Lube Sizer Advice Needed

[timtonya]

I currently cast 40, 44 mag and 45. The 44 is pan lubed and the other 2 is tumble lubed. I'm able to buy a lube sizer but not sure which one or if I should just keep pan lubing/tumble.

[hawgfan]

personally I think pan lubing BITES, lol. I pan lubed for about a year before I bought my Lyman 4500. The Lyman is all I have used so I can't say anything about the other brands. The only bad thing I can say about the Lyman is the excess lube that it puts on the bottom of the boolits. This doesn't happen all the time but it does happen. I really want to try a Star Luber. I think that will be my next purchase, if I can ever wear out my Lyman 4500.

[timtonya]

The star is out of my price range. I only have the one mold that has lube grooves. The others are Lee tumble molds.

[gmsharps]

The Lyman sizer works fine just a bit slow compared to the Star. I have used a Lyman for a long time and I usually use it for rifle bullets and odd size pistol stuff. Depending on how much you shoot as to is it worth while for the star. Once I tried a star I was hooked but have kept the Lyman also.

gmsharps

[avogunner]

I have three Lyman sizers, a 450, 45, and a #1 and all work great for me. Proper depth adjustment, adding a little heat (light bulb), and not over pressurizing the lube reservoir will minimize (mostly eliminate) the lube under the boolit issue. Yes, yes, the Star sizer is the "best" but the overwhelming majority of casters use the Lyman or RCBS LAM and are perfectly satisfied. Keep an eye on the swapping and selling section here, every now and then a good deal comes along on a used one.

[HATCH]

If you aren't doing thousands of boolits then a lyman is just as good as any other sizer.
The Star sizer is the way to go if you are doing large quanities of the same boolit or if time is a factor.
But if you are doing little batches (under 500) of boolits then the lyman will be more suited to your needs.

Problem with the lyman is that you will need a top punch for every boolit.

[pworley1]

I have 4 Lyman 45's and a 450. I have no complaints. If you set the depth correctly the lube goes where you want it.

[JonB_in_Glencoe]

Look for a used Lyman.

[timtonya]

What about the Saeco/Redding? Also can you use the machine on tumble lube type bullets?

[cbrick]

If you aren't doing thousands of boolits then a lyman is just as good as any other sizer.


A straight thru sizer (Star/LEE) will size more concentrically than the in & out sizers so I guess "just as good" is a relative term.


What about the Saeco/Redding? Also can you use the machine on tumble lube type bullets?

I would highly recommend the RCBS or Lyman in & out sizers over the Redding, they are at least equal quality or better and less money. Yes, you can use them to size tumble lube boolits.

Rick

[Walter Laich]

Problem with the lyman is that you will need a top punch for every boolit.
.
Since I cast pretty much only RNFP, one of the perfesser's custom flat nose punch works for me. I can even use the same on on 45s and 38s as the 38s don't completely go into the sizer.
.
Oh, yes I rebuilt my two 450 using the new bodies that I got from Lyman. At the time they traded out the bodies for free--sometimes life is good.

[454PB]

I have the Lyman, Star, and Saeco. The Star is the winner, although it does take more time to adjust. The Saeco works on the same principals as the Lyman/RCBS, but I prefer the handle mounted on the front rather than the side as the Saeco is.

But they all produce a good boolit if the operator does his part.

[timtonya]

Well.... gonna go with the Saeco. I like the spring loaded lube feature.

[MT Chambers]

I would have thought that the Saeco cost as much as the Star, be proactive and get the Star!

[cbrick]

$200 for the SAECO in & out sizer and $250 for the Star straight thru sizer.

If your gonna like the spring on the SAECO your really gonna love the lube pump on the Star.

Rick

[timtonya]

$325 for the Star and for the money you shouldn't have to use lead shot to close some of the lube holes.

[MT Chambers]

You don't have to use lead shot to plug holes, most have dies that match the bullet grooves, this tells you how people value the Star and how it does the job much faster and ensures better concentricity. I have 2 Lymans, 2 RCBS, and 3 Stars, all set up for use and the hands down winner is the Star, I dread having to use the other machines but I have 30 or 40 dies for them.

[timtonya]

If I had high volume, I'd buy the Star but don't. I possibly lube 200 bullets at a time.

[hawgfan]

HAWGFAN, Lube on base of boolits? I only get that when the boolits are either bevelbase or if they don't need sizing much, but if I size over a thousandth I don't get lube on bases.[/QUOTE]

Bevelbases are the worst, but I get a little on flatbases as well. I only size 40sw and 9mm, out of those, 9mm is the worst. I have sized thousands of boolits with my lyman 4500, and it has put lube on the bottom of the boolits from day one. Now I'm not saying that I'm doing everything right, it could be me. I think it's just me wanting an excuss to buy another sizer lol.

