Star lube sizer

As I am reading through the string of replies, the one subject not fully discussed is the hardenss of the bullets and the method of hardening. The replies may be comparing different scenarios that affect the answer.

First, I believe the design parameters on the Star are for high-volume and relatively soft bullets. The observations about not pushing too hard for fear of breaking the casting are relevant. My Star is mounted on a 2 X 6 with a hole drilled for the bullet drop to fully support the casting. Don't force the machine too far!

I bought an used Star Lubri-sizer about forty years ago with the handle well-curved. The price was cheap and I was told it was worn out, that is why it was cheap. Working with it, the o-ring had deterioriated, crumbled, and pieces were partially blocking the lube passage. Thorough cleaning, new o-ing and it was working fine. 

My experience with water dropped bullets that are allowed three days to harden is they are very hard, possibly 30 on the Rockwell C scale. This may be the root of the problem in that there is little mechanical advantage and the bullets are strongly resisting. Sizing the bullets within three hours of casting may alleviate the problem. 

The reason I say this is my uncle used the same water drop method to harden 200 grain .45 ACP SWC pistol bullets. When I wanted to try a different lube on his bullets, I boiled them, cleaned them and sent them through the Star. The same situation, the handle needed great effort and these were .452 bullets going trough a .452 die. Discussing the experiment with my uncle, he observed that he immediately sized the bullets because he could not get them through the dies when he waited more than three hours.  

When shooting the water-dropped bullets into a flat steel plate, they powdered into tiny crystals rather than the usual slugs. They were hard.