STAR sizer questions...

[FN in MT]

After watching how quickly and easily a STAR can lube bullets I'm thinking of pulling the trigger on a new one from Magna. And retiring my old RCBS.

I'm thinking I can live without the lube heater as I use the ALOX and/or the BAC formulas which are fairly soft.

I think I can live without the air cyl set up as well. Though BOTH could be something I can purchase down the road IF I need them.

The majority of the slugs I mould are Keith styles with a single lube groove so that shouldn't be a problem. I understand that MULTIPLE lube grooves CAN be a hitch. (Anyone feel free to explain THAT) I wouldn't mind doing .38 Wadcutters at some point.

So All I'll need are sizing dies and top punches? I'll need: .358" , .410" , .430" and .452" sizers. WHERE should I order those?? Magna?

FN in MT

[mtgrs737]

Lathesmith has made me some star size dies and flat punches for me at a very resonable price. I would send him a P.M. I would also reconsider the heater and air cylinder as they make the star run even better.

[FN in MT]

Really!!!

NOT what I wanted to hear. All the dies and punches needed are going to run the tab UP......the heater and pneumatic setup puts me over the top in the SANITY, LACK therof Dept.

FN in MT

[frank505]

I think you could build a heater for lots less than magma wants. I am going to try and find the electronic parts, the base plate is easy. Will try try to post the results The dies are ok, measure each and every one. they are not as stamped sometimes. The air system is really not needed, even for production.

[jameslovesjammie]

I've got the $34 Lyman heater on my Star. There is no temperature control, but I can't justify spending another $70 for a temperature control. The $26 roller handle does look like it would be a worthy upgrade though.

[Shotgun Luckey]

when I "inherited" my Star, the previous owner had built a box that was open on the bottom and front and had a light bulb mounted to it. The box was lined with foil to reflect the heat to the sizer....It works VERY well.

I think lathesmithe make the dies for around $26-33 eachdepending on the style you want and the punches for $9. If you are going to order a bunch from him, I am willing to bet he will cut you some slack on the shipping at least.

Since most people size nose first with a Star, you wouldn't have to have 4 "top" punches. You could probably get by with just the smallest one.

I don't have the air cylinder set up on mine so I don't know how much benafit it offers, but I know the machine is VERY usable without it.

just my $.02


here is a thread by lathesmith (makes it a bit easier to contact him)

http://castboolits.gunloads.com/showthread.php?t=34499

[Dale53]

I bought the Lyman heater (it is drilled and tapped from Lyman for the Lyman, RCBS, and Star tools). Then I used a Dremel tool rheostat that I already had. You can make a rheostat by using a light dimmer switch in a box with a wall plug for the heater. Anyone with basic electric knowledge can wire one of these up (from Lowe's or Home Depot) for under $10.00. Piece of cake.

I have lubed a couple hundred thousand cast bullets with the Star. I do NOT have an air cylinder and frankly, see little need for it. If I were doing it commercially it might be different. You only have to crank the lube pressure screw once every fifty bullets or so. Hardly hard labor.

Dale53

[mtgrs737]

I bought the Lyman heater (it is drilled and tapped from Lyman for the Lyman, RCBS, and Star tools). Then I used a Dremel tool rheostat that I already had. You can make a rheostat by using a light dimmer switch in a box with a wall plug for the heater. Anyone with basic electric knowledge can wire one of these up (from Lowe's or Home Depot) for under $10.00. Piece of cake.

Dale53

What Dale said!

[FN in MT]

mtgrs737,

Appreciate Your taking the time and effort to post the digitals. Great info.

And Thank's as well to the rest of You for all the information!!

THIS is a hell of a site!

FN in MT

[WildmanJack]

Really!!!

NOT what I wanted to hear. All the dies and punches needed are going to run the tab UP......the heater and pneumatic setup puts me over the top in the SANITY, LACK therof Dept.

FN in MT

Forget the heater, get a 4 x 12x1/4 inch piece of aluminum, and $7.00 iron from Wal Mart and your in business. The pneumatic part really makes it nice but I used one for years untill I finally bought the add on ( now I'm sorry I didn't do it sooner). Get the Star, you'll never regret it!!!
Jack

[Texasflyboy]

Yes to the Iron, yes to using a Lyman, yes to using a 60W lightbulb. All of these work. Me, I use both the iron (when the wife isn't home) or my mechanic's light (60 Watt bulb) when she is.

I just lay the light with the hood almost touching the sizer and wrap the whole thing tight with an old terry cloth bath towel and set a kitchen timer for 20 minutes.

When I come back, unwrap the towel, start lubing. I can't lube long enough to outpace the lube thickening. When the lube starts to slow down (thicken) I repeat the light and towel and go watch Fox News for a bit.

