Lubrisizers: Saeco vs RCBS/Lyman

[Bill in Oregon]

I have had the Lyman, currently have the RCBS, which gives me some trouble from time to time. In a recent move, I lost a key box of reloading equipment containing all of my shellholders and sizing dies among other useful items. OUCH.
Thinking if I am having to buy new dies, maybe I should consider the Saeco sizer, as it seems to be the one that most of my reloading heroes, such as Earl McKinney, use.
What do you all like about the Saeco vs. RCBS?

[Bill in Oregon]

Whoops, forgot about the Star from Magma. Earl, do you uses that one?

[Bill in Oregon]

Great Caeser's Ghost! After looking at prices of Star and Saeco sizers and dies, I think I'll figure out how to keep the RCBS running ...

[Chuck 100 yd]

The Saeco is a great lubricator/sizer. I have both the Saeco and RCBS. I use the Saeco for rifle and the RCBS for pistol.
I believe the Saeco produces a more accurate bullet. That said, I haven't used either in a couple years. I have been playing with powder coating and push through dies. Some made by Lee and some made by me.

[Bill in Oregon]

Chuck, I have not been paying attention to the powder coating thing since it first popped up on Cast Boolits 3-4 years ago. Any developments?

[Chuck 100 yd]

Chuck, I have not been paying attention to the powder coating thing since it first popped up on Cast Boolits 3-4 years ago. Any developments?

There are hours and hours of YouTube videos on the subject. I use the shake and bake method with Eastwood powder. I mostly just powder coat for CAS so far and the Silver colored Eastwood powder works great and looks like regular cast bullets when loaded.

[earlmck]

Bill, I have never used a Saeco lubrisizer (shows my limited experience). My sizers are an ancient Lyman and a Star. I do love my Star and it usually does the size duty whether I use lube or powder coat.

The old Lyman has reliably lubed many thousands of bullets but the Star is faster and better. I can (and do) take the 117 grain Ranch Dog .314 bullets intended for the 32/20 and size them on down to whatever is required (.309 mostly) for use in all the 30 cals. I don't think the Lyman would leave me a usable bullet if I tried sizing from .314 to .309 but the Star does (nose first and beautiful long tapered entry).

[Ray Newman]

Prior to purchasing a SAECO, I had the Lyman and RCBNS Lubri-sizers.

The only good thing 'bout the Lyman/RCBS is/was they utilized the same sizing dies and top/bullet punch. The SAECO was easier to use/adjust and did a better sizing and lubing job.

However, when I shot a tapered .45 calibre bullet in my Shiloh-Sharps, pan lubing and using the Lee Bullet Sizing Kit worked better. It worked so well that I ordered different diameter dies for various .45 calibre Black Powder bullets.

The Lee will seat a gas cheque and pushes the bullet into the sizing die by the base -- not the nose -- a good feature for the 1:20 and 1:30 Black Powder bullets I load.

https://leeprecision.com/bullet-casting ... izing-kit/

As an aside, I found when pan lubing:

--Best heat the bullets prior to pouring in the lube. In my experience, the lube adheres better to a warm bullet. I utilized an old hair dryer.
--Melt the lube in a double boiler so as not to scorch it, which ruins its lubing properties.
--Let the lube cool at room temperature. I tried to hasten the lube cooling by putting the tray in the fridge, but it did not work too well. I think the bullets shrunk from the cold air and/or the lube did not adhere to the bullet.

[Bill in Oregon]

Thanks fellas. Earl, the Star sounds like a very fine machine; I just don't cast enough to justify the expense of adding one to the battery, so will try to get by with the RCBS.
Redding/Saeco makes some good stuff, but boy, Buffalo Arms wants $63 for a custom .512 die for the Saeco. Wouldn't take many dies to put me in the poor house.
Ray, I have used the Lee push-through sizers with satisfaction. Your pan lube advice is excellent, especially in light of the recent "Pan-lube FAIL" thread I started here last week.
I will follow your guidelines for the next batch of pills for my 12,7X44 rolling block and my Snider.

[harry]

Thanks fellas. Earl, the Star sounds like a very fine machine; I just don't cast enough to justify the expense of adding one to the battery, so will try to get by with the RCBS.
Redding/Saeco makes some good stuff, but boy, Buffalo Arms wants $63 for a custom .512 die for the Saeco. Wouldn't take many dies to put me in the poor house.
Ray, I have used the Lee push-through sizers with satisfaction. Your pan lube advice is excellent, especially in light of the recent "Pan-lube FAIL" thread I started here last week.
I will follow your guidelines for the next batch of pills for my 12,7X44 rolling block and my Snider.

Don't know if you have looked but Optics planet has dies
https://www.opticsplanet.com/lyman-sizing-dies-h-i.html

[Bill in Oregon]

Harry, wish I needed some of those dies on clearance!

[harry]

Harry, wish I needed some of those dies on clearance!

Thought you were looking for .512 die

[Bill in Oregon]

Harry, I ordered one yesterday from Graf's. They have the Lyman Crusher II press on Christmas sale for $73, and I decided I need a single-stage alongside my Lee turret so I added it to the order.

