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Thread: Random half fill lube groove

  1. #41
    Boolit Grand Master


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    No split, I managed to get mine straight. It must be soft steel, it was easy to bend back. We will see if it's going to work Sunday.

  2. #42
    Boolit Master


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    From your picture, I see something I question and it may be part of your problem. The spring on the lube pump rod is not like mine. Mine has a flat wire as the coils in the spring. Yours appears to be round wire coils. Make sure that after the pump rod is activated that the rod is returning. Also I have added oil to the outside of the lube rod so that it is free to move. If it stuck it could have bent the lever that activates it causing your problem. Straightening the lever should help.
    If the Carnuba Red is milky in color it is too hot or running low of volume. I have a Lyman heater that has no temp. control. I plug it in and out to control temp. When temp. gets too hot the lube is milky.
    Make sure the lube pump is actually moving near full stroke. Depending on how you have the punch adjusted the lock nut may bottom out on the sizing die before the lube pump is fully activated. All this depends on length of top punch,which lube holes in the sizing die you are using, and wether you size nose or base first.
    With my flat wire spring it nearly collapses coil to coil when fully activated.

  3. #43
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    The round coil spring is what Magma is putting on the machines now. I've sent two Star machines, and one Magma machine back to Magma to be refurbished/repaired and they all came back with the round coil springs. I would imagine sourcing the flat coil springs may be an issue these days, and the round coil springs are doing the job.

    Hope this helps.

    Fred
    After a shooting spree, they always want to take the guns away from the people who didn't do it. - William S. Burroughs.

  4. #44
    Boolit Master


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    Fred, thanks for the info. My machines have not been rebuilt. I thought the spring may be someones home engineering and was not returning the ram.

  5. #45
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    wv109323,

    I thought the same thing the first time I saw the round coil spring on a Star sizer, but when they returned mine with them, I figured there were the new normal. Mine work, so apparently there's no difference.

    Fred
    After a shooting spree, they always want to take the guns away from the people who didn't do it. - William S. Burroughs.

  6. #46
    Boolit Buddy
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    Part S114 Fulcrum lever push rod assembly is a adjustable on the front and back side. Two bolts threaded into the push rod.

  7. #47
    Boolit Grand Master


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    Quote Originally Posted by Paper Puncher View Post
    Part S114 Fulcrum lever push rod assembly is a adjustable on the front and back side. Two bolts threaded into the push rod.
    Mine is adjusted all the way together. I don't know why it would be adjustable though.

    I bent the lever straight, and used JB weld to plug unused holes on the die so that no lube can get by at all. I am still getting so-so results. The strange thing now is that I cannot fully compress the piston, and it is most likely how the lever got bent in the first place. With no bullet in the die, I can fully stroke the lever. With a bullet in, it will only go half way and feel like a hard stop. Is this normal? It doesn't matter if I have any pressure on the lube or not. It's definitely not the press binding in any way. I am letting the unit cool now, but at the temps I was trying earlier, I was still getting a lot of lube on the nose of the bullet and crimp groove.

  8. #48
    Boolit Grand Master


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    IT WORKS, IT WORKS!!!

    I was a very short step from boxing it up and putting it for sale. I took a break, and decided to come back and take it apart. This is the first time I've taken this all the way apart, and I wish it was the first thing I did. I didn't find anything wrong, but what I found is that these don't work in the way I had been reading.

    As it turns out, the lube pressure doesn't mean anything at all to filling the lube groove. Anyone with their first star sizer, read that sentence again, it will save you months of frustration. The lube pressure, whether the spring or the air cylinder only serves to move lube into a chamber. That's it.

    After that, the piston is what pushes and pressurizes lube into the groove, totally irrelevant of the lube pressure. It was at that instant it hit me. The star sizer is a glorified grease gun! Once I figured that out, I put it together, and turned the heater just barely past minimum, I'd bet it was only 90-100 degrees. I then proceeded to crank out about 100 well lubed bullets.

    I'm ecstatic, I finally figured this thing out. I do have tiny bits of lube on the nose of some bullets, but I'm not concerned about that tiny bit at all. My die is sealed with JB weld now, and I don't think lube was ever leaking past the lead shot. What I believe is happening, is that a bit of lube sneaks in the time between the first and second bullet when sizing. It seems like a downside to the design. I was using the manual lube spring, cranked all the way. Next time I'll try only 2-3 turns of pre-load and see how that goes, as I was able to lube 50+ bullets without touching the handle.

    If only Magma had been smart enough how to troubleshoot their own product, this never would have become an ordeal. Thank you to all who helped.



    Click image for larger version. 

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  9. #49
    Boolit Master

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    Is that the lyman 215 grain 358?

  10. #50
    Boolit Master
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    I haven't posted , but I have been following along - I'm glad you are getting to the bottom of your ordeal ..

