Which Sizer

[comdiver]

I got it hard! I have a Star sizer, a few of 45's and a few of 450's. None of which I have even tried. I have 3 sets of dies for the Star and a box full for the Lyman. Right now I buy my bullets, but I am getting ready to start casting. When I bought them I thought I would sell what I don't use (and buy more toys). If I kept just the Star I would need to get more die sets. If I go with one of the others as far as dies I would be all set. I could even keep 2 of the 450's so I don't change dies so much. What do the experts think?

[C.F.Plinker]

I don't have a Star so I will let others talk about them. I have both a 450 and a LAM2. It only takes about 2 minutes to change out a die on either one of them. Then about the same amount of time to adjust the depth setting while sizing the first few boolits if adjusting is necessary. I did some lube-sizing a couple of nights ago. It took right at an hour and a half to size 500 38 special DEWCs. I am sure that a Star would be faster. But, since I only do this about 4 or 5 times a year I will just keep the setup I have. What calibers are you casting, and how many of each will you be sizing each month?

Rather than keeping the 45s and 450s dedicated to each caliber I would keep them dedicated to each lube. The reason is that it is much quicker to change dies than it is to melt out old lube and replace it with new. The latter can get very messy also.

We're all just a bunch of enablers so help us do that job by telling us more about what you will be casting for.

[upnorthwis]

I have a Star and a pair of 450's. They will be pried from my cold dead hands. Star is used for .45 ACP. Can size and lube as fast as I can toss them in. I find the 450's better for seating gas checks. Have one set up with smokeless lube and the other with BP lube.

[dragonrider]

Keep the Star, with the proper tools die changing is easy and fast.

[comdiver]

OK, thank you. Keep the Star and a 450. I will do 9mm, 45acp, 38/357 and 30 for now. What can I sell the #45 and #450's for?

[Crash_Corrigan]

My first sizer was a Saeco. It is great for what it is. Made solid like a Mack truck and reliable as the sunrise each day. However I found myself wishing it was faster as I shoot a lot of .45 ACP and 9 MM. After many years I found a decent deal on a Star. It is just outstanding in all respects. I hooked up an air system for it with a heater hooked up to a PID controller and I can really crank out perfectly lubed boolits at a ridiculous pace.

The die changing and set up is a breeze as I have cut wooden dowels marked by caliber and boolit for each die and I just duplicate the length of the dowel for my die change. So far I have resisted getting another for different lubes but I can see that day acoming.

[MT Chambers]

Yup, keep the Star.

[bobthenailer]

IMO keep the Star sell the rest , I have never had any problem seating & crimping gas checked rifle or pistol boolets with the Star, must of done well over 15K !

The die swap is easy once you have the proper tools and procedure down. probley takes about 5 min and that includes heating the sizing die housing with a heat gun to aid in its removal.

The trick is to record the top punch height setting for each boolet. or as i do use a seperate flat top punch for each caliber & nose first size + recording the settings .

IF switching from a single lube grove boolet to a multi lube grove boolet and you want to use the same sizer die it takes around 10 to 15 min extra to add or remove the lead shot plugging the extra lube holes in the sizer die.

[6bg6ga]

I had a 450 and sold it and purchased a Magma(same thing newer version of the Star) I also have a Star. I've never regretted selling the 450. I absolutely hated sizing with the 450.

[engineer401]

I have a Magma/Star. I wouldn't go back the Lyman 4500 again.

[Cherokee]

I have #45, 450, 4500 and Star. Keep the Star !! I rarely use the Lyman other than for different lubes. One trick to using the Star is to run an already lubed boolit thru the die whenever it get a little hard to push, sometime every 10, sometime every 20. Depends on how much sizing is really being done. Do record the measurements for the top punch for each boolit.

[gmsharps]

Keep them both. Use the Lyman to size small quanitys and the Star to do the big jobs.

gmsharps

[HeavyMetal]

I advised my BIL to sell his 450 and 45 when he got his first Star and use the proceeds to buy a Saeco.

The Saeco is why more accurate that any other push pull sizer ever made and he used it for small runs of rifle boolits.

The Star was the production machine and, as mentioned above, if you record the correct length of the punch switching calibers is 4 to 5 minutes with the right tools.

[Skunk1]

This is just the question I was going to ask. I've amassed a large amount of casting equipment and will begin this spring. Got a RCBS, lyman 450, and an old saeco sizers. Wasn't sure witch would be best or to keep all 3 for different lubes/diameters. I'll keep reading as I'm sure others will chime in.

[EDG]

It depends on the bullets you shoot.
Sure the Star works great for pistol bullets.
I have never heard anyone brag about them for rifle bullets.

