Messages

61

Star Lubricator & Resizers / Re: Lubrisizer value???

« on: January 19, 2010, 01:32:24 pm »

For what it is worth... I have two Lubrisizers, one an original Star and the other a newer Magma of recent vintage.  Both are quality machines.  The springs on the Star are flat wound and beefier however they both work the same.  Other than that aspect, I find both machines to be of excellent construction and perform equally well.

I would not at all consider my Magma inferior to my older Star.  I have retrofitted both with Magma bullet feeders and Magma heated (ajustable for amount of heat) lube bases.  With the bullet feeder and heated bases, these lubrisizers are wonderful tools.  Both of them are outfitted with more modern handles.  One has a Magma Shovel D handle and the other has a delrin L handle.  I find these handles more eronomically easier to use than the original style Star handle.  But that is my personal preference.

Most used Stars run in the $200+ range on ebay from what I have seen.  More if they have a library of dies and punches... less if they are beat up, or incomplete.

Getting off of the soapbox now....

62

Loading Data & Reloading Procedures / Re: Expander Die Diameter for the .45 ACP

« on: January 18, 2010, 10:45:07 am »

RBwillJ:
You bring up a wonderful point, that the die is tapered... I did not realize that.  Jeepers that fact makes the measuring a REAL nightmare for data collection.  I will have to rethink this...

63

Loading Data & Reloading Procedures / Re: Expander Die Diameter for the .45 ACP

« on: January 18, 2010, 06:42:00 am »

Hi Guys:

If you have a Star with a .45 ACP tool head or die set, can you please do me a favor?

Please measure your expander/belling die and report back here with what your diameter is of the longer neck (not the tappered bell section) that expands the 45 ACP case neck.?

I have two such dies and one .449" and the other is .4475"

Care must be taken when measuring this die with a dial caliper if the die is on the machine head.  If the
calipers are not 100% perpendicular with the die then you will get a much larger reading.  Also please
really heavy hand your caliper for compression (in other words not light tension on the jaws).

I was just wondering if STAR sold variants of this which could impart different bullet tension?

Neither of these dies indicates any pedigree as to their original manufacturer however both are
a part of Lifetime sets...

So I would be interested in what sizes are out there...

64

Loading Data & Reloading Procedures / Re: Expander Die Diameter for the .45 ACP

« on: January 17, 2010, 10:47:53 pm »

Hi Manuel:
You did measure the correct die.  It is the die in position #2 after the full length sizing die.  This is the die that indeed does the neck expansion and then at the bottom of the lever pull when the machine head is nearing the lowest point, this die is fully inserted into the 45 case and then expands or slightly bells the case mouth.

This then is the key die for neck tension on the bullet.  I have always suspected there were various diameters of this die for different bullet types and powders requiring more tension.

So far we have three data points and each differs... so it is safe to assume there are or were quite a few diameters made.

Any others?

65

Loading Data & Reloading Procedures / Expander Die Diameter for the .45 ACP

« on: January 17, 2010, 02:43:45 pm »

Hi Guys:

If you have a Star with a .45 ACP tool head or die set, can you please do me a favor?

Please measure your expander/belling die and report back here with what your diameter is of the longer neck (not the tappered bell section) that expands the 45 ACP case neck.?

I have two such dies and one .449" and the other is .4475"

BTW, a smaller expander means more neck tension imparted to the bullet and a larger expander means less neck tension.

When taking your reading of a die on an installed machine head, please make sure the caliper is 100%
perpendicular to the die or you will possibly get a larger reading.  Also please use a heavy hand on your
caliper as far as jaw tension is concerned.

I was just wondering if STAR sold variants of this which could impart different bullet tension?

Neither of these dies indicates any pedigree as to their original manufacturer however both are
a part of Lifetime sets...

So I would be interested in what sizes are out there...

66

Star Reloaders / Re: Need help with safety cam spring

« on: January 09, 2010, 11:40:56 am »

  As the old saying goes, necessity is the mother of invention.

You got that right!  Thanks for that tip.

67

Star Reloaders / Re: freeloader repair

« on: January 06, 2010, 03:17:15 pm »

I have not taken apart a non-broken Freeloader...  that said, the washer appeared to be siliconed to the bottom of the bowl with the hole in the washer aligned with the hole in the bottom of the bowl.  The silicon had separated from the bowl so I cleaned it all off and then cleaned the bottom of the bowl with alcohol and once dry re-siliconed the washer in place.  It has been working now for about a year.

The bowl was then siliconed to the funnel and the funnel had a tube inserted in it to marry to the loading tube.  I have found that the loading tube needs to be long (say about 3 feet or so).  Too short a tube does not impart enough "wobble" to cause cases to roll and feed I have found.

Also Rich Daniels makes an improved tube holder.  This is a clamping holder that attaches to the leftmost long link arm.  The improved holder has hole in it thru which the loading tube runs.  As the machine head goes up and down the holder causes just the correct amount of wobble, in a slight forward and backwards manner, to the bowl/funnel unit to jostle a case down into the loader tube.  The heavy washer then gives some momentum to the wobble and also adds heft to keep the tube pressed down on the case feeder.

Rich is sometimes here on the forum but not too often does he contribute (from what I have seen).  He is a master machinist and gunsmith and can make or fashion just about any part for the Star that makes economical sense.

