Make boolits for other guy

[nueces5]

Good morning, a friend from the range asked me if he wants some Lee design boolits, which I don't have.
I occasionally trade boolits with him, for some old 765x54 ammo that he gets and doesn't use.
Now he wants to buy a Lee mold, and have me make his boolits, since he shoots a lot.
He would make them and cover them with pc.
He works in a private range of the Argentine federal police, so surely the lead is something that he would bring me.
At some point he had read in a thread that you could charge in lead to make the boolits.
What amount is usually charged in lead to make the boolits and cover them with pc?
I looked for the thread, and I couldn't find it, I think the search engine has a war with me.
Thanks in advance

[sigep1764]

Up here, minimum wage is $10-$15 an hour. Lead is going for $1.20-$1.50 per pound here. It'd be 10lbs of lead for every hour worked if your time is worth minimum wage.

[JonB_in_Glencoe]

In the USA, there are Laws/Rules that the ATF can enforce in regards to selling projectiles that you are manufacturing. It's seemingly not enforced, but I sure wouldn't want to come up in front of a Judge to explain my actions.
Here is a couple recent threads.
https://castboolits.gunloads.com/sho...elling+boolits

https://castboolits.gunloads.com/sho...elling+boolits

For sure, I think you should investigate what laws Argentina has on selling/swapping projectiles that you are manufacturing.

[dverna]

1000 bullets made from "free" lead still have costs from smelting into ingots, melting ingots into bullets and lubing...call it $7/1000

If you charge him $50/1000 your return is $42/1000. Figure two hours to cast and an hour to lube 1000 bullets. Depending on the size of you smelting batch, figure about 1/2 hr to smelt enough range scrap for 1000 bullets. So, 3 1/2 hrs to make $42. You are earning $13/hr.

If you charge him $60, your return is $53/1000 and you are earning $/15hr.

People believe they can get bullets cheap because they do not realize the work involved. I suspect your friend hopes he can supply scrap and pay you $25 for 1000 bullets...it is how people think. If you value your time, you may lose a friend. He needs to help you smelt and cast so he appreciates the work involved.

[cobia]

Personally, I would offer to let a 'friend' bring the mold and lead over and let him use my equipment and learn the hobby. He might be able to introduce you to the owner/operator of the range in the long run and be of greater reward? Lead is about a buck a pound here, what's your time worth?
Give a man a fish and he eats for the day.. 'you know the rest'

[farmbif]

ok, so you say he's going to bring you lead from a range. that could be a very good relationship to develop.

[Bazoo]

I have a friend that has a source. He brings me lead, and I gift him bullets ready to load. He’s thrilled he doesn’t have to buy bullets. I’m thrilled I don’t have to chase down wheel weights and likely pay for them. He has bought moulds just for his calibers before, some, have been gifted to me, some got sold when he changed calibers.

[Winger Ed.]

Some of my best deals didn't involve money.
If the guy has access to free range Lead, I'd trade him finished boolits for it.

I have a life long friend that I cast for. He doesn't shoot much, probably about 5-600 rounds in 30 years.
He had access to free Lead too, and brought me about a ton of it to make his ammo.
He told me to let him know when I ran out and needed more for making his boolits.
A couple years later, he dropped off another 2-3,000 pounds-- 'just in case I was running low'.

Make your best deal:
If that guy can get free range Lead, you may be able to get a life time supply of it,
at a very minimal investment of your time.

Another plus to a deal like that,
you can probably sell the Copper jackets for scrap prices after the Lead melts out of them.
The market changes all the time, but it might be worth 3-4 US dollars a pound.

I'd try for a deal to make a big 'harvest' of the range Lead, then get a 6 hole Lee mold.
You can cast up about a gallon of boolits in a hour or two.
---Everybody wins, and it doesn't involve money.

[Half Dog]

I got mixed up in something like that once. Unless you’ve got the equipment to produce bullets quickly, I would stay away from offers.

[Daver7]

I've processed range lead one time when our back stops where mined. I'll never do it again.