[gwpercle]

Tim,
The best money I ever spent was on a lubricator/sizer. It is so nice to use them. Being frugle ( poor ) and moderate volume I have been using a Lyman 450 since the 1970's . never had any problems , as long you adjust the depth correctly and use a very light touch on the pressure handle. Most people's problems are user error because I can adjust and work the handle so no lube gets under a flat base etc. etc. You just need to practice with it a bit...there is a learng curve.
And don't size hardened bollits, that puts stress on the linkage it wasn't designed for.
So a used Lyman 450 in good shape would be ideal, shop around you can find them.

Gary

[timtonya]

Why doesn't anyone pick the Saeco? I like the spring loaded lube resevoir. I don't mind the extra expense of the dies.

[454PB]

Again, my only objection to the Saeco design is the side mounted operating handle.

[bobthenailer]

The sizing dies and top punches for the Saeco are very expensive compaired to lymans & rcbs sd & tp. The lymans & Rcbs SD & TP are interchangeable ,
and the side mounting of the operating handle on the saeco is imo a PAIN to use ! the spring loaded resevoir is a minor +, ive had 2 saecos in the past as well as a lyman 45 & 450 L/S , i currently only have 2 stars l/s that i bought about 30 years ago, but i make at least 10,000 boolets a year.

In short if you use a single stage press to load ammo ? a lyman ,saeco or rcbs would work well ! my choice would be the RCBS L/S

[lka]

I lubed in a pan with homemade lube for awhile, the best thing I did was buy the lyman sizer lol. I've broke a few things on it and they were a pain to get replacement parts (wasn't impressed with lyman CS).

[Rich/WIS]

The simple fix for this was covered in the old NRA reloading guide (late 60's). At that time cast bullets were in the book, not a separate book like later issues. The fix was to remove the bottom punch from the H&I die, chuck it in a lathe and counterbore the center, leaving a small shoulder for the bullet to seat against. I did this with mine when I had access to a lathe and had no problems after that. Wish I still had access to a lathe for H&I dies I have acquired since.

Also try adjusting the stop point when you size, sometimes the bullet bas is right at a bleed hole, and moving it up or down a bit keeps lube from being forced in under the bullet base. As another poster said there is a learning curve, keep down pressure on when pumping in lube, and remember it is a bullet not a bulldozer when reefing on the lube wrench.

[Springfield]

You only have to plug holes in a Star die if the bullet is very much different than the one you did before.If you only have single lube groove bullets adjusting the punch up and down will usually do it. If you really hate plugging the holes than buy a die for each bullet and have the holes drilled exactly where you want them. As it is, tapping in lead shot into a hole is pretty easy, drilling it out even easier.

[DRNurse1]

$325 for the Star and for the money you shouldn't have to use lead shot to close some of the lube holes.

Is that new from MagmaStar or on the used market?

The lead shot seems like a pretty small thing, so if that is the only consideration, I can send you some. It seems counter-intuitive that you would be okay with the higher cost of dies and top punches, but for the original tool.

I found the Star dies and top punches more reasonably priced and available ( Chris, a vendor sponsor here makes them as do others) and I agree with CBrick that the accuracy of the in-out sizers is decreased from that of the straight through variety. For full disclosure, I shoot bullseye and probably fall in that higher volume category.

If you have no plans to size more than a hundred or so an hour, about my maximum pace on a 4500, or you need to gascheck while lube sizing, Lyman / RCBS will likely work fine.

[Leadmelter]

What is the website for Star products? I use a couple of Lymans and a RCBS but always looking for a good tool to increase production.
Leadmelter
MI

[454PB]

Here's the website:

http://www.magmaengineering.com/component/banners/click/14/

[Littleton Shot Maker]

Lyman, great starter luber sizer, still have ours, it's older than me! works ever time, like a Old Ford tractor.
Stars are good, we sold those all off.
I have or had the saeco too, would not be first choice

RCBS or Lyman can't go wrong. \
Heated base on not heated base??
What lube do you wan to use? it matters,
Low temp, hi-temp stuff?? Small stick or big stick, they cost $$

[timtonya]

Tax refund came. So.... should I buy a lube sizer or a nice casting furnace (RCBS pro melt) instead? I pan lube which is OK and I have a Lee bottom pour pot. Thanks for the replies.

[DRNurse1]

Get both! Investing in quality tools is never a bad choice. Feeding the new lubrisizer may necessitate a larger bottom pour pot, and getting those new boolits sized and loaded into cartridges from the bigger furnace may necessitate a better lubrisizer and/ or a progressive reloading press.

Life can be a series difficult choices, but someone has to do it. Whichever you choose (hopefully both), have fun.

