gas checks on e bay

[Fat-beeman]

the gas check maker =free chex11
going out of sight was going to buy several but now I changed my mine until price gets stable.
Don

[phaessler]

Ok, IMHO, I have a freechex 44, and got it relatively cheap, a while ago too, but how many do you use ? how many do you have to buy to offset the price? and is the caliber you need always available?
Personally I am waiting on Blammer to reopen his group buy for the Gator checks, they are truly the best I have ever seen (was given a sample from a member here). And for what they charge, its worth it to have them made.
I admit its neat telling the man " I can make my own", but until Pat Marlin's Checkmaker hits the streets in calibers I use, I wouldnt lose sleep over missing out.

Pete

[Just Call Me...G]

I bought mine about a year ago for $30...there was a local shortage of .30cal G/Cs (how does that happen?). I figured that with the 1st thousand that I made, it paid for itself. It has many times over.

The way he originally had it set up was on the "Purchase This Item", first-come first-served basis. What's up with the open bidding and at $62!

It's a good piece of gear and I'm glad I got mine when I did.
I had planned on buying more...but now, ummm not so much.

In the spirit of capitalism and entrepreneurship, I wish him the best of luck.
I suspect that his sales are not exactly going through the roof at present.
I'm glad that he makes them pretty durable as I plan on using mine for a L-O-N-G time to come.

I'm looking forward to meeting with Pat at the Nevada Cast Boolit Shoot and chatting with him regarding his check-maker...maybe I'll do some business with him.


Keep The High Ground,


G

[Fat-beeman]

well I talked to charlie about buying 2 of his cutters he quoted me a price and said when he got caught up he would contact me. now after e mailing him he says he will only sell on e bay. the price is about 4 times the price,got figure that.
I will contact pat at least the price is quoted in print.
Don

[edsmith]

I bought a .357 freechex ll in dec. paid $39 for it.can't blame him for trying to make some money off them,it does take a while to make them,plus the metal prices are out of sight.

[Shiloh]

Look up gas checks on Ebay. BOuth them there before. One can buy a lot of gas checks for what the tool costs, as well as saving countless hours of time.

Be good to have though when all the stores are shuttered.;-)

Shiloh

[HamGunner]

I feel that Charlies's prices are appropriate. Just keep checking on E-Bay. He does not always have them up for bid, but buy-it-now at times. But you better check daily as they go in a hurry. I waited for over 6 months for a 6.5mm and missed two before I finally got one because I forgot to keep checking. I have three in different calibers and will be getting a couple more.

I need slightly oversized bullets for several rifle calibers and therefore factory checks do not fit correctly. With a bit of polishing of the bottom of the dies and or mandrel tip, one can tailor the Freechex to your needs.

[WILCO]

well I talked to charlie about buying 2 of his cutters he quoted me a price and said when he got caught up he would contact me. now after e mailing him he says he will only sell on e bay.

I did business with a fella that sold used appliances. We had a hand shake deal that if I brought any used appliance in, he would buy it. I brought in a stove and he wouldn't take it because it was the "wrong" color. A three legged, one eyed, ragged rotting mangled dog's carcass has more value than a man who don't keep his word.

[Gee_Wizz01]

Check out the prices today, $84 and $79 for a couple of .303 FreechexII. But hey, good on Charlie, he is providing a very good product, and the free market system is working! I have the first model Freechex in .308 and .44, both are serviceable, but a little slow. I wanted one of the Freechex II in .314 and one in .224, but right now they are over my price limit. I certainly don't begrudge Charlie his chance to make a well deserved profit. He's put a lot of effort in this project. Just my 2 cents worth.

G

[Fat-beeman]

once the market get flooded price will come down mean while have a friend says he can make them there just a drill rod for the size of the disc then turned down other end for the cupping part. the drill rod cost 12.00 for a 36 inch piece. will try to make several cal.
Don

[Charlie Sometimes]

Charlie loses a lot in E-Bay fees, too.
Figure 9% on sales, add listing fees, etc., and I guess a 15% or better loss on each one.
He told me that he pays a few hundred dollars in monthly fees because of that.
The more common sizes have been listed as "Buy It Now" mostly.

[ironcowboy]

Charlie loses a lot in E-Bay fees, too.
Figure 9% on sales, add listing fees, etc., and I guess a 15% or better loss on each one.
He told me that he pays a few hundred dollars in monthly fees because of that.
The more common sizes have been listed as "Buy It Now" mostly.

Maybe it would do him good to start selling outside of ebay then?

[Charlie Sometimes]

That's what I said- but he said that they provide the market, tracking, etc. and that was a trade off he was willing to accept.

I guess it would take up more time, or required somone else to do what E-Bay provides at some other unknown expense.

