lube sizer purchase

[bryonbush]

looking at buying a sizer. ive looked at the lees but the way i see it is if im going to be pushing a handle, why not lube at the same time. with that being said, i would like to know a few things:
1: makes of sizers/lubers
2: value and quality.
3. reason why you got yours and your recommendation.

im looking at overall value. sizer costs X ammount but then you need this and that which costs this ammount to get it to run. (hope that makes sence). opticsplanet hase the lyman 4500 for 138 with free shipping and no tax... good bad?

[Southern Son]

Bryon, I have the SEACO/Redding Lubesizer. I bought it new from Buffalo Arms. The dies and punches are more expensive, but it has been great and if I was going to do it over, I would get the same thing. I use it for sizing/lubing boolits for my 45/70 and my .44mag. I don't need either in high volume, so the Star was not really needed. But I can pressurize the lube reseviour on mine and then do several boolits before needing to re-pressurize.

I have never seen any of the other brands. Reloaders are not really difficult to find here in Australia, but casters are, so I cannot tell you how much better one is over the other.

[Le Loup Solitaire]

Many folks have and like the Star and it is a real fine machine...if you can afford it. I have owned and used both the Lyman and RCBS machines. Their dies and top punches are interchangeable and they get the job done with a few plusses and minuses. In the end I got the Saeco and never looked back; it is a better built and more precise unit. It is a bit more pricey and the dies and top punches are spendy too, but I found that the quality was better so when I decided to get a second machine I got another Saeco....one is now for rifle and the other for pistol. It uses solid sticks of lube and the pressure system is a lot more sturdy than the RCBS or Lyman with better control and virtually zero leakage. If you want to use RCBS or Lyman top punches, an adapter is on the market for doing that. You can get the Saeco thru Midway or one of the other mail order firms, but check with them about international shipping and rates. Also check out customs regs. LLS

[mooman76]

This question comes up very frequently. If you do a search you will find plenty of answers.

[Mark Daiute]

Haunt the shops and the gunshows. I've purchased a Lyman 45 (my favorite) two Lyman 450's and an RCBS Lube-a-Matic II. I like them all and with all four purchases totaled up I have yet to reach the price of a single new lubrisizer. They all work well and I especially like the new dies from Lyman.

[Ausglock]

I had a Lyman 45 for a few years and then updated to a Lyman 450. Have just bought a RCBS LAMII.

I would love to get a STAR But I don't know who is their reseller here in Australia.

[462]

A Lyman 45 and 4500 take care of my needs, though another of either would not be unwelcome.

[bryonbush]

ive been hitting up all the local shops and went to the fort worth gun show today and could even find a lee sizing set. starting to think i may end up ordering a new one which is what i dont want to do.

[mooman76]

Go down to the WTB section and advertize for what you are looking for.

[dromia]

The Star is indeed a fine machine, but it is at its best with high volume sizing of the same boolit and diameter, change over can be fiddly. If thats what you are loading one calibre, one lube, one size and high volume then the Star is the option.

However if you are like me sizing multiple calibres in multiple sizes with more than one lube then the Star is not the best choice. The RCBS and Lyman ar far better suited to low volume, frequent die changing use. They are also far cheaper especially second hand, I have three RCBS's two Lyman 45s and a 450, a SAECO, Meepos and Vickers sizers on my bench all bought second hand over the years and costing less than a tricked out Star. I stopped using my Star when I was stopped shooting pistol.

The SAECO is another fine machine but the dies and top punches are pricey and not so avaiable second hand so mine just does 0.314" sizing.

In choosing the right tool for the job you need to understand the job it will be used for so that you get the right tool for the job.

