Guy selling Printed bullet collators

[6bg6ga]

There is a guy that is selling printed bullet collators. I would not view this as a patent infringement as there looks to be a lot of differences between the MrBulletfeeder and what this guy has come up with.

[rototerrier]

What a shame. I just received my Genuine Mr. Bullet Feeder yesterday and quickly got it hooked up to my LNL.

Love it and couldn't imagine buying a knock off like that.

Buy the real thing! Have to give credit to the folks that R&D this stuff. Building it yourself is one thing, but buying from someone who is profiting off the work of others is just wrong.

[6bg6ga]

What a shame. I just received my Genuine Mr. Bullet Feeder yesterday and quickly got it hooked up to my LNL.

Love it and couldn't imagine buying a knock off like that.

Buy the real thing! Have to give credit to the folks that R&D this stuff. Building it yourself is one thing, but buying from someone who is profiting off the work of others is just wrong.

After going over and over his pictures I think he is just enough different from the Mr. Bulletfeeder as to not infringe on the patent. He has several differences and one is the caliber plate. His uses a slotted piece to accomplish the bullet orientation I believe and then there are the color options. Its looking like he has watched all of the bullet collator videos and come up with the best ideas for his. The down side my opinion is it is printed and I don't know how tuff the printed parts would be. I've heard everything from printed plastic is soft to its as good as any other plastic.

[6bg6ga]

For the record I haven't bought one. I find his price of $100 for a printed item minus the motor, power supply, switch and such a little over priced. I thought his prices for additional calibers, drop tubes and such was a little high considering that there are a lot of copies out now on most of the bulletfeeder parts.

I after thinking about his design would have purchased one if they were still available and I have no problem with my consciense simply because it is NOT a 100% cloned MrBulletfeeder unit.

[dverna]

One of my accomplishments was breaking a competitors patent. It is not always possible but it can be done. And there is nothing wrong or immoral about it. In my case, we came up with a better mouse trap and patented it. Sometimes getting around a patent creates an inferior product.

I have no interest in a bullet feeder so I have not looked into this and cannot comment on this particular case. Just saying the guy on EBay may have infringed or not, and may have an inferior or better design. If he has infringed, he will get a cease and desist order.....even if he has not, he will get a nasty letter telling him to....and unless he has the money to go to court, he will stop making them even if he legally can. That would be the immoral part....if Mr Bulletfeeder has no case, but more money to suppress competition.

Mr Bulletfeeder will be more aggressive if the guy has a better mouse trap. If it is a ***, the market will kill it.

Just the ramblings of someone who has been there.

[6bg6ga]

If memory is correct when I had a patent serch done about 30 years ago two things had to be different with the item. But things change and now days it may require more changes. At any rate Mr. Bulletfeeder makes a decent product from what I have seen in videos with the only problem it would seem being the motor that has a short life. This might depend also on how many bullets people are putting into their collators.

[rototerrier]

I'm definitely curious about the longevity of the motor. Fortunately they are cheap. I've loaded up about 500 rounds of 9mm with it so far and I've not had any binding or anything that would indicate the motor is struggling. I counted out a run and determined I am putting about 200 140gr boolits in there at a time. If my motor dies, it won't be because I've abused it cause it's super smooth with my current process.

Different strokes for different folks in regards to bullet feeders, and even case feeders. I know lots of folks don't see the need in them. But, for me, I shoot A LOT of 9mm. Both the case and bullet feeder really speed things up. It's all about time management. I have so much going on that I need to make my reloading go as fast as possible so that I can move on to the next thing. Everyone's life circumstances are different, and currently my time is worth more than the money I had to spend on it. In the long run, it will all pay for itself many times over.

The nicest thing about the mr bullet feeder so far is actually the bullet drop assembly. I've been using long tubes with the RCBS and Hornady Bullet Feed dies for a couple years now. The Hornady works with 45 cast but not so well with 9mm. The RCBS works very well with 9mm but isn't quite as consistent as the hornady, when the hornady works.

This MBF assembly is absolutely the best. Not a single misfeed out of everything I've loaded. The triple ball design is so much better than the double collet of the hornady and the fingers of the rcbs. It just works. And the larger 9mm cast diameter doesn't bother it. And the occasional flange hasn't tripped it up either. The RCBS will not feed a bullet with a stray base flange. I don't get many, but when I do, the RCBS chokes on them.

As far as infringement goes, the guy is definitely doing a clone. No doubt about it. Better or worse, he's clearly copying. He even references Mr. Bullet Feeder in his description.

You will receive:
1 "Mr. Bullet feeder Motor" baseplate
1 Bullet Plate Your Choice 9mm /40 Cal / 45ACP / 223 556 / 308
1 Mount
1 Motor Anchor your choice
1 Flipper
1 Drop Tube
1 Adjustable Turning Plate

[jmorris]

Production of the entirely crimson feeder kit was abruptly halted after lawyers got involved. I don’t know what kit you are talking about though.

As far as motors, good ones will last a very long time, like thousands of hours of use.

