Originally Posted by
ReloaderFred
I have so many Stars that I just leave some of them set up for bullets that I use the most of, so I don't have to adjust them. A couple machines are for small lots, or special bullets for one reason or another. Lathesmith makes the nuts you're looking for, and also makes them with a set screw, so once the punch is set for your specific bullet, you just tighten the set screw and that punch is always set for that bullet.
Different punches for different bullets is more a convenience than a necessity. As I get older, convenience overrules necessity most of the time. The punches and nuts are relatively cheap, so if I were you, I'd just give Lathesmith a shout and get several combinations for the bullets you think you'll be sizing the most of.
As for the bullet feeders, I've got them set up on three of my machines. Depending on the bullet, it's about six to one and half dozen to the other which is fastest. I've got close to 100 tubes for .38 bullets that hold about 60 each. The time it takes to fill the tubes, versus feeding each bullet into the Star by hand, is probably a draw. Sometimes it just depends on my mood which method I'll use.
Some small bullets that are hard to pick up benefit from tube feeding, as do some of the fatter, shorter bullets. I make a 200 gr. .45 caliber RNFP bullet that is like picking up marbles, and I go through thousands of them per year. It's hard to get them oriented quickly feeding them directly into the machine, so for those I prefer to tube feed them. Once loaded into the tubes, usually while watching the news on TV, then the actual sizing/lubing goes really fast, but the overall time is again probably a draw between the two methods.
In your case, since you're just learning the machine, I'd probably remove the bullet feeder until you get used to how the machine works and how it has to be adjusted. And for lube flow, I normally use the lowest heat setting that will allow the lube to flow (I use Magma Lubes, and don't have any leading), and use a little more pressure to get good lube groove fillout.
Hope this helps.
Fred