You don't need the air sizer. Unless you are planning to start selling lubed bast bullets an air setup is a waste of money and time. I can lube a .30 caliber ammo can of 120gr 9mm's manually with a Star while watching two one hour episodes of the History channel. The trick is the bench setup. Use a wide shallow metal bowl as your reservoir of cast un lubed bullets. Setup a catch bucket under the star. or do as many do and use a plastic tube to guide the bullets into a receptacle under the table. Get a rhythm going. Pick up a handful of bullets and feed them one at a time into the Star.

Before long they you will be lubing bullets like shucking peas....

[EDK]

Price the sizer dies from LATHESMITH. Get 1 flat punch and push everything through nose first...I had some fitted nose punches for years and switched to the flat ones for nose first sizing and haven't looked back! You might also find used dies here or on EvilBay, etc. (I saw some go for under $20 plus shipping lately.)

Get the heater base from MIDWAYUSA for $44...or stick to 50/50...I had to heat B-A-C just a bit to get it going; likewise 2500 and definietely Carnauba. (Good stuff, but I just don't like lubes that need to be heated.)

I'd look at the roller handle, but I've lived without the air cylinder for 20 years or so and haven't felt the need for it.

I'll admit to being dumb...didn't ever notice the adjustment for the lube pump...never had problems that couldn't be adjusted with the shot in the lube die. Do a search for everything on STARS here and any other reloading type forum you go to. CRABO has shown me a few acorns (as in, "even a blind hog finds an acorn once in awhile.)

If you're a serious pistol shooter, you need four or six cavity moulds, a STAR and a DILLON 550B (or equivalent press of your choice.) It's mass production time!

:Fire::cbpour::redneck:

[HeavyMetal]

Big + on nose sizing your boolits! With one .358 flat base punch you can do all the boolits you mentioned!

As to dual lube grooves, in many case's, such as 38 wadcutter boolits, all that lube is not needed! I currently lube my 38 wadcutter boolits ( lyman 35863 and 35887) nose first with the Star set up to lube the center lube groove on both boolits!

I use carnuba red and am real happy with the results. Even if you had a 45 or 357 mag boolit with two or more lube groove's you could, most likely, lube one groove with the carnuba red and never have a leading problem.

As far as heater's are concerned? I like the box with tin foil and a 60 watt bulb the best, the iron is also a good idea, heack an iron is 12.00 at Wal mart how can you beat the price!

If you haven't seen the sticky showing a Star in use find it and watch it! I would never be without a Star sizer thier that good!

[454PB]

You might want to take a look at this: http://www.castboolits.gunloads.com/showthread.php?t=5615&highlight=star+heater

I've since added a dimmer switch in series and can now control the wattage and heat.

[cajun shooter]

Fn, When you order your star from Magma they will send a punch that is universal. It will push any bullet from 9mm to 45 without a hitch. As stated above Lathsmith makes the sizing dies for 34 ea. The only time you need a fitted punch is if you are seating gas checks. All the extra items are nice but not needed. If you are in SASS or some other shooting sport a stock Star will more than keep up. As WMJ stated you can use a cheap iron which I have the setup but never used. I use BAC and find that when it gets low and is at the bottom I do need to heat the sizer very shortly. I use a $10 heat gun from Harbor Freight. So don't be scared away from that purchase!! Buy it and enjoy one of the best designed machines made!!

[Springfield]

I do BP bullets on a small commercial scale. I have 3 Stars, 1 new ands 2 older ones. They all work the same. I used the manual luber for a couple years before I bought the air cylinder and it worked fine. The air cylinder doesn't work any BETTER, but it IS easier to keep a consistent pressure. If you are only doing a couple hundred bullets a month the air cylinder is just an extravagance, kinda like the case feeder on a Dillon 650. If you have the money, buy it. If funds are limited, don't. The bullets won't see the difference. As for the lube adjuster, I've decided that is a myth. All it does is push the lube out SOONER, it doesn't give you any more volume. If the holes are lined up properly and the bottom chamber is full the standard stroke will give you plenty of lube. And I sometimes lube 4 groove 45-70 bullets, no problem. 2 groove bullets don't even rate a second thought. It's all in the setup. Having 2 piece punches also helps.

[AzShooter]

I use Ls Lubes and use the 2500. I was using BAC but it was too soft in the summer and ran a bit. Good lube but at over 115 degrees, well, you know.

With the 2500 no heater is required and the sizer runs real smooth. I don't have the compressor cylinder either. After 30 bullets I give the resevoir one turn and continue to size.

All my sizing dies are from Lathesmith. He does a fantastic job. If you get the unharded shotgun dies they run about $22.

