anyone here sell cast bullets?

[delmar]

Does anyone here sell cast bullets? Do you think it is worth your time, or do you just sell a few cause you enjoy casting and you have extra?

[Tom Herman]

We had this discussion a few months ago, and it was basically decided that if you sell buillets, you need a Class 6 FFL.
The business isn't as rosey as it seems, that's why so few do it.
As for me, If I can't make at least $50 an hour, it's simply not worth my time. I will, however, spend all day casting for myself to save money. and for the sheer fun of it.

Happy Shootin'! -Tom

[testhop]

if done on a small scale it ant worth it

[delmar]

We had this discussion a few months ago, and it was basically decided that if you sell buillets, you need a Class 6 FFL.
The business isn't as rosey as it seems, that's why so few do it.
As for me, If I can't make at least $50 an hour, it's simply not worth my time. I will, however, spend all day casting for myself to save money. and for the sheer fun of it.

Happy Shootin'! -Tom

I don't make anywhere near that at my job.

[arcticbreeze]

I don't make anywhere near that at my job.

The difference is like you said "at your job".

When I worked for someone I was paid 21.00 hr.

I now work for my self and bill out 88.00 hr.. But keep in mind as a business owner you take all the risk, lay out all the capital, pay insurance, ect.. You still have most all the expenses evem if nothing is selling at the time.

If you were only going to make "wages" than why bother.

[delmar]

The difference is like you said "at your job".

When I worked for someone I was paid 21.00 hr.

I now work for my self and bill out 88.00 hr.. But keep in mind as a business owner you take all the risk, lay out all the capital, pay insurance, ect.. You still have most all the expenses evem if nothing is selling at the time.

If you were only going to make "wages" than why bother.

I'm not thinking of quiting my job, just thinking about making a little money on the side.

[felix]

That is delusional thinking. ... felix

[delmar]

That is delusional thinking. ... felix

Did every idea you ever investigated work out for you?

[Bullshop]

yes, yes, no

[jhrosier]

I have been considering proposing a 'casting club' to a couple of pals.
I have equipment for casting and could use a few more primers and powder.
Another fellow has time and money for primers and powder but no equipment.
The third fellow could supply some alloy materials but has no money or equipment.
It seems like we could all contribute our resources and time for a share of the output.

Jack

[2TN Mules]

If selling boolits requires a FFL would selling very small lead ingots about 230g each require a FFL?

[GP100man]

as i understand it trading or bartering is ok as long as no one person gains finacially from a boolit transaction, to stay legal .

GP100man:castmine:

[felix]

Yes, every one did in my professional field of endeavor. Yes, again, for those ideas NOT in my field, HEAVY financial losses occured. But, what was gained in FULL FORCE was an education. So, what are you looking for in terms of profit? Jack has the best idea. His gain would be companionship with cohorts. ... felix

[jhrosier]

If selling boolits requires a FFL would selling very small lead ingots about 230g each require a FFL?

The jails are full of people who have unsuccessfully outsmarted the system.

Jack

[felix]

Jack, you must have heard my cries loud and clear. ... felix

[Buckshot]

...............delmar, I suppose if you were just wanting to make some extra cash in your spare time and sold only to friends it would be do-able, but you wouldn't make much, and it would eat up a lot of time. As has been mentioned you would technically be breaking a federal law. Way long years back before I cast my first boolit I, was buying cast for a 1911 I had from a friend's father. I don't recall now how much I was paying but it was less then commercial, and for some reason I never considered turning him in :-)

I believe if you think about it you might also consider it not worth while, legalities aside. What equipment to you have, and what does your alloy cost you and how much do you have? If you have some 2 cav moulds and a regular lube-size press you'd be talking considerable time to produce 500 ready to load boolits. The lube-sizing is an especial bottleneck as it's a one at a time operation.

...............Buckshot

[shotman]

OK I am not from MO but show me where you have to have a FFL to sell bullets or boolits. That is BS I am a FFL and there is not anything I have ever seen about it. You dont need FFL to sell or ship loaded ammo .shotman/rick

[shotman]

Sorry to answer your question If you want try and see what you would need to sell them for . I dought you could make much. At around $5 a 100 I wouldnt do it

[delmar]

We had this discussion a few months ago, and it was basically decided that if you sell buillets, you need a Class 6 FFL.


