Frustration

[bhn22]

I just set up the Star to lube/size a couple of hundred 200 gr .357s that I cast from my NOE mould. The Stars filled with Carnuba Red and the heats on, it should have made short work of the task, but it's not to be. The bullet appears to have so much bearing surface that I repeatedly stuck bullets in the die, requiring disassembly and pushing the bullets out in the bench vise with a short rod & tube. The Star doesn't have enough mechanical advantage to clear 1 long bullet & 1.2 of the next one. I was running a previously sized & lubed bullet through every so often to lube the leade of the sizing die. Still they got stuck. The bullets were .360 as cast, and I'm sizing them to .358. It should have worked. All I can do it try a different lube, everything I'm using is the best available, it just appears that physics are against me today. Maybe I'll try LBT Blue, it's supposed to be pretty slippery. Or maybe some of my leftover Felix lube. That's really slippery.

[Calamity Jake]

Dip the boolits in soapy water or spray them with Hornday one shot case lube, even a little bullplate on a rag to roll the boolits on, then push them thru that star.

[btroj]

I have sized stuff down that much with no problem. Longer ones too. I don't think changing lubes is the answer. I have a group buy 44 Keith mould that casts at .435. The Star doesn't like to size them down to .432. I homed a Lee push thru sizer to .433 and they go thru that first. I still use a small amount of spray lube on them before using the Lee sizer in my reloading press.

Yeah, it is a pain doing it in 2 steps but it saves wear and tear on the Star.

The lube is less an issue than the amount of sizing being done and the hardness of the bullets. It might help to use a small amount of sizing lube or lanolin on a bullet every now and them.

[bobthenailer]

A+ on pre lubing with a light coat of case lube if needed ! it depends on how much oversize the bullet is over sizeing die dia . As stated the star doesent like bullets to much oversized.
As for bullet lube, ive used about 10 different brands over the years and none made sizing force any different.

[deltaenterprizes]

Line a can with felt and put some case lube on the felt, tumble the boolits in the can before sizing. The case lube will get on the driving bands and not in the lube grooves.

[bhn22]

I dug around in my reloading mess and found a tin of Imperial sizing wax. I guess I'll try it on the first two bands and hope for the best. I still don't understand it fully, I've sized 358627s & 185 gr LFN in the same die, with the same lube without issue. This mould just has to be different.