Shot in the FOOT ! Can't believe I bought this

[milprileb]

The problem of being a old guy is for years I saw gun catalogs of gear that I could not afford as a kid and always wanted something. Then I find something of those days and leap on it. Casting gear is one of those areas, if a H&G mold comes up for sale, my blood is up ! Well, lately I came across a very fine condition original
black painted 1971 made SAECO (Carpentera California, not Redding ) bullet sizer/lubricator.

Panic: I see one for sale and got to get it. $ spent , its got to be better than my Lyman 4500 and its old age quality, renowned SAECO gear, and life will not be complete till I get it. Grass is always greener on other side of fence etc etc.

The SAECO arrives, after a little clean up , its like new condition. I got it for a steal.
Then, I decide to get a order up for the top punches and sizing dies so I can use this machine.

Sticker shock: By the time I buy one sizing die and one top punch, I spent 3 x what I would have for such items for the Lyman machine. Thundering Coyotes,
why did I not look at this aspect of punch & dies before ! This machine is outrageous to use for all the needs I had in mind.

I am an idiot. Unless I find used top punches & dies in .312 and .309, its too expensive to use this machine.

Point: Do the math first before you buy !!:groner::groner::groner:

[milprileb]

IF the Saeco is better than the Lyman, then you know I got to find a Star.

And when I do, I will check to see how much that costs for Punches & Dies !

Yeah... someone is going to tell me to "Buy A Star" but I am going to PAUSE before
I leap in front of that train !!!!

Okay, the floor is open for all the Star Owners to tell me to "Buy A Star".

[44man]

Being on SS, I buy Lee! :bigsmyl2:
Almost out of .44 checks too, need to make a PB mold next. [smilie=s:
I am afraid to go buy gas too. Grass is growing, cans are almost empty. Why do I have to pay road tax for mower gas? :veryconfu

[btroj]

A Star is very reasonable as you need a size die for each bullet diameter wanted but you don't use separate punches for each bullet. Mas the Star sizes nose first it uses a flat nosed punch to push on the bullets base!
I have 3 punches. One for 32-20 sie bullets, one for 357, and one for 45. I use the 357 for 44 mag too.

The biggest advantage to the Star in my opinions the speed of sizing. It is great if you are a high volume shooter. I still use my Lyman for 30-30 bullets.

And yeah, good point on figuring in the cost of "parts" before buying a sizer.

[big dale]

One of the worst things about getting old is that I keep outsmarting myself. Sometimes I wonder if I will ever get any smarter.

Have fun with this stuff.

Big Dale

[williamwaco]

The problem of being a old guy is for years I saw gun catalogs of gear that I could not afford as a kid and always wanted something. Then I find something of those days and leap on it. Casting gear is one of those areas, if a H&G mold comes up for sale, my blood is up ! Well, lately I came across a very fine condition original
black painted 1971 made SAECO (Carpentera California, not Redding ) bullet sizer/lubricator.

Panic: I see one for sale and got to get it. $ spent , its got to be better than my Lyman 4500 and its old age quality, renowned SAECO gear, and life will not be complete till I get it. Grass is always greener on other side of fence etc etc.

The SAECO arrives, after a little clean up , its like new condition. I got it for a steal.
Then, I decide to get a order up for the top punches and sizing dies so I can use this machine.

Sticker shock: By the time I buy one sizing die and one top punch, I spent 3 x what I would have for such items for the Lyman machine. Thundering Coyotes,
why did I not look at this aspect of punch & dies before ! This machine is outrageous to use for all the needs I had in mind.

I am an idiot. Unless I find used top punches & dies in .312 and .309, its too expensive to use this machine.

Point: Do the math first before you buy !!:groner::groner::groner:



Makes me think of the old saying:

"Be careful what you wish for, you might just get it."

Since you can't afford the dies, I guess you will need to buy a lathe and some tooling so you can make your own.;)

Isn't this a GREAT hobby?


.

[Hardcast416taylor]

IF the Saeco is better than the Lyman, then you know I got to find a Star.

And when I do, I will check to see how much that costs for Punches & Dies !

Yeah... someone is going to tell me to "Buy A Star" but I am going to PAUSE before
I leap in front of that train !!!!

Okay, the floor is open for all the Star Owners to tell me to "Buy A Star".



I really think you life will be complete if you go out and buy a Star sizer.:bigsmyl2:Robert

[Shiloh]

Being on SS, I buy Lee! :bigsmyl2:
Almost out of .44 checks too, need to make a PB mold next. [smilie=s:
I am afraid to go buy gas too. Grass is growing, cans are almost empty. Why do I have to pay road tax for mower gas? :veryconfu

A lot of us have LEE equipment. ;)
Along with other brands.

