Thinking of selling my Master Caster

[gcollins]

I am thinking about selling my master caster, it only has 40 cal mould but has a new thermostat. I bought all new RCBS moulds that I needed, I got all at a bargin a friend of mine was going to machine the RCBS moulds to fit the M.C. and he can do that he is awesome, but he has so much going on that he hasn't got around to it. My plans orginaly was to cast and size and lube and sell just enough to pay for my shooting, but as bad as my back is, I don't know if I could do enough?
What would a good price for me to ask, IF I DECIDE TO SELL?
I have not made up my mind yet! I am assuming if my friend showed up this weekend with my moulds I wouldn't, but if it is going to be another 6 months I am thinking of moving it.
I would be great full for info on a fair price for it!
Thanks Greg

[GabbyM]

How old is the machine?

What's involved in the coversion?
Tried to view the drawings on Magma web site but the one for the moulds would'nt come up.

[gcollins]

I don't know how old it is I bought it used, the man I bought it from I think bought it new and only loaded 40's. You can buy the kits to convert, you still have to machine the moulds or you can send them your moulds and they will convert them for $50.00 a pop. These are not a cheap machine to set up to cast a lot of diff. bullets, but they are the best?
Hope this helps
Greg

[218bee]

I would see what a new one goes for and ask around 50-75% of that cost if you are happy with that price. Ask what you want/need out of it and if too high you can always lower the price. If you lower it to $50 pm me:coffee:

[LAH]

The new price of a MC went up a bit over the last year so it should bring a good price. The moulds can be sent to the factory for conversion. I'd suggest sending only one and then any good machine shop can convert the others..........Creeker

[runfiverun]

I Paid 600.00 For A Used One A Couple Of Years Ago Got A Couple Of Molds With It
It Was In Good Condition, Not New Or Fair But Good..

[gcollins]

I had every intention of using mine, and a friend that can and has the knowledge to convert my moulds just doesn't get in a hurry, he has had them for 6 months!
I don't know if I will sell or not, I saw one on ebay for over $600.00 but it was only a year old, and the auction wasn't over!
Thanks for all the advice.
Greg

[Trez Hensley]

I paid $700 for a used one about a year ago.

[GabbyM]

I saw one on ebay for over $600.00 but it was only a year old, and the auction wasn't over! Greg

Yes that's my bid on their. It's well lover $700. OOps I just looked. I got out bid. Sold for $816. I was going to go $850 on it since it came with a 45 acp mould. Oh well. This guy says he'd only cast 2,500 bullets with it. New ones are one thousand dollars.

So which one of you guys out bid me while I was out mowing grass?

I was trying to figure out if the mould conversion entails milling out slots in the blocks or just drill and tap for the Magma spur plate. I've been a machinist for over thirty years so either way it's no challenge for me. I've noticed Magma has a price spread on the conversion so I think different brands take more or less work.

[gcollins]

Tere is milling ivolded, for the spring on the bottom that holds the cutter screw, i have found out RCBS moulds are easier than the LYMAN, just my thoughts, and yes that was a good buy!
Greg

[GabbyM]

I need to order a Star Sizer from the good people at Magma. Will ask some questions and see if they'll send along some drawings.

Yes that $816 looks like a good deal. If the seller was being truthful. Chances are if I'd of been their to up my bid the price would have just gone up.

Ran my H&G ten cavity 9mm mould for the first time last night. Cast one thousand good boolits in two hours. :-D They're a #309 TCFP-BB. The bevel base is but one reason I am breaking down to by a Star sizer.
Sizing goes so slow when you are sitting their wiping the grease from the little chamfer.

[gcollins]

Gabby, 500 per hour awesome, I don't believe I would spend $1000.00 for a Master Caster unless I was going to go into selling them! I had planned when I bought mine to sell just enough bullets to pay for my shooting, then lead price went cazy, because I was getting enough lead give to me to last for ever, buy then people went nuts, so I don't know what I am going to do, I was going to mount a electric over Hyd. system on my luber sizer to cut done on the wear and tear on my back, but I have just put everthing on hold, and just casting with my 2 cav's just enough to shoot.
Have a good weekend
Greg

[GabbyM]

Selling them. That's the idea. Been casting around five thousand per week for a while now. My arms, shoulders, hands and back ache a bit. The push pull Lyman and RCBS lubrisizers I'm using are hard on me.
Been putting off buying the Star due to the half dozen dies I'd have to buy at $40 each.

The Master Caster would allow me to make production with two cavity moulds. Which I've several.
Any way you figure it. With light equipment you can't make minimum wage casting bullets. That's not even counting the endless hours spent trying to keep up with Government paper work.

As for scrap lead and salvage dealers. I've run that river dry. I'm working on a 350lb. load of Taracorp Magnum someone brought into my scrap dealer. Must have laid in a basement for thirty years. Has cat spray on it. Smelted some down mixed with WW and pure pb to make cowboy bullets. Odd thing is when I melted the ingots in my casting pot. I swear I could smell cat piss. I had to give $1.50 per lb for this stuff. Next week I'll need to order a pallet of new alloy. $$$

today I plan to size those thousand 9mm bullets. Going to make them .357” since even when I get my Star the die will be .356. So this will give me an over sized bullet to stock. When I'm done with that I'll cast up another 1,500 or so. Then tomorrow have another five hours at the sizer. Maybe more. Need to figure out a way to put a motor on a brush to wipe off those bullet bases. It's mind numbing.

