Lube sizers what’s out there?

[Mal Paso]

Right now goals are to fill the 2500 ish 9mm brass and proceed to cast and load everything I have for the dozen+ calibers I reload for. Then shoot everything and start over!


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A dozen calibers is at least $400 worth of Lyman/RCBS dies. You get locked in before you know it. If I were starting out now I would get a Star or powder coat.

[Dennis Eugene]

I started on an RCBS sizer watched a you tube video on the star, bought a used star and gave away my RCBS. This from a guy who bleeds RCBS green when cut. Weather doing 100 or 10,000 I will take the star always. Pay once cry once and spend more time shooting. Star is four times faster than ANY other machine out there, and for me sizeing is my least favorite part of the process. Now I actually enjoy it. D.C.

[porthos]

dosen't anyone have any comments about the redding / saeco sizer

[lightman]

I can't really make a meaningful comment because I have no personal experience. I'm sure it works as needed. I would probably choose something different just because of how easy it is to find dies and top punches for all of the others.

[Bent Ramrod]

I use a Cramer (predecessor to Redding/SAECO) for my BPCR boolits, using custom bored and drilled dies made from The Perfessor’s excellent die blanks. There is no sizing per se, just guiding in and lubing. The thing is quite stout, though, and should do any actual sizing chore it is called upon to do.

The “sideways” operation takes a little getting used to if you are accustomed to the front levers on all other lubrisizers, and the dies are specialized and expensive. I wouldn’t throw a Lyman or RCBS machine away to get one of these, but they are nicely made and do the job.

I am also in the camp that says Stars are primarily for rapid quantity production of the same style boolit. The fact that Star dies are hardened and ground, and priced accordingly, and the machine itself can be accessorized for automatic operation, would indicate that Star Machine Works also figures that the lubrisizer would be running gang-mould production quantities in shifts, with infrequent changeovers, rather than a hundred here and a hundred there for different calibers over a few hours or so.

It isn’t so much that changing out the dies is difficult (although no other machine needs a special die extractor), it’s the finicky adjustment of the punch and die for size, number and location of grease grooves on the boolits you’re changing to. You can run a lot of boolits very fast, all with a lube groove empty and a nice mess of lube on the nose, before you get the punch set right, and, if necessary, the troublesome holes in the dies plugged. Then, the boolits run fas as lightning until you’re done with that batch of 100, and for the next design, you get to do the adjustment routine all over again. Some obviously think this is no big deal, but the single screw adjustment for the “I” punch on the Lyman/RCBS/Redding/Etc can be matched to the new casting with one boolit in a minute or so. The sizing operation afterwards is slower than the Star, but isn't any slower than a seating operation on a reloading press.

I wish The Perfessor would finish his Sabbatical and start producing those blanks again. They are top-notch stuff!

[robert12345]

I know you are looking for a sizing machine, so my opinion might not be relevant,
but...,

were I shooting only rifle, I would use a slip on gas check, and hand lube the bullets,
and not size them at all.
.
Were I shooting for a pistol where I needed lots of bullet fast, my choice would be no gas check bullet mould, with a bevel base, and what ever lubrasizer you can get used, and cheep.

Lyman is fine, but they will size off center, so avoid tightening down the top punch screw, and let the top punch float, so to find it's own center.
.
Remember the age old wisdom of shooting masters, they learned long ago, that a bullet un- sized is always the best.
.
As for my old Lyman machine, it rather sits there, gathering rust, and abandoned.

[oldhenry]

I started in 1960 with a used Lyman 450 & used it for years. It did the job, but was slow. It would not process bevel base boolits (messy).

I bought a new Star in the late 70's (or early 80's?). I have never used the Lyman since. I now use the Star for 5 calibers & changing dies is quick (same speed as the Lyman).

I primarily cast pistol boolits. If I added a rifle to the mix, I might use the Lyman for that only (easier to seat GC).

Henry

[toallmy]

I have no experience with any thing but the lee push through sizing die , and the magma star lube sizer both are fast , I went from pan lube boolits straight to a star and love it . Tumble lubing wad cutters as cast don't take long ether .

[Mr_Sheesh]

What is peoples' rating on the Lee push-through luber sizer rig? Used to run a Lyman 45 but it was stolen, Star looks pricey but might be a good choice (sorta rough money wise & one die per mold, eek, but fast. Hmmm.) If I go PC might just what, pick an alloy that gives the desired as-cast dimension & not lube/size? Thinking to start with 9mm / 357 / 429 / 452 dies probably, may have to re-slug everything as my data books went missing too.

[Springfield]

Lee doesn't make a luber/sizer, just a sizer, so you will have to pan lube or alox or something. And with the Star it isn't one die per mold, it's one per caliber. You may have to switch the lube holes when using bullets with different amounts of lube grooves, but it is easy enough.

[TaylorS]

I ended up getting a Lyman 4500 but after lubesizing my first batch I have a couple questions. I have noticed when I run the boolit through there tends to be some lube build up on the base. I can squish most of it out from the base by hovering the handle some extra pressure but I have noticed that it deforms the nose when I do. Is it normal for the face of the die punch to have lube build up on it or are my molds not cutting sprues properly? I don’t know what it hurts other than wasting lube and taking up case space, but I had figured this would be the cleanest method for lubing boolits.


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[EDG]

Excess lube pressure can force lube under the bullet. A heater or light bulb can warm the lube and reduce the pressure needed to make the lube flow. However the reduced viscosity of the lube will permit it to flow under the bullet more easily.

Some people drill a vent hole through the center of the die pin to permit excess lube to flow out the bottom of the pin.

Your own technique can be improved to minimize lube on bullet bases. Other than that just wipe it off.

[LUCKYDAWG13]

Lyman 450 works good for me have 2 of them setup on my bench

[LUCKYDAWG13]

if your using the Lyman black molly lube I would switch to http://www.lsstuff.com/store/index.p...products_id=17 but you will need to add a heater

[lightman]

Like the others posted, try a little less pressure or maybe some heat. When I load cast bullets I keep a towel or rag on my knee and wipe the base off on each bullet. Yeah, its a pain. Another step in the process. But, some dies, some bullets, some lube, are worse than others!

[TaylorS]

I’ll let off the pressure some I got one with the heater so I doubt heat is the issue I am using the Lyman moly lube right now and have a stick of orange stuff when it comes to it I have a couple recipients for home made gunk when all that runs out but the sprues won’t be trouble later right?


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[Lloyd Smale]

been using a star so long now that the lymans and rcbs sizers are just old bad dreams. Yes they will all size equally well but a star is probably 4 times faster.

[MT Chambers]

I have 7 lube sizers ,set up, 2 RCBS, 2 Lyman, 3 Stars, I use the Stars for everything except cals. that I don't have Star dies for. The Star sets up faster, is more accurate with it's nose first sizing and is 5 X faster or more.

[RED BEAR]

the only thing I've ever used is the lee dies with pan lubing and rcbs. the lee is very messy? the rcbs was like a gift from heaven. i would like to have a star but finany that is not possible. also i will purchase old guns in different calibers and star dies are considerably more expensive than the rcbs. the number of dies i needed was a huge consideration. saved enough on dies to pay for the luber sizer.

[lightman]

I know what you mean! I recently switched over to a Star and gearing up for all new dies is a pretty substantial investment. If a new caster can afford the Star at the beginning it is a great way to go. Its a big decision to switch along the way.