Got any idea what it costs to get a class 6 FFL? Do you need any kind of FFL to sell powder primers and other reloading supplies? My property is dual zoned residential/commercial because the people who owned it before me had a day care. They built a great big room addition that I always thought would be a great little shop of some kind. It would be a great place to hang out on Saturdays and sell a few things.

[Wayne Smith]

Yes, you need a 06FFL to make and sell any component of ammo. No, that does not include ingots, unless they are boolit size and shape! Your 06FFL costs $10/yr, just as does your C&R. Pay 3 years at a time. You will be visited by an ATF agent who will look over your operation to ensure you are up to date on the excise tax and have your business license. Yes, your town or city will want you to have a business license and collect their tax as well.

BTW, the excise tax on outdoor sports equipment is one I don't mind paying.

I have my 03 and 06FFLs. Mine is a hobby operation with very small volume to non-existant sales. The pretty lady (and she was HOT!) understood that and we had a very nice conversation about guns, of all things! She was also encouraged when I told her LOML worked for the State Department of Environmental Quality. They did ask about pollution controls. I can't promise you your visit will be likewise.

[runfiverun]

having B.T.D.T.
see post #7.
you gotta have volumne,and spend your time selling.
small time casting just leads you to hating it.
because it ain't part time nor small unless you make and sell crap.

[Navahojoe]

I think that making and selling cast boolits is kinda like tying and selling fishing jigs, except that you don't have to have an 06 license to sell the fishing jigs. The problem with both is, you give up the time for your hobby, be it, fishing, shooting, reloading,whatever, to make product for sale. It isn't long before you hate the idea of casting and jig tying. I never tried making cast boolits for sale, but gave up in a hurry on tying jigs. I did not have time for fishing because I had to get an order of jigs tied and shipped out. Bullcrap on that! I now have time to fish, tie jigs for myself, cast boolits, load and shoot the heck out of them. Good luck in your decision, what ever it may be.
regards,
NavahoJoe

[TAWILDCATT]

you would need a magma caster and the lub machine,then package and ship,dont forget all the taxes.also have a supply of lead.you would probably have to get new lead.the only way to do it legally would be if the customer supplied the lead and you did the labor.same with reloading.:coffee:[smilie=1:

[Recluse]

for those ideas NOT in my field, HEAVY financial losses occured. But, what was gained in FULL FORCE was an education.

Boy, isn't THAT the truth.

I retired from my full-time profession back in 2002. After about ten or so months, was getting bored out of my skull and driving the wife nuts. Decided, "Hey, I'll start and run my own business. What could possibly be better than being my own boss?"

Holy mother of all sacred Hindu cows did I get eaten alive! I have never particularly liked our government before that, even though I worked for it on two different occasions (once in uniform, once behind a badge and gun), but after seeing the myriad of taxes, permits, ordinances, inspections, regulations, fees, rules and "do this and don't do that" BS. . .[smilie=b: I came to DESPISE government with passion hotter than the molten alloy I use when casting with aluminum moulds.

Being a hard-headed Texan, and having burnt myself more than once touching a hot stove as a kid, I thought I'd take my newly acquired education and try it again a few years later with a different venture. Pretty much same results.

Between the two ventures, I lost close to $75K. The education I received was priceless. One thing I learned that had no price tag worth the value of the lesson is that if you take something you truly love and rely on it to make money, it becomes a JOB and for most folks, the magic is gone.

Now I work part-time for spending money and helathcare benefits. Getting ready to retire full-time and for good hopefully by the end of the year. Have a number of things I do in which I peddle and sell for spending cash and have been doing for over ten years. Difference is, I can walk away from them today and never miss them.

Biggest lesson I learned is never take a hobby and try to make money out of it and expect to enjoy either.

