Mitchell 300 fishing reel problem diagnosis and how to service

Here is a video on the classic Mitchell 300 with a rebel. See how to diagnose the failure and learn how to service this fishing reel.
I have been servicing #fishing #reels for over 25 years and am sharing my experiences here. If you enjoy the video, please like it and subscribe to see more on fishing #reel repair and service
Questions? Comments? I reply to all.
Thank you for watching - Dennis
email [e-mail]
www.2ndchancetackle.com
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[@jimmywilson1388]

I really enjoyed this one… I want to start collecting vintage reels.

[@2ndChanceTackle]

Glad you like it. Good luck in your new endeavor! Mitchell reels and vintage reels are great to collect - Dennis

[@pawpaw5717]

Word to the with. It becomes addictive. Tight lines.😊

[@barneyewing2664]

I like that anti reverse design.

[@LEE-ON-TOUR]

I'm a big fan of the Mitchell Match that are made in France . A great website for Mitchell reel history and dating your reels is the "Mitchell Reel Museum" . Thank you Dennis for sharing and have a great day .

[@2ndChanceTackle]

Thanks for the info! I am not sure if that one is back up and running. It was stopped for a while. It is a great resource. Thanks - Dennis

[@wayneo7307]

We'll Dennis , I Just Subbed to Your Channel. We'll Done On the Repair.

[@2ndChanceTackle]

Thanks for the sub! I appreciate the note. Best wishes - Dennis

[@christopherjenkins2373]

Dennis, I have several Mitchell 300A reels but they were made in France not Taiwan. I like both and use the fo medium inshore saltwater fishing like in the inter coastal and canals. Once cleaned up and serviced it mine have done superb. I only recently was given a genuine early edition 300. I like my 306A reels better however. I got a complete set of the Mitchell tools (two deep sockets and an addition tool all in one set for $14.98 several years ago. Have you seen what these Mitchell tools cost on eBay now? Unbelievable that even these are now collectible. I got my Mitchell 488 “Sport” yesterday and had to do over 4 hours of work to get it operating as it should. There was a clicking that sounded like the ramp on the bearing guard that trips the bail was hitting the bail release mechanism on every rotation of the rotor. I ended up having to totally take apart the entire rotor assembly and bend everything back into the proper shape and placement. I used another 488 as a guide. This damage could have been caused in shipping - who knows. Once I got it all back together and fitting as it was supposed to be the reel operated perfectly. I’m pretty sure this is a Browning / Mitchell because it had the Browning sideplate seal installed and I don’t think this reel had been opened since it was purchased. It was still made in France but in that short few years when Browning owned Mitchell. I put that seal in all my big saltwater Michell reels from the 302N to the 498. I already had a Mitchell 498 “Sport” so these two make a great pair in my collection. I fish with my Sport 498 and will fish this 488 Sport next season. I’ll send you some photos of this finished reel Dennis. I’m proud of being able to diagnose and repair this beautiful saltwater reel. This Sport 488 is a very rare reel and is only the second one I’ve ever seen. I have three other Browning / Mitchells and they are all absolutely beautiful reels especially the blue / gray models of the 496, 496 PUM, and the 498. I don’t fish the blue / gray reels because of how rare and stunning they are. I have plenty of others to use. You did a beautiful job on this 300A. I’ve had a 302 with sheered off studs like this reel. It is a weak point in the reel but still pretty rare to see it happen. Thanks Dennis! - Chris

[@2ndChanceTackle]

Send those pictures Chris. On the 302, yes, I have seen plenty of the studs on the planetary gears broken off. That is usually due to an mis-install during a tune up. Best wishes - Dennis

[@wolfgangemmerich7552]

The last 300 was made in france ..... in singel parts send to taiwan and monted there to complete reels.

[@randallpinkfloyd7225]

Congratulations on 20k subscribers Dennis! I love the channel and always learn new things!!

[@2ndChanceTackle]

Awesome, thank you! Best wishes - Dennis

[@davidrote8285]

absolutely fabulous! Thank you!

[@2ndChanceTackle]

THANK YOU! I appreciate the kind words of encouragement - Dennis

[@TylerSnyder305]

I must be mistaken, because I don't remember this many parts and gears inside my 1968 300. It's been awhile since I've been into my 300 though ( I use superlube, it has a longer lifespan) so I might just be mistaken.

[@2ndChanceTackle]

They are about the same parts wise. The design did not change much over time. - Dennis

[@designersaur]

Some interesting differences inside. Never seen a slide fail before. Great to see another Mitchell getter a second chance.

[@2ndChanceTackle]

Glad you enjoyed it Thanks again and thanks for the other note

[@designersaur]

@@2ndChanceTackle love all your videos. Obviously the Mitchell reels are my favourite.

[@surfcat2051]

That looks very different than the old one I serviced for my father. It's from the 60's I believe. Still have to find the AR spring for it as the existing spring is weak. Interesting to see how they evolved. I had no idea there was a gasket on the housing in the later version.

[@2ndChanceTackle]

Yes - the last version of the classic reels were made in Taiwan and had the gasket. The internals evolved over time, but the mechanics were similar through the run.

[@tango-bravo]

The gasket surprised me to because the 60’s-70’s Mitchell’s I’ve cleaned up certainly didn’t t have them.

[@WLKRja22ZzDM53]

🇵🇱 🤝 🇺🇸 👍

[@anthonycolbourne4206]

Always interesting to see what the weak / failure points are in reels. I would hope they design them so there is a typical weak point much like a shear pin that can be cheaply replaced. I opened a fairly modern reel recently that a secondary gear had lost a tooth resulting in the spool not moving in and out much like this one was doing. I wonder how much abuse you would need to submit to the reel to get it to fail... set the drag properly and if it's snagged that badly, just pull on the line, don't force the reel and rod until something breaks.

