Reload to a Recipe — How to Set Up Your MEC for Any Load

The single most important habit in shotshell reloading is working from a published recipe. Not a guess, not a neighbor's suggestion, not "close enough." A recipe that has been tested and published by a powder manufacturer, using the exact combination of components you're loading.

Here's why that matters: when your gun fires, it generates 5 to 7 tons per square inch of pressure — six inches from your eyeballs. You want to know that someone else has already used that combination successfully before you do.

This is how to set up your MEC reloader for any combination of hull, wad, shot, powder, and primer.

Step-by-Step Setup

  1. Decide which hull type you will reload. Hull selection affects every other component choice. See the hull selection guide if you haven't settled on one yet.
  2. Get reloading data from several manufacturers. You can pick up thin reloading pamphlets where you buy powder, or download them from manufacturer websites. Get more than one — having multiple sources lets you cross-reference and find recipes with the most testing behind them.
  3. Look up your hull type in the gauge you're shooting. Manufacturers often use their own naming conventions. Remington Premier STS may be listed as "Remington Premier" in one manual and something slightly different in another. Identify which powders appear most frequently across recipes for your hull. Write them down. Note that some powders are better suited to 12 gauge and others perform better in smaller gauges.
  4. Buy one of the powders from your list. If your supplier doesn't have what you want, wait or find another source. Do not substitute. The powders in a recipe are not interchangeable — a powder that isn't listed for your hull type hasn't been tested in that combination. Don't improvise with pressure.
  5. Buy the wads and primers listed for your hull and powder combination. You'll have some selection depending on shot weight and muzzle velocity. Start with the shot weight that has the most recipes — that's the combination with the most real-world testing behind it. For 12 gauge, a standard velocity of around 1,200 feet per second is a reliable starting point. You can explore heavier or lighter loads once you're comfortable with the mainstream combination.
  6. Determine the correct powder charge in grains. Use the powder manufacturer's reloading manual — usually available free where you bought the powder — to find the exact grain weight for your combination of gauge, hull, powder, wad, shot weight, and desired muzzle velocity.
  7. Look up the starting bushing from the MEC chart. Important: the bushing chart is a starting point, not a final answer. The right bushing is only an approximation. You will verify and adjust it in the steps below.
  8. Load only powder in the reloader for calibration. Leave shot out for now — it simplifies the process of measuring and adjusting the powder drop without having to deal with catching shot.
  9. Get a reloading scale. A good, relatively inexpensive option is the RCBS Model 10-10 Reloading Scale, which is widely available. You need an actual scale — the bushing chart alone is not sufficient.
  10. Set up and zero the scale according to its instructions.
  11. Set the scale to your desired powder charge. Dial it in so the scale reads zero when the correct charge weight is in the pan. This is much easier than trying to remember whether you were aiming for 16.8 grains or 18.6 grains.
  12. Unhook the primer drop spring. You don't want primers dropping while you're calibrating the powder charge.
  13. Place empty shells under the reprime/powder station and the wad/shot station. Do not insert a wad.
  14. Drop powder into a spent shell, then pour it into the scale pan. See where you land relative to your target weight.
  15. Swap bushings as needed and retest. If you're light, go to a larger bushing. If you're heavy, go smaller. You can file out a bushing slightly to make it larger, or apply nail polish inside the chamber to make it smaller. When the charge is correct, the scale will read zero — because you set it to read zero at the target weight.
  16. Retest on at least two more shells before declaring it done. The first drop after changing a bushing is unreliable — you've jiggled the powder and possibly compacted it. Get two or three consistent readings before you're satisfied.

This process is tedious once and done indefinitely. Once your press is dialed in for a recipe, leave it alone. That stability is the whole point.

Why You Can't Just Use the Bushing Chart

The question comes up constantly: "Do I really have to weigh my own powder? Why can't I just follow the MEC manual for the correct bushing size?"

Because there are too many variables in powder metering for any bushing chart to be precise enough on its own:

If you're just out to have a good time and aren't worried about load-to-load consistency, you may be able to get by with the bushing chart. But if you're serious about your shooting, you need to know exactly what you're loading. Spend a few minutes weighing, get it right once, and then leave it alone until you change hulls, powder, or components.

Want the complete reloading system? My MEC Reloading Guide covers load data, press setup, component selection, and troubleshooting for every major MEC model — all in one place.