Bullet mould rentals?

[John Boy]

On the ASSRA forum, with both of us being members of ASSRA, I have lent and received molds for use - obsolete Ideal molds. If one has trust of each other in their cast capabilities- let them use the mold.
I have also cast 50 or 100 bullets and sent them to the person in need

[GhostHawk]

It may be just me but I have had very poor luck with people borrowing things from me.

Like my new Lund 15' lightweight canoe that came back with a hole in it because he did not take the time to tie it down right. Or my 2 yr old pickup truck that came back missing a mirror after a guy needed to haul wood.

As a result, I have 2 rules, ironclad.

You use it at my place at my direction, if at any point I do not like what I see I say stop and you leave.

Or, 100% of replacement cost as deposit up front. You get it back only after I am convinced that you have not bent, broken, mangled, or otherwise snafu'd it. Deposit in cash only, no checks, no plastic, no cash no borrow.

It seems people do not value others property anymore. The way I was raised you had the right to abuse your tools, but a borrowed tool was baby'd and protected and returned as soon as possible. You took better care of it than your own.

[bangerjim]

I do not lend NOTHING to NOBODY....NOHOW!!!!!!!! Too much bad history. Damage, loss, misplaced, poor care. Many people take hooooorible care of tools!

And especailly molds!!!!!! I do not even trust my family with them.

I would pass on that one. Just tell the person to belly up to the bar and buy his own darned molds.

banger

[Silas Longshot]

If the guy is only casting a few of some oddball (for him) caliber, it would be better for friendships / relations for them to just buy some factory cast boolits. Or his own mold, again unless it's some odd caliber, Lee Precision is mighty reasonable for the range they cover in molds. It would also depend on his experience in casting...a total rookie may whack the sprue plate with a steel rod or hammer, pretty much ruining that part real quick.

[country gent]

I'm actually more concerned with damge from shipping or loss during shipping than a member here damaging the mould. I cast a batch of test bullets for a member and they get lost Im only out the lead and time. The mould gets lost or damaged beyond repair Im out much more. Ive repaired a couple moulds for members here that were damaged in shipping, so it does happen. On the other hand like reamer rentals and other tool rentals, I could see this being a profitable enterprise set up correctly. Im not sure what a fair fee would be but once the moulds and handles were purchased amoratation would be pretty quick. To a memeber here ussually a trade can be worked out on bullets back and forth. The member getting what they want to try and you getting something that you can try or test. And thats part of the fun testing new things LOL.

[GooseGestapo]

I guess I'm different.
I don't loan molds! When asked to "borrow" my molds, I say no! I GIVE it to them, with the caveat that if they ever don't need it, I'd prefer they loan it back.
In return, I have a half dozen molds that are on permanent loan from others. They can't take them back, as they couldn't take them with them where they went (RIP)! I'd gladly give up my Lee 2-cavity 158gr SWC-GC I was "loaned" by my brother, if it would bring my older brother back!

Although I value my molds often more than My guns, I value my friends/shooting buddies more. I miss my older brother! He makes his M1 Garand "Special" because of what he did with it! Not because of what it is! I have now my first bullet mold, a Lee .311"-150FNGC 1-cav I bought in 1976. I gave it to him in ~1980. He cast 100's of bullets with it in '80's, '90's, and taught my nephew to shoot with them in a M94. Many memories of hunting trips, game taken, groups shot with bullets from that mold. Have now the molds, M94, but it's the memories I cherish! Bought the molds for $9 IIRC. Sizer/lube kit for $8. Memories, priceless! (My nephew spent 12mos in the "Sand Box" in '03-04 In Army National Guard).

Don't get me started on the Lee .458" 400gr HBFN. Or the Saeco 4-cav .358" 148" WC mold and handles. Led me several National records in NRA PPC.

Don't be selfish, spread the JOY!

[alfloyd]

How much do you trust or know about the person?
How many boolits is he planning to cast with it in a 2 week period?
Is it a aluminium, brass, or is it an iron mold?
If aluminum or brass and he cast 5,000 boolits with it, how much mold life is it loosing?

Just my thoughts

Lafaun

[6622729]

Molds just are not that expensive but they can be difficult to acquire certain ones. There is too much potential for damage. No way would I be shipping my molds around. If someone wanted to come over and use one, sure that'd be fine and free. I might even spring for the lead.

[fishingsetx]

I tend to overlend and pay the price regularly. I lent my generator to my brother and my wife lent our carpet cleaner to his wife about 6 months ago. we had to buy a new carpet cleaner about a month later because it came back ruined. my brother called me over the weekend to tell me the generator locked up and is toast. $1200 worth of stuff gone. he says he is repairing or replacing it, but Ill believe it when its sitting in my garage. Ive learned my lesson. I will NOT be lending anything out unless I know the person and trust them to replace it without question if broken. I know I would whether it cost me $5 or $50k. If it was ruined while in my possesion, it would be replaced with a new one no matter the condition it was in when I recieved it. Thats just the way I was taught things go and the risk I take borrowing something. Its also the reason I will not borrow anything I cannot afford to replace on the spot!

Id say the renter pays shipping both ways and puts down a deposit for the replacement value of the item (if it can be replaced). then they get 75% of the value back upon return in at least as good of condition as it left in. feel free to adjust the % as you see fit. If it cant be replaced easily, I would decline the rental.

Sent from my SAMSUNG-SM-G890A using Tapatalk

[JonB_in_Glencoe]

All these tales of woe, remind me of an incident where I broke a Troybilt Horse garden Tiller. I was 21, wet behind the ears, and I had just bought a house in Arlington...a very friendly town, but it was is 60 miles away from my hometown and all my friends.

It was springtime and the neighbor was tilling his garden. I asked if he would till up a patch of weeds in my yard that appeared to have been a garden in prior years. He said, how about you till it, make sure the tiller is full of gas when you return it.

So, happy as a lark, I fired up the tiller and had at it. It was going kinda fast, so I tried to shift it from Hi range to Lo range. If you are familiar with the Horse, you know that those gears are the most unsynchronized gears on the planet. The trick that I didn't know then, is you have to gently roll the tiller forward or backward, to let the gears mesh (I've owned a Horse for years now, a great machine). But as I said, I was young and wet behind the ears and never operated a Horse before. While forcing the Hi-Lo shift lever (which is a long, curved, 1/2" thick round solid steel rod), it broke, right at the weld at the pivot point. DANG, I thought to myself, I just broke a 1/2" thick steel rod shift level

Luckily, my neighbor was a very good neighbor...while he was as shocked as I was...He looked at the break, and seen there was a imperfection/fracture (rusted) in 75% of the break area. He said it wasn't my fault and not to worry about it. I told him I'd pay for a new lever and labor to install it, and that could have probably been a weeks pay for me back then, but he said again, it wasn't my fault. He had a friend of his weld it and reinforce it, so it was stronger than a new one. I never asked to borrow that tiller again.

[Half Dog]

I once loaned money to a friend. I erased the debt due to him going through hard times and he is still a friend. What I've learned is that I'm more attached to friends than material objects.

[brassrat]

I have thought that a swap service on here might? be great.

[DLCTEX]

Fortuantly I know no one interested in casting beyond me casting for them. I have reloading items on "permanent loan" in a place or two. I never lend unless I am willing to give it freely. I am guilty of keeping the batteries of things like my generator, tiller, and such put away and use the excuse that it will eyed a battery if you borrow it. No one has taken me up on that yet.

[osteodoc08]

im more than happy to cast up some boolits for someone. I don't loan my molds. Or my tools. Or my lawn equipment. Or my wife or dog or vehicle.

[35remington]

Nothing like loaning a valuable tool, getting it back damaged, and having the guy that damaged it think you are over reacting when you point out the damage. Inevitably they think you shouldn't have got upset if they damaged it. After all, you were stupid enough to loan it in the first place.

It is at that point you ask yourself if you have leaned from the experience. If the answer is "no" then yes I would loan a mould. Since I don't loan moulds I guess I have learned.

Such happens when you do not know a person thoroughly or know if they are accountable. Don't be that guy.

[Rustyleee]

would cast for someone but not loan mold.

I agree.

[RogerDat]

I'm in the only loan it if having it be a total loss is ok, like loaning money to family. You give them money without expecting it back, or you don't give them money. If you can't kiss it good-bye then don't put it in someone else's hands. Accidents, layoffs, illness, all sorts of things can come up or happen. If the mold is one you could have the post office lose, the guy drop and break, or die without returning it to you then fine give it to him and tell him you would appreciate it coming home but if not you guess he will just have to live with the negative karma.

Otherwise send him a baggie of bullets, maybe have him cover postage and maybe a little something for the beer fund depending on what you have to put into making the bullets. If they work well for him then he can invest in his own mold. If mold is rare he can offer to purchase a larger quantity if his needs are modest. If he want to use it for competition and needs to burn a lot for practice then I guess buying his own rare mold is just part of the cost of competing.

[rintinglen]

The folks I know well enough to trust with a mold would likely never ask to borrow one. I've lent a few over the years and haven't had an issue yet, but only to known casters of considerable experience. I would not send one through the mail.

[Leadmelter]

no
If you want samples of my boolits, I will send you some but not the mold.
Leadmelter
MI

[Cowboy_Dan]

Thanks for the advice, everyone. The rental deal is not happening, probably for the best. It is the 16 ga Lyman Foster Slug, now long out of production.