Shiloh

[rintinglen]

I am sure that the savings will start soon...

[Ole]

You're going to save so much money going broke!

[Capn Jack]

Decided to try and beat the cost of copper Gas checks, aprox. $35.00k
so I bought a gas check cutter. $100.00

Right away I found it was very difficult to make it work in my RCBS jr.,
so I bought a 1 ton Arbor press.$50.00

The Arbor press was great, but the cutter kept falling over, so I had
to buy some oversized drills and counter bore the press anvil to hold the cutter. $25.00

Now for material:
My local Sears has .014 aluminum flashing 50'x6". You can special order it from their supplier, for $40.00 a roll. Cut into 3/4" wide strips, that's approximately 800 strips per roll.

Being careful I can punch 8 GC per strip giving me 6,400 gas checks per roll. That's a savings of almost $5.00.

At this rate I'll only have to shoot about 6,400 .459 cal. bullets (275lbs of lead) to amortize the cost of making my own gas checks.

After that, THEY'RE FREE !!![smilie=w:

Been thinking about saving some more money by buying a.....:veryconfu

[markinalpine]

Being careful I can punch 8 GC per strip giving me 6,400 gas checks per roll. That's a savings of almost $5.00.

At this rate I'll only have to shoot about 6,400 .459 cal. bullets (275lbs of lead) to amortize the cost of making my own gas checks.

After that, THEY'RE FREE !!![smilie=w:

Been thinking about saving some more money by buying a.....:veryconfu

Thanks for the laugh!
Mark [smilie=s:

[ku4hx]

I got the vast majority of my gear in 1969 when I was in the Navy and stationed at the National Reactor Testing Station in Idaho. I've often wondered if Bucky's in Idaho Falls was still there. I was fresh out of college, no wife, no kids and no debt. And the Navy fed me and provided a place to sleep.

I remember spending about $25 for my Lyman 450 and $5 each for a bunch of dies. Of course, gasoline at that time was about 25 cents per gallon and having no car I had nothing else to spend my money on. Bought my first semi auto pistol from Bucky's too. A Hi-Power that cost all of $108. I still have the original receipt.

Sometimes you win, sometimes you lose and sometimes the game gets called on account of rain.

[theperfessor]

I have SAECO compatible nose punches and adapters for a lot less than Midway, etc. see my sig line.

[Bent Ramrod]

I lucked into a Star at a very good price and bought it just to see what all the brouhaha was about. It was equipped with a .454" sizing die for .45 Colt, a caliber I had no gun for. I researched the cost of Star and aftermarket sizing dies and the possibility of adapting other dies to the machine and was shocked (shocked, I tell you!!) at the cumulative cost of tooling the machine up for the calibers I normally shoot.

Well, "they" obviously don't know who "they" are dealing with! Craftily, I went to the gun store and bought a 4-3/4" Cimmarron SAA Clone in .45 Colt, a holster, loading dies, moulds and brass, and commenced practicing getting all my shots on a silhouette target at 25 yards, one handed, from the "gunfighter's crouch." The Star keeps up pretty handily with the ammunition requirements for this practicing.

Trifle with me, will "they?":veryconfu


I have a SAECO .311" die if you are interested. Got'ny Star dies to trade? ;)

[zack]

I've got an old Herters Bulletmaster sizer which is a Saeco with Herters name stamped on it. I made an adapter to use Lyman top punches with no more than drill press and a couple drill bits. Probably took me 30 minutes or so. Works great. I've had both the Lyman and Saeco and the Saeco is better IMO. Saeco dies are a little higher. Zack

[williamwaco]

Decided to try and beat the cost of copper Gas checks, aprox. $35.00k
so I bought a gas check cutter. $100.00

Right away I found it was very difficult to make it work in my RCBS jr.,
so I bought a 1 ton Arbor press.$50.00

The Arbor press was great, but the cutter kept falling over, so I had
to buy some oversized drills and counter bore the press anvil to hold the cutter. $25.00

Now for material:
My local Sears has .014 aluminum flashing 50'x6". You can special order it from their supplier, for $40.00 a roll. Cut into 3/4" wide strips, that's approximately 800 strips per roll.

Being careful I can punch 8 GC per strip giving me 6,400 gas checks per roll. That's a savings of almost $5.00.

At this rate I'll only have to shoot about 6,400 .459 cal. bullets (275lbs of lead) to amortize the cost of making my own gas checks.