[Springfield]

1500 is 5 hours sizing for you? Man, I can do that many in an hour and a half with my Star, maybe less. I wouldn't even think of selling commercially without a Star or 2.

[targetshootr]

Why do the bases need to be brushed off? Selling boolits sounds like a hard dollar.

:castmine:

[GabbyM]

Yeah always new I'd need a Star. Just figured I'd put it off until I couldn't keep up. Got a big flood of orders last couple of weeks. I think due to people finding their Government incentive check in the mail.

Yes targetshootr it is a hard dollar. I've never made easy money in my life. And I'm 52.
Not to mention the liability I'm exposing myself to. Not enough money in this to feed the insurance companies. My plan , in case of emergency, is to dust off my private pilot license. Swap the deed to my house for a plane and fly to Bolivia.

Over on another thread “lube question” they talked of putting Styrofoam egg carton atop your sizer die push pin to keep lube out of the bevel base. I've got to try that. Last time I talked to Magma they had a six week wait on a Star sizer.

[GabbyM]

Well I'm the new proud owner of a Star sizer. Actually picked one up on evil bay.
comes with a .452 die. Already have a .356 so just need a half dozen more. Plus a heater.

Tried that Styrofoam over the punch. Well it worked for a dozen or so bullets then it would come apart. Maybe I have cheap egg crates. lol

[gcollins]

Gabby, do you have heaters on your RCBS and your LYMAN, and do you use the heater only in cool weather or all the time, this is a cheap thing for me to say, but since I only mould for my self if I size and lune when it is cold I just yse my heat gun to warm the sizer up alittle, and you talking about it be hard on you, that is why I was going to automate mine and I am still going to do that.
Greg

[GabbyM]

I've been using Lar45's Carnauba red which flows at 100 deg. and their BAC which flows at room temp in summer. My heater is simple. Aluminum plate on bench where I mount the sizers. Place a clothing iron on the plate behind the sizer and let the heat work it's way up.
It actually works very well. But clutters up the bench.

With the Star I'm hoping to stand up in front of the machine and just push down on the handle. I know I can go through a thousand bullets quickly with a Lee sizer in my Rock Chucker press. Have run thousands through a Lee to size before heat treat. After which I run them through the lubri-sizer with a plus .001” die to lube up. Makes a tough bullet that will get their every time.

[RustyFN]

Selling boolits sounds like a hard dollar.

:castmine:
Especially when you figure in the price of the FFL and insurance.
Rusty

[gcollins]

Gabby, Thanks for the tip on the Iron never thought about that. Called my Bud who has my moulds, says he has be covered up, and i know he has! I told him i would just pick them up, and he ask me if it was because he hadn't got them done that I was thinking of selling it, of course I didn't want to upset him he is a good friend, he told me he would do his best to have them done in a couple weeks! If so I won't know how to act! And then if i do decide to sell it it will have 6 sets of moulds, that ought to help the selling price, but most likely if he get's them done, I will use it over pouring with my 2 cav. moulds I am using now!
Thanks for the tip/
Greg

[GabbyM]

Good luck with the project.

Sounds like you haven't cast bullets with your Master Caster yet. I'll bet once you try it you'll want to hold onto it.

I've read on this site where guys rigged up a rest for their hand cast moulds under the pot of the Master caster. Believe one fellow stated he just slid a piece of 4X4 in their. Might be a bit of fire hazard their?

Magma sells that 40 lb pot on a base for hand casting for $575. Then you still don't have the cooling fan.

when I get to casting 44 cal boolits with my 4 cavity Saeco a 20 lb pot goes empty pretty fast.

The iron setup radiates quite a bit of heat to the air. In summer time that would be running up the electric bill some. One of those Lyman heaters is only $40 or so. But I'm getting the $105 Magma heated base with a thermostat so I don't get an overheated mess every time I have to run off to answer the phone.

[miestro_jerry]

Get the Star sizer, it is wonderful and is fast. I own an orginal Star, but have dies from Star and Magma.

Jerry

[Springfield]

I use the aluminum plate and the iron, that way I only need one heater for 3 Stars. And I have found that using a smaller travel iron works best, a regular one gets to hot and is hard to regulate. Now that it is summer I rarely have to use the heater at all.

[gcollins]

Gabby, i moulded about 200 40 cal, before i noticed i needed a new thermostat, I sure i will keep it, because I am going to start buggy the H out of my bud to get my moulds done, and he said he thought he new where the electric over Hyd. unit is that I am going to mount on my lyman 450, sure will be nice.
Have a good one and enjoy that new Star!!
Greg

[Earl Brasse]

Hard to beat a Mastercaster & a Star. I think the other posters' are right in that once you start using a MC you won't wantto sell it anymore.

I got my 1st MC reasonable with some molds from a fellow in our CAS club that was retiring from casting. My 2nd was a gift from my longtime casting pard who gave me his set-up when he found out that he would be passing away shortly from cancer. It was a great gift from a great friend. It makes it real handy to be able to have 2 different mixes available.

I just picked up the bullet feeder for the Star, but haven't had the time to get it up & running. I haven't had time to cast either. Summer is here & the temps. over a 100 outside. I keep saying I'm going to get all my casting done durring the Winter but it just never seems to happen that way.