[ironcowboy]

I'd bet if he listed them up on the 10+ good firearms websites he would sell a ton, without all the fee's and junk... But, to each his own...

[DukeInFlorida]

My recent email messages from FreeChex indicates that most of the current eBay items are going OFF SHORE (Europe) where they apparently CAN'T buy factory made bullets any more. And, he indicates that his days of selling them Buy-It-Now are over. (sigh)

So, until someone else starts making them to compete, or until he ramps up production (some shop could make these by the millions.) He could stop making them personally, and just start selling them instead. He'd make more $$$ than he does now, and have half the headaches, and it would also make the market place much happier. It's obvious that this is his "HOBBY" rather than a business. He's happy just making a few to keep himself busy. If he contracted out the work, he'd actually have more time and money to take vacations, and not have to worry about having to even be there to list the work he's finished. Hint Hint.

I'll hold off until this all settles out.

[Charlie Sometimes]

IIRC, he is a retired physicist!

It is a hobby, and when he wants to go on "vaction" he stops having auctions.
I doubt if he needs the money, so go figure.


I need a 375 and 458- guess I won't be participating in the melee.
Wait and see may be all that anyone can do these days!

[jim4065]

Can't complain about the man maximizing his profits. It might be made by an enterprising Chinese one of these days - or (Heaven forbid) in Pakistan. Ever had a knife made in Pakistan? They have a secret recipe for "Soft Steel". :takinWiz:

[shooterg]

He could probably sell most of his production on THIS site with NO fees !

[klcarroll]

I spent some twenty years working as a Design Engineer; …..And I saw the same scenario unfold time and time again:

When a company responds to increased demand by raising prices, rather than finding a way to increase production; …….All they are doing is creating a fertile environment for their competition to grow in!!

When the guy making the “FreeChex” finds himself with half a dozen competitors, ….I hope he is a true enough Capitalist (…and a good enough sport!) to simply shrug his shoulders and accept the World of Capitalism for what it is!

Kent

[PatMarlin]

He could probably sell most of his production on THIS site with NO fees !


LOL .....We (myself and CB owner Ken 45nut) offered to help him do just that and he refused. That's why I started my business.

These dies are very labor intensive. The ONLY way you can make a go at it is with CNC and supporting equipment. I've spent a year in R&D and production with manual machines and now CNC- learned CNC programming and I've done this full time.

I can tell you it ain't easy no matter how you cut it, but I'm about ready to roll with full on production as my shop and production setup is progressing daily, running smoothly and nearing completion.

We shall prevail ...:castmine: :Fire: :drinks:

[Halfbreed]

Well Pat put a shake on it, I'm waiting for 458" and 308" for now, but when they start arriving I will certainly add to the list.
Thanks John

[rob45]

LOL .....We (myself and CB owner Ken 45nut) offered to help him do just that and he refused. That's why I started my business.

These dies are very labor intensive. The ONLY way you can make a go at it is with CNC and supporting equipment. I've spent a year in R&D and production with manual machines and now CNC- learned CNC programming and I've done this full time.

I can tell you it ain't easy no matter how you cut it, but I'm about ready to roll with full on production as my shop and production setup is progressing daily, running smoothly and nearing completion.

We shall prevail ...:castmine: :Fire: :drinks:

Good to hear you're moving along. And you are correct- it's not easy.

I only have one of the FreeChecks made by Charlie; it's for 45 caliber.
Based on my single experience, Charlie is a great guy to his customers.
He was very thorough on asking questions before making the product.
What was my preferred thickness of stock, and how common/available was it?
How do my shanks measure on my bullets?
And more.

He basically did everything up front so as to ensure my complete satisfaction upon receiving the product, and it worked beautifully. I never dreamed that I could produce a gascheck of equal or higher quality than the commercial manufacturers.

My only complaint is that I have the original design, and although it produces very good checks, it is S-L-O-W.
I have not shopped on evilbay in quite a long time, and p-pal can stuff it as far as I'm concerned. So I do not know if he has a model out that allows faster production or not.

When you get things going, it would be interesting to know if your product allows for more production (while maintaining quality, of course).
The Hornady 7140 is not getting any cheaper.
Lately I've had to cut my shooting almost in half so as to maintain component inventory (especially primers); during that downtime I could be spending an evening producing the gas checks I need for the next month.

After you get the ever-popular 30 and 35 calibers going, let me know if you plan to put a 45 on the drawing board. I for one would be interested to hear about it, as I'm sure others would be, too.

[1874Sharps]

Pat,

It is free market entrepeneurial folks like you and Charlie the FREE CHEX guy that have made, and make this country great. I hope things keep going well for you!

