A 130 grain hunting bullet in .30 caliber? Yes, these bullets are screamers and accurate as well! Another well-regarded hunting bullet from our friends at Barnes Bullets. Disclaimer Ultimate Reloader LLC / Making with Metal Disclaimer: (by reading this article and/or watching video content you accept these terms). The content on this website (including videos, […]
Category: MEC
.308 Shorty Chronograph Data Comparison: 16″ vs 24″ Barrels!
A short while ago, we asked for input on our .308 build. Overwhelmingly, you all wanted a 16” barrel, so “Shorty” was born! Looking to compare velocities, I brought out my match .308 with a 24” barrel to compare the results with some Hodgdon pistol data! (Yes, .308 Pistol data.) Disclaimer Ultimate Reloader LLC / […]
Showdown! 7mm Rem Mag -vs- 7mm PRC (In Depth)
For over 60 years, Remington’s 7mm Magnum has been the most popular 7mm magnum, outpacing the 7mm Weatherby Magnum, 7mm STW, 7mm Mashburn, 7mm WSM and 7mm Remington Ultra Mag. Now there’s a new contender for the middleweight champion, the 7mm PRC. So far, it appears to be amazingly popular for a cartridge that was […]
Success: Hornady 178gr ELD-X on Elk at 405 yards (30-06)
We’ve tested Hornady’s ELD-X hunting bullet in a number of different calibers and have been consistently impressed with its accuracy and performance in Clear Ballistics Gel blocks. It was time to take that bullet elk hunting! *Note: This is a successful hunting story and video. The harvest is shown here and in the video. Disclaimer […]
BEAR DEFENSE: 44 Mag vs 10mm Auto (Which is Better?)
What would you want against a bear, 10mm Auto or .44 mag? That’s what we’ll cover in this story! Disclaimer Ultimate Reloader LLC / Making with Metal Disclaimer: (by reading this article and/or watching video content you accept these terms). The content on this website (including videos, articles, ammunition reloading data, technical articles, gunsmithing and […]
25-06 Mule Deer Barnes TSX Hunting Success
I first heard about Barnes bullets in the 1980s and by the 1990s, they were well-known and renowned for hunting. Copper bullets are different than lead core bullets. They want to go fast and penetrate hard, but are a different kind of bullet. It’s important to be conscious of this whenever changing your load from […]
Considerations when Loading Hunting Ammo
You’ve made that careful stalk, gotten within range and selected your animal. The crosshairs are steady. You press the trigger and “click!” Ears and tails come up, hoofbeats sound, and they’re gone. Sighing in disappointment, you try to figure out what went wrong. Make sure your ammo is perfect for your hunting trip! Here are […]
Head-To-Head: 6.5 Creedmoor vs. 30-06 (Hunting)
In with the new, out with the old? Should the 6.5 Creedmoor replace the .30-06 in the hunting category? Not so fast! Let’s take a look. Disclaimer Ultimate Reloader LLC / Making with Metal Disclaimer: (by reading this article and/or watching video content you accept these terms). The content on this website (including videos, articles, […]
Loading PRECISION 308 Hunting Ammunition (MEC Marksman)
Can hunting ammo be as accurate as match ammo? Let’s find out! Disclaimer Ultimate Reloader LLC / Making with Metal Disclaimer: (by reading this article and/or watching video content you accept these terms). The content on this website (including videos, articles, ammunition reloading data, technical articles, gunsmithing and other information) is for demonstration purposes only. […]
Loading the 25-06 Hunting Loads with the MEC Marksman Press
We’re going step-by-step on how to handload reliable and accurate 25-06 hunting cartridges on the MEC Marksman single stage press. Disclaimer Ultimate Reloader LLC / Making with Metal Disclaimer: (by reading this article and/or watching video content you accept these terms). The content on this website (including videos, articles, ammunition reloading data, technical articles, gunsmithing […]
Loading 6.5 PRC with MEC Metallic Gear End-To-End
It’s time to start loading some 6.5 PRC, and I thought this would be a great opportunity to showcase the MEC Metallic lineup of reloading gear! In this post, I’ll show some MEC gear I haven’t shown yet, and walk through the end-to-end process of reloading 6.5 PRC in the video below. Let’s get to […]
MEC Bench Top Powder Measure: King of Capacity
MEC Makes great reloading equipment. Many families have loaded shotshells on MEC equipment for generations. But in the last few years, MEC has offered a whole new lineup of metallic reloading equipment with the MEC Marksman press at center stage. In the next couple stories I’ll be using some of the accessories and other MEC […]
MEC Sizemaster: Unboxing, Overview, Loading 12 Gauge Shells
I can recall using my MEC 600 Jr. Mark V, and thinking to myself- it would be nice if this press had a priming system built in… Fast forward to today, and I found what I was looking for with the MEC Sizemaster. It also has a powerful collet sizing system which reminds me of […]
Best Day Ever: Shooting Clays with the MEC 100E ATA
After a long cold Winter, each sunny day feels like magic. And it’s even better when you can get outdoors and do something fun with friends to enjoy the experience. This was just one of those days. I had recently put my MEC 100E ATA together, and was very eager to try it out. A […]
MEC 100E Clay Thrower: Unboxing and Setup
An unfair advantage. That’s what I want when I go to shoot clays with friends. Like the guy that has a Donkey Kong console in his man cave- and then invites friends over so that he can beat them. Oh, and I also just want to have fun shotgunning, and share that fun with friends. […]
MEC 9000E with Auto-Mate: Loading 12 Gauge in Style
Getting the MEC 9000E with Auto-Mate reminds me of a recent experience involving my Case 580 backhoe, and a shovel. After owning my ~16,000lb 4×4 backhoe with 4×4 and extendahoe, I had to do some digging with a shovel. Let me just say that about 5 minutes into digging with the shovel, I exclaimed out […]
MEC 9000E with Auto-Mate: Unboxing and Setup
In my small town, the shotgunning event of the week is the “Thursday night trap shoot”. I think it’s time for me to join in on the fun, and if I’m going to do well I need to do some SERIOUS practicing. And that means I need a LOT of 12 gauge shells. I have […]
MEC 600 JR Mark V: Loading 20 Gauge Shells
It feels really good to be loading shotshells again. I’ve been so busy with metallic reloading and shooting recently that I haven’t made shotgunning a priority. A recent trip with my brother-in-law skeet shooting has motivated me to get the shotguns out more frequently. I’ve also used up much of my 20 gauge shells taking […]
Tricking Out the MEC Marksman Single Stage Press
Tools are very personal when you think about it. Think of a good work truck: you purchase this vehicle as a “platform” and built it out to meet your needs. You may add a custom flatbed, lights, a canopy, a tool box, a fueling setup for your heavy equipment, a winch, and countless other “work-ready […]
MEC Marksman Single-Stage: Unboxing, Overview, Setup
There’s nothing like a solid piece of iron. Cast iron tools and machines are a lifetime investment, and I love it when I look at a tool and see “Made in USA”. Recently MEC (the Mayville Engineering Company) made an interesting announcement. This company which is known for top-notch shotshell reloading gear announced they are getting into […]
