Star Bullet Feed

[LAH]

Not sure how many use these so a few pictures for your viewing pleasure. Pardon the dirty bench please. Some say the bullet feed is useless and would rather feed by hand allowing the bullets to fall into a box below.

Personally I like the feed for soft lube when stacking bullets in a box. I also use it for customer bullets as I catch the bullet falling from the die and roll it in my hand before it falls into the box. This allows viewing the entire bullet to be sure the lube groove is completely full..........Creeker

I use a long tube holding appox. 30 bullets. The slide return spring can't handle much more.
http://i66.photobucket.com/albums/h244/Creekerpics/Picture440.jpg

The tubes are standard plastic water line with a window cut to view bullets and a hole for the retainer pin. Note lower bullet is lubed. I like to feed a lubed bullet every 7th bullet depending on how much I'm reducing the size.
http://i66.photobucket.com/albums/h244/Creekerpics/Picture452.jpg

A better picture of the feed.
http://i66.photobucket.com/albums/h244/Creekerpics/Picture441.jpg

Slide feeding a bullet, poor picture.
http://i66.photobucket.com/albums/h244/Creekerpics/Picture443.jpg

Bullet in die ready to size & lube.
http://i66.photobucket.com/albums/h244/Creekerpics/Picture446.jpg

Dry Creek Bullet Works
Dry Creek Firewood

[Rich219]

Is there an upgrade to that machine so you don't have to manually drop the bullet into the die?

[LAH]

No upgrade needed.

This is a factory bullet feed from Magma. When you raise the sizing handle the linkage moves the slide out dropping the bullet into the die. As you lower the handle to size the bullet the slide retracts to accept another bullet from the tube.

[angus6]

Not sure what problems people have with the feeder , I feed mine with a M/A collator when I've got the collator adjusted right I can run 230gr .45 as fast as I can work the handle

LAH I really find the L handle a lot more comfortable

[LAH]

I have a small M/A Collator myself. Since this was a small run I used the tubes & pressure screw instead of the collator & air cylinder..............Creeker



Dry Creek Bullet Works
Dry Creek Firewood

[TriggerHappyAndy]

Can you show some detailed pictures with the collator too? That would be really interesting to see...

[LAH]

Can you show some detailed pictures with the collator too? That would be really interesting to see...

These pictures aren't the best but were taken with machine in operation. The collator here is a MA Systems feeding a Ballisti Cast Auto Sizer instead of a Star. The set up is basically the same only most Star users have a smaller collator.

The first picture shows bullets in collator being turned properly. Notice bullet to far right, it's begun the journey into the feed tube headed for the sizing die.
http://i66.photobucket.com/albums/h244/Creekerpics/Picture494.jpg

Collators are normally mounted high so a mirror is used to see inside.
http://i66.photobucket.com/albums/h244/Creekerpics/Picture495.jpg

This is the feed tube from collator to sizer. A micro switch is used to turn collator on and off to prevent over filling the feed tube. Note spare collator plate on wall to rear.
http://i66.photobucket.com/albums/h244/Creekerpics/Picture506.jpg


Dry Creek Bullet Works
Dry Creek Firewood

[machinisttx]

Looks like what I need to go with my Dillon XL650.

[Cherokee]

Lynn, nice setup. I was through Beckley 4 times this month, got to stop and see you some time.

[LAH]

Lynn, nice setup. I was through Beckley 4 times this month, got to stop and see you some time.

Your welcome here anytime...................Creeker

[TriggerHappyAndy]

LAH, thank´s a lot for the pictures! That was very interesting.

Cheers!

[LAH]

LAH, thank´s a lot for the pictures! That was very interesting.

Cheers!

You're welcome Sir.....................Creeker

[jmorris]

Looks like what I need to go with my Dillon XL650.

That’s what I thought until I received their information packet. $1300+ for the collator and miss rates (backwards bullets) up to 1-1000 turned me off. So I built my own.

http://i121.photobucket.com/albums/o213/jmorrismetal/feeder1.jpg

http://i121.photobucket.com/albums/o213/jmorrismetal/feeder4.jpg


I also had inverted bullets every now and then so i built this device to drop up side down bullets out a trap door if the base of the bullet triggered the swtich. It makes it 100%

http://i121.photobucket.com/albums/o213/jmorrismetal/feeder2.jpg


I also use it for my automatic pneumatic bullet sizer. The gear motor on the left just turns a drum with a blind hole in it around so a base down bullet is nose down to go through the sizer.
http://i121.photobucket.com/albums/o213/jmorrismetal/center.jpg

http://i121.photobucket.com/albums/o213/jmorrismetal/die.jpg

[desteve811]

The talent people have on this forum amazes me. This is by far the best forum out there.

[TriggerHappyAndy]

The talent people have on this forum amazes me. This is by far the best forum out there.
+1 on that!

[Doc Highwall]

Now you have me thinking.

[LAH]

IMHO miss rate is highly dependent on bullet shape & length. I've never had a 429421 miss. Could be lucky but after a bunch I think it's the bullet shape.

And JMorris...................great job.......................Creeker



Dry Creek Bullet Works
Dry Creek Firewood