Topics

1

Star Reloaders / Star Add-ons

« on: January 05, 2006, 12:20:40 pm »

OK, OK, OK!  Here I am with more questions about the Star.

In my quest for knowledge, I need to know who made or makes add-ons for the Star press.  I do know the names of Hulme (but have no real info), Brewster (for the Indexer; ditto no info), and Freeloader (have only the address in Janesville, Wisconsin). Who are other add-on mfgrs and what did/do they make?

It seems to me that the Star needs an add-on to shut-off for the powder measure so that you will not dump powder when no case is present.  In looking at my PM (which John Paul Jones has dated for me as pre-WWII) it has a nice brass or bronze threaded bottom that screws into the Powder Slide Housing Cover Plate (#70).  Seems to me that a brass or bronze part to go between that has a slide or rotating shutoff would be ideal.  Am thinking of a water shutoff on the zones of a hot water heating system.  Did anyone make something like this??

Thanks in advance for any additional information.

Dave Daniels

2

Star Reloaders / Powder Bar Chart

« on: December 28, 2005, 06:57:19 pm »

I have six 00 powder bars with measurements on them of:

.272; .291; .302; .315; .320; and .328

Does anyone have a conversion chart for these?

3

Star Reloaders / Pictures -- where?

« on: December 28, 2005, 12:34:40 pm »

Am wondering where I can access detailed pictures of the Star Lubrisizer, the lubrisizer tool, the Star Universal, Hulme case feeder, and the Brewster indexer.  Also any other after-market parts that may have been supplied to Star owners.

Thanks

4

Star Reloaders / Star Universal Turns Hard

« on: December 28, 2005, 12:13:47 pm »

I just acquired a Universal in .45 acp.  The shellplate turns as if it is being held back.  I loosened the locknut and adjusted it several times and got a minute better performance.  Took the plate out  and do NOT see any indication of a problem -- no wear marks.

Any thoughts?

5

Survey Says... / Member Page

« on: December 23, 2005, 12:30:50 pm »

I have seen that a Member has a link via starreloaders.com to a page containing much great info.  Question is "How do we access these sites?"

6

Survey Says... / Msg Posts Abbreviated

« on: December 23, 2005, 12:29:17 pm »

Some posts just run off the right side of the page while others have a scroll bar on the right so you can scroll down and read the whole, of a long, message.

When the msg runs off the right side of the page I find it difficult to find the whole msg (you CAN click on <QUOTE> at the top right and it will appear).

What is the fix?  Or, how does the poster get the scroll bar inserted?

dd

7

Star Reloaders / Observations and Questions

« on: December 19, 2005, 10:45:39 pm »

Kenneth L. Walters wrote some interesting things about the Star Machine Works in his posts to the forum.  One thing that comes to mind was about the business practices at Star or lack thereof of SMC.

As I posted the other day, I have just seen a Star Reloading Tool for the first time.  The owner has quite a number of paper items from Star which I obtained today and made copies for reading and research.  Some are duplicates, just with differing dates, like price lists.  One price list, dated March 1, 1978, ends with the following:

AT THE PRESENT TIME OUR SHIPPING SCHEDULE IS APPROX:

Reloaders:           22 - 24 Months
Extra Tool Head          12 - 14     ?
Lubricators          8 - 10      ?
Parts                   2 - 5        ?

With a production schedule like this, it is no wonder the company went out of business.  I know, there are undoubtedly many factors contributing toward such a situation such as the health of the principals, other aerospace industry business, etc., but still....

My friend who owns the machines that I mentioned will be taking them apart for a thorough cleaning and reassembly before any attempt at reloading.  I will get more information as I can.  Meanwhile, a question or two:  First, Quality.  You can see that this machine is very well built with materials of the highest order and dimensions held to very close tolerances.  Do you know just what areas of this press assembly contribute most to the production of quality ammunition on this machine?

I cannot look at the diagrams or at the press itself without comparing it to Dillon products, which may be heresey to some of you who have owned and used the Star for decades.  Yet, both are progressive machines; both use a rotating shell plate, a primer feed system, and a powder drop system.  One wonders just where one machine may be better than the other.  Even which Dillon machine most fairly compares directly to the Star?  What do you think??

dd in MA
Still learning.

8

Star Reloaders / New Member Intro and Questions

« on: December 18, 2005, 05:15:44 pm »

As a new forum member, I should introduce myself.  I am a long time shooter, former highpower rifle competitor and current bullseye pistol competitor.  When I began reloading circa 1966 I was mentored by the husband of a friend of my mother.  Reloading was my hobby; shooting was only a means to acquire empty brass.  I developed a permanent bend in my back looking at the ground for the errant empty left behind by other shooters.  In those days, there were very few cases left on the range -- a major difference from today with more affluent shooters who buy new ammo and do not reload the cases.

As I commented on another forum just a couple of days ago, I have never seen a Star reloading press in person -- that is until todayi!

As fate would have it, I have just returned from a hands on inspection of two Stars, one the Progressive and the other a Universal.  Neither looks to have been used in several years.  The current owner just obtained same from an estate and he knows at least as little about them as do I.  Hard to tell if all is there altho it seems so.  I was amazed at how small this press is considering all of the plaudits that have been written about it that I have read over the years.

The Universal has a case feeder (name escapes me) with a funnel on top, and a case indexer (ditto) that looked to be a device to be mounted to the bench beside the machine.  This device has a flat bar with a circular cut that contact a case, pushing it to the next station.  This bar is aluminum and seems to be well chewed up.  I should have taken notes but did not think of this as I was examining these machines.

Now for the question:  The .38 Spl sizing die was clearly marked Lifetyme but the .45 acp die was not.  That die had a bluish coloring at its base on the knurled part.  Could this be a Lifetyme die also?

Next question:  These machines each had only two dies, the sizing/decapping die and the seater/crimper die.  This was surprising to me as I have become a believer in separating the latter two steps.  Anyone have comments?

Also, the .45 acp sizing die does not have a depriming pin.  Are these unique or are the ones from Lyman or RCBS usable?

Any help that I can obtain will go a long way toward deciding whether I should own these machines.

dd in MA