Just Scored A Star Lubrisizer

[smokeywolf]

Probably shouldn't be buying stuff I'm going to have to move across the Country, but it looked pretty good and I got it for about $100.00 under new price.
I'll have to start watching for dies and top punches. Probably end up machining a few (when I get a round tuit).

 

[Brad]

That is a great sizer. And a good deal. You won't regret it.
The dies aren't going to be tough for you to machine at all. I decided it was easier for me to buy blanks from The Perfessor for 5 bucks each. Externally they are all finished and have a 3/16 pilot hole. The time savings makes it well worth the cost for me.
The key, for me, to the Star is to use pressure more than heat to get good lube flow. The air cylinder makes that easier. Too much heat will give you a gooey mess.

 

[fiver]

and here I was about to brag on picking up a slightly used one for 250 bucks shipped.
i finally got the deal worked out last night at 11:30.
all I wanted was the basic machine [and not the whole package] and someone else wanted all the bells and whistles.

I hit the send post button right before the wife walked in the front room talking to some guy from Utah that had some powder he wanted to sell and a couple of rifles.
I now own some more 2400, a stevens 325 in 30-30, and a ruger 77-R [tang safety] with a 250 savage Ackley improved barrel screwed to the end of it. [plus a few pounds of other stuff]
the guy tried to convince me it [250-3000 ackley] was a factory option, when I could clearly see it wasn't even the exact right diameter barrel nor even marked with the caliber in the proper place [ or with the ruger scroll writing].

whomever done the work done a nice job of it, everything was bedded properly, the bluing was very well done and brightly polished, and the trigger pull is very smooth with a crisp let-off.

Idiot...trying to sell me a custom rifle and pass it off as factory.

 

[Brad]

I hope you punished his wallet for the idiocy of his mouth.

 

[fiver]

dinged him for 300 pieces of brass, and a die set.
he wanted to sell me a Winchester 22 bolt action rifle too, but I declined.
I might wait a bit then make him an offer, it was a target type rifle.

 

[Rick]

Smokey, won't be long before the only thing going through your head over and over and over again will be . . . Why didn't I get one of these years ago?

There's a learning curve with the Star, getting the punch set correctly & pressure/heat for the lube but it's not difficult. Once there you'll never look back.

 

[Brad]

Nice I learned to set the punch it was easy. The pressure and temp take some playing with based on the lube and ambient temps.

I got my Star about 7 years ago and it frustrated the hell out of me at first. Once I learned what it needed it became the ultimate lubing machine in my opinion.

 

[smokeywolf]

Still have to get heater and pneumatics. Also get at least one die and top punch so I can make a cartoon (blueprint) and turn out my own. Or, as I have too many G-jobs on my to-do list now, I may see if Keith is still selling blanks. First die has to be .311; .460 has to be the second and maybe .408 the third.

Maybe allocate the Lyman 45 to BP lube.

 

[freebullet]

Just got the same deal on my first star. Now for dies and punches and.......

 

[fiver]

I order my stuff from lathesmih.
Chris turns out top notch work and is a bit cheaper than magma engineering.
if you don't got the time [or the equipment in my case] he is quick and can do matching punches, and has lock rings with a set screw [coolest thing ever for the stars]
you just get a paired punch and die and leave the lock ring in place.
no need to adjust anything this way, you just screw the punch back in and go.

 

[smokeywolf]

Thanks Lamar. Took your advice and just sent a PM to him.

 

[freebullet]

I could have bought 2 more star sizers for the amount I'm going to send him.

 

[Pistolero]

Lathsmith's dies are so smooth inside that the bullet lands come out
like a mirror, really. SUPER nice dies.

I have two Stars but have zero interest in heated lubes. Fortunately, I got them before
the Great Boolit Gear Buyup struck and paid $100 and $125 for fairly nice older machines with
one or two dies each. The $100 one was missing the handle, not too big a deal IMO.
Like them, but they are fiddly to set up, so tend to keep them for one diam and use mostly
for single lube groove designs where only diam and feeding punch adjustment is needed, no
fiddling with lead shot to go to multiple lube grooves which is a minor but time consuming PITA. If I am going
to set one up, I do it for a large quantity of the same design.

Bill

 

[smokeywolf]

I can understand why they prove finicky to get set up. Have to time the squirt of lube with the relationship of bullet lube ring(s) to lube ports in the die.

 

[Pistolero]

If you stick with single lube groove designs, they are fine. Pick the diam and set the pusher
depth, not too bad. If you need to go from single to multiple. . . . . . first off, it can be essentially
impossible to lube some with really odd groove spacing, but generally you are drilling out lead
shot and knocking in lead shot to open and close lube feed holes. I have heard of folks winding up buying
an extra die for that oddball multigroove design.
BUT - when you have a pile of the same design and are set up - it will fly. Neat system, just
finicky to swap around if you change the number of lube grooves. Nothing I know of as fast if you have
it set up and need to lube 1-2000 of the same design.

Bill

 

[smokeywolf]

I find a boolit I really like, I'll custom make a die with the needed lube hole location/spacing.

 

[Pistolero]

If you make your own, note that lathesmith used a tool post grinder to get the
interiors right and with that super mirror finish. Not sure, but he might do custom
hole spacing, too.

 

[smokeywolf]

Haven't had a chance to use my new (to me) Dumore toolpost grinder that was part of a bonus from Technicolor 3 years ago.

 

[fiver]

you don't need to be filling 10 lube grooves 1 or two is waay enough.
if you need more lube than that your lube ummm ? sucks.

 

[Pistolero]

Well that sounds interesting. I have always filled all the lube grooves, except
for Loverin designs where I usually fill 5 or 6 or something like that, depends on
the length. Loverins have always gone through a Lyman or RCBS for that reason,
not enough patience to fiddle up 5 or 6 sets of holes correctly for the Star, or actually
to even try it. For me about 3 is max for a Star, and they both mostly are set up
for .358 for one and .430 for the other with a single lube groove. Keiths, 358477 and the
Lee 120 TC for 9mm are what get run through them almost exclusively.