:coffee:

[delmar]

I think that making and selling cast boolits is kinda like tying and selling fishing jigs, except that you don't have to have an 06 license to sell the fishing jigs. The problem with both is, you give up the time for your hobby, be it, fishing, shooting, reloading,whatever, to make product for sale. It isn't long before you hate the idea of casting and jig tying. I never tried making cast boolits for sale, but gave up in a hurry on tying jigs. I did not have time for fishing because I had to get an order of jigs tied and shipped out. Bullcrap on that! I now have time to fish, tie jigs for myself, cast boolits, load and shoot the heck out of them. Good luck in your decision, what ever it may be.
regards,
NavahoJoe

So here is what I will probably do. I try my hand at casting. If I like it and ever get so many made that I don't know what to do with, I will take a look at selling them.

[runfiveswife]

i will just ditto what runfiverun said,

[jonk]

Due to the legalities and time involved with the average caster's non-commercial setup, no I don't. I have from time to time given or traded some to freinds, or sold a few extra (300 total I believe) on gunbroker, just because I cast a bunch and subsequently either had no need for them or they didn't shoot well out of my guns or whatnot. But for serious profit, no.

[deltaenterprizes]

I was a commercial bullet caster for 12 years and loved it . I had a steady source of lead from an indoor range that was aprox 3000 lbs every 2 months.
I started with a hand crank Magma Master Caster and a Star lubriser. I moved up to a Bullet Master and Lube Master. After an unfortunate fire at a competitors location I got his business and eventually bought his equipment 2 more casters and a lubrisizer, I had 3 auto casters and 2 sizers, and then Mr. Clinton got elected and the gun business went to **** after the initial rush and had not improved until the salesman of the year Mr. Obama was elected!
It was a lot of HOT,heavy ,hard ,dirty work and dealing with the competition shooters was a real chore. I would not get into it again but it was an interesting experience and I did make a few bucks. It also motivated me to machinist school to learn to make parts for the machines when they broke.
A location where the smell of melting large quanties of scrap lead (500 lbs batchs) will not bother any one is imperative ,unless you buy from a foundry at 4 times the price or more.
I made my money buying at 5 cents/lb as scrap and selling at $1/lb in bullet form, when foundry prices were 40 cents/lb.

[Geraldo]

So here is what I will probably do. I try my hand at casting. If I like it and ever get so many made that I don't know what to do with, I will take a look at selling them.

If you can cast more than you can reload and shoot, you're spending too much time at the bench and too little time at the range.

[golddigger]

I have a good friend in the law enforcement field and he said if you call them sling shot projectiles no ffl required :drinks:

[TheRock]

After the Class 6 stuff and paying ITAR, it might be tough unless you were turning out lots of bullets and didn't mind eating ramen until your name was known.

TR

[TheRock]

I have a good friend in the law enforcement field and he said if you call them sling shot projectiles no ffl required :drinks:

Somehow I get the feeling that the ATF won't go for that...

TR

[WickedGoodOutdoors]

I have been considering proposing a 'casting club' to a couple of pals.
I have equipment for casting and could use a few more primers and powder.
Another fellow has time and money for primers and powder but no equipment.
The third fellow could supply some alloy materials but has no money or equipment.
It seems like we could all contribute our resources and time for a share of the output.

Jack


Jack: Can I join your "Casting Club"?


All I have to offer is my Pickup truck and Deisil fuel to transport all the scrap lead from place to place.

Also if your into making fishing sinkers? I know lots of Charterboat Capts that will buy them.


Capt Walt

Newenglandcharters@maine.rrr.com

http://www.1cabinfurniture.com/images/P/SCO-CW07-203_275-02.jpg

[stephpd]

Never tried selling cast boolits but did try my hand at turning another hobby into a business. Never made any money but did sell some stuff. All money from sales went back into the business. I did learn quite a bit as well as acquire some nice tools.

To me it wasn't a loss.

Being under capitalized was the biggest problem. That and having your only employee off on injury (me) kind of killed the business. Never got the chance to take it to the next level.

But everyone is right in that it's no longer fun. It's work. Hard work. It consumes so much more of your time, money and effort then just working for someone else.