Why doesn't...

[TexasGrunt]

Why doesn't someone make a compact upside down press for resizing boolits using the Lee or NOE push through dies?

I was thinking about it today and personally the lube/sizer's days are numbered with powder coating and Hi-Tek. IMHO the future belongs to push though sizing dies and newer methods of lubing like PC and Hi-Tek.

[carbine86]

Just invert a cheap Lee "c" press that's what I did.

Sent from my XT1585 using Tapatalk

[MT Chambers]

Why not get a Star? use it right side up and lube at the same time you size, I wouldn't be turning things over to use.

[bdicki]

Just invert a cheap Lee "c" press that's what I did.

Sent from my XT1585 using Tapatalk
That's what I did, mounted to the bottom of the bench top.

[carbine86]

That's what I did, mounted to the bottom of the bench top.
I had a mount made up so it's raised off the bench then I rigged up the handle to work like a normal pull stroke.

Sent from my XT1585 using Tapatalk

[HeavyMetal]

I wouldn't be selling your Star any time soon!!

So far I'm not convinced that Powder coating, or any other coating, is any better than LLA at least time wise.

You still have to cast your boolits then sort the scrap out and then do the PC thing, still gotta shake and bake plus cool.

I water drop my casting right out of the mold, rub on a towel to dry and then into the Star and sort as I feed it, then I'm done and can reload or store as I see fit.

Thinking I make more shootable boolits in less time than the LLA or PC deal, coatings aren't new I played with several dip and dry systems back in the early 70's as well as Lyman's aerosol still had to wait for everything to dry or cure depending on the coating.

Fast forward to the next century and I still find a Star lube sizer does it all and faster than most anything else.

What I will give the PC crowd is you can get real creative with PC and make some artsy boolits that look real neat HOWEVER I am not sure how much stopping power ARTSY boolits give you over a standard cast and lubed 45 H&G 68.

It appears that PC is fun but won't be moving into my stable this century, other may disagree but with all trends time shows what does and doesn't work long term!

HM

[JonB_in_Glencoe]

I made a batch of "up-side-down" bracket-mounts for the Lee classic cast single stage press, using some scrap plate steel that I got at a jobsite for just pennies. The Lee classic, besides having the handle switch from Left to Right, it also allows for 360º adjustment, making it the most conducive to using for normal reloading uses, then with little fanfare to mount it up-siide-down, for boolit sizing.

http://castboolits.gunloads.com/showthread.php?248671-Heat-treat&highlight=

http://i640.photobucket.com/albums/uu127/JonB_in_Glencoe/Heattreat1sizeandGC_zps0b78b77b.jpg (http://s640.photobucket.com/user/JonB_in_Glencoe/media/Heattreat1sizeandGC_zps0b78b77b.jpg.html)

http://i640.photobucket.com/albums/uu127/JonB_in_Glencoe/standmountedstandingextended.jpg (http://s640.photobucket.com/user/JonB_in_Glencoe/media/standmountedstandingextended.jpg.html)

[runfiverun]

I just push them through the star and not lube.
if NOE gets their die body and sizer inserts for the star done i'll be doing them with one of those.
upside down might be fine but it ain't gonna beat a full on tube fed-sizer.

[TexasGrunt]

I made a batch of "up-side-down" bracket-mounts for the Lee classic cast single stage press, using some scrap plate steel that I got at a jobsite for just pennies. The Lee classic, besides having the handle switch from Left to Right, it also allows for 360º adjustment, making it the most conducive to using for normal reloading uses, then with little fanfare to mount it up-siide-down, for boolit sizing.

http://castboolits.gunloads.com/showthread.php?248671-Heat-treat&highlight=

http://i640.photobucket.com/albums/uu127/JonB_in_Glencoe/Heattreat1sizeandGC_zps0b78b77b.jpg (http://s640.photobucket.com/user/JonB_in_Glencoe/media/Heattreat1sizeandGC_zps0b78b77b.jpg.html)

http://i640.photobucket.com/albums/uu127/JonB_in_Glencoe/standmountedstandingextended.jpg (http://s640.photobucket.com/user/JonB_in_Glencoe/media/standmountedstandingextended.jpg.html)

I'd love to have the ability to make a mount like that.

[GhostHawk]

Mine is mounted under the table in a handy location. With a box of .45 acp brass under it the bullets nicely plunk into any handy container from ice cream bucket to the cover the sizer die came in.

Simple and easy.

[Lloyd Smale]

I took a cheap lee hand press and flipped it upside down and make a couple steel brackets to mount it on my bench. Mounted a coffee can under it and a hose that fit the lee die channels the bullets into the can.

[cainttype]

NOE is working on an adapter to accept their inexpensive push-through sizer bushings. Al is already on this, so it will happen sooner than I expected... You gotta love NOE. :)
I've seen the first prototype, so it appears to be just a matter of time before the fastest lubri-sizer available becomes the fastest push through sizer available.
Adding sizer bushings from NOE for <$10 a piece is going to make a lot of Star/Magma owners happy, and will be very useful for more than just PCing.

[Jim Flinchbaugh]

Here's my solution to this minor problem.
http://img.photobucket.com/albums/v313/James64/20161118_162851w_zpsqlspgs57.jpg

The small press portion in the center is 6 inches tall, and will accept Lee push thru's up from the bottom.
I've been laid up most of the winter and havent gotten much further than making the casting

Here's what the actual press looks like as the photo above has the gating and risers attached from pouring the metal
http://img.photobucket.com/albums/v313/James64/20161112_145234_zpss0xbo2ii.jpg

[dverna]

Heavy Metal is almost 100% correct. One point he missed....PC can be used to increase the diameter of the bullet. That is a limited benefit, but priceless in some applications.

TexasGrunt, go to YouTube and watch a Star in action. Lubrisizers will be with us a long time. I can size and lube 1000+ an hour.....nothing else will come close.

[fecmech]

Using a Lyman 450, remove the center of the size die. Next remove the adjustment screw and pushout rod. Bend a small piece of metal to a 45 Deg angle and stick it to the adjustment shelf under the size die body with some bullet lube. Put a container under your 450 and just push bullets through till the cows come home.

[TexasGrunt]

Heavy Metal is almost 100% correct. One point he missed....PC can be used to increase the diameter of the bullet. That is a limited benefit, but priceless in some applications.

TexasGrunt, go to YouTube and watch a Star in action. Lubrisizers will be with us a long time. I can size and lube 1000+ an hour.....nothing else will come close.

I've got a buddy that has a Star. Awesome piece of equipment. But much more than I'm willing to spend. I either own or have on the way bushing for my NOE push through. I'd just like a ~$40-$50 mount so I could attach a press and go to work.

Right now I'm using a Hornady single stage mounted to a Inline Fab quick change plate. I'd much rather be able to drop the boolit into the sizing die, pull the handle and have the boolit drop though.

[Lloyd Smale]

star works great but I got tired of every time I wanted to use it to size coated bullets I had to clean the lube off the die. The lee sizers are just as fast and I can leave it set up and free up my star for actual lube sizing.

[Jim Flinchbaugh]

My answer to this issue got completed today :)
this one uses Lee dies screwed up from the bottom.
I can machine one to accept the Star adapter that NOE makes to use
their bushings.
Buy 1 adapter, and whatever size bushings and push rods you need.
Very cheap to set up for multiple calibers
http://img.photobucket.com/albums/v313/James64/20170327_193232_zpsrpez3qb2.jpg

[TexasGrunt]

If it will accept Lee dies it should accept the NOE push though die also. That's a really neat set up. I'm afraid to ask what one would cost. My wife's family live in Kalispell. It's a nice place. Too bad all the California people are screwing it up.

[C. Latch]

If cast, lubed lead projectiles survived the jacketed revolution, I don't think PC is going to kill off the lubing part.

YMMV.

I don't even have a lubrisizer and I still find areas where lubing is easier than PC.

[Spector]

I am really having trouble understanding why the upside down mounting of the press is preferable to the normal mounting procedure. I have used the Lee Push thru sizers for many years and now use the Noe push thru sizers. I assume I must be missing the point of all this upside down press mounting business.

Mike

[Pressman]

That looks near perfect. Except that in the future, 30 years from now people are going to find it/them when cleaning out Dad's basement, assuming you make more than one, and wonder what it does and who made it and why.

For example, I have a nice reloading press, just one of two known, and both were located in the central Montana area. I can assume that some very talented machinist like your self made them, but never put his name on them, and sold them locally.

Please leave a historical trail.
Ken

[Jim Flinchbaugh]

If it will accept Lee dies it should accept the NOE push though die also. That's a really neat set up. I'm afraid to ask what one would cost. My wife's family live in Kalispell. It's a nice place. Too bad all the California people are screwing it up.

A Star die will slide in and have the slightest side to side wiggle. I do not think it would be an issue to use it that way.
No retention needed

[JonB_in_Glencoe]

I am really having trouble understanding why the upside down mounting of the press is preferable to the normal mounting procedure. I have used the Lee Push thru sizers for many years and now use the Noe push thru sizers. I assume I must be missing the point of all this upside down press mounting business.

Mike
Mike,
Some of us find that 'dropping' a boolit into a size die, it will self-align, then pushing it through with the ram, and fall into a container...is easier and faster than the traditional action of sizing upward on a upright reloading press, where you place a boolit on the punch, guide it into the die with your fingers, then push it up into a container or grab it with your hand... YMMV, but I find this to be true, especially with long rifle boolits.

[Jal5]

There was a guy on YouTube who used the lee classic press right side up and stuck an appropriately sized spring over the ram part. Then you could drop a boolit into that spring and a normal handle pull sized it on the way up thru the die and into the cup catcher.

[Jim Flinchbaugh]

What I dont like about using it upright, if you size a lot of wide meplat bullets like I do,
when you get rolling along and forget to check, the bullets stack and jack the lid off the
catch can, and dump them all over the floor lol

For using NOE bushings and star adapter I came up with this spacer today
that just slides in the threaded hole and the die/adapter slides in it.
http://img.photobucket.com/albums/v313/James64/20170328_120224_zps9j2ihvzu.jpg

http://img.photobucket.com/albums/v313/James64/20170328_120240_zps4kun6ofn.jpg

[mjwcaster]

Jim, use a rubber band to secure the lid of the bullet catch jar.
I read about that here a while back, just never remember to take some rubber bands to the garage with me.

Sent from my Z958 using Tapatalk