star sizers????

[1maxhunter]

hey all..new to casting and want to know why the star sizers are so wanted? and how much is still available for them? thay seem to be the ones that everybody wants. iv meet two long time casters but they cant answer the questions. they have
rcbs and
lyman sizers and are happy. im going to get a lyman from one of them but if the stars the way to go ill sell somthing to get one? tell me whats up with these things. please...

[ReloaderFred]

The Lyman, RCBS and Saeco sizers all push the bullet down into the sizing die, where it is also lubed, with the downstroke of the handle. Then the bullet is pushed back up out of the sizing die on the upstroke of the handle. You then remove that bullet from the top of the sizing die and place it wherever you're putting your sized and lubed bullets (box, bag, etc.). Then you pick up another bullet and place it in the top of the sizing die and repeat the process.

With the Star sizers, you simply place the bullet in the top of the die and pull down on the handle. This pushes the bullet into the die, where it's sized and lubed. Then you raise the handle and place another bullet in the top of the die and again pull down the handle. The first bullet will be pushed out the bottom of the die by the second bullet, etc.

The Star is about 5 times faster than the other sizers, and another plus is adding a bullet feeder, so all you have to do is keep pulling the handle until the feed tube is empty. The only slow part with the feeder is filling the tubes.

The big difference between the two systems is the others are "down and up" operations, whereas the Star is "push through".

Hope this helps.

Fred

[VHoward]

http://www.magmaengineering.com/component/banners/click/14/
and stars are still in production.

[bobthenailer]

The stars are nice! been using them for about 30 years Ive had lymans & Saecos L/S previously .
IMO It really depends on how much you shoot ? if you are using a progressive or semi progressive loader to keep up with your ammo needs than you need a Star/Magnma L/S for your cast bullets as well, you can easyly do 1,000+ bullets per hour .

[MT Chambers]

Most will also say that the Star and it's nose first sizing will produce more consistent results without any alignment issues, so it's faster and more accurate, what's not to like?

[cbrick]

if the stars the way to go ill sell somthing to get one?

Sell something.

Rick

[HATCH]

Also the star doesn't require different punches because of the nose profile.
Its nose first and you can for bevel bases with no issues


sent from my mobile.

[1maxhunter]

sell something is right! i saw a video of one in action. nice..thanks guys.

[captaint]

For me, it was the nose first sizing idea. Just seemed to me that's the way it ought to be done. It is nice, though, to just drop in boolit, pull handle, repeat. I'd buy mine again... enjoy Mike

[metalman21]

The Star sizer/lube machine looks good to me.
My question, (might be dumb), what happens with the lube if you have the air assist and pause the machine for a few minutes? Does the lube keep flowing or is there some sort of valve in there to shut it off?

[MT Chambers]

The bullet that was just sized and lubed is still in the die and prevents any lube from flowing until replaced by the next bullet. There is also a small pump at the bottom of the down stroke, don't worry, they covered all the bases when they designed this piece of equip.

[metalman21]

AHA!, that makes sense, thank you.

[cbrick]

Actually the pump is what shuts off the lube flow, even if there is no boolit in the die the lube doesn't flow until you push the handle all the way down pushing the piston & thus lube into the die. If you have the air pressure too high for the consistency of the lube you could get leakage in which case turn down the air and/or lube heater.

Rick

[jeffchance]

I have one of these with several dies and heater base That will be soon put up for sale. Just have to round all the parts up. (and get to 25 posts)
JEFF

[1bluehorse]

The Star is a great machine..especially if you're doing large amounts. Not so handy for changing calibers for short runs. I wish I'd kept my old Lyman 45 for just those occasions. I gave it to a young friend (along with my old Lyman casting pot) who wanted to start casting. I'd buy another one but the prices folks are getting for an old 45 are borderline crazy :shock:....maybe I'll just buy a new RCBS...:popcorn:

[cbrick]

I can change out dies in my Star's faster than in my SAECO. The Star dies get to be a pretty simple change out after a little practice. The SAECO dies are a real PITA in comparison.

Rick

[HATCH]

The secret to die change on the star is to heat it up.
I can almost push the die out with my fingers when its hot.
Also get a dedicated punch for each size die you have.

sent from my mobile.

[1bluehorse]

Uh, maybe I should of said short run with different bullet types....and calibers....I have no trouble changing dies (I have the tool) but it does take a bit of time to adjust the depth for different bullets with different lube grooves...maybe it's easy for the rest of you guys, but it's a pita for me..