Messages

1

Stars Want to Sell/Want to Buy / GOING TO THE DARK SIDE...WELL BLACK AND BLUE

« on: November 28, 2019, 02:15:45 am »

I've been using and loving Star Machines since I was a young Bullseye shooter in 1979.  I currently have five Universals and one old Progressive with the brass plate.  Change is constant and after looking at the new Dillon 1100 at SHOT I've decided that my time for change has come.  I believe that all of my Universals were purchased from the new Star Machine Works LLC and have not been loaded on.  I have about ten additional toolheads in 32 S&W, 380, 38 Super, 38 Special, 9MM, 40 S&W, 41 Magnum, 44 Special, 44 Magnum, 45 Colt, and 45 ACP off the top of my head.

The plan is that I'll be emptying drawers and gathering everything together as I recuperate from my recent heart surgeries over the holidays.  I will post my items for sale during the first or second week of January here.  If no responses come from this site, everything will be headed to eBay.

Please do not contact me early as I have forty years of parts and it will take some time for me to put a proper inventory together.  I just wanted to give the members of this forum a heads up of coming attractions.

Best regards.

RM Bob Horton
Tulare, CA

2

Stars Want to Sell/Want to Buy / Re: WTB: MA SYSTEMS ROTO-EZE

« on: July 01, 2018, 11:51:09 pm »

Hello and Thanks Lindy and Steve

I appreciate your sharing your experiences with me.  I used a Roto Ease years ago, liked it, and hadn't really given anything else much thought.  I am going to go ahead and order a Moon Indexer next week when I order my Case Kickers that I had planned on buying.  I'll give it a try and am happy that there is something out there better than what we used to use.  I am not sure that I will put an indexer on all of my machines.  For a lot of my loading, the Star with a case feeder and Dillon collator is just the right pace for me.

Thanks again for taking the time to share your thoughts on these units.

Best regards.

Bob

Tulare, CA

I have used the MA system roto ease but found that the "Moon Indexer" is a much better indexer by far.
May I suggest You take a look at it.
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=v7EebVoej6w

Good Shooting

Lindy

3

Stars Want to Sell/Want to Buy / Re: WTB: MA SYSTEMS ROTO-EZE

« on: June 30, 2018, 08:10:53 pm »

I have a spare new indexer but do I want to part with it?. MA System products were the best made.

Tony.  Sure you do.   

4

Stars Want to Sell/Want to Buy / Re: WTB: MA SYSTEMS ROTO-EZE

« on: June 30, 2018, 03:21:59 am »

Hi Lindy.

I went through my mail today and saw that your envelope had arrived a few days ago.

I appreciate it very much that you took the time to copy and mail the drawings, etc. to me.

Next time I am heading North, which may be in a few weeks as I need to drive past you and look at a Monarch 10EE , I'd like to buy you lunch and talk about Star machines.

Thanks again.

Best regards.

Bob

5

Stars Want to Sell/Want to Buy / Re: WTS: Star 38 ACP (38Super) die set

« on: June 30, 2018, 03:04:54 am »

Steve here... I have an original set of Star 38 ACP marked dies for sale, with  the boxes. I am selling  them as used but they appear unused.
$250 shipped Priority mail. Paypal or  postal MO
Thank you for looking

Hi Steve.

I'll take them.

PM coming.

Best regards.

Bob

6

Star Reloaders / Re: Universal Press Pricing Question

« on: June 30, 2018, 02:15:04 am »

Greetings,

Go to eBay and search for Star Reloader.

Then click on the Completed Items or Sold items.

They range from $400.00 to $1000.00. Bidding fluctuated based on how much alcohol the Bidder has consumed.

Also consider add-ons such as the Hulme Case feeder.

Cheers,

Dave

Dave has come up with an explanation for eBay price variations that makes sense.

Best regards.

Bob

7

Star Reloaders / Re: Star-made shell plates

« on: June 30, 2018, 12:44:35 am »

Very interesting stuff.

So you think the tool head molds went off to China and never came back

I don't know.  I never heard anything about the moulds being missing until today.  A story going around was that an attempt had been made to manufacture in China and that it ended badly.  I don't have any first hand knowledge but was just theorizing how the moulds went from in Pioneer, CA to missing.

I'll leave it to the machinists here with more talent I have to answer your other questions.

Best Regards.

Bob

8

Star Reloaders / Re: Star-made shell plates

« on: June 29, 2018, 01:47:03 pm »

Greetings,

A most fascinating read!!!

Too bad the tool head moulds have disappeared.

Cheers,

Dave

Hi Dave.

I didn't know those moulds had disappeared.  It was my understanding at the time that Mr. Cunningham had them.  I have heard rumors that he tried to tried to have a Chinese company make machines or parts for him.  I heard the attempt was unsuccessful but if true, that might explain the moulds being missing.

Btw, I remember asking George what type of metal was used in the casting of toolheads.  His reply was "old engine blocks."


Best regards.


Bob

9

Star Reloaders / Re: Star-made shell plates

« on: June 28, 2018, 01:15:04 pm »

I have one 45 Auto Rim shell plate that is blued.  It looks to be original Star, but I have no idea if the bluing was done by Star, or at a later time.

The Dillon 223 SuperStar shell plates were blued.

Bruce Williams

Hi Bruce.