[nueces5]

There is no problem in Argentina with boolits, if necessary if you want to trade gunpowder or primers.
I don't want to make money with him, he's a good friend and we've done each other favors.
The reality is that I would prefer not to do the ingots, but my friend lives in a two-bedroom apartment, so I can't ask him to fill the entire building with smoke. I'll have to ingot, and then cast and PC.
I'll have to ask him to buy me some linotype, if his lead is soft (most likely, since cops use FMJ).
We are one of the shooters who like to go to the range every weekend, so we both spend a lot of bullets. I don't want to scam him or ask him for money. A few months ago they stole his safe with all his weapons, he is recovering, buying weapons little by little. So more than likely he will offer to do them in exchange for lead.
I don't know whether to give him 3/4 of a kilo of boolits for every kilo of lead he brings me, or give him 1/2 kilo of boolits for every kilo of lead he brings me.
What do you think?

[charlie b]

If it's for a true friend and you shoot together, then I'd just give him a kilo of bullets for a kilo of lead. If you hang out together then having him over to the house while you make the bullets would be good too.

Except...if it is pure lead and you have to add something more expensive, then the 3/4 out of a kilo might be good. Discuss it with him and see what he thinks.

I 'shared' once. He told one of his friends where he got stuff for free and I had 3 other guys wanting the same deal. Caused problems when I said no.

[nueces5]

I already have friends to whom I give boolits and I don't even ask them for lead.
This other one is a little further away, so I think keeping a little bit of lead is a fair deal, even more so since he won't pay for the lead.

[dverna]

If it's for a true friend and you shoot together, then I'd just give him a kilo of bullets for a kilo of lead. If you hang out together then having him over to the house while you make the bullets would be good too.

Except...if it is pure lead and you have to add something more expensive, then the 3/4 out of a kilo might be good. Discuss it with him and see what he thinks.

I 'shared' once. He told one of his friends where he got stuff for free and I had 3 other guys wanting the same deal. Caused problems when I said no.

No good deed goes unpunished. Last fall I loaded some .270 hunting loads for one of the guys at our hunt camp due to the shortages. He came back a couple of months later and wanted 500 rounds of 5.56 ammunition...I said no and i think it has caused hard feelings.

[JimB..]

The trade seems pretty easy for a friend, but I guess it depends how many bullets he wants. I’d probably tell him that it takes 3 kilos of range scrap (it will have rocks, jackets, etc that isn’t lead) plus a kilo of lead worth of energy plus another kilo for powder coating. He drops off 10kg of junk and 1kg of linotype and walks out with 2kg of finished bullets.

As long as he’s getting the scrap for free and you enjoy the smelting and casting, I think it works.

Run the math though. What can he sell the range scrap for and what could he buy bullets for?

[bangerjim]

Unless he is a "blood brother" I would gently and kindly decline this offer! Too many things can go wrong with this effort.


I do let a friend come over and cast his own boolits using my equipment ( pot and molds ) and his clean fluxed lead alloy ingots. But that is as far as I would ever go!!!!!!

banger

[Bazoo]

I do my friend a 2:1 deal. For every 3 pounds lead he gets 1 pound bullets. He brings me wheel weights he’s sorted. He gets them free as he knows some tire shop people. Right now I owe him 90 pounds. He doesn’t shoot as much as he brings. I shoot more than him. It’s a great deal for us both. He doesn’t take advantage of me, we are both happy. He’s a reloading buddy and occasional shooting buddy.

[Drew P]

ok, so you say he's going to bring you lead from a range. that could be a very good relationship to develop.

bingo. Cast him up some stuff. What’s the worst that can happen

[wilecoyote]

a Lee mold is not particularly expensive. if he is a friend in temporary difficulty, and you love casting, you can buy the mold yourself, at your own expense, and provide him with what he needs without the commitment to use equipment owned by the other. Lead in return will be welcome, but if things become unsustainable, it becomes much easier to rescind all commitments. in the meantime he will be able to equip himself progressively and you will be able to teach him how to cast, and how to PC coating, which is another procedure not to be underestimated, if he is a big consumer of pc bullets

[Thumbcocker]

If he is a good friend I think you could work out something that would suit you both. I would have him present when you reduce the range lead to ingots so he can see the yield and the work involved. Then decide how many boolis for how much range scrap.