Star Lube-Sizer Bullet Feeder Alternatives

I use a Star Lube-Sizer to size my Hi-Tek coated boolits but I’m looking to speed up the process. If it makes a difference, mine is an older model and I have no additional options on my press (no heated base).

Magma lists the bullet feeder option at $125. It looks like a pretty simple device and I’m wondering if there are any alternatives to buying a new one.

My eventual goal is to automate the process but this the first step. (I tried searching for this info but all I get is actual bullet feeders, aka Mr. Bullet Feeder)


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I've got bullet feeders on four of my Star Sizers, and I've got another six of them without bullet feeders. To tell you the truth, in my mind, it's six to one and half dozen to the other as to which method is faster.

With the bullet feeder, the actual sizing is much, much faster, but when you factor in the time it takes to fill tubes, I think it's pretty much a wash. I have enough tubes for .38/9mm size bullets to put just over 1,000 bullets into tubes before I start sizing. Even with the trays I made to align the bullets before putting then into the tubes, it still takes quite awhile to get all those tubes filled up.

For .44/45 bullets, I've got enough tubes for about 700 plus bullets, and even with the larger bullets, it still takes quite a bit of time to fill them up. The speed of sizing without a bullet feeder also depends on the bullets being sized, as some bullets are easier to pick up and orient than others. A short, fat bullet is like picking up marbles, and a smaller bullet (.380 and .32) are harder to pick up, but a longer bullet is easier, at least for me.

Short of a collator that will consistently orient the bullets the way they need to be fed (nose down, or nose up), to me I've found that it takes pretty much the same amount of time either way, hand feeding, or tube feeding. That's not to say that I don't use the bullet feeders, because I do. I can fill tubes while watching the talking heads on what used to be called "news", if I feel like lugging a box of 1,000+ bullets, and the tubes, upstairs to where the TV is. Then when the tubes are filled, I lug them back down to the shop and start sizing/lubing. It all depends on my mood sometimes......

Hope this helps.

Fred

Again, this is just the first step. I'm definitely adding a collator... I've got a MBR gathering dust and I'm currently building a 3D printer to print a collator. My only issue is the nose down aspect.

I generally cast 45 pound batches of boolits and then Hi-Tek coat them (Three fifteen pound batches fit my process nicely). The part I dislike the most is running them through the sizing die so I'm looking to "streamline" it a bit.

Magma wants $125.00 for the bullet feed option and another $30.00 for a mounting plate (again, I don't have a heated base to mount the bullet feeder to). With my luck and the day after I place the order for the bullet feeder, I'll discover a thread where casters are building bullet feed options for twenty bucks.

It is possible to build a ramp out of PVC pipe that directs the bullet to the Star. Pick up a handful of bullets, use thumb and forefinger to orient bullet and drop it onto the ramp. This prevents getting your fingers caught in the sizer. It is the fastest way to it. ReloaderFred is correct about the tube system being of little advantage. To make the Magma feeder worth the cost, you need to have a collator.

Here is a link to what one guy did. He made his own collator and feeder and it is not difficult. I would use HDPE for the feeder if I was going to do it.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=CbzubR3qVeg

And another

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=N3IipNQOoTI

Thanks... That's what I was looking for. Two entirely different approaches but in the end you're just moving a bullet over a couple inches.

I didn't see this post and was just asking how people like the feeder for their Star Sizers. I don't know a lot about the feeders and was wondering.
Seems like I will just stick with what I have and hand feed.

Its real easy to mount a Mr Bullet feeder when using the magma bullet feeder. I throw in a few hundred at a time and crank as fast as I can go.

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Originally Posted by razorfish

I use a Star Lube-Sizer to size my Hi-Tek coated boolits but I’m looking to speed up the process. If it makes a difference, mine is an older model and I have no additional options on my press (no heated base).

Magma lists the bullet feeder option at $125. It looks like a pretty simple device and I’m wondering if there are any alternatives to buying a new one.

My eventual goal is to automate the process but this the first step. (I tried searching for this info but all I get is actual bullet feeders, aka Mr. Bullet Feeder)


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Have you seen this thread?

You tube video of a Magma bullet sizer automated automatic operation that's nice
https://r.tapatalk.com/shareLink/top...ink_source=app

Do you have a Dillon or other case feeder?

Some seem to be able to feed larger caliber handgun bullets, though randomly nose up or down.

If you are running powder coat or high tec and a semi wad cutter, RNFP or some other flat nose, and aren’t filling the lube groove, it might not matter which way they feed through the sizer.

The Magma bullet feeder is somewhat faster, but it does have a big benefit in that it gets your fingers away from the bullet punch.