Star sizer and gas checked bullets

[earlmck]

I was size/checking a batch of 25/85's for my 25/20 yesterday and it occurred to me that I didn't really know if this bullet (from a nice 4-cavity NOE mould I got a couple years ago) was what you'd call a "tight fit" or an "easy-peasy". Used to be I knew which moulds were going to make a bullet you had to fight to get the checks on and which made the nice ones. But after finally learning how to use the Star for sizing gas-checked bullets I no longer have to think about such detail. And I got to wondering just how long I'd been doing this stuff the easy way, so did a search on my old posts on this site about gas-checking.

And sheeesh! Just 4 years ago I made a post giving the "hot tip" that for those "fat-butted" bullets that were hard to check, it helped to heat the check to take advantage of the expansion of metal when heated. Over the years I have spent many an hour sweating beside the wood stove as I pushed cool (but fat-shanked) bullets onto hot checks.

So somewhere within the past 4 years I finally learned how to use my Star. And on becoming spoiled I have had a fine fellow who goes by "Lathesmith" over on "Castboolits" make me dies to cover nearly all my rifle sizes, even though this is duplicating the dies I have for the Lyman 45. This from a fellow who bought a Star 30 years ago with the thought that the only use of a Star was just to kick out great gobs of pistol bullets to keep those hungry beasts happy.

Embarrassing to be such a slow learner. I strongly suspect I am the last Star user to figure this out. And for you fellows early enough in your bullet-casting careers to be wondering if you should spend the extra bucks to get the Star I'll show you how it works with the gas checking.

StarsizeA104.jpg

Here is a bullet dropped nose down into the die ready for sizing; it still sticks up out of the die a bit. If the check is a real easy fit you can just slip it on at this stage and complete the size stroke. But if the checks are giving any resistance in sliding on the shank you push the bullet on down so the base is a scosh below the top of the die like this:

StarsizeB101.jpg

Then you slide a check into position above the bullet base. At this point the bullet is well into the size die, perfectly aligned, and the check is centered above it in the tapered entry to the die (both original Star dies and the ones I get from Lathesmith have this lovely tapered entry, which makes this work).

StarsizeC102.jpg

As you make the sizing stroke the check first presses down onto the base of the bullet and then the whole is pressed on through the die to produce this:

StarsizeD103.jpg

I pushed it through without giving the lube stroke so you could see the fit. And I'd finished the 25's so used these 40's for taking the pictures, but they all work the same.

So it's just been about 3 years that I've given up standing beside the wood stove pressing on reluctant check. I've got to be a prime candidate for the "Slowest Learner" award.

I should note here that you need the bullet to be giving some resistance for this to work. If you were to try running fat-shanked .309 bullets through a .311 die I think you'd have some issues with the bullet sliding ahead of the check before it crimped down. I only have one bullet that qualifies (a Lyman single-cavity Loverin bullet that actually is stamped as "U" for "undersized" and does cast about .3085). In this case the shank is also skinny sochecks go on real easy, but just thought I'd mention that detail. The Star will put checks onto shanks that are so oversized you would have had to go to extreme measures such as expanding the check (I have done lots of that) and/or using the Lyman check-putter-onner thingy (I've done some of that). They now go on easy whether the shank is fat or not, and you don't even worry about the fit. I think the old Star could put a 25 cal check on a .264 bullet without you even noticing you'd got the wrong check size (not that I've tried it, but only because I have not yet got serious enough about 6.5mm cast bullets to get a Star die.

I don't know about the Lee sizers, but I think they'd work the same if you had one of those upside-down presses so you were dropping the bullet into the die. I know the Lee's are tapered somewhat also. If they aren't tapered enough I don't think it would take too long to hone out a good taper in one: they aren't hardened a whole bunch.

[Scott Tschirhart]

Good tips. I have one Star for black powder and another one for smokeless. But I haven't had them set up for several years as I have been buying bullets.

But the tips about the gas checks is priceless. Thank you.