Installing gas check with Star Lubesizer

[texasmac]

Guys,

Although the Star is a “push through” lubesizer I understand it can be used to seat and crimp gas checks when the bullets are inserted nose 1st. And the Star can also be used by inserting the bullet base 1st if the punch confirms to the bullet nose shape, a process similar to RCBS, Lyman and SAECO lubesizers. Therefore the Star will seat gas checks using either insertion method. I’d sure like to hear comments from you guys that use the Star to seat gas checks.

Wayne

[djryan13]

Doesn’t work with plain base gas checks but is OK with regular. Magma doesn’t make custom punches so I sent them a Lyman lube sizer nose punch this week to see if they can make an adapter to allow seating base down. Haven’t heard yet.

I don’t expect it to work with standard size dies as the nose of bullet may be deformed by next bullet. BUT the short NOE size die may work.

Also, adapter might not work well with long bullets.

Nose down, it works well with standard gas checks.

[texasmac]

Doesn’t work with plain base gas checks but is OK with regular. Magma doesn’t make custom punches so I sent them a Lyman lube sizer nose punch this week to see if they can make an adapter to allow seating base down. Haven’t heard yet.
I don’t expect it to work with standard size dies as the nose of bullet may be deformed by next bullet. BUT the short NOE size die may work.
Also, adapter might not work well with long bullets.
Nose down, it works well with standard gas checks.

djryan13

When you said, "Doesn’t work with plain base gas checks but is OK with regular" do you mean when inserting nose up or nose down? And what's the difference between plain base gas checks and regular gas checks? I've seated and crimped hundreds of gas checks with a SAECO lubesizer on several different revolver bullets and I'm not aware of a difference in gas checks. Can you elaborate?

So nose down insertion works well with standard gas check. Is this with standard Star dies and there's no nose damage due to pushing the previous bullet out?

Concerning making custom nose punches when inserting nose up, I would think modifying a standard Star punch to accept a Lyman nose punch would be relatively simple if one had a lathe to cut a recess hole in the Star punch and turn down the OD of the Lyman punch sufficiently to slide into the Star die. I've got a bunch of SAECO nose punches and will consider doing something similar.

Wayne

[Tatume]

When applying gas checks I push bullets through nose first using a flat punch. The gas checks seat fine. Never had any issues with Hornady, Lyman, or Gator gas checks, in 357, 44 or 45 caliber.

[Tatume]

Magma doesn’t make custom punches so I sent them a Lyman lube sizer nose punch this week to see if they can make an adapter to allow seating base down. Haven’t heard yet.

I don’t expect it to work with standard size dies as the nose of bullet may be deformed by next bullet. BUT the short NOE size die may work.

I've never had an issue pushing bullets through base first, using a flat punch. All of my bullets have flat noses though. Sometimes when I'm in a hurry I put them in either way, whichever way they are when I pick them up. No issues.

Nose down, it works well with standard gas checks.

Agree.

[texasmac]

When applying gas checks I push bullets through nose first using a flat punch. The gas checks seat fine. Never had any issues with Hornady, Lyman, or Gator gas checks, in 357, 44 or 45 caliber.

Thanks Tatume. That was my assumption but I have yet to use my Star (actually a Phelps copy) to install gas checks. Dies and nose punches are in process of being made.

Wayne

[djryan13]

djryan13

When you said, "Doesn’t work with plain base gas checks but is OK with regular" do you mean when inserting nose up or nose down? And what's the difference between plain base gas checks and regular gas checks? I've seated and crimped hundreds of gas checks with a SAECO lubesizer on several different revolver bullets and I'm not aware of a difference in gas checks. Can you elaborate?

So nose down insertion works well with standard gas check. Is this with standard Star dies and there's no nose damage due to pushing the previous bullet out?

Concerning making custom nose punches when inserting nose up, I would think modifying a standard Star punch to accept a Lyman nose punch would be relatively simple if one had a lathe to cut a recess hole in the Star punch and turn down the OD of the Lyman punch sufficiently to slide into the Star die. I've got a bunch of SAECO nose punches and will consider doing something similar.

Wayne

Yeah, wish I had a Lathe. I debated just cutting the punch part off a Star punch and drilling a hole for the Lyman style punch in the threaded part of star punch. Then putting a set screw in side to hold in the Lyman punch. BUT, I doubted my ability to make sure the hole was perfectly centered.

