Bevel base and lube

Michael

Michael

Active Member. Uh/What
Thank you for all of the replies, I am like Matt above when it come$ to a Star. I did go to Magma's website and it shows
So long, farewell....
 
Last edited:
JonB

JonB

Halcyon member
Jeff H said:
My old Lyman 45 leaves a mess on the base of a lot of flat-base bullets too. Pain in the butt, BUT not worth fixing.
Click to expand...
A little trick Bullshop taught me.
Instead of using a ratchet to apply pressure on the lube reservoir, use a 1/4" wrench (or a locking ratchet). Apply pressure ONLY when the bullet is down in the die, then back off the pressure before lifting the bullet up.
.
While this sounds like a PIA, once you get a feel of pressure needed and time for the lube to fully fillout the grooves and you get the rhythm of it down, it is almost as fast.
.
I don't have that issue when I use SL68B, since it needs so little pressure.
 
J

Jeff H

NW Ohio
@JonB , that's exactly how I do it, and it not only SOUNDS like a PITA, it IS a PITA. More work than it's worth, so it sees little action these days.

I can get about 50 done before screwing up by moving a little too slowly or giving just a little too much pressure and I get a little grease-cookie on the base of one. The time it takes to clean it up, I could have done ten bullets.
 
fiver

fiver

Well-Known Member
pack the bottom of the die off with a little disc of Styrofoam from like the meat tray you get your steaks in.
 
P

Petrol & Powder

Well-Known Member
Jeff H said:
@JonB , that's exactly how I do it, and it not only SOUNDS like a PITA, it IS a PITA. More work than it's worth, so it sees little action these days.

I can get about 50 done before screwing up by moving a little too slowly or giving just a little too much pressure and I get a little grease-cookie on the base of one. The time it takes to clean it up, I could have done ten bullets.
Click to expand...
Another vote for, "that doesn't just sound like a PITA, it IS a PITA".
I'm not going through all those motions.

Yes, occasionally you will get lube under the bullet base. Usually when you have too much pressure on the reservior, a flawed bullet or both.
Two seconds with a Q-tip will take care of the excess lube on the die center pin and you're back in business.

I keep enough pressure on the reservior that I get complete fill out of the lube grooves. When it fails to fill the groove, a little more pressure is added and that bullet get recycled through the die. After a while, you learn how many bullets can be lubed & sized before you must add a bit more pressure. Once you get into that process, it goes quickly.
 
Last edited:
Rally

Rally

NC Minnesota
I do the same as Winelover when I do rifle bullets in my RCBS. I have a piece of 3/4” plywood about 9”x12” I staple a piece of bath towel to that I wipe the base of each bullet on as I take them out. I can do about 300 bullets before changing the towel, and the used one makes great fire starters!
I do all my pistol bullets on my Star.
 
Last edited:
Fiddler

Fiddler

Active Member
If you have a lathe you could hollow out the pin to allow the BT to be hidden.
Similar problem with the sprue plate leaving a raised bump, hollow out the pin on a lathe or drill press and a hand small grinder.
 
J

Jeff H

NW Ohio
Winelover said:
Before the Star, when I got lube on bullet bases, I just used a piece of paper towel laying on the flat bench top to swipe/wipe the base...
Click to expand...

Yep, that or the towel, rag, etc, as mentioned my @Rally too.

It's really not the most awful and onerous chore. Perhaps I'm just getting spoiled or lazy. As I get older, there are more and more things "I'd prefer not to" (Bartleby - Mellville). I've also discovered that tumble lube covers a LOT of ground without compromise too though.

I remember when I found that 45, used, in a dilapidated cardboard box in a gun store right at forty years ago. I held up the lubrisizer and opened my mouth to ask "how much" and a guy hollers "$30 for the box!" I didn't bother to look at what else was in there, I just headed to the register. There was a small assortment of "undersized" H&I dies in a coffee can and bunch of other junk, but I felt pretty danged privileged driving home and looking over at that 45 in the passenger's seat.

At that moment, I was still transient/mobile, still in the Army, and had to pan lube or buy commercial cast. Having the 45 was like a huge leap forward and remained a treasured find for many years.

Not to disparage the old tool, as I keep it around. I may need it again some day. Not that I may find some young fella to pass it onto these days. Seems like making an effort to achieve gain these days is a silly notion. I Know ZERO young people interested in casting these days, and I know a lot of pretty decent young people.

Come to think of it,... I'll be seeing a couple today who asked me last week if I "press my own bullets," meaning hand-load. They were talking about how expensive it is to shoot these days. I told them "yes, and I cast all my own bullets." That elicited an "AWWWWESOME!" from one of the two, but it was time to get to work. I may have to start cultivating those two young minds and may just have a new use for that 45 now. Let those boys "pay their dues," learning to do a few things "the hard way."
 
fiver

fiver

Well-Known Member
depends on how far apart they [both] are.

i got up to 4 stars at one point, i'm down to 2 now.
i also had 6 MEC brand shot shell loaders at one point, i'm down to one and it's stored under the cup board 99.999% of the time.
 
You must log in or register to reply here.