After that, THEY'RE FREE !!![smilie=w:

Been thinking about saving some more money by buying a.....:veryconfu



Jack,

You keep saving money like that and pretty soon you are going to be in the hated 1% and guess who will be coming after you?


( No. Not me. - - -Him!)

.

[atr]

well.....this dinosauer (me) has been doing just fine with Lyman 45....

ps....don't look back

[MtGun44]

I always thought that the SAECO was a copy of a very, very early Lyman design, before the
model 45. Seemed old fashioned AND I did take note of the cost of dies and nose punches
to completely convince me to stay away.

Bill

[Cadillo]

The problem of being a old guy is for years I saw gun catalogs of gear that I could not afford as a kid and always wanted something. Then I find something of those days and leap on it. Casting gear is one of those areas, if a H&G mold comes up for sale, my blood is up ! Well, lately I came across a very fine condition original
black painted 1971 made SAECO (Carpentera California, not Redding ) bullet sizer/lubricator.

Panic: I see one for sale and got to get it. $ spent , its got to be better than my Lyman 4500 and its old age quality, renowned SAECO gear, and life will not be complete till I get it. Grass is always greener on other side of fence etc etc.

The SAECO arrives, after a little clean up , its like new condition. I got it for a steal.
Then, I decide to get a order up for the top punches and sizing dies so I can use this machine.

Sticker shock: By the time I buy one sizing die and one top punch, I spent 3 x what I would have for such items for the Lyman machine. Thundering Coyotes,
why did I not look at this aspect of punch & dies before ! This machine is outrageous to use for all the needs I had in mind.

I am an idiot. Unless I find used top punches & dies in .312 and .309, its too expensive to use this machine.

Point: Do the math first before you buy !!:groner::groner::groner:

Be thankful. I have two friends who really accidentally shot themselves in the feet. One with a .410 at contact distance(alcohol induced) and the other with an M-16. / .223 (adrenalin induced during encounter with drug smugglers). You have no idea how bad the outcomes were. M-16 guy has had ten surgeries and isn't through yet. .223 projectile and bone contact makes for a very bad outcome.

Be Happy!

[smilie=l:

[alamogunr]

Welcome to the club! I bought a new SAECO when GAR went out of business. Tremendous deal. They didn't have that many size dies or top punches. The two SAECO molds I bought were calibers that they didn't have dies left in stock. I have yet to get the size dies or top punches for those two molds.

[454PB]

I've got an old Herters Bulletmaster sizer which is a Saeco with Herters name stamped on it. I made an adapter to use Lyman top punches with no more than drill press and a couple drill bits. Probably took me 30 minutes or so. Works great. I've had both the Lyman and Saeco and the Saeco is better IMO. Saeco dies are a little higher. Zack

I have one of the Herter copies too. I make my own sizing dies for Lyman/RCBS/Star, but the Saeco design is more complicated because of the threads on the bottom that secure the die in the sizer. I did a little brainstorming and made a lock ring that can be used instead. It utilizes an allen screw to clamp it in place, which also simplifies and speeds up die changes. One ring works for all the Saeco style dies I make.

[fatnhappy]

just think of all the money you saved by reloading and casting.

[zack]

I have one of the Herter copies too. I make my own sizing dies for Lyman/RCBS/Star, but the Saeco design is more complicated because of the threads on the bottom that secure the die in the sizer. I did a little brainstorming and made a lock ring that can be used instead. It utilizes an allen screw to clamp it in place, which also simplifies and speeds up die changes. One ring works for all the Saeco style dies I make.

Ahh, then you have a lathe. Wish I did. I'm keeping my eye out for an old Atlas/Craftsman lathe.

I did a little research when I bought my Herter's sizer used off E-Bay (back when they were gun friendly), years ago. Apparently, the early Herter's sizers were Saeco clones and the later Herter's sizers were Lyman clones per my old Herter's catalougs. The later day Herter's catalougs even state that their sizer will accept Lyman sizing dies.
Saecos are a pain to change dies in when the lube is cold. I love that spring loaded lube resevoir. So much easier to keep the lube flowing than my old Lyman. Zack.

[clocker]

I dunno about you guys, but I figure that the cost of these things has a slim chance of going down anytime soon. Witness even the price increase in the Star last week. So if you are going to be in this hobby for more than a few years consider casting / reloading supply expenses now an investment in the future.

... That's what I keep telling my wife :)

[9.3X62AL]

Good point, Clocker.