[timtonya]

Both? Lol. The wife would have a heart attack. She treats me good and usually doesn't say anything. But this time around its gotta be one or the other.

[MBTcustom]

I want me a Star!
Just dig this video:
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=n8NdY15RstE
Be sure to watch the end of the video. He really gets with it there.

[Irascible]

I have a Star, Saeco and RCBS. I had a Lyman 4500 which wore out the casting in no time flat, even though I oiled the shaft often. The RCBS has a bigger shaft and more surface area to spread the wear out. Mine has lasted 30 years. I prefer the Star over all others, next the Saeco then the RCBS. I buy my Star dies from Chris (see Star Equip corner) and asked him to only drill only one row of holes for my 357, 41, 44 and 45 dies for which I use Keith type bullets. For special bullets like my SSK 310gr 44 I sent him a bullet and had him drill another die to order. I use the Saeco for gas check bullets and the RCBS is now full of SPG lube for black powder use. It was my first sizer/lubricator. The Star is my newest, and it was FREE! I just had to buy dies. Sure is fast!

[Greg B.]

I been using an RCBS LAM2 for over 30 years.

[dromia]

I have a star and it is indeed a very fine piece of kit however I haven't used it 17 years. It is at its best when sizing and lubing large runs of boolits at the same diameter and using the same lube.

I cast for a multiplicity of calibres and I'm adding new ones all the time, I find the Star fiddly to set up and not as fast on the die change as the Lyman RCBS types and as I do my boolits in batches of no more than 500 at time using the star isn't worth the hassle. I have two Lyman 45s, three RCBS LAMs, two Lyman 450s on my benches all set up with different dies and lube. All have been bought second hand at a total cost of less than a new Star. I do cast large batches of some calibres, I shoot around 200-500 rounds of 310 Cadet a week but these boolits don't need sizing and are tumble lubed in 45/45/10 so no need for a sizer. If they did then the Star would come out.

So think about your needs and buy the kit to suit, there is no equipment that does all things well and we are fortunate that we have different pieces of kit to suit our different needs

[dragon813gt]

I have a LAM and a second one is on the way. I cast a variety of bullets and don't size/lube big batches. If I did the Star w/ all the accessories would be the way to go. I like the design of the Ballisticast better but the soap opera surrounding that company turns me off. A Lyman/RCBS sizer is the way to go if you don't need to lube a lot if bullets fast and you work w/ a variety of bullets. It you only work w/ one or two designs, get a star.

[enfieldphile]

timtonya,

I just set up my NIB Star last night. As I previously used an RCBS LAM, the reason for needing to plug holes in the Star is plainly obvious.

The LAM, Lyman and Seaco all have adjustable stops that positively limit the travel of the "I" rod inside the "H" die. This controls the placement of the boolit in relation to the lube holes in the die.

As the Star is a "push-through" design tool, the only way to align the lube grooves of the boolit is adjusting the threaded punch, which is positioned above the boolit and to position the lube holes in the die with correct relation to the lube groove(s) on the boolit.

That means plugging excess holes. It's just the nature of the tool design.


$325 for the Star and for the money you shouldn't have to use lead shot to close some of the lube holes.

[leadman]

Forget a luber/sizer and coat your boolits with Hi-Tek and use Lee push thru dies. Much cleaner and no smoke from the lube.

[gandydancer]

is it SAECO/REDDING that has the screw in Top punches on their lube sizer?? Lyman & RCBS TP"S will not work in the saeco?

[enfieldphile]

Yes, Redding TP's are of the screw-in type.

If you want to use a Lyman or RCBS boolit in a Seaco machine, choose a Seaco TP that matches the profile of your boolit.

Please Note: Redding makes RCBS / Lyman style TP's for their boolits.

RCBS / Lyman are a straight shank type. There is a Allen set screw that can, if you wish, be tightened to retain a RCBS / Lyman TP. Most guys just put a dab of beeswax on the shank to keep the TP in.


is it SAECO/REDDING that has the screw in Top punches on their lube sizer?? Lyman & RCBS TP"S will not work in the saeco?

[MtGun44]

Reading thru this and once again, I find that I agree with dromia entirely, although I do load
large quantities of certain designs so I have a pair of Stars set up semi-permanently for 9mm/.38/.357
and .44 cal, with occasional forays into .311 diam and .453 diam.

I need to visit Scotland some day!

Bill

[dromia]

Reading thru this and once again, I find that I agree with dromia entirely, although I do load
large quantities of certain designs so I have a pair of Stars set up semi-permanently for 9mm/.38/.357
and .44 cal, with occasional forays into .311 diam and .453 diam.

I need to visit Scotland some day!



Bill

You would be made most welcome I can assure you.