It appears that the search function is down: Star lube-sizer problems? Birdshot in?

[Russel Nash]

Hi everyone,

Yes, I did try to do a search here, honest I did, but I kept getting one of those internet error messages.

I could swear I had "tagged" a previous thread on this exact same topic a while back.

I am finally sizing and trying to lube boolits with my Star. I made my own lube. I have the heater base for the Star too.

Anywhoo, I guess I didn't quite get the timing correct as to when that little spring loaded plunger mechanism opens up, I guess, to squirt some lube in through die.

It's either that OR....

I plugged the wrong holes in Star sizing die. That danged thing came with about 12 holes in it, in three separate heights. I plugged all of them except for the highest or top three.

This is for a 9mm boolit, about 147 grain flat nose, yeah, and bevel base too, originally cast out of a Lyman 4 banger mould.

I did try to tinker with the height of the punch, screwing it in and screwing it out. I tinkered with the pressure, which I think I got it too high at one point as lube squished out around the boolit punch, and the temperature.

Oh which brings me to my other question: is the Star heater base supposed to come with a plastic control knob to control the temperature?

I finally found a screwdriver with a skinny enough blade to fit that narrow slot...Arrgghh...

[IcerUSA]

Did you check this out ? http://www.magmaengineering.com/PDF/StarInstructions_012009.pdf

I found it takes awhile to get it just right , Might want to take the sizer out and clean it and set the boolit so the lube groove and the hole in the sizer are alined , put the sizer die back in and adjust the drive pin to just touch the boolit base with the handle all the way down . Then you should be close .

I have also noticed that the Star tends to over lube if you use a full stroke on single lube groove boolits . :(

Also check the drive bar that pushes the plunger lever to make sure it is at it's shortest length .

Bout all I can think of at the moment .

Keith

[cajun shooter]

Russel, I think you should plug the top ones. Read the Magma instruction sheet over as it is not that clear to begin with(at least in my mind) Once you have the correct settings write them down so that you don't have to do this every time you size that bullet. I find the easiest way is with calipers. Measure from the bottom of the punch(In a raised position) to the top of the die. This is your setting. I think that the Magma dies come with too many holes in the wrong places. Contact Lathesmith and send him your bullet that you are sizing and he will make a die that is correct. I'm fighting with the bullet feeder at this time myself. Later David

[MT Chambers]

Bullets just marginally big enough may never work right depending on the size of your sizer, that particular bullet would not work for me in the Star with a .356" die, the lube passes period. I ordered a .355" from Lathesmith and that worked better.

[Russel Nash]

well...crap... that would suck... Arggh...

It's for a Beretta 92 and I have heard that their bore dimensions can be kinda squirrelly too, I think.

Great...

I guess I could try the .40 cal boolits I have casted.... or the .45's...:???:

[HeavyMetal]

What I've always done with mine is fill the top two row of holes and lube through the lowest holes in the die.

I also nose size. The idea behind the Star is you do not have to over pressure the lube screw it injects lube when you push the handle all the way through it's travel arc. It inject the lube in the last 1/16 of an inch of boolit travel.

If you decide to get Lathsmith to make dies for you you can request a single row of lube holes at a height of your choosing.

He has done this for me and it works awsome plus I no longer have to plug holes!

[Russel Nash]

Ahhh .... success!! :grin:

A'yup I pulled the die out and plugged the top holes. Then I drilled out (yeah, with a #45 drill bit) the lowest 3 holes.

It took quite a bit of trial and error, but I think I have the timing thing figured out.

I have the Star heater base too. And tonight I was just using the screw adjustment up top to get the pressure right.

I do have the air compressor ram thing-a-ma-bob. I just didn't have the air compressor over at the house tonight to give it a try.

I did buy a digital meat thermometer. I am kinda thinking about drilling a hole through the back edge of the heater base and then inserting the temperature probe into that hole. And then maybe using a marker, a sharpie, to neatly write down a corresponding temp to the adjuster screw.

I can see why they didn't put a plastic knob with that heater base (I think).

That sucker gets hot! [smilie=1: I don't know if a plastic knob would end up melting.

Thanks for all the replies.

[GabbyM]

It can be clumsy to hold together but. Try taking your bullet and top punch then holding them together as they would be arranged when pushing the bullet through your die. Then in your other hand hold the punch and bullet next to your die. Align bullets lube grove to a set of holes then mentally note how far above top of die your punch threads are. I use the lowest lube hole set I can without the punch threads hitting the die when adjusted. If I miss the lube grove with my set up I'll guess whether it's high or low then screw adjust the punch at least the equivalent of the grease grove height. Probably wrong half the time with that guess but you know where you're at when the lube squirts out in the crimp grove or over the bullet base. Just hit and miss for me works fine. Threads are an odd ball 1/2” - 27. meaning one full turn on the punch would be 1/27 th of an inch. Or .037”.