Dead thread I know but I just ran across it.  I was at the shop in San Diego on the day that Mr. Cunningham arrived to start packing up the reloader portion of Star Machine Works.  I picked up a caliber change from George and the shellplate I got was not blued.  On the table near the front of the shop sat four or five Universal machines that had just been assembled.  I don't remember any of those shellplates being blued either.  I never saw a blued shellplate until after the sale of the business.  Several months later I ordered a shellplate from Pioneer, CA and noticed the change when it is arrived.  I remember talking to Mr. Cunningham about the difference at a later date. He said it had occurred when he ordered his first batch of shellplates from a supplier that he had hired to machine parts for him


On my visit prior to this last one, I was picking up a few progressive toolheads that I had shipped to Star. I'd sent them so that they could bore and thread the taper crimp die position for me.  I remember George showing me a wooden box with rows of sizing dies that he had made and sent out for hardening locally.  He told me that the initial hardening had been inadequate and the had just come back from a second attempt.  I believe that these were the first carbide sizer dies that I saw coming from Star that were not Lifetyme.  My best recollection is that these were not marked as far as manufacturer but they were for caliber.  By this time Lifetyme was gone, Hulme case feeders were gone, the shop was out of toolheads, and the business was for sale.  We talked for a couple of hours and I opined that nobody was going to want a new Star machine without a case feeder or available spare toolheads.  George started climbing around, found the toolhead moulds, and asked me to ship him a Hulme case feeder so he could use it as a pattern.  He called a few days later and told me that he had sent the moulds out for pouring but that the business had sold so not to bother sending him a case feeder.

He told me that prior to the sale, arrangements had been made that each employee still working there would be allowed to take a Universal Progressive home.  I don't recall how many employees were left but I seem to remember the number was two.

FWIW.

Bob

10

Stars Want to Sell/Want to Buy / WTB: MA SYSTEMS ROTO-EZE

« on: June 10, 2018, 12:11:27 am »

Hi.  Been gone for awhile as I have been under the knife quite a bit dealing with numerous orthopedic issues.

I was never a fan of MA System's case feeder but do like the cartridge ejector and shellplate indexer they made.  If anyone has a indexer (Roto-EZE, EASE??) that they would part with I would be interested in purchasing it.  If you have one that you won't sell, detailed photos and measurements would be appreciated as I would give making a few in my little home machine shop.

I haven't been able to shoot much for a couple of years but still have my seven or eight Universals and my "PAT PENDING" 1931 Progressive with the brass plate.  I hope after my right wrist surgery, which will come after my right rotator cuff surgery, I'll be more active on the range, my reloading bench, and on the forum.

Best regards.

Bob Horton
Tulare, CA

11

Star Reloaders / Re: Mounting a Star Progressive

« on: February 21, 2017, 10:27:31 pm »

Hi Bruce.

All I can say is "Wow!"

I thought that I had a respectable amount of Star equipment but see now that I am just a piker.  That is an interesting use of the Midway tables.  I have not yet decided on a permanent setup for my reloading equipment.  I don't have the bench space for all of it, let alone the workspace I require in my shop.  I have considered making a RockDock like system that would work with Star machines.  I am having back surgery Monday so I will have a lot of laying around time to think about it.  After I am mobile again I will start working on a mounting system.

Best.

Bob

For me, bench space is always at a premium, so I decided to mount my machines on Midway Pedestals.   The Midway pedestals are very light so I filled the bases with concreate and glued a rubber pad to the bottom to keep them from moving around.   The rest of my reloading equipment (except the shot shell reloader) is mounted using Pat Marlins ROCKDock system which allows me to have just one reloading tool mounted to the bench and swap out other tools as necessary. 

My bench doubles as a reloader assembly/work area.

12

Loading Data & Reloading Procedures / Re: Heads Up - Bullseye Charge Weights

« on: January 18, 2014, 10:31:56 am »

Friends and I are easily entertained so we have discussed this situation at length.  Powder volume is going to remain unchanged while moisture content will change, which seems to me will be the reason for the weight variance.  What effect the moisture content has on "strength", I cannot say.

One of the reasons I like the Star machine's fixed powder bars is that I get a consistent volume of powder thrown each charge.  I will weigh occasionally and have not seen any significant velocity difference when chronographing lots whose weight varies from the last.  I talked to an Alliant rep at SHOT and he told me that extremely old lots they have in frozen storage don't differ in "strength" from current production.

FWIW.

Bob

13

Star Reloaders / Re: The Holy Grail of Star dies

« on: January 16, 2014, 12:31:56 am »

I had a Progressive in 32 S&W Long.  There were no modifications other than an installed shell plate and toolhead.  I believe the original Progressives were offered in .32 Long as well as .38 Special.  Mine worked fine.  It was a little slower than what I was accustomed to as the press did not have a Hulme Feeder installed.

Btw, Dave's work is first rate.

Regards.

Bob

14

Stars Want to Sell/Want to Buy / Re: wtb 49 u angle lever cam

« on: December 14, 2012, 11:18:22 pm »

I bought a couple from Bill Cunningham a few years ago.

Regards.

Bob

15

Star Reloaders / Re: Modify for Auto Eject???

« on: November 24, 2012, 01:32:24 am »

Hi Dave.

That is not the modification Bill showed me years ago.  His went from the outer base and touched the center shaft if I recall correctly.  The modification shown reminds me of a mod some local Bullseye shooters did years ago.  The would file off the angle on the base as shown, then drill and tap the side of the base to secure a bent bicycle spoke to act as ejector.

Regards.

Bob