Messages

16

Star Reloaders / Re: Having difficulty re-sizing 9 mm cases on my Star.

« on: February 16, 2011, 05:14:28 pm »

Guys... this thread was started in 2004....
It is now 7 years later...
Maybe he has it figgered out!

17

Star Reloaders / Re: Any concerns with RL Shockey Perfection dies?

« on: February 13, 2011, 10:17:08 am »

Hi:
My first STAR Universal has the black blued Perfection Sizer Die (Carbide) in the machine head for .38 Special.
The others in the machine head are also perfections, I would assume.
I have had this machine since 1979/80 and those dies work perfectly then and now (pun intended) (purchased from Mo Defina, gunsmith in CT).
I got this first Star from Mo along with my first S&W 52 38 Special wadcutter.  Mo sold STARs back then for bullseye shooters back in the day.
Never a problem and still on the same decapping pin after all these years and rounds (lost track of count actually).

Now, I do not know who made these dies and if they are the same source as you mention, RL Shockey?

18

Star Reloaders / Re: POWDER CUT-OFF by Maurice Lewis

« on: February 12, 2011, 09:17:24 am »

It would be nice to have a Wiki search on the board.
There are alot of tidbits that are hidden in threads where the thread name is not
really that descriptive of the eventual subject matter.

19

Star Reloaders / Re: POWDER CUT-OFF by Maurice Lewis

« on: February 10, 2011, 04:19:15 pm »

MA builds them in very small batches.
So you have to contact him via this forum.
Like most stuff STAR... things are normally not off the shelf but crafted one at a time
by great craftsmen.

Doe anyone else really treasure the tiny hand made shipping boxes that MA (or his wife) makes to ship the drain?
I have a collection of them.  They are REALLY well done.  Precise as all heck.
Art

20

Star Reloaders / Re: POWDER CUT-OFF by Maurice Lewis

« on: February 10, 2011, 09:32:55 am »

MA's is both a cut off AND it is a powder magazine DRAIN.

So.. you can stop the flow of powder and then if desired you can DRAIN the
powder magazine of all powder as well.

I have 4 of MA's cut off and drains on my 4 Stars....  once you have this
you do not want to operate a Star without one.

Nice piece of craftsmanship.

It also comes in a hand made shipping box...  too cool.

Art

21

Star Reloaders / Re: Picture Thread for the Stars

« on: February 09, 2011, 09:32:31 am »

Ok, here are my 4 STAR Universals that are currently in operation.
Please excuse the overall mess of my pistol press area but I kind of like
it like that.  From left to right is the .45 ACP Star with a home fitted
CH4D carousel type case magazine with a Hulme feeder.  Next is a
Universal which is set up with .38 Special and Hulme and Freeloader.
Next is a Universal which is 9mm Luger with Hulme and Freeloader and
last is a Universal set up to load .44 Magnum.

All have the Moon Unit indexers and the fantastic Moon Unit Case flippers from Ray Brandes (however
the .44 Mag does not have the indexer set up at this time.  Above in the c
center are 3 more Machine Heads for 40 S&W, 38 SuperComp and .357 Magnum.
Many of them sport the Dave Wilson custom Star Dies (.38 SuperComp, .40 S&W and .44 Magnum).
They all have the L type roller handle which I find to be the most comfortable to use.
All have Bruce Willams refurbished powder magazine tubes.  Each is snick snick
perfect, and you can cycle each with pinky pressure if there are no cases in the shellholder.
They are mounted to my self made benches, and underneath I have a plastic funnel to catch the
spent primers which drop thru a hole in the bench.  The funnel has a cork in it and I unload the
spent primers every so often.

These all have the MA Lewis powder drains as well as the Rich Daniels
adjustable powder bars and a few of Rich's shell plates.  In addition I have (not shown) 3 more Universals
in various states of restoration/cleaning and 3 STAR Lubrisizers set up for
9mm, 45 ACP and 44 Magnum in order to feed these babies self cast Hensley & Gibbs boolits.

PS, that little black seat is a Drummers Stool which is for sure a super
comfortable seat for operating the STARs from.  
I look forward to seeing other's set ups... or "SHRINES TO THE STAR" as it were... Ha Ha.. Enjoy.

22

Star Reloaders / Re: BREWSTER

« on: February 05, 2011, 11:51:28 am »

If you do a google search on MOON UNIT INDEXER you will find the Youtube video and Ray Brande's web site which describes and shows
the product in use.

23

Star Reloaders / Rare R. Daniels Brass Hulme Case Feeder

« on: February 05, 2011, 09:03:14 am »

Hi Guys:
Thought I would share this piece of STAR eye candy with you.
This is a rare R. Daniels brass highly polished Hulme type case feeder.  It operates the same as the
Hulme with the nifty addition of a finger bar on the left side of the body.  This allows you to hold the
roller back in order to set the cam or cycle the feeder with your finger.  