[Alan in Vermont]

It depends on the bullets you shoot.
Sure the Star works great for pistol bullets.
I have never heard anyone brag about them for rifle bullets.

You won't be able to say that again, I find no difference between how my Star handles rifle boolits or handgun boolits. Even long, Loverin, designs go through although with a little more handle effort required. I also have no issues with seating gas checks on the Star. I do everything nose first and the checks get seated nice and square as soon as the boolit shank starts to meet resistance as it enters the sizing chamber.

[MT Chambers]

The Star is just as nice for rifle bullets, I use my 3 for everything I can although I don't have as many diff. dies as my RCBS/Lyman machines, the Star is on a diff. level then the rest.

[happy7]

I believe the main problem people have with a star is knowing how to use it. Most people start with a Lyman or RCBS and that confuses them about how to work a star. I use one daily so I have a lot of experience, but it rarely takes me more than a minute to change dies to another bullet. If i have to change top punches add another minute. But the dies can be expensive. I like to have a separate die for every number of lube grooves. This means a 359 die with one row of holes, with two rows, and with three rows. I don't like messing with the lead shot!

Here is the thing. The star is way faster than an RCBS or Lyman. Changing dies is faster, lubing bullets is way faster.

But there are somethings the Lyman or RCBS are better for. One is spire point bullets. You can't do them in a Star without flattening the point unless you want to feed another bullet through with every sized bullet and that takes too much time. Also, Lyman dies are cheaper, so if there is a size you rarely use, you may want to get the Lyman die for that size since it is cheaper. Also, if there is a type of Lube you don't often use, you could put that in an RCBS or Lyman press. You don't want to have to change lubes often.

[dragon813gt]

Keep them both. Use the Lyman to size small quanitys and the Star to do the big jobs.

gmsharps

This. I have a Star, well a second one just arrived today, and two RCBS LAM1s. I use the LAMs for small runs of 100 or so bullets. Each one has a different lube in it. It's a lot quicker to change out the RCBS then a star. As pointed out above if you want quick changes in a Star you're going to want multiple dies, which are more money compared to Lyman/RCBS. At a minimum you'll want a top punch for each bullet so you don't have to play w/ depth adjustment each time.

I use my Star for a few bullets that I shoot in high volumes. All experiments and small batches are done on the RCBS.

[sparky45]

Sell it all and buy Lee push through size/lube Kits for you specific needs. You'll have great results and lots of money left over for other goodies.

[dragon813gt]

^
I've never heard anyone that owns a Lubesizer say that. Push through sizers have their place if tumble lubing or powder coating. But they're not a replacement for a lubesizer.

[sparky45]

You're kinda wrong, but I won't argue the point. I've owned a Lyman 4500, and a San Diego Star. Sold them both because I was really tired of the messy lube gunk getting all over the place. Don't get me wrong, both the Lyman and the Star were excellent lubers, but as you've alluded to, PC'n has totally changed how I prepare my loads.

[Wayne Smith]

PC'ing is a total new issue, and takes more different equipment. It is also a realtively new way to handle boolits - I learned to wait a while - I have a Moly lube kit from Lyman for my Lyman brass cleaner, anybody want to buy it?? Just after I bought it we learned that moly builds up in rifle barrels. It was the miracle substance that would cure all of the shooting problems with both cast and condom boolits - until years of experience taught us different. Now experienced shooters won't let moly come close to their barrels.

Lee sizers don't lube, you have to tumble lube everything, or pan lube which is truly a potential mess. For me making lube is a mess, loading it and using it in my Lyman or RCBS lube sizers is not. I just melt about a third of a cup and carefully pour it in. Never did get around to making molds.

[retread]

Lee sizers don't lube, you have to tumble lube everything, or pan lube which is truly a potential mess. For me making lube is a mess, loading it and using it in my Lyman or RCBS lube sizers is not. I just melt about a third of a cup and carefully pour it in. Never did get around to making molds.

I made a mold and poured nice hollow lube sticks then realized that I was wasting time. The mold was the sizer reservoir itself, just melt once and pour it in. Bulk lube block store easier too. Tried pan lubing once for a size that I didn't have a die for. What a pain!

[MT Chambers]

Sell it all and buy Lee push through size/lube Kits for you specific needs. You'll have great results and lots of money left over for other goodies.
There's a comedian in every crowd.

[bobthenailer]

It depends on the bullets you shoot.
Sure the Star works great for pistol bullets.
I have never heard anyone brag about them for rifle bullets.

I have used the Star to lube /size and install gas checks on 7mm, 30, 35, and 45 caliber rifle boolets with excellent accuracy and cant see another sizer doing better! in the past ive had RCBS, Lyman 45 & 450 as well as the Saeco on two occasions ,for the past 20+ years i had only 2 Stars.and can't see any reason to change.