You only need the punch that comes with the machine but it's a good thing to have separate ones and have Lathesmith make them so that when you switch to a different bullet you change the punch as well and you will be all set for the correct depth for each die bullet combination.

[Echo]

I use nose punches and size my boolits base-first. I think it is more accurate to do it that way, but I have no proof...

As I have posted before, I use a drop light next to the Star, and use 50/50 lube. It really doesn't get cold enough in AZ to worry about it too much, even in the dead of winter, when the temp gets down into the 30's... (Neener neener)

And my Star dies (and Lathesmith's, too) have several levels of holes. The trick is to use lead shot to plug the holes you don't need. Can always dig them out if need be.

[Dixie Slugs]

I have been messing with hard cast since 1956 and was convinced that iI did not need a full blown Star...really?
When Ole' Dixie bought all thr equipment from the former Rock Island Ballistics...besides the great Magma Caster, there was a like new Star....with heater, air cylinder, auto bullet feed, and various sizing dies for .313", .358", .431", and .452"
Ciissy finally set it up in our shop and I walked around it for awhile....still leaned toward my 450. All I can say is once you use it, you will wonder why you waited so long!
AS far as the heater, etc....you can use it when you need it...otherwise don't! As for gas checks....using Hornady gas checks is best in the s Star and you do not need a fiited top punch. The nice thing about it is you can add the extra as you need them.
I have to say that the peole at Magma are the very best to deal with indeed. Mary Clausen is top notch and can reall help if you run into any problems.
We did buy the extra stand yhat you can put the pot on from the Magma Caster, plus the little disk that converts the two pour spout to sigle pour. The sand has a mold guide that postions the mold for pouring double cavity molds also.
AS for the molds from Magma....they hav the best sprue cutoff, coil spring loaded, that I have ever seen. They can modifiy a set of RCBS handles to work with their molds.
Just some thoughts.
REgards, James

[Lloyd Smale]

I use the midway heater on mine and it works fine. Dont buy into the universal on punch works on everything deal. You can get away with a 44 punch on 45s but a 38 punch on 44s isnt a great ideal. the smaller punch will deform bases especialy if your using softer alloys. You will also want the right punch for each caliber if you are seating gas checks as you size.

[Cherokee]

+1 what Lloyd said.

[Russel Nash]

Here's the Star lube sizer video on YouTube:

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ZCtLi8i7tMg

It looks like somebody already did the math there in the comments section that he could do about 2,400 bullets per hour at that pace.

I started a Star lube sizer noobie thread too...

Hmmn.... let's see if I can find it.

[Russel Nash]

Okay, here it is:

http://castboolits.gunloads.com/showthread.php?t=25249

[hammerhead357]

I'll jump in here and give my 02 worth. Get the bullet feeder!!!! It keeps your fingers out of the die.... 20 plus years ago it cost me several hundred $ to get my now exwifes thumb reconsructed after she ran the flat punch through it....The other things are nice but IMHO the feeder is a nessesity....Wes

[Dixie Slugs]

There is one thing here I do not agree with and that is some posts about gas checks. All of you know there are two types of gas checks.....the Lyman flared/swaged on type and the Hornady snap-on type.
We have no problem with Hornady type in the Star bullet feed or nose first sizing die. I do not think you could use the Lyman type in the plastic tubes used for volume sizing on the auto bullet feed? Of course, you all know that the Lyman type works well in the bullet base first Lyman 450 type machine.
Regards. James

[Springfield]

Lloyd is right, with softer BP alloy the proper punch works better. Big deal, so now you need a 38, 40/44, and 45 punch for handgun bullets. Sure better than a punch to go with every mould you own. I need to make a video of a bullet feeder at work. That other video of the guy doing them by hand hurts me to watch someone go so slow!

[AKtinman]

I bought a Star a few years ago to replace my Lyman 450, which was purchased new in the '70's. Sorry I waited so long!

The roller handle is a lot more comfortable than the supplied handle.

Great piece of equipment.

[FN in MT]

I've been wanting to order a STAR the past two weeks, seems as soon as I remember it .....it's past 5 PM and they're closed.

So FINALLY got er done this morning. They are doing a run of SIXEEN stars, to be ready to ship the end of this week.

Bought the STAR, the shovel handle and the heated base. Also a single .430" sizer as my current project is to get #429421 slugs done for my .44 Spcl/Mags.

Thanks to all who posted ......... Really appreciate the advice and information.

FN in MT

[Dale53]

I bought my Star many, many years ago and have run a couple of hundred thousand bullets through it. It is a seriously GOOD product.

After you get it up and running, learn a bit about the idiosyncrasies of proper adjustment of the "nose punch" (I size my bullets nose first), you will absolutely LOVE it.

Congratulations!
Dale53