The question is which is most suitable for all purposes. It is my opinion that the Saeco (Redding) lubricator/sizer/gas check seater all in one is the most versatile.
I have both. I bought the Star lubrisizer in the late 70s. I had two of them and I still own one of them. I used them exclusively for pistol bullets of all sizes and it worked great for many thousands of bullets.
I started shooting cast bullet rifle loads in the early 80s and I bought a (Redding) Saeco sizer.
A while back, I read about using the Star to seat gas checks and size rifle bullets. I ordered a .310 die with a flat top punch to give the Star a run.
Putting the gas check on the base and aligning it up with the punch was at best a pitiful substitute for the Saeco. Yes, I put the nose of the bullet in first. If the gas checks didn't fit the bullet shank easily, there was not enough pressure to cause a good seat of the check.
The Saeco has two vertical shafts that keep the top punch aligned with the bullet in the die. A top punch to match the bullet goes in the top punch and the bullet is perfectly aligned on the axis of the sizing die. If your bullet is not a Saeco Mold, you can obtain an oversized top punch and make it fit the nose of your bullet by using epoxy filler.
In the past 3 years, I have cast and loaded 29,551 bullets. 20,294 of those bullets were gas checked rifle loadings. In addition, I have sized and gas checked 3,444 Oregon Trail Laser Cast rifle bullets and fired them.
For all of the above mentioned cast bullets I used the Saeco lubricator/sizer. The accuracy is excellent.
I really like my Star, but it is not the "Star" when it comes to gas checked bullets.
In the past week, I have cast 1605 more 30 caliber bullets. I ran a speed test with the Saeco to determine what my speed rate is.
In 22 minutes, I gas checked and sized 140 bullets. I have yet to run a timed test with the Star Machine and I don't know that I will.
All of you new cast bullet shooters might want to take a look at the Saeco machine. It is less expensive than the star. Having used both of them, I prefer the Saeco.
Harold Clark