[6bg6ga]

In my opinion based on owning a few different sizers Star is the only option. The setup on a Star is elementary. It takes a dozen or so bullets run thru it to set the correct height on the punch. Once the height has been established and recorded in your note book its a breeze the next time around. The bullet feeder option is another story and does require more time in order to obtain a correct height adjustment due to the fact that the punch and retainer nut also hold the assembly that contacts part of the bullet feeder mechanism. Since time is a factor to most of us it only makes sense to me to purchase a machine that will maximize your time efficiently. Another factor to consider is resale. Star holds its resale value and if you don't believe me then do a check on ebay to see what used Star sizers go for. When properly cared for they will deliver a lifetime of usage and still allow your next of kin to obtain almost full value from it after your demise.

Everyone starts out with small quantities of bullets and then before you know it your casting a 1000 or more at a setting. A 1000 bullets is a lot of wasted time on a 4500 in my opinion.

[btroj]

Dromia is right. A Lyman or RCBS works quite well. It was all I used for almost 20 years. I still use it for many rifle bullets. I have a Star only because of the higher volume use of pistol bullets. I don't feel the Star is the best choice for a beginner or someone who shoots relatively small numbers of bullets. The Star is for production work.
Get what fits your needs and your budget. They all will do the job.

[cbrick]

The Star is indeed a fine machine, but it is at its best with high volume sizing of the same boolit and diameter, change over can be fiddly. If thats what you are loading one calibre, one lube, one size and high volume then the Star is the option.

However if you are like me sizing multiple calibres in multiple sizes with more than one lube then the Star is not the best choice.

I have three RCBS's two Lyman 45s and a 450, a SAECO, Meepos and Vickers sizers on my bench all bought second hand over the years and costing less than a tricked out Star.

What a silly thing to say. I am currently loading for about 12 different firearms in nearly as many calibers and far more different bullets than that. Changing over the dies in a Star isn't a complicated process at all, I do it routinely.

There is also the fact that the push through system of the Star is a far more concentric sizing method than the base first, push on the nose in & out method.

I have two Stars on my bench, both purchased second hand. The first one was $50.00 many years ago. I bought it from the owner of SAECO when he sold it to Redding, it was the lubrisizer that SAECO used in their shop, does that tell you anything? The second one was $100.00 last year but came with several other items including a SAECO lubrisizer. I sold the SAECO (I already have a SAECO) and a few of the other items including some SAECO dies (duplicates) for $125.00. Bottom line, two Star lubrisizers for a grand total of $25.00. I added the air pressure system to both Stars at $100.00 each so I am now invested in two Stars, both with air pressure for $225.00. True that not everyone can find a deal on a used Star like that but there are used Stars available. The last gun show I was at there was a used Star for $150.00 including several dies.

You have no idea of the simplicity, speed and ease of sizing/lubing bullets considerably more concentric until you have used the Star with the air pressure system.

The Star is only worthwhile if you are only sizing one bullet and one diameter????? That's plain and simple pure nonesense.

Rick

[dromia]

Sorry I've offended you sensibilities but I've found the Lymans and RCBS far easier to set up than the Star.

If you can do it quickly then I am happy for you.

I actually said that the Star is worthwhile with one boolit one diameter for volume, I size in around 200 boolit batches and have found that the Star is not as quick as the others for changeovers.

Regarding concentricity I have no doubts about the Stars ability however I have found no concentricity issues with the Lyman types either.

Disagreement does not mean that one or the other is silly however, you say what you find and I say what I find thats fine and neither view is silly except for the person that thinks that way.

I respect your view and you should have the courtesy to respect mine.

[blikseme300]

I agree with Rick that the Star is not hard to switch calibers and that it is superior to other systems, IMHO.

I used to go with the economical route and used the other brands. Although they are good they are more time consuming to use and this eats into my limited range time.

Yes, the Star can be considered a production machine, but I cast and size only during the short winter here as the summers are brutal. Having a full-time job also limits the time available for relaxation so getting the most boolits done in the shortest possible time is advantageous.

I danced around the price-point of the Star and used it as an excuse not to get one - until I was gifted one. I now have 4 of them, 3 for my volume calibers and one for the others. Switching calibers is a 5-minute task except when I need to switch lube. The missus is also happy as I have more time available for her. (Do you ever consider the price of this?)

