The next addition to my growing operation is going to be a lubrisizer. Is there much difference between Lyman, RCBS, or any other lubrisizers? Is there a reason to stay away from any of them? Is the heating contraption worth adding?
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If you are going to be doing any significant volume would invest in a star.... Fast and efficient.... As for the heater I agree with marvelshooter that you only need the heater if you are doing a hard lube in volume.... Small volume stuff (hard lube) you can use an old iron or light bulb for heat and a soft lube doesn't need any heat.....
Don't bother with the heater. Just tape a 75 watt incandescent bulb to the lube reservoir. Cheap and works like a charm.
swampy,
i retired a lyman and rcbs bullet luber when i found liquid alox and lee push-thru sizers because:
1) they're more efficient-no lube reservoir to fill and no dealing with the gunk that always seems to extrude from the machines. they seats gas checks if used plus tumble-lube designed bullets can be lubed then loaded without sizing.
2) they're faster-changing calibers requires no searching for the proper top punch and no mess with removing the sizer die, all you need to do is screw the proper lee sizer into your reloading press, put the bullet on the punch and work the lever; bullets accumulate in a container mounted on top of the sizer...
3) they're cheaper-the sizer kit costs less than $20, need no separate top punch. includes a bottle of liquid alox sufficient to lube many, many bullets
the system works-my plain-base bullets at (chrono'ed) velocities of 1200 fps and gas-checked rifle bullets at 1800 fps exhibit no leading after thousands of rounds and at $20/caliber vs. $30-40 for a caliber change in a lyman of rcbs unit not counting the $100+ the luber costs, lots less fussing around with the lube (which isn't cheap, either) and taking less than half the work to get to a finished product, i decided the liquid alox/lee sizer was the way to go.
budman
ignorance is fixable...
If you do a lot of casting, 100 to 200 per week, invest in a Star it is well worth it.
I been asking every casting reloader about lube lately I'm getting a lot of responses as alox is great for just about any boolit under 2200 fps. I been useing LLA for 45acp and 38/357 with little leading with as cast lee TL moulds. With clip on wheel weights. I'm getting into rifle casting/ loading it appears my lla lube should do well for my sub 2000 fps rounds. Seems a lot of casters I talk with say lee sizers are good to go.
Another vote for the Star - the bewst lubrisizer ever invented. I have used mine for 50+ years.
Sounds like you are doing one at a time over a campfire.
I try to cast around 500 per session depending on time of year. Then again, math says you are about right given that I only have a few sessions a year. When I first started casting, weekends would be spent casting and I still have ammo boxes full of boolits ready to load.