Star loading presses

[Jack Stanley]

I'm a long time user of the Star lube-sizer and I've seen Star loading presses but have little experience with them . Perhaps you can help me out a little or straighten me out as the case may be .

One of the Corporals I worked with retired about twenty years ago and I got a call from him the other day . He was asking if I might be interested in a star loader . He mentioned loading both nine m/m and 22-250 and I got the idea he had two loading presses .

The Star loaders I remember made ammo for pistols but I do remember seeing him loading .223 Remington ammo on a Star a couple times . Would I be right in thinking a press for pistol ammo would not handle rifle length cartridges ?

If there are two different presses is there one that would handle 22-250 ? I'm thinking along this line because if the press would load 30-06 length I really would be interested . I'd want to be able to set the press up to run cast bullets for 30-06 and I'm guessing parts are not readily available ? .... dies , expanders and such things .

He hasn't made offer or hinted at price so I'll have to get after looking into that . I hope you guys can help with the rest ... thanks .

Jack

[Old Caster]

A Star press looks and sounds neat but beyond that there is no way I would prefer to load on a Star compared to a Dillon. Star got over hurdles by machining amazing parts and Dillon did it by engineering. There are different Stars but I am not aware of any that could handle a 22-250 or 30/06. Some are caliber specific and others can change calibers but what a chore to do that. Dies can be bought but are very expensive. My Star sits on the bench and watches the 3 550's getting used. It is cute but that's all.

[starreloader]

Mike Dillon made a few conversions called "Super Stars" that you could load 223 Rem on... I never heard of a Star that could load something like 30-06... Got to go with Old Caster on this, while the Star Presses are well made they do not compare to how much eaiser and simpler it is to work with a Dillon 550 or a XL-650... Finding parts for a Star Press is a problem and what parts are available are expensive.... I have 4 Universal Stars that sit on a shelf over-looking my loading bench where 3 Dillons and a Rockchucker are at home.

[quasi]

star did make rifle loaders but they are very rare. Why would anyone have 3 Dillon 550's?

[starreloader]

quasi, the 3 Dillons on my loading bench do serve a purpose... The 450 is what I load my 222 Rem and 223 Rem ammo on, the XL-650 handles all my volume ammo in 9mm, 38 Spl, 40 S&W and 45 Auto, and the 550 is used for the 41 Mag, 44 Mag and 45 Colt ammo that I don't shoot alot of... and the Rockchucker has many odd-ball uses

[Dannix]

Why would anyone have 3 Dillon 550's?
Setup costs, with the primer aspect perhaps being the largest factor for some presses.

I would love to have a casefeeder equipped 650 solely for brass processing, for example. (I only bring clean brass into the house/reloading room.)

[quasi]

I had a Dillon 550 for several years, so I can understand having one for large primers and one for small, but I don't get having three. A 650 set up for brass processing would be the dogs nuts.

[Jack Stanley]

One of my favorite loads is a light gallery load that uses the battle sight on my 1903 . It also shoots tight little knots in six other military 06 type rifles . I could load these with ease on my 550 IF I could get Dillon to make an powder through expander for the aught six . I called them ...... nothing doing :cry: I've been going to PM Lathesmith or perfessor and see if that's something they could do but haven't got to it .

I also have been using more .223 cast loads than I thought I would so same deal there . I like the 550 but if the Star is priced right . I guess that is what it breaks down to is how much is it going to cost . Now that I'm retired I do need to be carefull with spending , I checked E-bay prices and they are all over the map . I'm supposed to meet him monday so maybe I'll see what he's got in mind .

Jack

[Dannix]

I could load these with ease on my 550 IF I could get Dillon to make an powder through expander for the aught six .
That's one thing awesome about this community -- it seems there's always someone here that can make something bespoke on demand. If Lathesmith or perfessor are unable to make it happen, Buckshot may be another party you can contact. I'm sure there are others, but those are the first three the came to mind.

What an awesome community we have here. :cast_boolits:

[David2011]

Quasi,

Oldcaster said he had 3 550s but he hasn't responded. I would like to know, too.