[marlinman93]

I've owned the same Lyman Lubrisizer for so many years I can't recall now. Always done a fantastic job of lubing and sizing. If there was one thing I'd change it would be clearance around the threaded collar nut that holds the dies in place. I'd design enough clearance to easily allow a socket and ratchet handle to fit in and run that nut on or off. Always irritates me to do 1/4 turn at a time with a box end wrench.
But I've never considered replacing it, as it just works too well, and I have way too many dies for it now!

[Bill in Oregon]

I guess I should really keep my open for another beater Lyman or RCBS so I can keep one charged with hard smokeless lube and one charged with SPG or Matthews for black powder cartridges.

[vancelw]

I guess I should really keep my open for another beater Lyman or RCBS so I can keep one charged with hard smokeless lube and one charged with SPG or Matthews for black powder cartridges.

That's what I do. I have an orange 450 with soft lube and the more modern grey 4500 w/heater has the harder lube.

[Shasta]

I guess I should really keep my open for another beater Lyman or RCBS so I can keep one charged with hard smokeless lube and one charged with SPG or Matthews for black powder cartridges.

Yep, this is my method. I currently have eight RCBS lubrisizers and I don't know how many dies...


Shasta

[Griff]

I have them both, use the RCBS for smokeless lubes and the Saeco for SPG. My RCBS lubri-sizer is almost 40 years old. Still works... but have had to replace the seals a couple of times.

[earlmck]

They must be pretty much indestructible -- my elderly Lyman has to be 50 years old and may be somewhat older since I bought it "used" from a friend. It doesn't have any nut to hold dies in place -- just a little set screw turned by an Allen wrench. And no seals either, so it does leak a bit, especially if I let it get too warm.

But my old babe only gets used for plain-based bullets and just a couple of calibers with gas check of which I shoot so few I can't justify (yet) putting out the $50 for Star dies. But for gas checked bullets the Star is sooo much nicer that I now have almost all the Star dies I need for those sizes. Hard to go back to Mayberry when you've tasted gay Paree.

[marlinman93]

They must be pretty much indestructible -- my elderly Lyman has to be 50 years old and may be somewhat older since I bought it "used" from a friend. It doesn't have any nut to hold dies in place -- just a little set screw turned by an Allen wrench. And no seals either, so it does leak a bit, especially if I let it get too warm.

But my old babe only gets used for plain-based bullets and just a couple of calibers with gas check of which I shoot so few I can't justify (yet) putting out the $50 for Star dies. But for gas checked bullets the Star is sooo much nicer that I now have almost all the Star dies I need for those sizes. Hard to go back to Mayberry when you've tasted gay Paree.

I thought mine was old Earl! My dies have an O-ring seal on them, so no seal in the Lyman sizer. I have a mix of Lyman and RCBS dies, maybe 40 or so? Bought mine used 30 years ago, and it's one of the gray wrinkle finished ones. No idea of age?

[earlmck]

I thought mine was old Earl! My dies have an O-ring seal on them, so no seal in the Lyman sizer. I have a mix of Lyman and RCBS dies, maybe 40 or so? Bought mine used 30 years ago, and it's one of the gray wrinkle finished ones. No idea of age?

Yes, I use the same dies as you with the O-ring seal to keep the lube from getting out past the top of the die. By "no seals" to replace I guess I was referencing Griff's post where he said he'd had his RCBS many years and just replaced seals a couple of times.

Grey wrinkle finish? I think yours may be older than mine. Mine is Lyman Orange and I'm pretty sure can't be much over 50 years, and I do see them for sale on ebay or other sites occasionally. It is the model with the twin alignment rods.

[M. M. Wright]

I too have the Lyman 450 in orange. Still have the orange/black box it came in and I'm not the first owner. I may have had it for 50 years and I've had to replace the pressure piston, it's screw and retainer. Mine had a brass ring on the piston originally that I've replaced with an O-ring.

I just use SPG for everything so only need the one. Well, I often use my own concoction which I melt in an old electric percolator and pour it into the luber. My heater is a sun lamp shining on an aluminum plate which is between the 450 and the bench. Hey, it works!

At one time I had a power sizer/luber that used Star dies, air pressure to push the lube and pushed the bullets horizontally thru the die with an electric motor. You had to load the bullets in about 3' long tubes and just put the tube on the machine and it would feed them automatically. Should have kept that one.

[marlinman93]

Grey wrinkle finish? I think yours may be older than mine. Mine is Lyman Orange and I'm pretty sure can't be much over 50 years, and I do see them for sale on ebay or other sites occasionally. It is the model with the twin alignment rods.

Yes, mine is older than yours if yours is orange. Mine doesn't have alignment rods, it has flat bars that are about 1/2" wide. Strange how Lyman changed around on how dies were secured? I have another pre Lyman Ideal #1 sizer that is black and chrome and it has the twin rods and a setscrew that retains the dies. Neat part is my old Ideal uses the same dies as the newest Lyman sizers use!