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Thread: Star Bullet Feed

  1. #1
    Boolit Master LAH's Avatar
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    Star Bullet Feed

    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.


    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.


    A better picture of the feed.


    Slide feeding a bullet, poor picture.


    Bullet in die ready to size & lube.


    Dry Creek Bullet Works
    Dry Creek Firewood

  2. #2
    Boolit Bub
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    Is there an upgrade to that machine so you don't have to manually drop the bullet into the die?

  3. #3
    Boolit Master LAH's Avatar
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    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.

  4. #4
    Boolit Buddy
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    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

  5. #5
    Boolit Master LAH's Avatar
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    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

  6. #6
    Boolit Bub TriggerHappyAndy's Avatar
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    Can you show some detailed pictures with the collator too? That would be really interesting to see...

  7. #7
    Boolit Master LAH's Avatar
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    Quote Originally Posted by TriggerHappyAndy View Post
    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.


    Collators are normally mounted high so a mirror is used to see inside.


    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.



    Dry Creek Bullet Works
    Dry Creek Firewood

  8. #8
    Boolit Buddy machinisttx's Avatar
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    Looks like what I need to go with my Dillon XL650.
    Machinists do it with precision.

  9. #9
    Boolit Master




    Cherokee's Avatar
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    Lynn, nice setup. I was through Beckley 4 times this month, got to stop and see you some time.
    God Bless America
    US Army, NRA Patron, TSRA Life
    SASS, Ruger & Marlin accumulator

  10. #10
    Boolit Master LAH's Avatar
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    Quote Originally Posted by Cherokee View Post
    Lynn, nice setup. I was through Beckley 4 times this month, got to stop and see you some time.
    Your welcome here anytime...................Creeker

  11. #11
    Boolit Bub TriggerHappyAndy's Avatar
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    LAH, thank´s a lot for the pictures! That was very interesting.

    Cheers!

  12. #12
    Boolit Master LAH's Avatar
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    Quote Originally Posted by TriggerHappyAndy View Post
    LAH, thank´s a lot for the pictures! That was very interesting.

    Cheers!
    You're welcome Sir.....................Creeker

  13. #13
    Boolit Grand Master jmorris's Avatar
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    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.






    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%




    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.



  14. #14
    Boolit Buddy desteve811's Avatar
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    The talent people have on this forum amazes me. This is by far the best forum out there.

  15. #15
    Boolit Bub TriggerHappyAndy's Avatar
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    Quote Originally Posted by desteve811 View Post
    The talent people have on this forum amazes me. This is by far the best forum out there.
    +1 on that!

  16. #16
    Boolit Master
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    Talking

    Now you have me thinking.

  17. #17
    Boolit Master LAH's Avatar
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    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

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Abbreviations used in Reloading

BP Bronze Point IMR Improved Military Rifle PTD Pointed
BR Bench Rest M Magnum RN Round Nose
BT Boat Tail PL Power-Lokt SP Soft Point
C Compressed Charge PR Primer SPCL Soft Point "Core-Lokt"
HP Hollow Point PSPCL Pointed Soft Point "Core Lokt" C.O.L. Cartridge Overall Length
PSP Pointed Soft Point Spz Spitzer Point SBT Spitzer Boat Tail
LRN Lead Round Nose LWC Lead Wad Cutter LSWC Lead Semi Wad Cutter
GC Gas Check