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Start selling to NES members. Even casting by hand you should be able to deliver faster than Blue Bullets for the same price.I needed bullets earlier this week. I made them.
Don’t get me started. I know where there are 3 magma casting machines. I’ve done the math though and it’s damn hard to make any money selling bullets. I just can’t justify spending $15k to be able to sell bullets with such low margins.Start selling to NES members. Even casting by hand you should be able to deliver faster than Blue Bullets for the same price.
Anyone know anything about swaging your own bullets? I have machines up to 200 tons of pressure at my disposal.. might be quicker right about now.
I'm going to look into it more. You definitely need a lead wire core. I work for a large wire manufacturing company I'll talk to my boss about this a little today and see what he thinks as well.Its a process, and you'll need lead in a wire form I think.
Read into it a several years ago. Casting was the quicker of two options.
Swaging
If You Mash Lead into Cylinders ! This area dedicated to "Swagerman" James E. Evitts for his tireless pursuits in the craft. RIP Jim.castboolits.gunloads.com
Don’t get me started. I know where there are 3 magma casting machines. I’ve done the math though and it’s damn hard to make any money selling bullets. I just can’t justify spending $15k to be able to sell bullets with such low margins.
Anyone know anything about swaging your own bullets? I have machines up to 200 tons of pressure at my disposal.. might be quicker right about now.
Casting machines new run about $11k
Sizers run about $9k
A ton of lead is going to something like $2500
Hi Tek is so damn cheap who cares.
Packaging supplies, scales, bags, labels, business cards, website, all that business jazz I would venture to guess another $1k-$2k
Ovens and mixers could be had on the cheap but if you’re doing it fresh might as well buy them too. Say another $3k for a nice convection over and a HF cement mixer
That’s about 112,000 each 125 grain bullets.
They’re selling for what? $70 per K ?
So $7840 in total sales. 2/3 of which goes to materials cost.
So $2665 in “profit”
I think those machines can make 8k bullets per hour full tilt. So that’s 14 hours of casting and who knows how long to clay and size. Let’s say at least that much time.
So 28 hours of work (some of which can be overlapped by coating while casting)
Still not bad for an hour wage but now you need to market like mad and get those bullets into the hands of shooters.
no doubt the easiest step of the operation, like selling that life preserver to the drowning man.....but now you need to market like mad and get those bullets into the hands of shooters.
I get where you’re going. I think when you run into hand casting it’s just too slow. Same for sizing. I think I would go mad if I had to sit in front of a sizer for 8 hours a day.Being the cheap ass that I am, and this is just pure specualtion-
Could probably skip the packaging, website and shipping right off the bat. Sell by the pound (leave it on the buyer to do math), bring your own box, pickup only.
Say................3 bodies
Coating can be done right after casting, so theres 2 bodies. Not familiar with Hi-Tek, so again, complete speculation.
Sizing...............I guess realistically, how much can 1 human size on a single stage in an hour? How much can 2 humans size in an hour? in 4 hours?
Most batches are sold in what, 500? 1000?
And, is there an advantage to that, cost wise, than say 3 furnaces going with 3 gang molds?
It is a void that needs filling, and sound like a weekends worth of work to belt out a few thousand. Beats lumping simmons resi concrete forms for side cash.
Is it worth it I guess is the question. Typing out loud as I think out loud, which looks like I'm talking to myself. So I got that goin for me
Yes true right now it would be easy. The issue seems to be (reading a bunch of stuff written by small commercial casters) that when times are good the big guys can under cut you and put you out of business. Which happens a lot.no doubt the easiest step of the operation, like selling that life preserver to the drowning man.
Factor in 11% tax and the cost of the FFLI'm tempted to buy a Lyman Mag furnace and a gang mold and some other stuff to try it out. See what the margin is.
Factor in 11% tax and the cost of the FFL
*Laughs in tax evasion*
Instead of packaging you could go to matches and sell there. Have them sorted in boxes of 1K. Not fancy boxes.Being the cheap ass that I am, and this is just pure specualtion-
Could probably skip the packaging, website and shipping right off the bat. Sell by the pound (leave it on the buyer to do math), bring your own box, pickup only.
Say................3 bodies
Coating can be done right after casting, so theres 2 bodies. Not familiar with Hi-Tek, so again, complete speculation.
Sizing...............I guess realistically, how much can 1 human size on a single stage in an hour? How much can 2 humans size in an hour? in 4 hours?
Most batches are sold in what, 500? 1000?
And, is there an advantage to that, cost wise, than say 3 furnaces going with 3 gang molds?
It is a void that needs filling, and sound like a weekends worth of work to belt out a few thousand. Beats lumping simmons resi concrete forms for side cash.
Is it worth it I guess is the question. Typing out loud as I think out loud, which looks like I'm talking to myself. So I got that goin for me
On Broccoli you’re the head of logistics. Dan you’re the head of production. I’ll work the sales end of things.Instead of packaging you could go to matches and sell there. Have them sorted in boxes of 1K. Not fancy boxes.
But that means spending all day / morning at a match.
You would also need time to get that machine to work. If a Dillon can be a PITA sometimes, I imagine that all sorts of random sh*t can happen with these machines. Maybe bullets not releasing from the molds, lead not pouring properly, molds getting lose ...
The good news is, no weird storage permits necessary, and if you don't mind your return on capital taking a little longer, you could specialize in a couple of bullet weights. If you make it as a part time side gig while you are working remotely, it could totally work. Lead doesn't go bad and the machines probably last quite a while, they are not very complex. Bullet costs don't fluctuate too much and buying a lot of bulk lead is not hard. I have quotes I requested from companies, I was thinking of doing a group buy at one point.
LOL ... if someone wants to sit down and seriously work the numbers, I would do it and I would market the bullets at USPSA matches I attend.On Broccoli you’re the head of logistics. Dan you’re the head of production. I’ll work the sales end of things.
$15k each and we should be sitting pretty.
Black bullets. I just ordered 1500 125g bullets. They showed in stock.
I ordered on Sunday night. I just received an Email that the label was created by USPS. 2 day shipping.
First time buying from them.
Their prices are slightly higher but include shipping.
Their website says USPS can take up to 4 weeks. But I thought that was their excuse to ship things 4 weeks late.BBI is good about getting the order filled and getting a USPS label created, and even getting it picked up... but after that it's a mess. I'm not the only one who has reported it, and BBI even acknowledges that their local PO is a mess.
Right now, it seems the Memphis hub is a black hole for these flat rate shipments.
Again, not BBIs fault, but be prepared to wait on USPS.
Maybe we need to talkLOL ... if someone wants to sit down and seriously work the numbers, I would do it and I would market the bullets at USPSA matches I attend.
The cool thing to do seems to pick a color and name the company that.
Black and Blue are taken.
On Broccoli you’re the head of logistics. Dan you’re the head of production. I’ll work the sales end of things.
$15k each and we should be sitting pretty.