Star powder magazine

[J.D.R]

So a few weeks ago I made a shut off measure for my gaggle of star reloading presses and due to being off the last two weeks of work I had time to try out my design. If you remember or just look up my previous thread post you will not a 36 inch tube extension.

In my 28 year old mind I could not fathom why these tubes were not available for the standard star. More powder means more reloading!

Well fast forward to loading while setting dies for new xtp bullets and SNAP around 1.5 pounds of 2400 come poring all over my bench and floor. I was able to sweep up most of it but I now have debris like chunks of wood and saw dust that I need to sift out on order to use the powder again.

So moral of story is don't design what a company in business 60 years never did.

 

[NMexJim]

All disclaimers apply to the following:

A tell you a trick that some of us shotgun guys have used to separate powder from shot in ah-crap reloading situations, shot being damned expensive compared to powder. I've noticed you can get debris out of the powder as well. Maybe a help for you.

You need to get two plastic containers. The thin, opaque kind the foodservice stores sell. Like the kind Safegive gives you cole slaw in. Maybe pint-size but not huge.

Use a piece of wool or wool cloth to create a bit of static charge on the plastic of both containers. You hold one such charged container in both hands about half full of the mess, and gently rotating that container so that the powder is actually kind of rolling over and off over the side to the other one placed on the table/bench down below. In the case of shot, it stays down at the angle of the side and bottom of the handheld container, and you can get it quite clean after a couple of tries.

Just don't get in a bit hurry and go in small batches.

In the case of shot and powder, once you get the shot separated, you can then repeat the process just using the powder and pick out the nasty stuff that stays behind.

Call me a crazy old mess, but I've used this for years. MEC users learn these sorts of things.

 

[JoeDinora]

Some people have no business being close to a Star.

 

[J.D.R]

Some people have no business being close to a Star.

Well when you try to make things "better " subjectively you crack a few eggs. There are star purists who just will brow beat you over altering an original design, I assume you are one. To me it's just a tool you use to accomplish a goal. I do not mistreat my stars as they are the greatest progressive reloading press ever made. I have one in each caliber I shoot actively.

If you feel unscrewing a fitting and screwing one i manufactured in it's place and experiencing a total failure as grounds for excommunication then I would love to see some of your "trails" and the success rate experienceed out the gate please.

I am sharing this info as an opportunity to save some trouble in future, I did not see anyone on the web doing what I did in my light search and now it's there for Google to see.

 

[FROGO207]

At least it wasn't a "here hold my beer moment". I'll keep such things in mind. Thanks.

 

[J.D.R]

At least it wasn't a "here hold my beer moment". I'll keep such things in mind. Thanks.

What I left out of the story was my propane bottle head heater was roaring 3 ft away in the 15 degree room when the powder tube snapped. It may not have killed me but I definitely would have suffered sever burns