Anyway, I doubt Magma will charge much for that work. Eric (?) said it didn’t sound difficult when I asked if he could do it. Told him perhaps maybe others might want it too. If it works out, I will post review.

[djryan13]

I've never had an issue pushing bullets through base first, using a flat punch. All of my bullets have flat noses though. Sometimes when I'm in a hurry I put them in either way, whichever way they are when I pick them up. No issues.



Agree.

I have some pointy bullets I want to stay pointy.

[winelover]

Regardless of bullet style/design, all of my bullets are run though the Star, nose first. I use more gas checked designs, than plain base. Nose first, doesn't rely on a perfectly mated nose punch, to maintain consistent bullet alignment. Which is the main reason for purchasing a Star...........over an in and out sizer, like the RCBS or Lyman.

Winelover

[rbwillnj]

I have plenty of nose punches and have done gas checks both ways. I prefer nose first sizing with a flat punch when installing gas checks. The only time a might recommend sizing base first is with a plain base non-gas check bullet.

Bruce Williams

[LenH]

I had a discussion with Laithsmith about gas checking a rifle bullet with a Magma Star. He recommended a dished punch for gas checks. I have one for him on order
and have a pile of bullets ready to gas check and size when punch and die arrive. The old RCBS is getting to be a drag.

[HCH]

Nose down worked just fine when I was using one.

[djryan13]

I had a discussion with Laithsmith about gas checking a rifle bullet with a Magma Star. He recommended a dished punch for gas checks. I have one for him on order
and have a pile of bullets ready to gas check and size when punch and die arrive. The old RCBS is getting to be a drag.

So, I guess it would be a different size punch for each caliber? What size you trying?

[winelover]

My first punch, I purchased from Lathesmith was a dished one, based on his recommendation. That was the last one, also. I didn't care for the slight deformation to the base of the gas check. YMMV, depending on how well you cast your bullet bases. If they are not perfectly flat, I can see where the dished punch might help. My technique doesn't require a dished punch.

Winelover

[LenH]

The die and punch arrived yesterday. I got the punch set up pretty close and sized about 100 NOE 310-167-FN-AK3 bullets with gas check. Lube was TAC-1.
I'm not sure of the dished punch but everything went ok for the first time using this setup.

[MT Chambers]

One of the benefits of the Star is the nose first sizing, I would never size base first on the STAR, if you are worried about the point of the bullet......with a punch make proper dia. pcs. of 1/4" thick felt and make a few, follow each pointed bullet into the Star with this piece of felt, the next one will be cushioned. It's all worth doing to use the precision of the Star. You keep reusing the felt as it falls in with the completed boolit.
Just to be clear.....you put the felt in the die after the boolit has been sized and lubed and is at the bottom of the die, you don't want the felt to effect your punch setting.

[winelover]

With pointy bullets, I just use a dedicated pusher............undersized flat nose bullet that will fall through the sizing die. Lube spitzer nose first, follow up with the pusher, while not activating the lube pump. Repeat.

Winelover

[ReloaderFred]

I have thirty or forty original Star top punches, so I size either base first, or nose first, depending on the bullet. Some styles work better base first, and some work better nose first. I have various Star sizers set up for different bullets and lubes that I use the most, and a couple of others that I change back and forth for small runs of bullets that are different.

The Star was originally designed for base first sizing, and the owners of Star resisted nose first sizing for years, and refused to make flat top punches. It was John Paul Jones, a Star distributor, who originally made flat top punches for nose first sizing and sold them himself. It was only after Magma bought the rights to the Star sizers that the flat punch became standard, and is the most used on these machines today.

Hope this helps.

Fred

[Don Purcell]

Just go nose first. No need to overthink it, the punch firmly holds the check to the base as it goes through the sizer and using a dished punch is all the better.

[blikseme300]

I recently started using plain base GC's from Sage and was not happy using the dished punch nose first or base first. The size is 0.452" BTW for my 450 Bushmaster rifles. The solution was machining a punch with a flat end at 0.450". Now it seats the plain base GC's perfectly nose down.

The challenge was the thread that Star used for the punch and nut, 1/2"x27tpi. McMaster lists this size tap & die, not cheap, but worth it. Using 1144 steel the punches are a breeze to make so now I can retire my FrankenMonster modified punches. Next I'll be making locking nuts with set screws as mentioned in other posts.