[Big Tom]

I think it has been removed on ebay - however, there is a open source design for a bullet feeder, which will require some tinkering (besides access to a 3D printer) and assembling it. It is at https://www.thingiverse.com/thing:2504314
I am sure this one was inspired by Mr. Bulletfeeder or Hornady or both as well. Comes down to what the patent includes if it is infringing or not...

Regarding the sturdiness of 3D printed objects - if done correctly, that plastic is as good or even better than a molded plastic item.

[dikman]

I was surprised at just how tough the PLA filament is, and there's even better stuff out there. I don't need a motorised boolit feeder, but that one you linked to could be an interesting project, Big Tom.

[6bg6ga]

I was surprised at just how tough the PLA filament is, and there's even better stuff out there. I don't need a motorised boolit feeder, but that one you linked to could be an interesting project, Big Tom.

The one linked to is not the one that was up for sale on ebay.

[6bg6ga]

What a shame. I just received my Genuine Mr. Bullet Feeder yesterday and quickly got it hooked up to my LNL.

Love it and couldn't imagine buying a knock off like that.

Buy the real thing! Have to give credit to the folks that R&D this stuff. Building it yourself is one thing, but buying from someone who is profiting off the work of others is just wrong.

I'm glad your happy with your Mr. Bullet bullet collator. Some people here don't wish to spend that much money to buy one. To be blunt there isn't that much in one to warrant the price and this is my opinion here. I would assume he is owned by large company and he is nothing more than a designer/ phone answering person. I believe his name is Rick and I called Mrbulletfeeder a few years back for a bullet dropper and he was the one answering the phone. Personally I think all bullet collators are way overpriced for what they are. It doesn't take that much to injection mold a few pieces of plastic combined with a motor,switch, and power supply.

I believe his units are somewhere around $450 or so but could you imagine the demand and the sales volume if a more realistic price point had been made? Everyone on the block would own his product. This is why people like the gentleman on ebay copied most but not all of his ideas as the ebay unit was not a 100% copy of the Mrbulletfeeder unit. Our own jmorris has done more for diy than anyone in this country. He sees it and he builds one similar by not a 100% copy and his built units last.

I believe its three items in the design according to a patent lawyer I spoke to that need to be changed in order not to violate a specific patent. In looking at the Ebay design the bullet caliber plate is different than Mr bulletfeeder. The design allows for the ability to fit different motors. The platform where the bullets are flipped or straight is different and there are other differences in it also.

I don't blame the guy for trying his luck making bullet collators. Maybe he is unemployed or maybe just fed up with his daytime job. At any rate I believe he is trying to build a better mouse trap.

[6bg6ga]

I'm definitely curious about the longevity of the motor. Fortunately they are cheap. I've loaded up about 500 rounds of 9mm with it so far and I've not had any binding or anything that would indicate the motor is struggling. I counted out a run and determined I am putting about 200 140gr boolits in there at a time. If my motor dies, it won't be because I've abused it cause it's super smooth with my current process.

Different strokes for different folks in regards to bullet feeders, and even case feeders. I know lots of folks don't see the need in them. But, for me, I shoot A LOT of 9mm. Both the case and bullet feeder really speed things up. It's all about time management. I have so much going on that I need to make my reloading go as fast as possible so that I can move on to the next thing. Everyone's life circumstances are different, and currently my time is worth more than the money I had to spend on it. In the long run, it will all pay for itself many times over.

The nicest thing about the mr bullet feeder so far is actually the bullet drop assembly. I've been using long tubes with the RCBS and Hornady Bullet Feed dies for a couple years now. The Hornady works with 45 cast but not so well with 9mm. The RCBS works very well with 9mm but isn't quite as consistent as the hornady, when the hornady works.

This MBF assembly is absolutely the best. Not a single misfeed out of everything I've loaded. The triple ball design is so much better than the double collet of the hornady and the fingers of the rcbs. It just works. And the larger 9mm cast diameter doesn't bother it. And the occasional flange hasn't tripped it up either. The RCBS will not feed a bullet with a stray base flange. I don't get many, but when I do, the RCBS chokes on them.

As far as infringement goes, the guy is definitely doing a clone. No doubt about it. Better or worse, he's clearly copying. He even references Mr. Bullet Feeder in his description.

You will receive:
1 "Mr. Bullet feeder Motor" baseplate
1 Bullet Plate Your Choice 9mm /40 Cal / 45ACP / 223 556 / 308
1 Mount
1 Motor Anchor your choice
1 Flipper
1 Drop Tube
1 Adjustable Turning Plate

I'll have to disagree with the above. Its not against the law to reference an item such as Mrbulletfeeder. The motor plate your talking about actually was available for several motor designs. The comment made was to the effect that it would mount the same motor as Mrbulletfeeder used and that same motor is available from Ebay sale its a JGY-370. Basically the guy asks what motor you plan on using and IF he has the drill pattern already he will use it and if not you can drill it to fit your motor.

Bullet Plates..... Bullet plates are not specific to Mrbulletfeeder only. Diyers have been making their own bullet plates for a few years no so Mr Bulletfeeder doesn't own the term or for that matter the part. The ebay part was not cloned from an exact copy of Mrbulletfeeder.