When removing the shot from lube holes. If you can't find a proper drill bit or #1 center drill. A propane torch will make the shot disappear in about a three count.

On the heater base a plastic knob would just be soemthing to bump into. Throwing your setting askew. It could almost use a cover to protect it from clumsy operators like me. I rarely move that adjustment one I get it running the way I like. After setting for a while the bullet in the die will be over heated along with that lube. So the next dozen or so bullets will draw out over heated lube. You may have to wipe these off a bit but set your temp after you've run several hand fulls of bullets through to just barely keep lube flowing at that rate of constant opperation. Anytime you stop for a break the sizer will heat soak. depending on what lube you are using you may wnat to turn of the heater when you stop. With 120* and 130* lube I just leave it on. With softer stuff like Lars Carnauba Red I turn it off and back off the pressure feed screw when I take a break.

[Russel Nash]

Thanks Gabby for the reply.

On that Star heater base, there is an extra threaded hole in the top that wasn't being used (maybe that is for the bullet feeder... I dunno...:confused: ), so I stuck the probe from the meat thermometer into that.

Maybe...err.. most likely I didn't have the pressure up high enough at first, but I got the temp to read out at something like 170*F with the slot in the adjuster for the heater base about at the one o'clock position.

Then when I finally got the timing right, I shut off the heater base and watched the temperature drop down slowly.

Still right around 120* F, it was squishing the lube into the grooves just right, BUT then again I kept cranking down on the pressure screw. So I guess it is theoretically possible I had it over-pressure'd and under-heated. :confused:

That's where I am hoping that the air compressor piston will be able to give me more consistent results.

Yeah, Gabby, you're right... if a bullet stays in the die for any length of time, it does get warmed up and that in turn makes the lube in that groove even runny-er.

A few other questions for you guys:

1. What are you guys using to catch your boolits with?

2. With the heat we have been getting here in southwestern Illinois (near St. Louis), do I have to worry about having the lube melt out of the lube grooves and then contaminating the powder?

It can easily be 120*F ++ inside a car's "cabin" or in the trunk.

I am just wondering if I should make a higher temperature lube. Or if I need to be really carefully when setting my loaded rounds down, i.e. with the boolit end pointing down.

Thanks!

[cajun shooter]

Russel, You can use the chute from a Dillon, I think 450 to direct the bullets or use a Akro bin. There is a pic on this forum that shows this. The mount strip is screwed to the bench below the press and then the bin is slide on. Or you can put a stool with a plastic food container on it under the press. As far as the heat goes I load for a friend and use the CR lube and he has no problems here in Louisiana and I think that our heat is a might stronger than yours. The heat index has been at 112 for the past week. The temps running at 99-100.

[GabbyM]

For bullet catching I used to have my Dillon Acro bin bracket mounted to hold the plastic bin under the sizer. A while back I picked up a length of 1 1/4” hose that's for a row crop planter. Screwed the hose to the bench top under the Star die. Other end sets in a box on the bench shelf where the bullets tumble down into it. Works better than I'd of thought. I'm sure the simplest would be to get lucky and have a drawer in your bench where you could simply open the drawer for bullets to fall into.

Lube melting in loaded rounds: Definitely get some ammo boxes so you can store rounds oriented nose down. Then get a cooler or make an ammo box from wood lined with Styrofoam. That will give you some protection from heat. Midway has white ammo boxes cheap. In Illinois where you and I live id doesn't hurt to have your ammo in a locked box. Since you can't actually legally transport either ammo or a firearm in this state. You'll reduce your exposure to possible harassment.

[Russel Nash]

I just put everything ammo and gun wise into the aluminum tread plate tool box in the bed of my pick up truck.

I reckon that is like a trunk in a car.

Either the po-po has to get a search warrant for it to look into, or bring in a K9 who then has to alert on it to give them probable cause to search it.

And all of that is contigent on me doing something stupid to get pulled over in the first place.

And from what I remember from reading on the Illinois State Police's website about traveling with a gun and ammo was that "out of arm's reach" was mentioned several times.

You would think that would be common sense enough ... out of reach... = safe = legal.

you would think... until I just happen to have a run in with a cop who has had a bad day.:-?

anywhooo... back more on topic... what I noticed in mixing up my lube which was:

1 pound beeswax

one, 14 ounce tube of moly/lithium grease

2 table spoons of carnuba wax (I just used Johnson's paste wax)

was that the carnuba wax was way soft at the then room temperature of about 90 *F.

The beeswax was still nice and hard/stiff. So I am thinking that if I want a heat proof boolit lube I should go with something that has a lot beeswax in it... or maybe even parafin.

I think. :confused: