How many Lube Sizer/Lube-A-Matics do you own?

[muskeg13]

How many are mounted on your loading bench at one time? I posted this here rather than in loading equipment section because I'm not concerned with any specific sizer brand, but I'm interested in having the ability to use two or more different types of lube without having to dismount and clean out the lube chamber when needing to switch lubes. The specific sizer brand doesn't really matter, but having the ability to use interchangeable sizing dies is useful.

I'm recently getting back into BP Cartridge reloading, primarily .50-70, but frequently load and shoot small quantities of smokeless rifle and pistol boolits of varying calibers. I need to use suitable soft SPG-type BP lube when using BP/BP substitutes, but have more use for a lube sizer always filled with Alox-type lube. It's a PITA to dismount and clean out the sizer to switch lubes. I tried pan lubing again, but quickly rediscovered how slow and messy that method is.

I currently have a very old RSBS Lube-A-Matic mounted on the bench all of the time. My thought is to get a second sizer set-up and either mount it next to the existing sizer, or to save bench space, if I get a second sizer with the same mounting bolt hole spacing, I can pretty easily just loosen 2 bolts and swap sizers with the lube remaining inside. The unused sizer can be wrapped in a clean garbage bag and stored dust-free until I decide to swap out sizers on the bench again.

Does anyone know if the mounting (bolt) hole spacing is the same for RCBS and Lyman sizer presses?

[high standard 40]

I have two and both are mounted. The vast majority of my cast shooting involves the RCBS 7mm 145 gr Silhouette bullet. One sizer is for the drive bands and crimping on the gascheck. The other sizer has a .277" H&I die that I use to size the bore rider section of the bullet. This save a lot of time by not having to switch dies back and forth.

[Bad Ass Wallace]

I have 3 x RCBS lube sizers, 1 with SPG (BPCR), 1 x soft pistol lube, and 1 with 'Rooster Red' for high velocity rifle boolits!

[JonB_in_Glencoe]

Right now, I have 6 lube sizers (Ideal #1, Lyman 45s, Stars). I have a 3/8" thick steel plate mounted to bench, it is drilled and tapped for all lube sizers, including some I no longer own. So, only one lubesizer on the bench at a time. With machine screws, mounting and unmounting goes quick. Also, I can put heater (travel Iron) on the plate to heat the mounted lubesizer.

[Winger Ed.]

I just have one lub-a-matic.
When I set it up and do a run, it's at least a couple thousand of each boolit.
They usually last a few years.

[nvbirdman]

I had a Lyman, then I saw one at a gun show for fifteen dollars, so now I have two.

[Larry Gibson]

I have four Lyman 450s. None are mounted on my bench. I C clamp them on the bench when I use them. The Bench has five loading presses permanently mounted on it. All other accessories are C clamped.

[rintinglen]

I have five (4 Lyman 450'S, one Lachmiller similar to the RCBS), but they get little use, save for one, which I use for .311 gas check boolits.

[paul edward]

One. It is only bolted to my workbench when a batch of castings need to be sized.

[muskeg13]

Wow, and thanks for the quick responses! I'm really late to this party. It's past time to get one (or two) more.

Wrong section of the forum, but what are the pros/cons of the Lyman 45/450 opposed to the RCBS Lube-A-Matic that I'm familiar with?

[metricmonkeywrench]

I have 7, more or less 2 per caliber. All are mounted to oak boards including the 2 on heaters as well as my trimmers and measures to maximize my limited bench space. The only thing hard mounted is the press.

[Jack Stanley]

Only have four , it's handy to have something setup and ready to use . Though sometimes a die change is in order .

Jack

[dondiego]

I have one Lyman 450 and haven't used it in over 20 years. I have a lot of LEE push throughs and some NOE's.

[Sam Sackett]

I have 2 old style and 1 new style RCBS. Nothing is permanently mounted on my bench. I have holes drilled through the bench for each type of tool, press, etc. I use bolts with wing nuts to mount whatever I want to use. Everything gets stored in cabinets or on shelves.
I have one sized with a soft lube for low pressure pistol and two filled with Ben’s Red. These have different size dies in them so I don’t have to change dies very often.

Sam Sackett

[pworley1]

I have 8. 45's 450's Herters and a Lachmiller. I had most of them mounted at one time, each with a different lube, but now I only have one mounted. I converted it to a push through and use it to size and install gas checks on powder coated bullets.

[Big Boomer]

I have 2, both Stars. Since I cast & load for so many different calibers (380, 9mm, 38 Sp., 357 Mag, 30 Carbine [Ruger Blackhawk], 40 S&W, 41 Mag, 45 Colt, 45 ACP, 223 & 243), it is easier to use one Star for the smaller calibers and another for the larger though they have the same lube in both. Plus, some really high velocity magnum loads I both PC, gas check & lube those boolits. Both Stars are mounted on a short 2x8 board with an aluminum base between the luber & board. Boards are C-clamped to the work bench. Since I use 3 different presses (a Dillon XL650, a Hornady/Pacific progressive, & a Lyman Spar-T turret press) they are all mounted on a 2x8 board & C-clamped to the work bench for maximum use of a cluttered bench. BTW, as any Star owner will state, accurate depth measurements have to be kept for each boolit, otherwise its a guessing game. I've used these for so long that I can consult my "dimensions" tablet, push the boolit down to that depth, and lube away. Good thread. It would have never occurred to me to ask this sort of question which might give others ideas for a convenient setup. Big Boomer

[Willie T]

I only own one. It is the old first gen RCBS lube-a-matic. It stays mounted on the bench on top of the RCBS heater with rheostat. I own several Lee push through sizers but the Lube-A-Matic is what I use for most of the sizing I do.

[quack1]

I have two Lyman 45's. One with Lyman alox lube for pistol bullets, and one with Felix lube for rifle bullets. Any simple lube would work for pistol, but I use the Lyman alox because I got 15-20 sticks of it at a gun show for nearly nothing. I only have one 45 mounted on the bench at a time due to limited space. I make my own sizing dies on the lathe, which is a good thing as they need to be slightly different diameters for each 45. If I remember right, the holes for the dies are about .007-.008 difference in diameter. I must have got one 45 that was made using a new reamer and one with a reamer that was completely worn out. I don't use rubber o-rings on the dies, just machine them to a snug fit. If I put a small die in the 45 that has the bigger hole, there is a good bit of leakage around the die.

[Charliemac]

I have one RCBS lube-matic and three Star lubesizers with different lube in each one. I have a steel plate with a Lyman heater on it for the RCBS. I made a plate of aluminum with a small cartridge heater for the Star’s. I C-clamp to the bench when needed. Easy change over between sizers also a temperature controller.

[Green Frog]

As best I recall I have 4 (5?) old ideal 1st models, 2 Lyman 450s and a Star, so 7 or 8 total. No, I’m not obsessive. (Insert crazy icon here)
Froggie

[charlie b]

I only have the one RCBS lube sizer. I also have a Lee O press dedicated to bullet sizing along with two other presses.

A long time ago I set up my bench with three press stations, none permanent. I make up a 'plate' for each press (out of oak or 3/4 furniture grade ply) with a standard bolt pattern. Each of the three stations has T-nuts under the bench top in that standard bolt pattern. I have 'knobs' on the bolts so I can change out a station without tools. When not in use they are stored in a cabinet. That way I can do my wood working or other hobby stuff in the garage without worrying about getting dust on all my reloading and casting stuff. FWIW I rarely use all three stations. Two would do nicely for me.

[rcslotcar]

Two RCBS ll and 1 lyman 4500 mounted. Each with a different "White Label Lube". I also have 5 others ( Cramer/Saeco, Lachmiller, RCBS, Lyman 450,'s, that I've collected and rebuilt at a cheap price over the years.

[rmb721]

I have two Lyman 450's.

One is for White label lube Caranuba Red and the other for 50/50 beeswax/alox.

Both have ALF (auto lube feeder) and a 1/2" aluminum plate under them for a clothes iron for heat if needed.

[curiousgeorge]

I have five.

Three Stars- 1 each in .358, .430, & .452. Two Lyman 4500s with about 30 sizing dies for everything else.

[LenH]

Two, 1 RCBS & a Magma Star. I mainly use the Star.

[John Guedry]

I have a Lyman 4500 that I use White Label Bac in.

[MT Gianni]

Three lube sizers and an arbor press for processing pc'd bullets.

[lightman]

I only have 2. A Lyman 450 thats probably 50 years old and a Star. Neither are bolted to my bench. I clamp them down when I need to use one of them.

[imashooter2]

5, three 450s, two 45s.

[beagle]

Had seven at one time. A star, a #45 Lyman, a RCBS and four #450s. Over time, i've traded and given away until only two left. One mounted and a backup. At one time, one broke and I was out of business until parts arrived. Felt like I was blind. Always have a spare./beagle

[35 Rem]

Only have one - an RCBS bought new in about 1979. I C-clamp it to the bench so I can use that space when not sizing bullets.

Have often though it would be nice to have another both in the event of a breakdown and to be able to use multiple lubes easier. For now using only 1 lube for everything though. I bought about 30 sticks of Lyman Moly lube with my birthday discount order from MidwayUSA a few years back so trying to use that for everything.

[fredj338]

I have one, my Star, sold the Lyman. Since I started coating about 5y ago, havent used it.

[dverna]

A Star, Lyman 450 and Lyman 45. I only use one at a time. In-Line mounts are nice to have.

[deltaenterprizes]

I have 2 mounted in the reloading room and one next to my casting bench in another shop.
The 2 in the reloading room are a Star and the Lyman 450 I have had for 40 years when I started casting.
The one by the casting bench is a Ballisticast hand operated which is basically a Star with a rotary bullet feeder, air lube feed and heater built in. I have a bullet feeder mounted on it and can do plenty of boolits in a hurry!
I have another 450 and a couple of Stars and a Phelps in a box in my machine shop that have to be tested.

[jaysouth]

I have one Lyman and one RCBS. Both gather dust in the corner. For low vel pistol, I use Ben's BLL. For all else, I powdercoat.

[avogunner]

I have two Lyman 450's, two Lyman 45's and a Pitzer (kinda a horizontal STAR machine). They're all set up for different calibers and the 450's have heaters. They aren't permanently on my bench but mounted when needed.
It is VERY convenient to have them all set up with the sizing die and lube needed.
Semper Fi.

[Barry54]

I have two and both are mounted. The vast majority of my cast shooting involves the RCBS 7mm 145 gr Silhouette bullet. One sizer is for the drive bands and crimping on the gascheck. The other sizer has a .277" H&I die that I use to size the bore rider section of the bullet. This save a lot of time by not having to switch dies back and forth.

This has me worried. I’ve got this exact mold arriving in the mail today. Why are you sizing both ends? Powder coating?

[charlie b]

Bore riders can be very sensitive to dia in the rifle. I like mine to be an interference fit, ie, it takes a bit of push to chamber them. I found if they are a 'slip' fit then accuracy suffers a bit. To get that perfect fit a nose sizer is needed, simply because every bullet you cast is not the exact same dia.

This is also aggravated by some molds being oversize and the bullets simply won't fit without sizing. The Lyman 311299 was like that in my .308.

On topic, I have thought about getting another lubesizer but I just don't cast much of other calibers. Heck, even for my .308 I only really cast one bullet these days (XCB).

[mike salyards]

None, I pan lube.:wink:

[alamogunr]

I have 3. A RCBS LAM2, a Lyman 450(bought used) and a Redding(not sure of model). RCBS is most used. Lyman next and Redding last. Redding used only when I have a nose punch for a specific bullet. Also, sometime only use for attaching gas check since I started PC.