The question you need to answer is: "How much time do I have available for my addiction?" Cost vs time is a factor and only you can decide.

My 2c.

Bliksem

[bryonbush]

blikseme300: im with you 100% on getting things done quickly and using the time is money theory. if i can spend less time in my garage sweatting my butt off making rounds, thats more time i could be inside where its cool. right now im only looking at sizing for my .45 but will probably size for my 40 as well. wen i cast ill do it at night when its not hot and cast close to a thousand just so i dont have to do it for a while. if anyone knows of where to get a used star im all for it. but right now i cant seem to find any used sizer that isnt so over priced that i might as well buy a new one for.

[Swede44mag]

I have 2 Star Lubersizers not hard to change over and one of the forum members makes dies & top punches so they are not hard to get either.
I would like to change mine over to use the air pressure system.


I have been told the new Star Lubersizers are made different but not better.

[MtGun44]

I agreed with dromia. 2 Stars, RCBS, Lyman 450 and 45, Lee push throughs. All have
their places, just like he said. The only stranger to me is the SEACO - a copy of an old
Ideal design, it appears to me.

Bill

[Doby45]

I agree with Rick. The ONLY draw back to a Star is price, period. I can change over from sizing .452 to .358 in under 3 minutes. that includes changing the top punch and die. If I was simply going from .452 to .401 then the only thing I would change would be the die itself and then you are looking at a 1 minute investment of time.

[cbrick]

In my last post when I said "that's a silly thing to say" I was simply trying to put it as nicely as possible. To attempt to give those looking for a top machine the impression that the Star is only useful for a single caliber, single die and mass production is flat out wrong and a huge disservice to those trying to learn and/or get good equipment.

Some people refuse to learn the Star well enough to become familiar enough with it for a simple die switch over even though in reality it’s pretty simple.

In another thread a poster stated that his Star left lube on the bullet noses so he stored it under his bench and went to tumble lubing recommending others not buy it. A simple adjustment and his bullet noses would be perfectly clean using the Star. I wonder how clean the bullet noses are on his tumble lubed bullets? To some learning is simply not worth the effort required, much better to spread bad info on a top notch product.

Rick

[btroj]

I don't find it at all difficult to change out dies on the Star. It may actually be easier than a Lyman as it doesn't have that darn fine thread nut at the top that want to cross thread.
I use my Star for 90 percent of my sizing. I have a few things where I still use the Lyman, such as 30-30 bullets and a few for the 45-70. These are generally things where I don't have a die for the Star or for very long bullets that must seem easier to deal with in the Lyman.

[6bg6ga]

The star is a versatile machine it can do small batches of boolits or massive runs of 10K if needed. Having one on my bench I can attest that it is very easy to change Calibers and punches if needed. Bullet depth to obtain proper sizing and lubrication is easy as it only requires a few boolits run thru it to come up with the correct punch height. After the height is obtained I suggest that you record that setting in your notebook for future reference. The same procedure is needed for changing to a different caliber. You obtain the correct punch height and record the setting. If one reads the information from Magma they happen to list a number of punch setting that will come close to the final setting.

Auto bullet feeders which I happen to have one on my machine are more tricky to set up and can have one pulling their hair before obtaining the correct setting.

Those that mock the Star and Magma probably have not had the opportunity to see and or use the machine and therefore cannot be held accountable for their comments. Having owned and cussed a Lyman sizer lubricator I can tell you that I will never own one again. I had never hated bullet sizing and lubing more than I did when I owned it. I shot less because I knew that I would have to waste my time. The Star/Magma makes boolit sizing/lubing fun.

Mine is fitted with a boolit feeder and rotary feed assembly. I am in the process of automation with my Magma.

Bottom line it allows one to enjoy the sport of shooting and also have time for ones family.

The comment of money always comes up when a Star or Magma is mentioned but when you figure the amount of time lost when using something inferior the additional money spent is soon made up when you consider the additional time that is available to you to do other things.