Question about star sizer

For those using one, how much tinkering does it need to keep it running?

I ask because I've found that sometimes top end Reloading equipment isn't always worth it. I spent considerable money on an LnL AP Reloading press only to find I spend more time fiddling with it or clearing stoppages than I do running it. I don't exactly dislike the machine but I definitely would not buy it if I were doing it over.

I digress. Is the star a similar device that needs lots of tinkering and frequent adjustment? Or does it "just run" once set up?

Nope! There is not a lot of tinkering needed to keep it running. If you have the right heat and air pressure setup figurer out is smooth sailing. It's also smart to write down the depth setting on the punch for each boolit.

When you get the hang of it, it's not much trouble at all. It's a fast and pretty sturdy piece of equipment, but it's not for sizing down a lot. 2-3 thou is ok, but more turns a lot of strain on the machine. With air upgrade and boolit feeder you can do 5000 boolits in a day if you have good shoulders

You can't go wrong with a Star!

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Like hunter74 said, it doesn't like to size down more than .003. The only tinkering to it is setting up the punch, but I buy all my dies from Lathesmith on here along with his lock nuts with set screws. Then it's tinker once and go. It's the Cadillac of sizers IMO!

There is no tinkering. There is no adjustment, until you changle boolits. And only a few seconds of adjustment when you do. It is more than made up for in the speed of it when it is running. They are very fast.

I clean and lube the moving parts every 10K cycles or so. Once you have your punch depth set, it's about as trouble free a machine as you can hope for.

Once set up there is little to no maintenance. The bullet punch and lube supply holes need to be the right height to align with the lube grooves in the bullet. The dies have three heights of 3 of lube holes. Two of these need to be blocked (usually by lead shot). The bullet punch needs to be adjusted so that the bottom of the stroke aligns the lube grooves with the selected lube holes. The lube pump is activated at bottom of the stroke to inject lube in the bullet grooves.
After this there is no tinkering. Lube pressure is control by a threaded rod that compresses a spring. Pressure is increased by turning the rod down 2 to 3 turns every 50 bullets or so
For some lubes you need a heat source. Once you have this it just plain works. I have owned 2 Stars for 30 years and never replaced a part. OH you may need to oil the linkage once or twice a year.
Nearly all used sizers and presses are from owners that have died. I have never seeneed a press or sizer sold because of poor quality or poor performance.

Well dang it. I was hoping it'd be tinkering intensive then I could justify 50 bucks for a used Lyman 4500. Now I'm gonna have to sell a kidney to get a star :D

Wait. Already sold one of my kidneys. Guess I'll sell a lung this time.

Go here and download the operator's manual: http://www.magmaengineering.com/PDF/Star_Sizer.pdf

That will tell you all you need to know about the Star/Magma sizer.

Hope this helps.

Fred

I stuck my neck out and bought one about 4 years ago. It took a bit to get the hang of but not that much. I too bought my dies from Lathesmith and bought the lock nuts for the
punch. Once you set it you can forget it.

I don't have a bullet feeder yet but I want one in the future. I did get an air cylinder but got the parts from different sources and put it together on the cheap, less than half
of what Magma wants for theirs. I also use an oil tank heater I got from Amazon for about $13 and use a table lamp dimmer for a controller, also on the cheap. With this setup
I can size and lube about 500 bullets an hour provided I don't mash a finger, thus the need for a bullet feeder.

My suggestion to you is this

Buy a punch for each mold you got. Get lock nuts for them.
That makes setup very fast

I just bought my first star sizer too thanks for asking and answering some of the questions I had.

I melt my lube and then pour it in the sizer. Eliminates air pockets.

I just add another stick of lube when it gets low. In 30+ years of using Star Sizers, I can only remember one time that an air bubble caused an issue. Even then, as soon as the trapped air worked it's way through the machine, everything worked as it should, after the "pop".

Hope this helps.

Fred

For my blasting bullets, I buy a sizer die for each bullet that I cast. Lathesmith stamps the top of the die as to what bullet it is for. I don't need to adjust anything - it is already done left over from the last bullet I sized and lubed in that die.
H&G #51, H&G #331, H&G # S55 and H&G # 503 are the main bullets I use....by the thousands. Yes, it is more expensive to do it this way but setup and adjustments are "pre done" for you. Just load the punch, set it flush against the last bullet left in the die, and off you go.
I HATE tinkering with the Star.

Quote:

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Originally Posted by LenH

With this setup I can size and lube about 500 bullets an hour provided I don't mash a finger, thus the need for a bullet feeder.

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Is this a typo...?

Quote:

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Originally Posted by HATCH

My suggestion to you is this

Buy a punch for each mold you got. Get lock nuts for them.
That makes setup very fast

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I have lathesmith make my dies so that one punch works for each caliber and sometimes multiple calibers. I have a Magma that does 44 cal and 45 cal any bullet I run thru it. I have a second machine for 9mm. 38,357 and again one punch does all.

Maintenance... oil the linkage.

Once its setup it a simple matter of it running.

John, it is not a typo. I am slow an methodical. I am not out to run a race and have done more than that in an hour.
I am the same way when I reload, I have a 550B and if I get 250+ an hour, that is just fine with me.