How much is a bullet mold wort?

[Zaneiel]

I wanted to get peoples opinion on mold pricing.
I am ramping up to make bullet molds right now and I find it is pretty time intensive.
I often ask ... am i going to really make any money doing this?
So I am improving process where I can to cut time down.
Most of the cost is really in the time it takes to do everything that makes a bullet mold and a small cost in materials and consumables and such.

Someone once told me that for a 2 cavity mold that "does everything you say it will" is worth 80.00
So where does that put 4 cavity molds? 160.00? or 130.00?
I was thinking 25.00 per cavity but others have told me That i will find out pretty fast that is to cheap.
I love this business and I want to be fair but i don't want to be a slave either :)

Zaneiel ~ Aluminum molds made in the U.S.A !

[reddog81]

Have you priced the competition? $80 or a little less is a common price for basic 2 cavity. A 4 cavity costs about $20 more. Hollow point options and anoth $20 or more.

I think most people are comfortable paying around $100. Anything much more than that and you will be priced out of the market.

most of the competition out there provide a quality product and I rarely hear many complaints.

[country gent]

Several things to remember about this venture. 1) dont be stuck on one thing like moulds. Branch out a little into Push thru sizers, cake cutters, nose punches ect ect. 2) price point isnt just about number of cavites your equipments efficency and tooling will affect it also. 3) Starting out getting your name and products "out there" is the biggest thing. Tooling is the biggest expaense and factor in these ventures, home made hardened tool steel works but needs to be run much slower and wear is high. True solid carbide T I N coated cutters can be ran much faster and much longer. But carbide is harder to work with sharpen and such. (With well made cherries and a centering vise cavities can be cut in a solid drill press.) a means of holding 4-10 blocks in a cnc mill on known locations and the proper program and correct locations the mill will rough the cavities and finish them all in each set of blocks pretty much unattended. Some of the compuered controlled mills and edms run unatended through program for the better part of a day or longer. Evaluate your equipment honestly and go from there. Some custom lathe bored mould makers get up to $280. for a single cavity nose pour mould.

[Zaneiel]

Thanks for the comments. As usual this forum is the best thing since .... gunpowder?

[fiberoptik]

I'd go see a doctor about those bullet mould worts. He should be able to freeze them off.........!


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[C. Latch]

Look at prices from NOE, MiHec, and Mountain Molds.

As a newbie to the business, you can't beat them on quality. You'll have to beat them on price, at least to start.

[runfiverun]

what I would do is learn the design side of things.
Tom at accurate sells a super good design program.
then design nose pour molds.

the nose pour mold will set you apart and create a clientele that knows what's what.
also doing molds in the 24-28 calibers will get you some attention. [although fewer shooters right off]
that will however allow you to grow slow enough to build a reputation and hone your customer service skills.
without the last two it won't matter what your price point is.

[gwpercle]

Look at the competition , no matter how wonderful the mould is , if priced too high the other guy is going to get the sale. That's just human nature. Find your niche, offer something different and go heavy on making the customer happy, which is the hardest part.
I had only used Lyman and Lee moulds , since 1967 , and decided to try a nice mould at least once in my life. Bought an NOE 4 cavity, after loosing my small allen wrench, I asked what size they were so I could buy more, Al Nelson sent me 6 free ones...that was so nice of him....I bought another 3 cavity mould. Customer service counts.

Good luck and keep us posted.
Gary

[MT Gianni]

Your competition charges $6 or $7 a cavity after the first two. That is what you have to beat.

[Zaneiel]

Thanks for all the replies. I have looked at the competition. I guess the fact that they are still around should say their prices are set appropriately for their product / customer service.

Always get great feedback on this forum, love it :)

[kokomokid]

Make a high quality product and cut any nose shape a customer wants and you will have couple months back orders. I expect a couple months wait on a Brooks single cavity mould but it will be the size I order.

[ascast]

Interesting thread.
i got all set up to do commercial casting and found out I need a ammo license that cost about $2200 per year. ouch! Look into that stuff in detail. Also, don't invent new stuff that don't work. By that I mean use a standard numbering system like Lyman or NEI: 6 digits for size and weight, with maybe a letter or 2 for style. Lee is the best I think for this coding: on the box! The blocks are commonly stamped with some useless number like "90345". It may seem trivial ( and is ) until the pile gets big. Then it's a real PITA. Nobody puts the mold back in the box. RCBS is good, but behind the curve a bit on this.
Saeco is the worst! Any old number they pull out of the air. Completely useless number. And while I'm ragging on Saeco, what is it with that old Cramer system of mounting the sprue cutter hinge screw in the middle instead of the corner where it belongs? I do not but Saeco molds for that reason. I have re-mounted a couple sprue cutters. I do NOT buy Saeco molds because of these two reasons. They are a quality product otherwise and I would like to buy local, but that stuff is garbage.
Get a full list of your competitors products and have it at the ready for those 2:00AM phone calls from 4 time zones away wanting a copy of some old Ideal mold from 120 years ago.
On a more optimistic note: there is no maker who cater to the left handed caster. Just relocate the cutter. You could also offer dippers for the left handed. Just cut off and re-weld.
just a thought

keep us posted

[Zaneiel]

I like your thinking Ascast.
I to hate the mold numbering systems some manufacturers use.
In my opinion there should be numbers stamped or CNC'd on the mold and they should be the Size, weight, and style.
Hrmm a left handed sprue plate.... *ponders*

I looked into all the licencing ahead of time.
Lucky for me molds are tools and not bullets, powders, primers, or guns.


Interesting thread.
i got all set up to do commercial casting and found out I need a ammo license that cost about $2200 per year. ouch! Look into that stuff in detail. Also, don't invent new stuff that don't work. By that I mean use a standard numbering system like Lyman or NEI: 6 digits for size and weight, with maybe a letter or 2 for style. Lee is the best I think for this coding: on the box! The blocks are commonly stamped with some useless number like "90345". It may seem trivial ( and is ) until the pile gets big. Then it's a real PITA. Nobody puts the mold back in the box. RCBS is good, but behind the curve a bit on this.
Saeco is the worst! Any old number they pull out of the air. Completely useless number. And while I'm ragging on Saeco, what is it with that old Cramer system of mounting the sprue cutter hinge screw in the middle instead of the corner where it belongs? I do not but Saeco molds for that reason. I have re-mounted a couple sprue cutters. I do NOT buy Saeco molds because of these two reasons. They are a quality product otherwise and I would like to buy local, but that stuff is garbage.
Get a full list of your competitors products and have it at the ready for those 2:00AM phone calls from 4 time zones away wanting a copy of some old Ideal mold from 120 years ago.
On a more optimistic note: there is no maker who cater to the left handed caster. Just relocate the cutter. You could also offer dippers for the left handed. Just cut off and re-weld.
just a thought

keep us posted