Need Luber/Sizer selection advise

I know this is an ongoing question that is posted but hope that someone that has both an RCBS Lube-A-Matic-2 and a SAECO Lubri-Sizer can respond. I need a luber sizer for low volume pistol, revolver and rifle (.40-65). Obviously the SAECO is more expensive as are their top punches and dies. I did see where they (SAECO) say that it has a swing out gas check seater which allows the option of seating gas cheks without sizing if you want to shoot "as cast" boolits. Don't know if I would ever need this as currently I don't use gas checks. They also state that their dies have a .3 inch throat before the sizing actually starts to help with alignment.

I read in another thread several recommendations for the Star by Magna. What makes it better than the RCBS or SAECO?

Any opinions, advise or comments will be appreciated.

Thanks

I do not have a STAR, but it is a highly regarded machine used and praised by many. It is also highly priced. STAR owners will quickly fill you in on the virtues of their machines. I can't recall anyone criticizing it. I myself have two Saecos and am very pleased with them; they have done everything I expected and needed from them, for a very long time now. The sizing dies and the top punches, as you already stated, aren't exactly cheap, but do a good job, I once had an RCBS but didn't like the hollow stick feature nor what I thought was a bit too much leakage in general use. Best of luck with your choice. LLS

The Star is a high speed lubrisizer. I have two Stars, an RCBS and a Lyman.
The Star is unrivaled in speed, but slower and fussier to change boolits.

If you do smallish (say under 3-500 or so) batches of different diam and
design boolits you will be better off with an RCBS or Lyman - don't know
anything about the Saeco.

For large quantities of the same boolit, the Star has no equal, but is expensive
and so are the dies. Our own lathesmith makes great Star dies for really
good prices. Prolly make RCBS or Lyman if you asked him, but they are
cheap enough that I'd guess he'd rather not try to compete unless it was
a non-std size.

Bill

Quote:

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Originally Posted by DSW

I know this is an ongoing question that is posted but hope that someone that has both an RCBS Lube-A-Matic-2 and a SAECO Lubri-Sizer can respond. I need a luber sizer for low volume pistol, revolver and rifle (.40-65). . . .

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I am in a similar position, but my hunting-shooting partner is a former commercial cast bullet maker. Currently, he loads and shoots tens of thousands of round per year. He owns Saeco and RCBS lubrisizers. Here is a summary of his recommendation for me.

1. Saeco's tapered shoulder nose punches yield more precise/concentric sizing than RCBS'.

2. RCBS' Lube-A-Matics have significantly better operating leverage than Saeco's. Were sizing to be more than .001 inch, and sizing large diameter bullet (I will be buying for .454, .458, and .476 inch), he said: You will have sized bullets stick in the sizer."

3. His recommendation for me was the RCBS with the following proviso. He recommends buying Mountain Mold casting molds and having Mountain Molds make fitted nose punch for each also. He believes this mitigates potential concentricity issues that might have otherwise occurred.

4. His alternate recommendation, if I insisted upon buying a Saeco, was to slug each barrel and obtain molds for each barrel that drop my WW +2 alloy no more than .001 inch over. I believe this will be a riskier solution, so I'm going with his choice -- #3.

Hope this helps.

I have and use 6 lubesizers, 2-Star, 2-RCBS, and 2- Lyman, and the best and fastest by a mile is the Star. The only complaint is the cost of dies, almost double what the other makes are. I use the Star whenever I can now, and only use the others when I don't have the right size die for the Star, I must have over 50 dies for the RCBS/Lyman. I don't find any problem or wasted time switching dies on the Star, just as quick for me as the RCBS.

Quote:

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Originally Posted by Le Loup Solitaire

I do not have a STAR, but it is a highly regarded machine used and praised by many. It is also highly priced. STAR owners will quickly fill you in on the virtues of their machines. I can't recall anyone criticizing it. I myself have two Saecos and am very pleased with them; they have done everything I expected and needed from them, for a very long time now. The sizing dies and the top punches, as you already stated, aren't exactly cheap, but do a good job, I once had an RCBS but didn't like the hollow stick feature nor what I thought was a bit too much leakage in general use. Best of luck with your choice. LLS

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What is the hollow stick feature?

Lube for the Lyman and RCBS need to have a hole down the center for the pressurizing screw to pass through.

The Star is about three-four times as fast to use as the others, but takes a little longer to set up.

What they said. I have a Star, and use it for my non-GC pistol boolits. I have two RCBS, one w/50/50, the other w/hard lube, and use them for my GC boolits. I have never used a SAECO, but have heard good things about them. And the Lyman/RCBS sizing dies also have a tapered lead-in...

I have owned and used A Star ( currently have two) Lyman 45 ( sold) Lyman number 1 ( light duty use) RCBS (sold) Saeco (Sold to my BIL with prviso to buy back)

How do I rate them?

