star bullet feeder

[kb7tgr]

I am considering the bullet feeder for my star. I am looking for opinions from those that own or have owned one.

[ReloaderFred]

I have three Star machines set up with bullet feeders. One is for 9mm/.38, one is for .44, and one is for .45. I also have two Stars that don't have bullet feeders that I use for odd bullets, or small batches of calibers other than the three listed, or for rifle bullets, such as .45-70.

After using the bullet feeders, I wouldn't be without them. The slowest part for me is filling the tubes to feed them, but I can do that while watching TV.

Hope this helps.

Fred

[RoGrrr]

I have a Star on which I added the boolit feeder. I also saw an attachment for the auto feeder that has 3 magazines for it and thought about either buying or building one.
Yes, it makes it faster. However,
Look at the "time elapsed clock" that STOPS when you have to refill those magazines and reinsert them into our Star. Well, I'll admit that if you have a child who wants to help you, then you can benefit from the full auto machine and how you don't have to pause to refill.
As it is, when I use my star with its single-tube (semi)auto feed, I can barely keep up with it; and if I had to fill other magazines, I'd be at a standstill for some period of time..
Bottom line, I'm content with my "semi-auto" Star. I can manually feed the semi-auto feeder about as fast as I can pull the handle.
Eventually, I'll build up an air lube and a motor drive system and set it up to go full auto without a foot pedal. Then I'll think about that 3 or 4 tube magazine feeder.

[ReloaderFred]

I have one of the 3 tube rotating bullet feed magazines. I much prefer the single tubes. With one of my .38 bullets, 17 tubes gives me 1,020 bullets, which is handy when boxing them up for later use. The rotating magazine just doesn't work well enough to justify the expense, but then that just might be me. I have boxes of the plastic feeding tubes left over from when I used to buy bullets in tubes for an automatic loading machine.

Hope this helps.

Fred

[runfiverun]

i have 46 and 3- 1/2 tubes for the large size boolits.
and 30 sumthin of the small tubes.
either way it gives me about 2300 boolits to a round of tubes.
the wife or a kid helping will allow you to do 5-k boolits in an afternoon.
if your shoulder and lube supply holds out.
i have three stars all have the air cylinders,boolit feeders,and heater plates.
i don't use them on one and use them on the other two.
i use the same punch setting for all of my 44 [but one] and all of my 45 boolits.
so i got chris to make me a locking nut for the punch.
actually several of them for several punches.
i use a small [1 gallon] air compresor dedicated to the stars.
i keep it under the bench and run the hose up behind to a manifold system i made, so i can use more than one of them at a time.

[Rockchucker]

I've thought about buying the boolit feeder for my Star also and can't seem to get past the difference in speed of loading one boolit into a feeder tube or loading one boolit into the die. Seems to me without a collator there would be nothing gained here. Maybe I'm wrong in my thinking here, but that's where I'm stuck. The collator is a very expensive idem and from what I cast and size lately I just can't justify the cost. Guess it's growing pains.

[Frozone]

I have one of each. I use the non feed star for gas checking and sizing, there is no need for the feeder if GCs are being put on.

For the feeder equipped star.
I use a piece of Aluminum 'angle iron' set to form a V shaped rack and manual collate a tube of bullets.
I used epoxy to block one end and at the same time provide 'feet' to keep it upright.
The other end is epoxy shaped to fit the tube ends and let the bullets slide in.
The V rack is the length of the tube ( LEE has them and I had a bunch from them, both Case feeder and Bullet feeders work)
I fill 10 - 20 tubes from the V rack, it goes pretty quick with the rack horizontal on the bench.
Then, when I need a new tube of bullets just tip it up and it stays in the star's feeder tube.
This works Very well for Most of the Mass sizing sessions.