Mount... its different too as are the motor anchor,flipper, drop tubes, and turning plate.

The point being maybe the lawyers got a hold of it and this guy being small will be squeezed out in the process. Its actually a shame as its enough different to be interesting but not a CLONE like the Entirely Crimson Bullet Feeder Kit was.

[jmorris]

Some people here don't wish to spend that much money to buy one.

I have built a number of them over the years, if your not much of a DIY guy or just don’t have the tools to make one, might be better off spending your money though.

If an individual comes up with something different enough and includes citation of it, in his patent, he will be ready to build away without worry.

Of course they could always come up with an original idea as well and be clear of any litigation.

Post a link to what we are talking about.

[6bg6ga]

I think it has been removed on ebay - however, there is a open source design for a bullet feeder, which will require some tinkering (besides access to a 3D printer) and assembling it. It is at https://www.thingiverse.com/thing:2504314
I am sure this one was inspired by Mr. Bulletfeeder or Hornady or both as well. Comes down to what the patent includes if it is infringing or not...

Regarding the sturdiness of 3D printed objects - if done correctly, that plastic is as good or even better than a molded plastic item.

That is not the same link as the guy selling them on ebay.

[jmorris]

That is not the same link as the guy selling them on ebay.

Ok, you have said that twice now (#11&15), what is the link we should be looking at?

[6bg6ga]

Maybe someone has the link. I don't do facebook or other media so I don't have a link to post.

[HATCH]

The guy on ebay (CB member Y-Nots3D) is printing them off of a design that is on thingiverse
The link to the design is -> https://www.thingiverse.com/thing:2504314
He pulled his own listed because he didn't want to risk being given a copyright infringement lawsuit.

The above mentioned link is provided by the seller as a reference on design.

Alfred @ Entirely crimson didn't use the "FLIPPER" to push the bullets back into the plate. He also used a JGY370 motor in all of his designs.



Here is a video of the ebay design -> https://youtu.be/gKWYAgOTz58
Here is a video of the Crimson design -> https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=IrQA_8JpE7s

A lot of people that sell 3d printed items are just printing stuff from other people's designs
I have seen this primer tube holder before for sale ->https://www.thingiverse.com/thing:2429420
I have bought this before -> https://www.thingiverse.com/thing:1708750

I purchased 2 setups yesterday. Expect to get them sometime next week.
They both use the MBF motor ($25).
I picked that motor just because it was easy.
It is 12v. I also purchased 2 of the power supplies as well because it was only $20.

My plan is to use one on my star sizer and one on my friend's PW autodrive setup 650.

I have 2 or 3 of the EC collators sitting in lockup at my friends old shop I have been unable to retrieve.

[6bg6ga]

I also purchased a unit yesterday with a 9mm,and 45cal collator plate. Mine will also have the two bullet dropper tubes as well as bullet up bullet down options. I'm opting to use a JGY-370 motor with an optical sensor instead of a micro switch and a wall wart power supply in conjunction with a speed control.

Mine will start its life doing double duty between my 650 Dillon and my Star and Magma bullet sizers. If it works as good as I think it will I will purchase a second and third unit.

My suggestion will be that if your interested in this to pull the trigger and buy one of these great kits. I will admit that I thought they were a bit pricey but when you stop to consider the cost of materials and your time I personally couldn't pass it up.

I plan on posting some pictures of this collator so people can see it is very functional and easy to complete. The nice thing about DIY is the ability to customize how you want the additional little features such as a microswitch or other sensor or even a counter to keep track of the rounds you have loaded. DIY allows one to maximize their money to allow purchases of additional items one will need in the future. I honestly believe this is an item one cannot pass up if your looking to DIY your own collator. Like I mentioned there are enough differences that I honestly don't think there are any infringements on a similar collator being sold. I sincerely hope that others will join in and help a fellow member get a good start here as I believe it will beneficial to both.

[6bg6ga]

I also purchased a unit yesterday with a 9mm,and 45cal collator plate. Mine will also have the two bullet dropper tubes as well as bullet up bullet down options. I'm opting to use a JGY-370 motor with an optical sensor instead of a micro switch and a wall wart power supply in conjunction with a speed control.

Mine will start its life doing double duty between my 650 Dillon and my Star and Magma bullet sizers. If it works as good as I think it will I will purchase a second and third unit.

My suggestion will be that if your interested in this to pull the trigger and buy one of these great kits. I will admit that I thought they were a bit pricey but when you stop to consider the cost of materials and your time I personally couldn't pass it up.

I plan on posting some pictures of this collator so people can see it is very functional and easy to complete. The nice thing about DIY is the ability to customize how you want the additional little features such as a microswitch or other sensor or even a counter to keep track of the rounds you have loaded. DIY allows one to maximize their money to allow purchases of additional items one will need in the future. I honestly believe this is an item one cannot pass up if your looking to DIY your own collator. Like I mentioned there are enough differences that I honestly don't think there are any infringements on a similar collator being sold. I sincerely hope that others will join in and help a fellow member get a good start here as I believe it will beneficial to both.

Just changed my motor to a Mr Bullet Feeder Motor ALSO.