Star

Saeco

Everything else!

Never had an issue with the Saeco not having enough leverage to get the job done, the trick was setting so you could get used to the handle stick out the side! Mounted mine sideways and it worked great for me ( did the same thing with the Lyman number 1)

Never an issue with stuck boolits or leverage! Dies a bit pricey but not as bad as Star's. Same stlye lube as Star soild core types work verey well.

The RCBS was better than either the Lyman 450 or older 45 and if you don't want to ante up a tad more cash for the Saeco RCBS is way to go!

I use the Star to nose size so alignment is never an issue Saeco's design has a better top punch layout and makes this sizer worth what they ask for it!

Get what you can afford but be aware a sizer can make or break your casting accuracy!

Quote:

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Originally Posted by HeavyMetal

I have owned and used A Star ( currently have two) Lyman 45 ( sold) Lyman number 1 ( light duty use) RCBS (sold) Saeco (Sold to my BIL with prviso to buy back)

How do I rate them?

Star

Saeco

Everything else!

Never had an issue with the Saeco not having enough leverage to get the job done, the trick was setting so you could get used to the handle stick out the side! Mounted mine sideways and it worked great for me ( did the same thing with the Lyman number 1)

Never an issue with stuck boolits or leverage! Dies a bit pricey but not as bad as Star's. Same stlye lube as Star soild core types work verey well.

The RCBS was better than either the Lyman 450 or older 45 and if you don't want to ante up a tad more cash for the Saeco RCBS is way to go!

I use the Star to nose size so alignment is never an issue Saeco's design has a better top punch layout and makes this sizer worth what they ask for it!

Get what you can afford but be aware a sizer can make or break your casting accuracy!

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Heavy Metal,

Thanks for the critique on the SAECO and Star. I, like you, have never heard of an issue with having boolitz get stuck or lack of leverage relative to the SAECO. An old friend uses one for his .40-65 and .50-120 and has never had any issue even with those monster boolitz. I'm an FFL so I emailed Magna inquiring as to dealer pricing but have yet to hear back. I guess I still don't understand what makes a Star so much better. All I hear from everyone is that they have never had any problems with one and that they are fast. Are there any features that are better that with the SAECO?

The Star uses nose first, strait through sizing, no top punch.....bullet pases through the star die and gets lubed only where you want it, not on the base, not on the bevel,etc. It falls out the bottom of die into your container. With the other types you always have to be concerned about alignment of the press/top punch with the die, and after you size the bullet, you must remove it and put it in your container. I find the Star about 5 X faster, but still use the others, for accuracy, I prefer the straight through feature of the Star.

The Star has to actually size the bullet down some, or the lube will leak. I have several different models of the Lyman, and frequently I use a die slightly larger than the bullet such that I lube, but don't size.

The Star takes lots of fiddling with to get it right, then it really cranks out production. Lyman takes little adjustment, but is slower.

No experience witht he SAECO, and little with the RCBS.

CDD

Well,,,, here is my 2 cents worth.
I have 6 Stars that get used on a daily basis, one at a time of course. I own an RCBS which gets used on a weekly basis. I have a Lachmiller ( original RCBS) that gets used on a monthly basis. And I have an almost new SAECO which is setting on a shelf collecting dust. For my style of use I find the Saeco to be extremely clumsy to use. Nothing wrong with the accuracy, or durability, just not as user friendly to operate.

DSW
What makes the Star is it's ability to deliver a lot of good sized boolits with about half the time and labor expinditure of every other lube sizer on the market!

If your loading a lot of one boolit, say a pair of 6 banger Lee 45 TC boolits, the Star will save you half a days work or more!

If your using a single 2 banger in the same design and only making 100 or so then the Star is really overkill for you. For that amount of production I'd buy the Saeco and never look back!

However any of the other sizers on the market would handle that work load just as well. I just happen to think the Saeco is a much more accurate sizer because of the tapered section of the top punch! This self aligns when it is screwed into the sizer and is not as prone to being misaligned as the Lymans style top punches are!

From your post I believe you have a Saeco and are using it with great success! Unless you have need of huge production, I like to cast in at least 1000 round batches, you have no need to buy a Star unless you "want one"!

I bit the boolit and bought the star. At $250.00, it is a quality, life time investment. It seams like a lot of money up front, but concider the LIFETIME of use you will get out of it and 250.00 dosen't sound bad. Plus they seam to hold their resale value if you decide to get out of the hobby.

I have been informed that San Diego Stars had cast iron base, top and ram support metal while Magma Stars use aluminum. Is this information accurate? If it is, is there any significant change in durability -- good or bad?

:-DStar!

I have 1 new Magma Star and 2 San Diego Stars. Maybe way back when when they first started the bases were cast but both of mine and the 2 others that I used to own were all aluminum. And they all work the same, not a knat whiskers difference. I never have figured out why people will pay more for an old one than a new one.