[@2ndChanceTackle]

That is a frequent mistake that many folks make. They try to reel out of a snag instead of pulling the line out. That effort results in broken gears, line guides and reels. The best solutions to wrap the line around the handle of a knife or net or the rod butt and use that for leverage. Thanks - Dennis

[@josecalderon9927]

You missed to put back the shim washer sitting in the bottom left of your desk.

[@2ndChanceTackle]

I will need to check. Thank you for noticing - Dennis

[@tphvictims5101]

I used to go to Mimms pizzeria.

[@2ndChanceTackle]

Wow - Hi Neighbor!

[@stevecarrero4120]

I’m surprised you didn’t find the broken stud inside. 🤔 I do like the gasket which would have been useful in the older 302 Saltwater reels. Has using a micro beed of silicone sealant on the 302 SW ever been considered? Something that could be easily removed and reapplied every service in the same spot a rubber gasket would be placed? Just curious. Thanks Dennis.

[@2ndChanceTackle]

I haven't tried the silicone. It may work. I always wonder on things like the stud. It may be possible that someone opened the cover and it feel out then they closed it up. I'll never know! Thanks

[@thomasmyers4891]

@@2ndChanceTackle Stud was there stuck to side of the case. You wiped it out with your q-tip.

[@2ndChanceTackle]

Ahh! Thanks for solving the mystery! Dennis

[@stevecarrero4120]

@@thomasmyers4891 thank you

[@dennisgrocholski4190]

Hi, Dennis. I recently acquired an older Mitchell 300 that was made in France. I want to service it, but I am having a heck of a time loosening 2 of the 3 screws on the side plate. Any suggestions other than penetrating oil?

[@2ndChanceTackle]

That is a hard one if the penetrating oil is not working. These screws are easily jammed and the slot is not that strong so it butterflies easily. I wish I had an answer. I sometimes wind up drilling ou the screws or having to replace the side case because of the issue you are facing - Dennis

[@TommyS3119]

I agree with Seymour above. Over engineered. To many gears, and that stud failure on the slide seems like a weak point. Not in love with this reel. I much prefer the simpler design of a similar era Penn. Still a very interesting video. Thanks Dennis.

[@TylerSnyder305]

The Mitchell 300 is a great reliable reel and they don't command much of a premium like the old Penn spinfishers do, but you want the older French made Mitchell 300 though. The parts are all of quality materials ( as the Penn spinfishers did ) and you don't have to worry. If you're not familiar with a particular Japanese reel, it's a gamble that you may be buying a cheapie with pot metal gears. My pick goes to the Shakespeare royal maroon series though namely the 2062 as a 300 alternative, excellent reels that command more than a Mitchell but often half that of a Penn Greenie or Z spinfisher.

[@2ndChanceTackle]

They are all good reels and the Spinfishers and Royal Maroons are in a different class than the 300. Different engineering, but the same dependability - Thanks - Dennis

[@tango-bravo]

I will say this, I think the amount of gears and the continual contact with many points within the drive system make the reel feel very balanced as you are reeling them in. By modern standards, they are heavy and a little loud with AR on, but I still like them. The Taiwan set up seems much quieter.

[@tango-bravo]

The stud failure on the slide and also the three points of contact under the gear that drives the slide do give me pause.

[@davidrote8285]

I did all the steps on reassembly. Once complete the reel functioned fine except I had 3 very small brass shims left that did not appear in the video. The reel housing including the spool and bail pull up about an inch. These shims have to be the culprit, What I do wrong?

[@2ndChanceTackle]

The 3 shims likely belong under the baffle plate. The spool should not pull up 1 inch, regardless of the shims. Seems like you may not have reassembled it correctly. Make sure the slider is set so that the pin on the bottom of the slider is nested in the hole of the axle shaft - Dennis

[@coryhall668]

Hey buddy I talked to you before about how to clean my Penn peir 209 an it helped another I just got an Abu Garcia c3 6501 an it seems to have something going on, when I cast it makes a weird noise an what not I was wondering if you had a email or something I could get ahold of you maybe see if I could pay you to give it a go I don't know anything about the reels

[@2ndChanceTackle]

Yes - my e-mail is [e-mail] and I can service the reel for you - Thanks for asking - Dennis

[@tango-bravo]

Shim washer on the corner of the table?

[@2ndChanceTackle]

Not sure. Probably a shim for the rotor post. I'll check - Dennis

[@paulmaul2186]

I tried shimming the pinion gear in my Mitchell 300. It still sounds like a blender. Any tips?

[@2ndChanceTackle]

There should only be one small washer un the stem where the pinion gear rests. Anything more than that would misalign the gear and cause the grind. What problem are you trying to solve by shimming that assembly?

[@waynefarrin2474]

Handle slipped off after 3 months how do you fix

[@2ndChanceTackle]

Depends on where it slipped from. It the threads are not holding from the gear you need to check to see if the threads are worn in the screw side or if they are worn inside the main gear. That will determine which part needs to be replaced. Dennis

[@seymourwrasse3321]

way over engineered compared to some it's Japanese contemporaries, I imagine they have changed the internals to keep the costs down

[@TylerSnyder305]

Maybe, but the material quality is there. You have to be familiar with the Japanese reels to avoid the cheepies with chintzy pot metal gears.

[@anthonycolbourne4206]

I wonder how the line lay on this version compares with the older versions, if there is a more even line lay on this version with the extra gearing, better/smoother casting. One crank of the handle on an older style would give one cycle of the spool in and out while this one seems like two cranks of the handle provides one cycle in and out of the spool.