Its ALIVE automating master caster

[wlkjr]

wlkjr you got any updates?

Yes I do. The larger cylinder works much better. The cylinder does get hot, so when I'm sizing 500 or more, I wrap a wet paper around the cylinder to help keep it cool. This is much easier on the arm and shoulder than pulling the handle.
As for the Master Caster, it is working great also. This is a worthwhile mod for anyone who load a lot. I can cast over a thousand in less than 3 hours and not be exhausted when finished. My neck will start to tighten up sometimes, so I just get up and take a 10 minute break.
A little off topic but related:
I ordered a new .380 mold from Accurate and it casts a beautiful boolit. After casting over 1000 I decided to coat them with my usual Hi-Tek coating. After loading few I discovered my G42 does not like this boolit. It jams straight into the feed ramp and stops. If I hit the bottom of the mag it will feed into the chamber and the rest of the mag feeds ok while shooting. The new boolit is a 100 grain truncated nose without lube grooves. Adjusting oal has no effect. It also seems to do this with a Hornady Critical Defense. At first I thought it was the old versions of the magazines, but it also did it with the newest 03 versions. I may sell this new mold and get a round nose non lube groove mold. I have no trouble with the round nose boolits.

[HATCH]

I am gonna get a larger size for my star as well.


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[wlkjr]

With the larger cylinder you can always lower the pressure, but with a smaller it is much harder to maintain a high enough pressure. The larger cylinders are not that much more expensive. They also run much cooler and have more force for the same psi. Larger is the way to go. I think I ended up with a 1 1/4 size for the sizer. The 9mm grooveless seemed to be most problematic. I think the reason is that they are dropping out a little larger. But that problem is in the rear view mirror.

[Plate plinker]

Updated YouTube videos for anybody who wants to view them. Relays? Yes we can

https://m.youtube.com/watch?v=xaXqsSNxnyQ

[chloe123]

Reminded to come back to CB with the funding drive email. Nice to see this thread. Hadn't run my master caster--with the Hatch panel--in well over a year. Reading about your progress inspired me to turn it on and run some 41s. Hands free is nice. The biggest issue with it is the sprues getting spit everywhere. Which isn't much of a problem to have. Happy with it


https://m.youtube.com/watch?v=nbQ5RX_UGzQ

[HATCH]

The biggest issue with it is the sprues getting spit everywhere. Which isn't much of a problem to have. Happy with it

That was one of the early models without the touchscreen.

You can make side shields for the MC.
You don't have your metal grate on the front, but what I did was make sheet metal plates that bolt to the side using existing holes.
It makes everything drop to the bottom of the machine.

[Tazza]

My MC was one of the first ones, no fan, no shield at the front. Without a metal cover that i have made and installed on the front, it flicks sprues all over the place. Hatch has a good idea with the plates on the sides, contains most of them that way.

[Plate plinker]

I use a piece of (hardware cloth?) 1/2" square pattern. Almost all sprues drop straight down.