Bullet Lube device

[Dave W.]

Ebay has a couple listed. One is bid up to $305.00, the other is listed at $400.00.

[JonB_in_Glencoe]

How much is the Star? It says to call for pricing and I did that today and they were closed.

Last I heard it was around $400 for the basic sizer press. Add another hundred for one Die, a top punch and tax/shipping. Also included is a fairly long waiting period. Be sure to call on Monday to get the most current pricing.

[LenH]

Look in Swappin and Selling page 3. There is one listed but it has every add on know to man. 6 dies and top punches and lube sticks.

[georgerkahn]

It’s Christmas shopping season so what’s the best device? I’m impossible to shop for Christmas and this might be an option:

https://www.rcbs.com/bullet-casting/.../16-80040.html

Or is another recommended?

I do best at auctions and buy most things second hand which is why it’s difficult to find a gift for me. But my wife is asking for a suggestion.

Or, if someone has one second hand?

Ny getting into lub/sizing became quite the challenge for me! At the time I was casting. loading, and shooting for three different handgun calibres and four rifle calibres. I had bought a used Lyman 45, and soon learned I was faced with a either a royal-pia (in my opinion) to pump out all of Lub A before 100% lub B would start coming out. Hence -- I think it was an S&S sale on the site -- I purchased a Lyman 450. Was I done? NO! The Lymans, while they work, were comparatively slow next to my buddies Magma Star lub-sizers.
Now? I have three Magma's and three Lyman 450s set up and ready to lub. Through the years perhaps I am a poster child for more money than brains, but I find myself as casting, sizing, and lubing for only a handful of different bullets (95% of the time!) so it made sense to me to have a lub-sizer set up, primarily for different lub's than the bullets.
I have been told (also by range buddies) that the Lyman and RCBS units are essentially the same, with the RCBS the better choice. (I've not had a problem with any of my Lymans). Without a doubt, the Magma's are the "BEST" for cranking out lots of great bullets in a short time period -- BUT, to purchase one now demands quite a huge cash outlay. And -- at least for me, not the brightest lamp in the fixture, -- there was quite a learning curve before I became comfortable using it!
Vis you desiring a "second hand one", I highly recommend you post a "WTB" (Want To Buy) listing on this very site, in the S&S section! There are soooo many amazing people who subscribe to this forum -- you may very well receive an unparalleled offer!
BEST wishes!
geo

[DAVIDMAGNUM]

https://www.ebay.com/itm/27611209741...Bk9SR8rUgIWDYw

If you are interested here is a nearly new Star on Ebay

[Tatume]

https://www.ebay.com/itm/27611209741...Bk9SR8rUgIWDYw

If you are interested here is a nearly new Star on Ebay

That's not a Star, it's a Saeco. (Reminds me of an old joke.)

[Sam Sackett]

That’s not a Buick!

Sam Sackett

[floydboy]

The star is by far the best option. I've had the lyman and RCBS and they are both good machines. As previously stated the star can be finicky with pointed boolits and very short boolits. Otherwise it works great and can make a pile of boolits in a hurry. Kinda depends on what you need if its worth the money. If you need a constant large supply the Star will really shine. If you shoot a few hundred rounds a year the others will serve you well. But what the heck...we only live once...the star is top of the line.

Floyd

[Tatume]

That’s not a Buick!

Sam Sackett

That's not a porch, it's a Ferrari.

[Petander]

Star. I wish I had one. I wanted one decades ago,tried to buy from Ebay a few times..


I have Lyman & RCBS and now that I coat my bullets I may not NEED to size. With a Star, I would WANT to size.

[ascast]

mrcvs - maybe you should mention what type of bullits you plan to use. Also how many. The Star is a push through design -great for high volume, might see some nose deformation in certain bullits/hardness/sizing reduction combinations. One bullit pushes the next out. The others are in and out. That alloys you to partially size a bollit. For example, you may want to size down the front driving band or two to chamber round. You can't do that with a Star. just sayin...

[35 Rem]

The much higher cost of dies for the Star would be a negative for me. If you are a shooter who loads for a lot of calibers and needs many diameter dies that is something to consider. On the other had if you are a volume handgun shooter who isn't going to load so many different calibers the Star would be more justifiable.

Of course there is always the shooter who can afford to buy what he or she wants regardless of cost and in that case the speed of the Star would be nice when appropriate. Georgerkahn, your comment on the usefulness of having a lube-sizer set up for every lube you use has crossed my mind often. Having lived all my years with only the 1 RCBS Lubrisizer I've not really been able to control what lube I use as much as I would like because of the effort required to empty the Lubrisizer.

[hermans]

I have both, a Star and a RCBS lube sizer. The Star.....though very expensive, it is the Rolls Royce of lube sizers, especially when you talkin high volumes of boolits to be sized and lubed. The RCBS is also a good piece of equipment, but a lot slower. I still use my RCBS for small batches of boolits for experiments.

[Wooserco]

How many bullets are you casting/sizing lubing at a time? What calibers, what speed? For me, for hand gun shooting feeding around 500 rounds a week between me, my daughter and my son: I originally bought the Lyman, with sizing dies and top punches for all bullets/calibers cast for.

At that time, we had unlimited access to suitable alloys. His brother owned a scrap metal yard. We had lead clip on wheel weights by the 55 gallon barrel, linotype by the bucket full. Man, those were the days!!!

Life changed: Kids grew up, didn't shoot 500 rds/week anymore. Sold things off. Helped pay for the divorce (life seems to get in the way, doesn't it).

Getting back into reloading/casting/lubing boolits, I've come to enjoy my RCBS Lubrimatic II. I find at 67 yrs. of age that that speed/quantity isn't necessarily what is required. When I shot high power rifle competitively, things were different. After working up loads: my buddy and I would bulk tumble clean brass in a cement mixer filled with corn cob media from the feed store, purchased in 50 lb. sacks.

A co-worker has a Star. But, he shot competitively, cast commercially to fund his shooting. His lube was hard so as to not come off in shipping/selling. He didn't use the same lube in his own guns shooting competitively. His competitive lube was "His Secret to his success." He never revealed his recipe.