Lead ingots and bullet casting

[ROMEOHOTEL]

I have many decades of experience in lead casting (diving weights). My questions here are to find if there is a market for selling lead ingots and/or bullets ready for sizing.

The ingots would weigh between 1 to 10 lbs. I endeavor to learn more about hardness so if there is a market for ingots I could aim for a specific HBN of each ingot. I would use hardness tester such as available through Lee Precision.

As for bullet casting and lubing, I am new but am learning. I hesitate to get too invested unless there is a market for bullets. I realize there are some obstacles between me and the market. Namely, I am an unknown person, amateur, wanting to offer a product already available from known sources. As in most endeavors, I would have to build a favorable reputation. And that takes time, something I am ready and willing to go for.

I look forward to any comments about any of the above.

[Bumslie]

I've bought ingots from users over on cast boolits.com

If you offer a competitive price, they should sell well.

Fit whatever you can into either a small or medium flat trade box

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[koehn,jim]

If you sell a product of known hardness, at a fair price people will buy it. The problem though is its a small market where price is important.

[Sheldon]

$1 a pound or so can be found fairly easily. It is usually range backstop lead or wheel weight lead of various hardness. I would just sell as is and let the end user worry about alloying to whatever hardness they seek.

[rsrocket1]

People usually either cast their own lead bullets or buy cast bullets already sized and lubed so it's unlikely you'll find much of a market for cast and unsized bullets.

Either way, you'll need an 06 FFL which is $30/3 years which sounds cheap enough. Then it gets better, you'll need an ITAR registration which is $2250/year if you export, manufacture, or broker included items. Then you'll need product liability insurance which is a couple $k/year and up for a $1M policy.

Good reference here from someone who did it and has the experience

A simpler and cheaper alternative:
Selling ingots of known BHN can get you more than $1/pound + shipping is simple, doesn't need any license or bureaucracy and you'll probably have a good customer base, but you'll then have to pack them properly (not just tape them up in a priority mail box) and you'll get dirty looks at the post office when you regularly bring 70# medium flat rate boxes in. Unknown harness lead will be sell-able right around $1/#

For a free lesson, download the book in pdf form "From Ingot to Target" by Glen Fryxel or read it online. You can also get a Lyman Cast bullet book or the Lee Book and read the section on casting for some insight.

[ROMEOHOTEL]

If you sell a product of known hardness, at a fair price people will buy it. The problem though is its a small market where price is important.

In the past I have done will with niche marketing. However, I was able to set my price.

I am thinking by producing a HBN it would be value added and would allow for a slightly higher price. That should not be interpreted by anyone that I am greedy or that money is my primary motivation. *

I'm not looking to become a large volume producer, this would be mostly a hobby which would bring some benefits to myself and others by producing a superior product. However, as mentioned by another commenter, perhaps it is better to let the end user determine the HBN as per their needs.

* More like it is I may find this endeavor as a segue into full on reloading.

[ROMEOHOTEL]

Thank you to everyone who has commented. All comments have been encouraging. Additional comments are always welcome.

[ROMEOHOTEL]

People usually either cast their own lead bullets or buy cast bullets already sized and lubed so it's unlikely you'll find much of a market for cast and unsized bullets.

Either way, you'll need an 06 FFL which is $30/3 years which sounds cheap enough. Then it gets better, you'll need an ITAR registration which is $2250/year if you export, manufacture, or broker included items. Then you'll need product liability insurance which is a couple $k/year and up for a $1M policy.

Good reference here from someone who did it and has the experience

A simpler and cheaper alternative:
Selling ingots of known BHN can get you $1/pound + shipping is simple, doesn't need any license or bureaucracy and you'll probably have a good customer base, but you'll then have to pack them properly (not just tape them up in a priority mail box) and you'll get dirty looks at the post office when you regularly bring 70# medium flat rate boxes in.

For a free lesson, download the book in pdf form "From Ingot to Target" by Glen Fryxel or read it online. You can also get a Lyman Cast bullet book or the Lee Book and read the section on casting for some insight.

Not that I doubt you but you've got to be shtting me (figuratively speaking) that to offer for sale bullets - and only bullets - is that regulated. Good grief, the hits just keep on coming.

Oh, and thank you for the suggestion of Glen's publication.

[rsrocket1]

Not that I doubt you but you've got to be shtting me (figuratively speaking) that to offer for sale bullets - and only bullets - is that regulated. Good grief, the hits just keep on coming.

Oh, and thank you for the suggestion of Glen's publication.

Yeah, isn't it crazy? There are lots of posts here and elsewhere where someone considers expanding his hobby into a livelihood by selling loaded ammunition (total crazy train) or casting bullets for "fun and profit" and are flabbergasted by the laws and regulations.

As a hobby, casting bullets and testing them out is a fun aspect of shooting. Casting for competition shooting can be like reloading for some, a chore.

[wbunning]

I had lots of SCUBA lead as well, and it all became ingots for further alloying but it’s all long gone. Now I purchase lead. I would only buy an alloy, such as Lyman#2, from you, if you could get it to me as cheaply as I could produce it myself by purchasing range scrap ingots, which as previously stated can be had for around $1.00/lb, plus tin and antimony as needed.

SCUBA weights are close to pure lead, so normally need to have at least SOME other metals alloyed in. Tin and antimony are pricey, and can jack the cost of cast-ready alloy up quickly when starting from pure lead as you know.

I might pay $2.00/lb or thereabouts for hardcast or Lyman#2, but not much more.

If you have cheap sources for tin and antimony, and plenty of free-lead, do some math and see what you could produce your alloy for, and figure if there’s any profit in it.

[someoneeasy]

So.... how much for ingots?

[rsrocket1]

You can get jericoho89's name, address and phone number and he'll take full responsibility for you if you ever get into legal trouble selling your cast bullets. Of course ignorance of the law is no excuse unless your initials are HRC.

In the mean time, I think you are better off simply selling the ingots. Look on this and other forums as to what sells (quality wise) and how much they go for. "Range scrap", keel weights, recycled sinkers, isotope cores, roof sheeting are all sellable and do get bought up.

Price them right and they'll move quickly. Price them too high and you won't get any hits.

[dadswickedammo]

So I have been in the casting world a while bought and sold tons of lead.
Buying lead ingots.... You never know really what your getting I mean one fella buys Ingots from another mixes and makes his own it all looks the same but.......
I try to buy soldier that's marked 50tin 50lead or print linotype or wheel weights I have a better idea what's in it then I can buy some antimony scrap lead roof sheets mix and flux accordingly that's why I don't make I ngots till ready to cast.

[bruce381]

IMHO lead is about $1 lb shipped go over to cast boolist site and look it over.

BHN I do not really care about but the TIN for good fill out is more important to me.

[JagerDog]

I think it would be a unique individual that was wanting to size and lube, but not cast. Most are all in or all out of making bullets.