing. Only thing on it is 12 ga. OH.
I can always modify it if I have to but would rather not. The adjustable bar fits the same way, rattles but leaks powder. I will try the card shim tomorrow and see how that works. Do a little more searching and see what I can find out. Thanks guys.

[WR Moore]

The brass washer is listed on the parts list as 8A, order number 304W. As I noted above, the brass washer rides on the bar below the rubber gasket (304G) to provide smooth operation of the bar while still sealing the joint.

BTW,if you're not paying attention, it's possible to lose either/both gasket & washer while dumping powder. That's how I know there's a brass washer

[kd5exp]

I went over to my neighbors house and he has 3 MEC's set up. One .410 another 20 ga and a 12 ga. He has all kinds of bars but all have a recess in them for bushings and mine don't. I didn't take one of his bars out because he has them all set up and don't want to mess with them. He let me take one of his bars and try in mine and it fits the same, rattles. I'm sure the brass washer will take care of that. Let you know when it comes in. Thanks guys

[slickracer]

Get yourself a powder baffle and you don't need to mess around with the brass washer. I discovered them about 20 years ago and never looked back. Look for the Multi-Scale version since they are metal. Midway stocks them.

[kd5exp]

I have seen those but didn't know what hey were for. I will get one with my next order. Multi-Scale version, Thanks