[PatMarlin]

Thank you Sharps-

More Checkmaker™ 30's will be going out this week. I have 3 more programs to write and fine tune on my CNC then we are off to the races. 35's next, 35PB (plain base checks), then 44, 41, 45, and so on progressing from there. This is a full time business for me. Nice thing about CNC is once the program is written and tuned with the right tooling, you just change program numbers for caliber changes.

As for making checks, I find it the easiest part of the reloading process. You can whip out a pile of checks with your reloading press in a few minutes, and it's done. On to lube sizing and reloading.

I haven't gone into detail on promoting my dies lately, as I've wanted to have the production setup done so there won't be a long wait. New comers haven't seen what this design will do.

Some details with the design are:

1. It has a wide range of material thickness capability in one die caliber. 30cal is working from beverage can aluminum to upwards of .017 copper (and soft aluminum) sheet. I cut and formed .021 copper and it worked, but definitely overkill, to hard, to thick and not optimum for checks but the die cut and formed. I've sized from .308 to my .315 Fat 30's. Customer tests accuracy results have met or exceeded factory checks across the board.

2. The dies are very efficient in the use of your check material with an extremely small amount of waste. Look how close these cuts are with thin (35PB) Arizona Tea can AL, and you can get just as close with copper or aluminum thicker materials. When you are buying material, this is extremely important...

http://www.patmarlins.com/35PBClose.jpg

The other thing is you don't have to waste time and effort trying to cut that close. All of these cuts were moving right along. You don't have measure and think about it. You gage your next disk cut by looking at the last hole. Kinda gives you a quick marker for how far to slide the strip...

.010 half hard copper-
http://www.patmarlins.com/rcbsclosecut.jpg


35PB dies...

http://www.patmarlins.com/35PB1.jpg


30 Cal...

http://www.patmarlins.com/18doneform.jpg


http://www.patmarlins.com/21sizelube2.jpg

[klcarroll]

Well, ......I will certainly be a customer as soon as the .44 die set is released!


:bigsmyl2::bigsmyl2::bigsmyl2:


Kent

[PatMarlin]

Well Pat put a shake on it, I'm waiting for 458" and 308" for now, but when they start arriving I will certainly add to the list.
Thanks John

I'll be right wilth you John.

Here... grab a magazine ..:mrgreen:

http://www.nypost.com/p/pagesix/celebrity_photos/years_of_si_swimsuit_editions_7ArGidJUHWyIavxN96tT 5M?photo_num=1


...

[PatMarlin]

I forgot to mention the price will remain the same:

-Checkmaker™ Dies complete and ready to work with your reloading press
$74 plus $4.95 shipping USPS Priority mail... $13.95 international flat rate

-Optional ejector pins are $6.95 (accommodates loose fitting check shanks, some thin materials of varying harnesses)
-Extra ejector ram arms are $4.95 for the RCBS style (Hornady, Lyman, Redding, etc.,) $8.95 for the LEE style.

Free sample of my casting flux CFF- California Flake Flux™ included with all die orders.


I was going to include the optional pins for free, but material costs have gone up, and those little pins gobble up a bit of CNC time still, so I needed to recoup costs somewhere.

I plan on keeping these prices unless materials skyrocket, but I don't think they will do to bad. It's been up and down the past 2 years, so I think the average will be workable,.

[Slow Elk 45/70]

Right on Pat, Glad to see you are getting there , I will be in contact, for your products.:redneck:

[First Big Foot]

I am a newbie here.
Can someone please tell me how to make a home made gas check cutter/presser?
Or show a picture?
I bought a box of Hornady 30-30 and .44 about eight years ago, still only a third of the way through them. Is it really worth it to make your own?

[First Big Foot]

Hi: I was looking at your photos of the GC pressor/cutter, and thought it ingenious.
Are you the seller, or just a user?
I don't use a lot of them, but to be able to make my own sounds like an excellent thing.
Can you help me find such for 30-30, (and I assume that would also work for 30-06), and .44? Thanks

[First Big Foot]

I just checked, .30 gas checks are selling for $32.+, plus postage, on Ebay, and $28.49 plus postage on Midway USA's site. Am I missing something here?

[Halfbreed]

dang it Pat, I will also need a 35pb as well. Now ya did it.
Thanks man,

By the way will a Lee anniversary press work for these? Did I mention i probably will need a larger press too.

[PatMarlin]

I think the PB check is really awesome. That 358429 Keith is a little sledge hammer launched out of my Marlin 336 in 35 Rem at 1800-1900 fps, and has shown signs of being able to go even more. I found no sign of leading. Wonder what Keith himself woulda though about this?

I can't wait to get the a 45PB made for my 45 colts, my 454 Casull and my other Keith molds, and heavy plain base 45 cal rifle molds. You guys waiting on 45's don't worry... they's comin'. I'm a serious 45cal fan... :mrgreen:

With the PB check you use thin material like can AL, or .004-.006 copper. Lube and size within the day or so- soon after you cast while the boolit is still soft.

