Star Machine Works

[Matt Fleming]

Looking for any Star Machine Works enthusiasts. Do you have a Star? What caliber? Any modifcations? Although Dillon dominates the progressive world today, Stars are classic, vintage machines that really work well.

[Charles L. Cotton]

When I was a teenager my next door neighbor had a Star progressive. It was very impressive, as was the price tag. I may be wrong, but I think it was around $700 in the late 60's. I sure wanted one! When I went home and worked on my Herters turret press, I wanted one even more. That Herters press must weigh 40 pounds; it's massive! The photos are not my press, but is is identical.

Chas.

herters-press.jpeg (8.57 KiB) Viewed 1349 times

[saltydog452]

Try Google on star reloaders forum, Cast Bullits Forum, etc. Lots of stuff out there. Most of us are kinda long in the tooth. Some are hobby machinists who can, and do, fabricate parts such as shell plates, tool heads, powder slides, dies, and alter the tool heads to use std die threads.

Keep digging.

salty

[nuparadigm]

Back in the 1970's I was part owner of a Star. The other owners were other members of the Border Patrol pistol team. Our Star was set up for .38 Spl. 148 gr. HBWC's using 3.8 gr. of Bullseye. It was a sweet machine, but pricey for the day (that's why several of us owned it). I sold my interest in the Star when I bought a Dillon SDB around 1982. The Dillon is still running; I don't know what became of the Star.

[Matt Fleming]

My Dad taught me to reload on a Herters single-stage. With an Ohaus scale and an old Lyman #55 powder measure, we reloaded for .300 Savage, .30/30, 6.5sx55 and a few others. Charles' pic brings back some Herter memories.

I have a couple of Stars and was hoping to find someone local that shares my interest. I've been through the various internet sites and yes, there are a few resources for Star parts. Star presses show up on Ebay every now and then.

It's easy to see where Dillon drew his inspiration. The Stars are simple and elegant. I hope to find a few parts to keep mine going if they're ever needed.

[saltydog452]

The Stars are good stuff.

With progressives, versatility, speed, and consistency seem to be at odds with one another.

The Star, like the Belding and Mull Rifle Powder measure, was focused on repeatable consistency. Both were using pre WW2 machining and a mind set that demamded attention to excellence.

Maybe its kinda like the Elgin 'Railroad Watches'. The more I read about them, they both seem to have been made by detail oriented craftsmen and intended for an end user equally inclined.

We drive Hyundai and Volvo,(13 year old F 250 back-up), but a Goat and a Cobra would just plumb flat trip my trigger.

salty

[Matt Fleming]

B&M - another great name from the past. They made some great pistol cleaning rods in handy kits that I had for years. Their integrated jag made gun cleaning easy.

As for Star parts, there's still enough of a following to get most items. If anything that's Star becomes available in Houston, I'm interested.