How do you tell a Star from a copy?

[Kenneth L. Walters]

You could special order a star with 7/8x14 die holes but you also had to have the dies modified as there wasn't really enough clearance.  As I recall, Star would do that work.

[starstruck]

Of the Berdon shell plates that I have, non are hardened. Many of the Berdon parts were made by college students as part of an engineering/machinist program as told to me by the Berdon owners son. I don't think the manufacturer of the Berdon had enough knowledge of proper metals, or hardening etc. He may have used close grain cast iron, in the head for example, but it does not seem up to the grade of the Star. I was offered a chance to purchase the remaining Berdon parts, most unfinished. After obtaining and closely examining a finished Berdon machine, still new and unused, I decided to decline the offer to buy the remaining parts. I never regretted it. I spoke with several previous owners of Berdons. I never heard a good word from any of them regarding the Berdon. Parts wore out quickly.  Complaints were numerous and a number of lawsuits were threatened I was told. Comparing a Berdon to a Star, is like comparing a Yugo to a BMW. Every Berdon head I have seen was painted a dark blue in color. The original decal ( actually a sticker) was a silver/chrome colored, with black letters. They came off easily. They were all threaded to 7/8" to accept standard dies. Star and Berdon,,,,, Like the difference between a Rolex and Timex.

[counting empties]

Since the Berdon is a star copy do parts such as case feeders , primer feeders and shell plates interchange between them?  I checked the shell plates and the toolhead on my machine they are not hardened.

[starstruck]

Berdon also made a copy of the Hulme case feeder.  I have a number of them, some unfinished. Again, not of high quality materials.  I spoke with one former Berdon owner, and he had 2 Berdons. He had poor luck with each of them. One previous owner I spoke with, loaded 1000 rounds of 30-30 rifle with his Berdon. He went thru 2 shell plates loading those 1000 rounds. One guy I spoke with who bought a new Berdon, had a terrible experinece with it. He sent it back and demanded his money back. You might ask, "how do you load rifle on a Berdon?". Well, one thing the Berdon was designed to do, was give a longer stroke to it's cycle. That is the reason for the "long arms" extending outward on the head. It is also the reason for the 7/8" dies, again to allow for rifle and standard dies. I would not advise trying to put an incomplete Berdon together by purchasing Star parts. They would most likely not fit properly. Berdon original parts like the primer feeder bar,etc, differ in appearance especially concerning a quality or manufacture. I have a number of spare Berdon parts, just little time to dig thru them. If you were sold the Berdon, and told  that it was a Star, I would go back to the seller and get your money back. If that is not possible, then I hope you did not have to pay much for it. Like the saying goes " You pay for your education".

[counting empties]

I bought the Berdon from an older lady , her husband died last year and had a bunch of reloading equipment.  I thought it was a star she didn't know what it was , I bought the Berdon and a Phelps  , I already sold the Phelps at a loss .   I just put the Berdon on Ebay , hopefully I'll won't lose too  bad on this one.   Thanks for all the help in figuring out what it really was.

[dzawicki]

I've had a Starr and a Phelps side by side on my bench for about 50 years, everything seems
to be interchangeable and both produce execellent ammunition. (paint jobs are a identical blue)