I'm not familiar with the LEE aniversary press. I just drilled a ROCKDock™ base for one, for a customer.

Does that press have a primer arm slot in the ram?

[PatMarlin]

Hi: I was looking at your photos of the GC pressor/cutter, and thought it ingenious.
Are you the seller, or just a user?
I don't use a lot of them, but to be able to make my own sounds like an excellent thing.
Can you help me find such for 30-30, (and I assume that would also work for 30-06), and .44? Thanks

Welcome First Big Foot to cast boolit heaven! ..:drinks:

I'm the manufacturer and seller of my Checkmaker™ dies. It's a new business and brand, that I'm now finishing up my shop production setup for.

I'm filling orders first come first and completing CNC setup currently for the 30, 35, and 35PB cal dies.

[9.3X62AL]

Pat--

Looking forward to seeing you again at NCBS, sir. Your Plain Base Gas-Check Maker is a GREAT idea.

1st Big Foot--Welcome aboard, sir. Gas checks, even at the prices listed, are priced obscenely. 35 caliber checks were about $4.50/1K when I got started with this hobby in 1981, and I know right well that my income during that time hasn't grown 7X. I use at least 2K of 30 calibre GCs every year, and if primers were more readily available I would likely double that rate. Same story for 35 caliber checks. Tools like Pat's would pay for themselves in short order.

There is also something inherent in boolit casting itself that applauds and supports efforts like those Pat is making. By taking charge of the component supply chain, you are no longer dependant upon component makers for the things you need to create ammunition. While I don't "fault" the primer makers for the most recent primer shortages, the shortages are nonetheless present and demonstrate the dependancy we have on that "Achilles' heel" in the ammo supply matrix. Panic buying creates a condition where the makers can't keep up, and the results are predatory pricing in response to that demand. Perhaps not by the maker, but the distributors and retailers are more than happy to make hay while the sun is shining. Yeah, that might be The American Way, but Al's Memory won't jettison the reminder of who "went buccaneer" during the lean times--and which suppliers stayed reasonable and continued operating with a reasonable profit margin as their business model.

[PatMarlin]

Whatch out for that Al...

He'll make ya famous .. :bigsmyl2:

[Slow Elk 45/70]

Come on Pat, we can't wait for these products eather, sounds like the PB CK will be more must have tools....no wonder I'm broke all the time...keep up the good work.

[JSAND]

I think this is great, anything to help us get off of the Big Business IV that we find ourselves on these days. I am jumping in with both feet, reloading and casting. I have 2 more months in Afghanistan and then I can get started. I don't know yet what a lot of this stuff you guys are talking about is, but I am reading everyday and learning as I can, hope to at least know what I am looking at when I get home to my equipment. I think I may have already made a mistake I have ordered a Lee GC die 309 160grn and ordered 308 gas checks and a 309 Lee sizer. Do the 308 gass checks work on 309, have been reading various threads and the way it sounds they use 308 on 308 - 312 have I missunderstood what I was reading. Any help is appreciated.

[stubshaft]

I think this is great, anything to help us get off of the Big Business IV that we find ourselves on these days. I am jumping in with both feet, reloading and casting. I have 2 more months in Afghanistan and then I can get started. I don't know yet what a lot of this stuff you guys are talking about is, but I am reading everyday and learning as I can, hope to at least know what I am looking at when I get home to my equipment. I think I may have already made a mistake I have ordered a Lee GC die 309 160grn and ordered 308 gas checks and a 309 Lee sizer. Do the 308 gass checks work on 309, have been reading various threads and the way it sounds they use 308 on 308 - 312 have I missunderstood what I was reading. Any help is appreciated.


The 308 gas checks will work fine on boolits from .307 thru .314.

[PatMarlin]

Start thinking in terms of Caliber families JSAND, and it will start to make sense.

.308 and.309 are merely sizes (diameters) of 30 caliber family.

30 cal starts at .307-.308 and for cast shooters goes all the way up to .315-.316 for what we call the (Fat) diameter 30's.

Other calibers for example:

35 cal, 44 cal, and 45 cal, just to name a few. All of those have their various sizes within.

Thank you for your service and God's speed on a safe trip home soon.... Pat :drinks:

[PatMarlin]

Another example:

What caliber family would the .357 Magnum be in? ....35 caliber

What caliber family would the .35 Remington be in? ....35 caliber

What caliber family would the .308 Winchester be in? ....30 caliber

What caliber family would the 30-30 be in? ....30 caliber

What caliber family would the 30-06 be in? ....30 caliber

ANd then you probably already know all of this, but for necomers who don't there it is.

[dukenukum]

When you get things going I could use a .30 cal check maker.