David

[Old Caster]

Haven't responded because I haven't been back to read any posts here because I have been busy shooting in competitions which is exactly why I have 3 550's. Remember I have 3 550's and a Star.............. plus a Herters model 3 plus a RCBS rockchucker plus a Forrester. Each press is set up for a different bullet combination. The Star is set up for slow fire 38's because I only use 1/3 as much of them as the timed and rapid 38's which are are on press 1. 2 is set up for 45's and I only have one load for the long and short line at this time. 3 is usually set up for 32 long soon to be changed to 32 ACP but is the one that I will tear down in case I want to do .223, 44 magnum or 9 mm. When I load 22 Hornet, it is done on the single stage Herters, and when I want something else that I rarely do, it is on the rock chucker. The Forster Coax is only used for bench rest type reloading which I rarely do anymore (was .308). I do have a bunch of Dillon powder measures so I don't have to swap around on them. Time is precious which is the reason anyone has so many different ways just to save it. I'll be 70 next year and so will most of my shooting friends and we are all aware that there are only so many more years that we will be able to still do this which was one of my lifetime lifelong hobbies.

[Jack Stanley]

Old Caster , may you be around for many matches and shooting seasons to come . It's guys like you that give us fifty-something retired guys something to use as an example .

One old guy I know spends his time building rifles for highpower shooting and whipping guys that think they can buy points all the way to master class . He spends a lot of time sending lead downrange .

Jack

[salpal48]

I have an Older star Straightline press in 30/06 with Wilson Dies. . It appox 70 years old. You can check out photo on the ARCTA forum.under Virtual Collections. It works fine but not a fast as the newer star or Dillons

[fc60]

Greetings Salpal48,

Please post a link to your In-Line Star. I would very much like to see one.

Cheers,

Dave

[salpal48]

The web site for ARTCA is antiquereloadingtools.com/forum.
There are several photos

[wv109323]

The Universal and Progressive models were designed for straight wall pistol calibers. Mike Dillon did offer a conversion so that .223 Remington could be loaded. Longer arms were needed to increase the stroke of the head for the .223 length case. The Universal or Progressive could not handle the length of the 30-06 case. Some one may have converted one to load 22-250 but I would think it would be a one of a kind. Another problem with 22-250 would be the powder supply. The regular powder slides would not handle the amount of powder needed for a 22-250. and especially the 30-06. The more common Star models would not handle the 30-06 but Star did many things that I am not aware of.

[Old Caster]

Old Caster , may you be around for many matches and shooting seasons to come . It's guys like you that give us fifty-something retired guys something to use as an example .

One old guy I know spends his time building rifles for highpower shooting and whipping guys that think they can buy points all the way to master class . He spends a lot of time sending lead downrange .

Jack

Jack, that is the best part of my group. We have around 5 or 6 guys that have been master Bullseye shooters. One that held the record for 5 shot bench rest group at 600 yards. That was around 1.3 inches and it only lasted part of that day before it was beaten by a few thousandths of an inch. On top of this, it was shot with a 22 caliber something, I believe 22 BR. We have two machinists / gunsmiths, another guy that can make any kind of electronic programable target turner that can be thought of plus people that have experimented with about any kind of gun, caliber or shooting technique that one can think of. All it takes is talking to some of them to find out anything to get a head start on a project. The only bad part about being old is that it doesn't last very long as we have already lost 3 to what I call premature death,(any thing less than about 85). Hopefully everyone on this site makes it at least that long. Oh, and I forgot that I also have a Sinclair Press for real accurate long range shooting. P.S. the record was not mine.

[JohnFreeman]

I don't have a Dillon, but I do own 3 Star presses. They're amazing machines, hand crafted by a gifted machinist and built to last forever. There's this forum plus one other, dedicated to these machines that haven't been made in 20 yrs. Stars are beautifully made of the best materials and will last a lifetime. If pride in ownership is a consideration (in addition to function) then the Star is a winner.

They're both good. One makes good ammunition through good design and fine machining and materials ...the other good design (wonder where it came from?) and modern mass production techniques. :-)



John

[Pertsev]

Back to the OP
The STAR is the Cadillac of hobby reloader progressive machines IMHO.
Also good for short run commercial loading.
Built to last several lifetimes (with proper care) and easy to cycle,they load good ammo.
Downside is the parts and dies are not "off the shelf" and can be pricey.
There are two STARs on my bench,one universal for 380ACP,9mm Para and 45ACP and a Progressive for 38 Special,357 Mag and 38 S&W.
Have used STAR machines for over 30 years,would rather pay extra $$ for a STAR than any of the Dillions.
But,that's my personal preference,Dillions are good machines. Do not care for the priming on the upstroke.Dillions easier to use for he uninitiated.

Yes,it is possible for STAR to handle 22-250 size cartridges. You must size and trim first of course.

If you do not want to purchase the STARs from your pal,PLEASE send a PM ,am very interested.

[beefie]

I just pay a kid to do the casting these days, while I size-lube and keep an eye on him. I give him 2c per bullet. That way he can lazy along and make $10 an hour, or he can hustle and make $16 an hour. It's up to him. :-)