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WARD O
01-26-2010, 12:33 PM
I have had a Star for many years but have never rigged up a satisfactory bullet catch tray. What are you Star users doing for a bullet catch tray? I HAVE to get something going.....

Thanks for any advice.

Ward

Willbird
01-26-2010, 01:16 PM
What I did was go to the hardware store and buy some of the plastic tubing they had, the farm store has some too. To start I just used a conduit clamp to hold that to the edge of the bench, using a stack of wood blocks to shim it out to the right place, you need to get the curve of the tube right to slow the bullets, but still allow them to exit without piling up.

That worked great so I took an aluminum black and bored it so the tube fit into it, and made it the proper thickness to screw to the bench edge. I do need to clean out the tube now and then or bullet lube builds up, you can lightly lube the inside of the tube with a cleaning patch sprayed with PAM.

And I just put any kind of shallow box under the end of the tube which runs off to the right or the left of the lube sizer whichever suite your bench setup.

RayinNH
01-26-2010, 01:57 PM
http://castboolits.gunloads.com/showthread.php?t=40509

DUKE's system looks good...Ray

jameslovesjammie
01-26-2010, 02:05 PM
This is a forum member's setup. I liked it so much I stole the picture and am going to do the same.

http://i26.photobucket.com/albums/c129/jameslovesjammie/gun%20stuff/Casting%20Stuff/StarTube.jpg

686
01-26-2010, 02:26 PM
I have sized over 1,000,000 bullets in the past 30 yrs. i let them fall in to my hand for about 10-15 bullets then drop in to the box or container they are going to stay in till loading. this lets you watch them as they come out of the sizer to look for any bad ones you missed or ones that the lube is not good and run them back. if you blind side run them you never know how they are doing. i do use a bullet feader and i do lube with both hands. last thur.afternoon. i lubed 4000 38 spl . by putting in the box they are going to stay in till you load them, they stay cleaner.
if you were hand feeding i would use a small bowl under the sizer and dump it every 20-30 bullets. you can still watch the bullets as they drop in to the bowl.

chrisx1
01-27-2010, 12:56 AM
I'm with 686 - I like to make sure all is well with the lube as I go. I think the air cylinder makes it easier to "set and forget", but for those of us still using the old bolt and spring, we need to keep an eye on the end product to make sure pressure is correct.

My catch bin is one of the smaller akro bins, and they hold about 200 or so .45 boolits IIRC.

http://i264.photobucket.com/albums/ii174/chrisx1/Star%20Sizer/DSC03609.jpg

http://i264.photobucket.com/albums/ii174/chrisx1/Star%20Sizer/DSC03610.jpg

Lloyd Smale
01-27-2010, 07:53 AM
mine looks about the same but i mounted the container sideways to give it a bit more strenth.
I'm with 686 - I like to make sure all is well with the lube as I go. I think the air cylinder makes it easier to "set and forget", but for those of us still using the old bolt and spring, we need to keep an eye on the end product to make sure pressure is correct.

My catch bin is one of the smaller akro bins, and they hold about 200 or so .45 boolits IIRC.

http://i264.photobucket.com/albums/ii174/chrisx1/Star%20Sizer/DSC03609.jpg

http://i264.photobucket.com/albums/ii174/chrisx1/Star%20Sizer/DSC03610.jpg

686
01-27-2010, 09:41 AM
I have to know. What is the string and counter weight for?

dragonrider
01-27-2010, 09:54 AM
Keeps the handle in the upright position right???????? what did I win :)

Bob J
01-27-2010, 11:32 AM
Thats a real sweet setup....:)


I'm with 686 - I like to make sure all is well with the lube as I go. I think the air cylinder makes it easier to "set and forget", but for those of us still using the old bolt and spring, we need to keep an eye on the end product to make sure pressure is correct.

My catch bin is one of the smaller akro bins, and they hold about 200 or so .45 boolits IIRC.

http://i264.photobucket.com/albums/ii174/chrisx1/Star%20Sizer/DSC03609.jpg

http://i264.photobucket.com/albums/ii174/chrisx1/Star%20Sizer/DSC03610.jpg

Muddy Creek Sam
01-27-2010, 11:42 AM
Springfield has his mounted on an old desk and catches his bullets in the drawer.

Sam :D

WARD O
01-27-2010, 01:29 PM
There are some great ideas here - thanks guys.

Ward

lathesmith
01-27-2010, 09:02 PM
My setup is similar to chrisx1's, just mounted a little higher. Acro bins work great for me!

lathesmith

opentop
01-27-2010, 09:23 PM
This is my simple bullet catcher untill I make something more permanent.

http://i453.photobucket.com/albums/qq256/saa45/Starcatcher.jpg

garandsrus
01-28-2010, 12:59 AM
I milled a rabbet (woodworking term - not sure if metalworking is the same) into a piece of 1/4 x 1 1/2 x 4" long aluminum flat stock to hold an acro bin and attached it with two screws. Works great!

John

jeffwhetstone
01-28-2010, 02:20 AM
No shortage of great ideas around here..... guess I'll be mouting a metal akro-bin-holding rail to the front of my bench this weekend. Can't believe I never thought of that.

Willbird
01-28-2010, 07:34 AM
I did not like the idea of them "plunking" into a box several inches below the sizer.

Bill

Orygun
01-28-2010, 08:00 PM
This is a forum member's setup. I liked it so much I stole the picture and am going to do the same.

http://i26.photobucket.com/albums/c129/jameslovesjammie/gun%20stuff/Casting%20Stuff/StarTube.jpg

Heh, that was me. :) To expand, I drilled through the bench top so as the sizer sets back flush at the front. The PVC pipe is cut at an angle with a small hole drilled in the bottom of the pointed end as is simply hooked on a cup hook when in use and out of the way when not.

It funnels the boolits down into a plastic bucket and they bounce off of an old padded bicycle seat slowing them down before they roll off to the side, so as not to dent or deform them. Works very well for a MacGyver type rig.

chrisx1
01-28-2010, 09:40 PM
Yep,
String is attached to a counterweight below the bench - you can see it in the pic.

I have switched to a spring now though, one strong enough to pull the handle back up if you let go of it. The counterweight I had would hold it at the top, but would not raise it.

An easy counterweight would be a soup can with some scrap lead, wheel weights or whatever in it. Everyone has a piece of twine and a can laying around - and as for the lead, well......I think it goes without saying around here.

ANeat
01-29-2010, 12:54 PM
I have mine mounted on a Dillon strong mount, just slide whatever acro-bin under and lube away.

http://i64.photobucket.com/albums/h165/aneat/Lead/DSC00681.jpg