As you can see, the feeder is just a work of art.  Richy made only twelve of these back in the day.
I found this one at a gun show in Wallingford, CT in a BOX of JUNK....  
When I told Rich he could not believe it.

You will note that this feeder has a rounded set of "wings" that extend the grip of the feeder to the left and right
and envelope the base of the STAR.  You just do not know how cool and retro this looks on an old STAR.
I would like to approach Ray Brandes and ask him to make a Moon Unit in Brass for a matching look.

24

Star Reloaders / Re: About What Year?

« on: February 05, 2011, 08:53:41 am »

Good Info Bruce!
Here are some Pics of the early Powder Slide Came Attachment and then the newer one....
Here is the old style...

Here is the other side of the old style showing one screw connection with keyway...

Now here is a picture of the newer Style late 64 or newer....

25

Star Reloaders / Re: About What Year?

« on: February 05, 2011, 06:26:53 am »

this is the best pic I can get of the powder slide I can only see 2 screws on it though.

Ok, you misunderstand.... The Powder Slide CAM is the tall dark blued metal cam that is attached to the round base
and thru which the powder slide itself rides on (and thus goes in and out because of the CAM profile). 

The CAM is connected to the base on early machines directly to the
round base casting.  I have one such machine and it was purchased Pre WW2
according to the original owner.   

Later on, (time frame unclear) STAR machines simplified the round base and the casting process and had a powder slide CAM holder that
had 3 SCREWS which attached the cam and holder to the base.

26

Star Reloaders / Re: About What Year?

« on: February 04, 2011, 11:17:57 pm »

Cannot tell what year.... pretty much none of us can.
Yours has what appears to be a Rich Daniels L handle.... odd but it looks like it is on the left side of the crank shaft.
It appears the machine once had a Hulme type case feeder as the stand off is still attached to the spring anchor.
There is also a jogger type tube holder on one of the link arms which was used by the FREELOADER type case feeder tops.
The jogger type holder allowed the Freeloader to "wobble" and thus drop brass down the tube.

The powder slide cam... is it connected to a base that has 3 screws that mount it to the round base?
Some of the early STARS had the powder slide cam base that was molded directly to the round base, thus not two parts but one.

I cannot tell from your photos...

Art

27

Star Reloaders / Re: BREWSTER

« on: February 04, 2011, 03:34:35 pm »

I have 4 Moon Unit Indexers running on my four Universals.
The .45 and .38 SuperComp machines get the heaviest use and
I see no signs of wear on the shell plate, base or anywhere else.
I frankly would not run a Star without a Moon Unit indexer.
Once the machine is set up with the case kicker (if you taper crimp),
and functions well, then add the Indexer.  The only thing I have to do
is watch the case feeder, primer and put a bullet on the charged case.
I can knock of 50 rounds in a very short amount of time.

Ray has done a wonderful job on the Moon Unit.

28

Star Reloaders / Re: PARTS ORDER

« on: February 03, 2011, 07:16:22 am »

To my knowledge it is not.
All the flippers, indexers, etc appear custom one offs.
There is a chevron case feeder and bullet feeder but they are modified.

29

Star Reloaders / Re: DIE COMPANY

« on: February 02, 2011, 05:10:22 pm »

I have an ancient brochure from them.  The brochure came in documentation that was with a recent STAR I
purchased.  Essentially the docs were a reprint of the Gil Hebard (sp?) documents on how to
set up a Star.  They also made (or resold) dies and L type handles.  I am sure they are long
out of business.  There were a few companies that resold STARS as stocking dealers.
Paul Jones in California, Gil Hebard, Hulme,  Heatbath in Mass, also I think that Mike Dillon (of Dillon Reloading Press fame also had
for a time sold Stars and parts for Stars before he started Dillon), to name the few I know of.
Also quite a few bullseye gunsmiths were also into that aspect of Star sales as good, accurate bullseye
ammo was and still is scarce and the Star was the only game in town for them to roll their own.
The particular machine that this brochure came from was from Rhode Island.

I am working on that machine now to get it in shape.  It is a very nice Universal in .38 Special.
Just grimey... no rust and the base deck does not show case wear nor do the #63 link holes.

30

Star Reloaders / Re: PARTS ORDER

« on: February 02, 2011, 05:00:12 pm »

Yes, Richy is good, he does things right and knows the STAR and the hardness'
that various parts need to be in order to survive.  He is also a very good
bullseye gunsmith.  His automated STAR with motor drive is a marvel to watch
operate.  It churns out .45 ACP ammo in amazing fashion.  He has a hard time
keeping up with the primers, cases and powder once it gets going.... it is festooned with bullet placer,
kicker, chevron feeder and micro switches up the ying-yang.  He demonstrated it
for me last week when I was up at his shop.  I think at that time he was getting your
"stuff" together...  Are you the guy who wanted the old style leather powder washer and powder indicator?
The Hulme feeder and an L handle amongst other items?