[jimb16]

I have 1 45 and several Lee push throughs.

[muskeg13]

Thanks for all of the input with some great tips. I have a second RCBS Lube-A-Matic coming and will look into replacing the existing mounting bolts with ones that will accept wing nuts. In fact, I'm going to look into wing nuts for my bench vise as well. The vise gets daily use, but it sure would be nice to be able to easily remove it to clear the work surface.

[LabGuy]

I have one Star and one 450, both mounted to 2x6s, C Clamp on as needed. Currently the Star is just sitting on the back of the bench,

[armoredman]

How many are mounted on your loading bench at one time? I posted this here rather than in loading equipment section because I'm not concerned with any specific sizer brand, but I'm interested in having the ability to use two or more different types of lube without having to dismount and clean out the lube chamber when needing to switch lubes. The specific sizer brand doesn't really matter, but having the ability to use interchangeable sizing dies is useful.

I'm recently getting back into BP Cartridge reloading, primarily .50-70, but frequently load and shoot small quantities of smokeless rifle and pistol boolits of varying calibers. I need to use suitable soft SPG-type BP lube when using BP/BP substitutes, but have more use for a lube sizer always filled with Alox-type lube. It's a PITA to dismount and clean out the sizer to switch lubes. I tried pan lubing again, but quickly rediscovered how slow and messy that method is.

I currently have a very old RSBS Lube-A-Matic mounted on the bench all of the time. My thought is to get a second sizer set-up and either mount it next to the existing sizer, or to save bench space, if I get a second sizer with the same mounting bolt hole spacing, I can pretty easily just loosen 2 bolts and swap sizers with the lube remaining inside. The unused sizer can be wrapped in a clean garbage bag and stored dust-free until I decide to swap out sizers on the bench again.

Does anyone know if the mounting (bolt) hole spacing is the same for RCBS and Lyman sizer presses?

Umm...zero. I don't own a single one.

[Nines&Twos]

One...I wish someone would buy it or trade me out of it....it's a useless thing to me.

[hermans]

I have two, one RCBS Lubrisizer and one Star. None are mounted anymore....I PC for the last few years so no need for them any longer. Thinking of selling one or even both.....

[dale2242]

I have an RCBS that I bought in the 60s.
I have never felt the need to put any other than NRA 50/50/
I have a lot of sizer dies and top punches for it.
I can`t even guess how many tens of thousands of bullets that I lube/sized with it.

[Iowa Fox]

4-450s
1-LAM
1-Star

[Dan Cash]

I don't own any; sold the one I had. I pan lube everything and use push through bulllet sizers. Simpler and faster in the long run.

[45DUDE]

I have Four 450's mounted and a 45 and a Star and three spare 450's.

[Harter66]

2 Herters and a 450 and a Partner press .

I found a heavy cast iron cafe' table base complete with it's post and table adaptor . I added a 12"² of 3/4" plywood and leave all 4 attached ..

[charlie b]

I think I am seeing why the used market is not as big as it could be :)

[fivegunner]

I have 6 star`s 2 RCBS and a few Lee push threw,

[MOA]

Three. A RCBS Lubesizer 2, and 2 Lyman 450. One for pistol, and rifle, and one just for black either revolver or rifle.

[fa38]

I have 2 RCBS at present. Have sold or given away another 7 or 8.

[AK Islander]

Two - one for smokeless lube, one for BP.

[AntiqueSledMan]

I have two, a Lyman 450 and a home build for lubing heeled bullet .44 Colts.

AntiqueSledMan.

[curiousgeorge]

I have 5 total- 3 Stars and 2 Lyman 4500s. One Star each in .358, .430, and .452. About 30 different sizing options for the 4500s.

None are permanently mounted. All are attached to boards that get c-clamped on a corner of one of my reloading benches. I also have a Lyman heater mounted to a board that any of the above sizers can be attached to if I switch to a hard lube or it's too cold for my Micro-Lube to flow.

[charlie b]

Now I know why it's so hard to find good used ones :)