So what's the story with Balisti-Cast?

[AbitNutz]

Thinking about adding to my lubrisizer collection. Is the Ballisti-Cast Mk VI even an option? Is it available or now just a myth?

[VHoward]

Ballisticast used to be a family run business. But the members had a big squabble over something and now it is only one of them trying to run the business and he can't build anything fast enough to suite people.

[AbitNutz]

That always makes me nervous. I'll try and give him a call...if it's a wait forever situation that's too bad. If it's a pay first and never get it...well, that's something else.

Why is it that fine products seem to get screwed up by blood relations? I guess you can chose your employees but you can't chose your relatives.

[9w1911]

Ballisticast used to be a family run business. But the members had a big squabble over something and now it is only one of them trying to run the business and he can't build anything fast enough to suite people.
* If they would just say this on the website people would understand

[VHoward]

sales@ballisti-cast.com or call Bill Sand @ 701.352.1164
The updates on their page say they are under new management as of November 7, 2013 and they are working with a machine shop to produce their machines.
Best bet is to give him a call and see what is possible to get at the moment.

[DaveInFloweryBranchGA]

It's a shame the father fell out with the son. The young man had some innovative ideas, good engineering ideas for product improvement and was working hard to advance the business and it's product line from what I saw. There were some issues during the time the son was working on the product, but he was young and was learning. Dad should have had more patience. My personal feeling is he cut off his nose to spite his face. A deal like that can lose a man his son permanently and nothing is more painful or sad than losing a living son.

I have one of the lube sizers the son built with quite a few features, but I can't see myself buying any more product under the current situation. My hope is the father reconciles with his son. I think for the long term health of that business doing that would be for the best. We do NOT live forever.

[AbitNutz]

Why can't you see buying any more product under the current situation? Is it a moral decision or product quality?

[DaveInFloweryBranchGA]

Why can't you see buying any more product under the current situation? Is it a moral decision or product quality?

Equipment delivery time, parts availability, warranty service, customer service, customer responsiveness, etc. Morality has nothing to do with business, but schisms like the one that happened with that business generally are not overcome by the business. In many respects, it would be better if the owner sold the business to another machine shop.

For my part, I'd rather not own equipment I can't get warranty support and parts in a timely manner, among other things. Especially when Magma sells a similar product line and is doing pretty well in all the mentioned categories.

[btroj]

OK Dave, who made the moulds for the 7mm Thor? The moulds were horribly off spec. Word here is that the son was responsible at that time.

He may have good ideas and innovate but he needs to be able to make things on spec and on time.

[DaveInFloweryBranchGA]

OK Dave, who made the moulds for the 7mm Thor? The moulds were horribly off spec. Word here is that the son was responsible at that time.

He may have good ideas and innovate but he needs to be able to make things on spec and on time.

To be quite frank, I don't care. Sounds like you're emotionally invested what's happened and believe the father did right. For me, it's about being a customer and purchasing from a business. Right now, that business looks very shaky to me. If it stabilizes, great. But I have no dogs in the hunt, just hard earned money I've grown extremely careful about where and what I spend it on.

That said, if I ran my son off for every time he ever screwed up, I wouldn't have a son and neither would any other man. That's just life.

[btroj]

I have no dog in the fight. I just think the father made what he felt to was the best business decision at the time.

Time will tell. Son may be a great designer and machinist but a lousy businessman. Wouldn't be the first time that happened.

I would love to see the company succeed but unless they get things right with customers they will never make it.

Time will tell.

[geargnasher]

What ran me off was someone, who I think was the "son" talked about here, posting a thread on this forum asking about cavity size vs. boolit size with different boolit alloys and steel moulds. I would think that knowing that, or at least discovering that such data is widely published in various books, is job numero uno of a mould manufacturer. It isn't like he was asking for preferences like handle configuration or sprue well preference. I wasn't surprised in the least that the dimensions of the 7mm Thor were buggared.

Gear

[runfiverun]

it was about a 45/70 mold.
the answer to his question is on page 58 of the number-3 lyman cast bullet hand book b.t.w.
yeah I remember...put me off right then.

[AbitNutz]

I am considering a MK VI but at $700 loaded it is a tough decision if I can't count on the quality of the equipment or support of the manufacturer. They say they have several that are ready for delivery. I'm extremely nervous about this. I'd really like to get hold of a MK VI but if it's a nightmare scenario...has anyone bought anything from these folks recently?

[Moonman]

:Bright idea:HARDLINE INDUSTRIES on Facebook.


Looks like the son may have set up another company in

Ballisti-Casts state (not far from) and seems to be doing

moulds, machines, etc, or will SOON be doing so????????


I think gunoil may have a mould from the new company?


Company seems to be looking at moulds for the growing

NO LUBE GROOVE market for use with coated projectiles

as in HI-TEK and possibly Electrostatic Powder Coatings.


This saga continues, and the marketplace becomes more confused.[smilie=b:

[HATCH]

101003

Hardline spent some money on CNC equiptment.
Should be interesting to see what they make.

[Fluxed]

I am considering a MK VI but at $700 loaded it is a tough decision if I can't count on the quality of the equipment or support of the manufacturer. They say they have several that are ready for delivery. I'm extremely nervous about this. I'd really like to get hold of a MK VI but if it's a nightmare scenario...has anyone bought anything from these folks recently?

Mine should be here this week. I'll let you know when I get it.

Looks to me that they are trying to get things done and shipped. I've had ok communication with them-been kept informed it seems. I think they have some good machines that should sell well in the marketplace. That said, there's no substitute for shipping product. I wish them well.

[AbitNutz]

Please do. After a few emails on a Saturday they gave me a quote and said they prefered a check or they'd charge me 3%. I assume that's if I use a credit card. 3% seems cheap insurance to me. If I order a machine and the check clears and nothing shows or what shows turns out to be substandard..well, lets face it. I'm screwed. If I credit card it I can dispute it within 60 days. I've only had to do that once in 30 years.

[fishboy747]

I'll post on how my sizer is in the mourning got the post office slip to pick it up saturday.Bill was just fine to work with and he is straight foward on what is available and the cost.

[JonB_in_Glencoe]

:Bright idea:HARDLINE INDUSTRIES on Facebook.


Looks like the son may have set up another company in

Ballisti-Casts state (not far from) and seems to be doing

moulds, machines, etc, or will SOON be doing so????????

from FB

Hardline Industries, Inc. is a full service CNC job shop specializing in precision machining. We can service your needs from small batch milling and turning operations, to full scale production. We also offer a full line of equipment for the production of cast lead bullet projectiles.

PRODUCTS
CNC Part Fabrication
Hand Casting Bullet Molds
Commercial Bullet Casting Machine
Commercial Bullet Sizing Machine
Bullet Collator

No one's name is mentioned in the Company Info, but there is a video posted by "Derek" turning some 1018 Steel.

[Moonman]

I received a FACEBOOK MESSAGE from someone named

MIKE (at Hardline Industries).

speaking about mold handles that gunoil put on the mold he

got from ebay, 9 MM No Groove.

He stated a couple more molds may go up on E-bay this week.

[Hardcast416taylor]

I`m still waiting for my "new" 7mm Thor mold from B-C. Have had no contact from anybody at B-C about this. BadgerEdd occasionally gets info from them and general delivery dates about the "new" molds.Robert

[fishboy747]

I have my sizer in hand101134 it is painted a hammered copper color the next ones will be his green. I will fire it up and size thursday so far it appears that it is money well spent and worth the wait.

[Love Life]

Hardline Industries makes a very nice mould. Well, at least the 230 gr slick sided 45 acp mould I have is VERY nice. It's a 2 cavity iron mould (Praise!!) and I use the KAL (Red River Rick) RCBS style handles for the mould. Did I also mention that the KAL handles are one of the best investments in casting equipment that I have made?

[Springfield]

I received an e-mail yesterday from someone in the sales department at Ballisti-cast, going by the e-mail address. He was following up on an e-mail of mine from 6 months ago, asking if I still wanted a sizer. I sent him a copy of their original offer during the 10 unit GB from 2 years ago. I said I was interested if those prices were still in affect, but not the current prices. He said he would talk to Bill. We'll see what happens. I already have 3 Stars, so I am not desperate to get one, but I do like to try new equipment. Ya never know, I might love it. But not at 600.00 a pop.

[DaveInFloweryBranchGA]

I have my sizer in hand. It is painted a hammered copper color the next ones will be his green. I will fire it up and size thursday so far it appears that it is money well spent and worth the wait. That is a Ballisti Cast sizer, yes?

[Moonman]

The sizer pictured in post #23 is a Ballisti-Cast.

[VHoward]

But they normally mount on a benchtop, not the wall. :-)

[ssnow]

I bought one of the 4 small casters that was built under Mike & Derek. The big shake-up happened right after that........so I had the machine for the longest time, but no molds.

I'm not here to judge either Bill or Mike, as we do not know all the details and it's none of our business anyway. It's a sad thing though, to see a split in a family........even if you are right about the issue, you still lose. I hope a reconciliation is possible for both their sakes.

Moving on.......Ballisti-Cast is now producing the small casters and sizers. The one that I seen was even improved over the one I bought, with a new ratchet handle design along with a better pot. Sweet little machine, and I think anyone who tries one is going to be happy.

They are also producing commercial casters and sizers, and all of the molds look top-notch.

I have full confidence in Bill and Ballisti-Cast. Yes its been a very rocky road for them all, but they are moving on and making good progress. You really need not worry with Bill, he has delivered on all his promises made to me.

[sliphammer]

When Mike Sand made the B-C group buy offer I ordered a 606 mold, for a 38-40, with a dia. of .401. When the mold arrived it was stamped .4059. I contacted Mike and he said he would make it right. After several emails, and a couple of phone calls, Bill Sand told me to send the mold back to them. I did and we had a couple more emails, phone calls, and he told me they were starting manufacture of hand cast molds and they would cut me another mold with a dia. of .401. A couple of months later I called again and Bill did some checking and called me back stating the mold was done and they would be shipping it. It's a really nice mold, and it's stamped, with what I believe to be, S/N 1. The only problem - the dia. stamped on the mold is .407.

[Springfield]

But what does it cast at?

[sliphammer]

I haven't used it yet but, I fully expect it to be something over .407

[ssnow]

I say try the mold and see what the diameter of the dropped bullets are. If it is incorrect/not as ordered, then Bill will make it right. Obviously, they have had many problems, but Bill is trying to do the right thing.

I don't know how much this helps, as they now have a different guy cutting the mold than when yours was done (my assumption anyway). I have a 40 cal mold and it is marked 406. It's dropping the bullets at 403. So your mold may be closer than you think.

Test it out and see. If it's not right then give Bill a call. The new molds look fantastic, and they have been as ordered so far. If there is a problem, they should be able to do a fairly quick turn around on them now, as they have made great progress in being able to produce the molds.

[kayak1]

I say try the mold and see what the diameter of the dropped bullets are. If it is incorrect/not as ordered, then Bill will make it right. Obviously, they have had many problems, but Bill is trying to do the right thing.

I don't know how much this helps, as they now have a different guy cutting the mold than when yours was done (my assumption anyway). I have a 40 cal mold and it is marked 406. It's dropping the bullets at 403. So your mold may be closer than you think.

Test it out and see. If it's not right then give Bill a call. The new molds look fantastic, and they have been as ordered so far. If there is a problem, they should be able to do a fairly quick turn around on them now, as they have made great progress in being able to produce the molds.


That doesn't sounds fantastic, a .406 mold dropping .403 boolits.

[ssnow]

I want it dropping bullets at .403, so that I have the option of sizing to .401 or .402.

The point here is that the Ballisti-Cast diameters stamped on the mold are not the size of the dropped bullet as we are accustomed to seeing from other manufacturers....... Other mold manufacturers list the expected bullet diameter. Ballisti-Cast is listing the actual cut of the mold...........which doesn't really matter to us the casters, what we care about is the size of the bullet. But that is the way they are doing it.

It's different........so don't expect a .407 bullet from a mold marked 407.

[2ridgebacks]

As to the story with BC, I have received a Mark X, and a Mark VI, the MkX about 8 wks ago and the sizer this week. Both are loaded machines. My only casting experience to this point is about 2000 tumble lube Lee's and those were a couple of years ago. Both appear to be fantastic.

We were able to get the caster up and running quickly after taking care of some shipping damage. After consulting with ssnow and 6bgba about what to expect, we fired it up and ran a couple hundred. The results were good, but the molds small. 8 wks later, we are off to the races with good molds.
The sizer came in pieces. My partner quickly assembled everything and after turning on the heater with a stick of their lube in the sizer we were sizing bullets. No hassle, no drama. The machine appears heavily made and nicely finished.
We have made several calls and emails to BC. Since the changeover at BC things have been addressed in a timely manner and to my satisfaction. They are working with another shop on the two machines that I received, but, so what. The machines appear to be all that they were built up to be. I will buy from them in the future and I think that they will be there to buy from.

[2ridgebacks]

FWIW, my co-owner on the machines shot a batch of boolits that were cast today in a bullseye match tonight. The 100lb pot was turned on and filled to capacity, the boolits were cast at close to 800, and then cooled, lubesized, and then loaded. All between 2:00 and 5:00. We were shooting swaged Zero's. These were the first HG68's that we had fired and he shot as well as any scores with Zero's. Definitely encouraging.
I'm sure I'll be relaying more experiences going forward and probably asking a lot of questions too.

[Tab812]

I am the co-owner referred to in the above post. I'm a competitive Bullseye shooter and for me casting is a means to an end. It was a long wait to get the Mark X and the Mark VI. Both machines are as advertised, and I am very happy we waited to get both. The Mark X produces quality bullets with sharp bases and shoulders of a consistent weight in a very short amount of time. The Mark VI sizes even faster!!! My Thanks to Balisti-Cast and Northern Valley Machine.

[BigboreShooter]

I see Ballisti-Cast has made changes to their web site, saying there ready to go. Has everybody received their molds from the group buy.What is the story????

BigBoreShooter

[kayak1]

The new page showing the molds that they make is much much better.

http://www.ballisti-cast.com/boolits/index.php

As much as I love my molds from Accurate I might have to pickup a few ballisti-cast molds.

[Fluxed]

Got my Mk VI and have sized a couple hundred boolits. Had a few teething problems, but mostly solved now. I'll report further as I get more time on the machine.

[GLL]

As kayak1 indicated the new bullet catalog is outstanding ! :)

A MAJOR improvement !

http://www.ballisti-cast.com/boolits/index.php

Jerry

[Smoke4320]

wow simple and easy to follow .. Pics weights with different alloys ect ..
only thing I did not see was available dia's for each bullet

[Fluxed]

Got the Mk VI on Saturday and managed to size about 1,000 boolits. A few little hitches had to be ironed out as I went but at this point I'm pretty happy with this machine. It is a vast improvement over the typical lube/sizer. Pretty expensive but I'm thinking its worth it.

It appears Ballisti-Cast is executing fairly well on its old promises and making good efforts to get caught up.

[captaint]

Glad to hear that. I've been thinking of ordering a couple of molds. I like the looks of that # 275. Looks like an H&G 68 shrunk down to 9mm. That oughta work well !!! Mike

[AbitNutz]

I've really not had any of my reloading equipment break, with the exception of my RCBS Pro-Melt pot. It didn't break as much as I broke it. RCBS did fix it for free after I owned it for 20 years.

I think the greatest requirement of support for one of these units is being able to obtain sizing dies. Since it takes Star dies and there are more than a couple of makers of those, I'm not too concerned.

I think I can get away without the heat, which knocks off about $170.00. I can always add it later if I need be but I've had the Star for years and not missed it with the lubes I use. The air is nice and that only adds $40.

[Lead]

I've never dealt with them but work for my father for fourteen years an is a one sided relationship. Only one dad so keep moving forward .