mattw
Active Member
My 2 cents... I have been using it for about a month now and have processed a couple k of 380, sized and deprimed, bulge busted and the apply the final taper crimp. Same for about 1k of 9mm and a few hundred 41 mag. Obviously not bulge busting on the later 2. I have also sized a few thousand PC 380, 9mm and 38 bullets. I am using the NOE sizer holder as I had many sizers for the NOE Star holder.
What makes it run smooth as butter? The correct tube and tube holder controls how straight the case or bullet falls, critical! Adjust the fingers to minimal opening to catch the case or bullet, very critical. The correct slider top and the correct drop position, most critical. The last one keeps them from falling out in strings, when I crimp loaded rounds this single adjustment is so important or the unit will dump a full tube of loaded rounds in avalanche fashion.
I have been able to get it to run well with everything except 45 ACP. I am having problems with them sliding into the shell holder, they stop to soon and I have to nudge them into place. 223's are still not as smooth as I would like them either.
I cast the 39 grain MP 22 for TCM, this will be a problem to size because it is so short. I am having a special slider 3D printed at the library 30 miles away... the loaned out their printer during the COVID closure and still do not have it back... really honking me off. I suppose I should get one for myself at some point.
Is it perfect, no... does it work well, yes. Would I buy it again... yes! I load a few k rounds a month on an old RC2 with a case kicker, prime on a Partner with a Lee auto prime II, I always seat and crimp in 2 operations. This has allowed me to move everything except charging and seating off to the APP. I think spare parts should be kept, the entire slider assembly was the first spare that I ordered. It came with both sets of fingers as well. Make sure your vertical bars are tight and stay tight, mine came loose once and things got a little strange and acted oddly.
I spent several years producing ammo, by the 5 gallon bucket, with a bud that commercially loaded on 1050's, I have never been comfortable with multi-stage presses for my own loading. Thus I still and always will run single stage. I am almost 55 and my hands and body have had a hard life, inserting tiny cases in a shell holder or dropping tiny bullets one at a time into the Star have become much slower for me. I find that this little press really does speed up the work and makes my hands hurt less by the end of the day.
What makes it run smooth as butter? The correct tube and tube holder controls how straight the case or bullet falls, critical! Adjust the fingers to minimal opening to catch the case or bullet, very critical. The correct slider top and the correct drop position, most critical. The last one keeps them from falling out in strings, when I crimp loaded rounds this single adjustment is so important or the unit will dump a full tube of loaded rounds in avalanche fashion.
I have been able to get it to run well with everything except 45 ACP. I am having problems with them sliding into the shell holder, they stop to soon and I have to nudge them into place. 223's are still not as smooth as I would like them either.
I cast the 39 grain MP 22 for TCM, this will be a problem to size because it is so short. I am having a special slider 3D printed at the library 30 miles away... the loaned out their printer during the COVID closure and still do not have it back... really honking me off. I suppose I should get one for myself at some point.
Is it perfect, no... does it work well, yes. Would I buy it again... yes! I load a few k rounds a month on an old RC2 with a case kicker, prime on a Partner with a Lee auto prime II, I always seat and crimp in 2 operations. This has allowed me to move everything except charging and seating off to the APP. I think spare parts should be kept, the entire slider assembly was the first spare that I ordered. It came with both sets of fingers as well. Make sure your vertical bars are tight and stay tight, mine came loose once and things got a little strange and acted oddly.
I spent several years producing ammo, by the 5 gallon bucket, with a bud that commercially loaded on 1050's, I have never been comfortable with multi-stage presses for my own loading. Thus I still and always will run single stage. I am almost 55 and my hands and body have had a hard life, inserting tiny cases in a shell holder or dropping tiny bullets one at a time into the Star have become much slower for me. I find that this little press really does speed up the work and makes my hands hurt less by the end of the day.