I'm pretty much committed to the Lyman 450 system now, since I have several dozen H&I dies and the top punches already on hand. The Star or the SAECO/Redding may indeed be faster or better, but I sure as h--l can't afford to re-tool. What may occur is the purchase of a second 4500 or LAM II to accomodate high-velocity lube for rifle rounds, but that is about as decadent as I plan to get.

[Pete P]

I had both the Lyman and the Saeco. The Saeco I still have the Lyman long gone.

[noylj]

The only one, if you simply are FORCED to size your bullets, is the Star.
Being on SS myself, if I was EVER actually to find a reason to size a bullet (and I haven't in over 30 years of casting and shooting), I would go the Lee route. If I couldn't stand LLA/Xlox, I would make my own lube. A little case lube, size the bullet, then apply some sort of tumble lube (dissolve whatever I like in naphtha, MS, turpentine and tumble it).

[WinMike]

Decided to try and beat the cost of copper Gas checks, aprox. $35.00k
......................

Being careful I can punch 8 GC per strip giving me 6,400 gas checks per roll. That's a savings of almost $5.00.

At this rate I'll only have to shoot about 6,400 .459 cal. bullets (275lbs of lead) to amortize the cost of making my own gas checks. ......

OK, so you're sort of in the area....how about I buy a couple hundred of your gas checks at $1.00 profit to you (you pay the postage, of course), just as soon as I buy the proper mold, top punch and dies to make the bullets that would fit whatever firearm I need to buy to fit your gas checks.....

Now we're both saving money!!!! [smilie=b:

[1Shirt]

Ya just gotta go with what works for you and what you can afford!
1Shirt!:coffee:

[Leadmelter]

I find that with advancing age (not quite 60), I feel I need a back up for some of my gear. Not sure but I have five sets of 44 Automag Dies and four sets of 357 Automag dies. For most of my pistols, I have two sets.
Molds: at least two per calibers. 1K lbs of casting lead on hand.
The kids will have fun figuring this all out when I reach the Big Range in the Sky with Elmer, et el.
Gerry

[429421Cowboy]

Buying reloading equipment is like driving through the bad section of town after dark, you never look back!! And just think how much our staples have gone up recently, there sure as heck is no way any if it is ever coming back down so look at every piece of equipment as an investment. Besides i'm sure there are plenty of people in the swappin' and sellin' section that would be happy to own that bad boy!

[41 mag fan]

The problem of being a old guy is for years I saw gun catalogs of gear that I could not afford as a kid and always wanted something. Then I find something of those days and leap on it. Casting gear is one of those areas, if a H&G mold comes up for sale, my blood is up ! Well, lately I came across a very fine condition original
black painted 1971 made SAECO (Carpentera California, not Redding ) bullet sizer/lubricator.

Panic: I see one for sale and got to get it. $ spent , its got to be better than my Lyman 4500 and its old age quality, renowned SAECO gear, and life will not be complete till I get it. Grass is always greener on other side of fence etc etc.

The SAECO arrives, after a little clean up , its like new condition. I got it for a steal.
Then, I decide to get a order up for the top punches and sizing dies so I can use this machine.

Sticker shock: By the time I buy one sizing die and one top punch, I spent 3 x what I would have for such items for the Lyman machine. Thundering Coyotes,
why did I not look at this aspect of punch & dies before ! This machine is outrageous to use for all the needs I had in mind.

I am an idiot. Unless I find used top punches & dies in .312 and .309, its too expensive to use this machine.

Point: Do the math first before you buy !!:groner::groner::groner:

Now if you're wanting an investment, I got THE perfect investment for anyone whose retired or looking to retire
I got this land down in Florida for sale........CHEAP, CHEAP as rain.
Taxes are extremely low, and someday it'll be worth a mint.
Right now Florida gov't officials call it a swamp....I say BULLHOCKEY....It's a flooded plain, just waiting to be inhabited after draining.
If Floridas not your cup of tea, I got thhis other investment. It's in the far north.
Invest in something you can put your name on, it's a bridge you can name after yourself. Right now people call it the bridge to no where. I say bull you buy it, put your name on it, it's going somewhere, even if it is only across the river, where theres no roads.
:bigsmyl2:

[prs]

Might as well invest in shoot'n gear as to waste it on whiskey and soiled doves.

prs

[rintinglen]

Sir, I beg to differ, money spent on soiled doves and whiskey is never wasted, unless you already are.

[Norbrat]

I am an idiot. Unless I find used top punches & dies in .312 and .309, its too expensive to use this machine.


Milprileb, I have an unused .313 sizing die.

If you plan to keep the SAECO and are interested in this die, send me a PM and we can work something out.

[milprileb]

Email sent to Norbrat