68

Star Reloaders / Re: freeloader repair

« on: January 02, 2010, 07:56:51 am »

The two Freeloaders I have seem to have been crafted using a silicone to joint the bowl to the funnel.
In addition, having taken one apart that needed repairs, there was a rather large "washer" in there to perhaps add weight to the unit.  I can imagine that the weight aids in "wobble" as well as in downward pressure on the top of the Hulme case feeder.

Do not over load the freeloader with cases.  If too many are placed in the dish they will not roll around and feed or drop well.  You learn this as time goes by.

69

Star Reloaders / Re: CHANCE TO BUY A 9MM TOOL HEAD

« on: December 26, 2009, 06:23:38 am »

At that price it will take you about 2,000 9mm rounds to just break even on the aquisition cost of the tool head and dies at current prices of aprox $13 per 50 rounds (factory loads) and in addition you have to take into account your cost of bullets, powder and primers.

What type (brand) of dies are in this tool head?  Is there a taper crimp die?  

I do have a 9mm set up on one of my Stars.  Since I shoot 9mm regularly, it is used quite alot so I am glad I have it.  However, some folks at the range view me as an oddball for reloading my own 9mm as the price of factory 9mm is among the lowest of the center fire pistol ammos.

However, I have worked up some accurate loads and cast my own 9mm bullets and my 9mm ammo is certainly some of the most accurate at the range.

So if you shoot 9mm a bit then I would say go for it!  Good Luck & Happy Holidays!

70

Star Lubricator & Resizers / Tip on How to Remove Die from Star Lubrisizer

« on: December 24, 2009, 08:08:09 am »

Over the years the removal of the Star sizing die has been frustrating for me.  Using the Star Removal tool does require you to evacuate the last bullet from the die in order to pull the die out.  So by removing the last bullet, you loose the critical point of reference for the bullet punch setup. 

I find the easiest way to remove the die is not to use the tool that star/magma sends to pull it out.  Instead I turned a piece of hard wood down which is just under the OD diameter of the die (.74"). I then drilled a .5" hole in the end for clearance for any bullet that might be in the die sticking out. When I am ready to remove the sizing die, I just push up with the dowel and it pops right out.  Having the heater on makes this removal easier.  Cold high temp lube kind of locks the die in place I have found.

The benefit of this is that is doesn't disturb the bullet inside the die as a set up reference.  Also the hard wood dowel does not mar the machine or the die.

71

Star Reloaders / The "L" Handle

« on: December 19, 2009, 07:59:11 am »

Recently, while visiting Rich Daniels here in Connecticut, I noticed that his slew of machines had "L" shaped handles.  Rich and I got to talking about them, and he showed me the three various types of Star made "L" handles which Star sold as options over the years, and then showed me one of his own "L" handles with a nice Delrin roller grip.

I did obtain one of these handles made by Rich.  Let me tell you that the "L" shaped handle does make your operating position feel more natural and less apt to have wrist cramping or discomfort over long operating periods.  You just have to be aware that the L handle in the fully down position does come close to the primer slide fixture so hand position is key otherwise you can pinch a thumb.

If you have not used an "L" handle before on the Star Universal, I would say you should give it a try.

Secondly,  One of the good guys over on the Cast Boolits Forum (Lathesmith aka Chris) forum makes an "L" handle for the Star Lubrisizer along with dies for the sizer and punches.  Likewise his L handle is nice to use and again an improvement over the standard handle for that Star machine.  The shovel handle is also nice with the roller grip.

Lathesmith did not know about us here at StarReloaders so he may join us!

72

Star Reloaders / Re: Problem w/ Primer Transfer Bar, Primer Punch, & Bushing

« on: December 19, 2009, 07:53:38 am »

In the 15 years of using a Star Universal, the only problem that I have ever encounted with the base machine was in the area of the primer feed.  In all three cases the primer bushing somehow became loose and started to back its way out or "up".  This caused the primer slide bar have more friction and it would not return back to get another primer. 

Looking back, I am probably guilty of not cleaning the base as often as I should.  Having machines dedicated to my commonly reloaded pistol calibers lends to this lack of cleaning I recon.

73

Star Reloaders / Re: Storage of Star Machine Heads

« on: December 16, 2009, 05:19:12 pm »

I fashioned my first stand last evening.  In searching the barn for some round dowel stock or tubes, I ran across an old but nice wooden broom handle.  The micrometer revealed it to be 1 1/16" OD which was perfect.  In addition, the knob end of the handle was already rounded,  I used about 7" in length.

I then set up my router table and router with a profile ogee bit and profiled the upper edges of  some square oak 4 quarter stock.  I then drilled a hole for the screw to hold the broom handle in the center.  In addition I drilled about 8  flat bottomed forstner perimeter holes on the underside of the base.  Into these holes I will pour some lead alloy to provide some hefty weight to the base to provide some amount of lower mass.

The 7" section of broom handle was then drilled in the center and screwed from the base to the handle.  The Star machine head fits really nice.  I will be pouring some alloy into the holes and also giving it a few coats of polyurethane finish afterwards.

Thanks for all of your tips Guys!

74

Star Reloaders / Re: Storage of Star Machine Heads

« on: December 12, 2009, 08:47:24 am »

Just wondering if I could use a length of plastic tube / pipe that has an OD just less than 1 3/16".  The benefit of the plastic is that is would not expand or contract with humidity.  I will check today and see what kind of materials are available.

75

Star Reloaders / Re: Storage of Star Machine Heads

« on: December 08, 2009, 02:04:37 pm »

Just remember to do a good job of sealing the wood. 

Excellent point and wonderful tip.  I will make sure to take the time to do that. A good winter project for sure.