  11. #51
    Boolit Grand Master


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    Quote Originally Posted by mattw View Post
    Is that the lyman 215 grain 358?
    No, its an Accurate 31-137K. Elmer never designed a 32 caliber bullet, but I think he would be proud of this one.

    Loaded in 327 federal, bluedot gets it going 1350 fps from a 5" barrel.

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  12. #52
    Boolit Master


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    Quote Originally Posted by megasupermagnum View Post
    IT WORKS, IT WORKS!!!


    I'm ecstatic, I finally figured this thing out. I do have tiny bits of lube on the nose of some bullets, but I'm not concerned about that tiny bit at all. My die is sealed with JB weld now, and I don't think lube was ever leaking past the lead shot. What I believe is happening, is that a bit of lube sneaks in the time between the first and second bullet when sizing. It seems like a downside to the design. I was using the manual lube spring, cranked all the way. Next time I'll try only 2-3 turns of pre-load and see how that goes, as I was able to lube 50+ bullets without touching the handle.


    Click image for larger version. 

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    Congrats on figuring it out. I've been watching but had no useful suggestions beyond what others have contributed. I know you'll enjoy the Star. I have the same problem at times with bits of lube on the noses of the boolits and agree that the lube sneaks in between them. I have never figured out why it happens sometime and not at other times. I think that in my case it is related to getting the lube too soft and maybe too much preload pressure in the reservoir but since I usually reduce the temperature and pressure at the same time that hasn't been helpful in determining which was the cause but I suspect it's temperature. The lube I use doesn't need much heat.
    Sometimes life taps you on the shoulder and reminds you it's a one way street. Jim Morris

  13. #53
    Boolit Master


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    I am glad you got it working. I think you will like it. I would hate to lube the quanity of bullets I shoot with any other lubrisizer.

  14. #54
    Boolit Master

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    Quote Originally Posted by megasupermagnum View Post
    No, its an Accurate 31-137K. Elmer never designed a 32 caliber bullet, but I think he would be proud of this one.

    Loaded in 327 federal, bluedot gets it going 1350 fps from a 5" barrel.

    Click image for larger version. 

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    That really is bootiful, might be a bit big for the 32 H&R.

  15. #55
    Boolit Grand Master


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    I see no reason it wouldn't work well in the 32 H&R. It might be a bit slow with some traditional powders, but a magnum powder like 2400 or H110, I see no reason it wouldn't top 900 fps. Hot rodded a bit, You should see 1100 fps easy. 327 federal is a slightly larger case, but I'm easily getting 1350 fps with Bluedot. With something like H110, I'd bet these could run 1425 fps or so safely. That's from a 5" revolver. Your gun may vary.

    It wasn't too long ago I was reading about someone who had an encore, or similar single shot (looks like a contender, but don't see it listed?) in 32 H&R with suppressor. He was loading 160 grain jacketed bullets to 1000 fps or so with weak Red Dot loads. I'll post the article below.

    https://ultimatereloader.com/2013/09...-32-hr-magnum/

    If by big you mean the nose is too long. Well it may be very close in the single six, it should work in anything else.

  16. #56
    Boolit Bub Keith 429421's Avatar
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    I have been reloading since 1973 and casting bullets since last month with a short lesson in 1975 with the 429421 .44 mould. I recently made two Youtube Videos like a smart alec "expert" 1 on the Lyman 4500 and the other on the Magma Star which I just bought . OK I can make instructional videos but do I completely know what Im doing yet ... NO! ...OK Im honest about that . I got a .358 sizing die with the Magma Star sizer and had no problems turning out perfectly lubed and sized bullets from my Lyman 358665 4 cavity mould with the standard .340 Magma Star top punch. I just received a .430 sizing die and .410 top punch and had trouble with that one. Lube on the bullet nose of the Lyman 429431 Keith .44 bullet as well as not filling the lube grove. After reading this thread I adjusted the top punch and lowered the heat and presto there's good .44 bullet coming out just like the 38/357's. Thanks to you posters ! I was going to call Magma but you got it figured out here . Ive had great service from them and Lyman BTW. If you see my videos have a good laugh on me as the "Expert" instructor. Im Keith 429421 on YouTube as well. I showed 8 MM Mauser bullets sized and lubed on the Lyman 4500 video and the 38/357's on the Magma Star.

    Adjust the heat and the top punch depth if your having the troubles the OP and I had to start the trouble shooting process.

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Abbreviations used in Reloading

BP Bronze Point IMR Improved Military Rifle PTD Pointed
BR Bench Rest M Magnum RN Round Nose
BT Boat Tail PL Power-Lokt SP Soft Point
C Compressed Charge PR Primer SPCL Soft Point "Core-Lokt"
HP Hollow Point PSPCL Pointed Soft Point "Core Lokt" C.O.L. Cartridge Overall Length
PSP Pointed Soft Point Spz Spitzer Point SBT Spitzer Boat Tail
LRN Lead Round Nose LWC Lead Wad Cutter LSWC Lead Semi Wad Cutter
GC Gas Check