Selling hand loads?
- Thread starter crashxl
- Start date
No idea on that point, but the subject came up among the moderators recently. No question that a license is required if you intend to make any significant income from doing it. Search past posts and you'll find folks have priced all this stuff out before.
If you're just selling a box or two along with a gun or in some other casual sale that isn't a part of your livlihood, then there isn't likely any legal issue with the sale itself. But I've heard people talk and seen posts about handloads they got with a gun proving to be surprisingly hot. Since the handloads aren't pressure tested in a commercial pressure barrel, and aren't subjected to other manufacturing quality controls, you take a much bigger chance shooting someone else's handloads in your own gun rather than the gun the load was developed in. Personally, I won't do it at any price. All handloads I've been given in the past, usually by someone who didn't have the gun anymore, I've pulled down to the components and fertilized the lawn with the powder, since I can't know how careful the original loader was about keeping track of it, nor what conditions it was stored in.
If you're just selling a box or two along with a gun or in some other casual sale that isn't a part of your livlihood, then there isn't likely any legal issue with the sale itself. But I've heard people talk and seen posts about handloads they got with a gun proving to be surprisingly hot. Since the handloads aren't pressure tested in a commercial pressure barrel, and aren't subjected to other manufacturing quality controls, you take a much bigger chance shooting someone else's handloads in your own gun rather than the gun the load was developed in. Personally, I won't do it at any price. All handloads I've been given in the past, usually by someone who didn't have the gun anymore, I've pulled down to the components and fertilized the lawn with the powder, since I can't know how careful the original loader was about keeping track of it, nor what conditions it was stored in.
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chris in va
New member
The $10mil insurance policy can't be cheap.
4runnerman
New member
Bad JU JU. No can do,
Since I'm new to reloading myself I often wondered the same thing. To me it would be a waste of time since any money you make would have to go toward buying more supplies including the most expensive component being the brass. Unless one has an unlimited supply of free brass it probably wouldn't make much business sense. Licensing and insurance alone would be expensive I imagine.
There is a small commercial manufacturer in Houston called Freedom Munitions that purchases brass from indoor ranges and manufacturers and sells reloaded ammo on an industrial scale. Of course you can buy the usual 500 and 1,000 round cases but these guys sell as much as 50,000 rounds at a time. According to their site you can buy 50,000 rounds of .223 for close to $17,000. Pretty cool and something you might want to check out if you're serious about selling ammo. Sure sounds fun to make a little cash from doing this stuff but it's serious business and I think most of us are in it for personal use. http://www.freedommunitions.com/category-s/55285.htm
That's the site address. You can see pics of their staff and machine setup. Worth a look.
There is a small commercial manufacturer in Houston called Freedom Munitions that purchases brass from indoor ranges and manufacturers and sells reloaded ammo on an industrial scale. Of course you can buy the usual 500 and 1,000 round cases but these guys sell as much as 50,000 rounds at a time. According to their site you can buy 50,000 rounds of .223 for close to $17,000. Pretty cool and something you might want to check out if you're serious about selling ammo. Sure sounds fun to make a little cash from doing this stuff but it's serious business and I think most of us are in it for personal use. http://www.freedommunitions.com/category-s/55285.htm
That's the site address. You can see pics of their staff and machine setup. Worth a look.
At the range at our club, a fellow member approached me and asked whether he could buy my .30-06 handloads. He liked the exact load I was shooting.
I said no and told him I would need a license if I ever do it for commercial purposes. But I went ahead and told him there were local loaders who would crank out rounds according to his load data. They even do small jobs to help you work up a load.
-TL
I said no and told him I would need a license if I ever do it for commercial purposes. But I went ahead and told him there were local loaders who would crank out rounds according to his load data. They even do small jobs to help you work up a load.
-TL
Yea, I've been asked to make ammo for people I know, most of them don't understand the liability issues with it but whats even worse is they expect me to do the work for free, their just looking for cheap ammo. I tell them to go buy their own reloading equipment and I'll teach them what I know, so far no one has done that. 
A pause for the COZ
New member
I wont even load for a friend. If some thing happens even if its not a problem with your ammo. Your going to get sued.
If some one asks me to do it. I invite them over and show them how to load their own.
Just not worth the mess it could turn into.
If some one asks me to do it. I invite them over and show them how to load their own.
Just not worth the mess it could turn into.
I have *given* a box of handloads to a friend when there was no ammo at the store for months-on-end. But even that's a bad idea.
If you want to start selling handloads, there's a couple of other points that haven't been mentioned yet:
1) ITAR. (you have to register w/ the US State Dept, even tho' you are not exporting anything, and pay a $2250 license fee. I think that's annually
2) Going onto business is a great way to ruin a good hobby.
If you want to start selling handloads, there's a couple of other points that haven't been mentioned yet:
1) ITAR. (you have to register w/ the US State Dept, even tho' you are not exporting anything, and pay a $2250 license fee. I think that's annually
2) Going onto business is a great way to ruin a good hobby.
On the flip side of the this debate is a boat load of money. Being your own boss and doing something you like (for now) for a living.
There are financial hurdles with any business start up. Plus, now would certainly be a good time to be an ammo manufacturer.
As for the insurance side of it, one should actually check on price and not just go off of assumptions.
For years I tried to convince an organization to buy their own training equipment. I was always stonewalled with the argument that insurance would be astronomical. No way. Then I got elected to the board and called an ins. company. Total cost to cover our events with a million five umbrella? 1500 dollars a year. We make over that at one event. My point is if your serious about getting into manufacturing you should check numbers yourself.
With all that being said. I'm not shooting someone else's hand loads unless that someone runs a legitimate ammo mfg business.
There are financial hurdles with any business start up. Plus, now would certainly be a good time to be an ammo manufacturer.
As for the insurance side of it, one should actually check on price and not just go off of assumptions.
For years I tried to convince an organization to buy their own training equipment. I was always stonewalled with the argument that insurance would be astronomical. No way. Then I got elected to the board and called an ins. company. Total cost to cover our events with a million five umbrella? 1500 dollars a year. We make over that at one event. My point is if your serious about getting into manufacturing you should check numbers yourself.
With all that being said. I'm not shooting someone else's hand loads unless that someone runs a legitimate ammo mfg business.
buck460XVR
New member
If one is to sell reloaded ammunition for the sole purpose of making money from it, it requires a license. Sellin' a few to your buddy or buyin' some at the widow next door's garage sale do not qualify. One only needs to do a Search on this forum or Goggle it. Faster and more accurate info.
liability is the issue here.....
and if you sell ammo - to a buddy, to whoever --- chances are, even if you don't make a profit, its a business....and your homeowner's liability insurance probably will not cover it .. !!!
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so if someone gets hurt, someone blows up a gun ( and alledges it was your fault, or you contributed to it in some way ...dip into your checkbook to defend yourself !! )...
selling reloads is a really bad idea !
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Out of all the guys that I know - that reload --- there are only 3 or 4 guys that I would accept a box of spare ammo from, if I ran out at a shoot or something ---the rest of them scare the heck out of me about how cavalier they are with recipes, and QC, etc....
and if you sell ammo - to a buddy, to whoever --- chances are, even if you don't make a profit, its a business....and your homeowner's liability insurance probably will not cover it .. !!!
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so if someone gets hurt, someone blows up a gun ( and alledges it was your fault, or you contributed to it in some way ...dip into your checkbook to defend yourself !! )...
selling reloads is a really bad idea !
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Out of all the guys that I know - that reload --- there are only 3 or 4 guys that I would accept a box of spare ammo from, if I ran out at a shoot or something ---the rest of them scare the heck out of me about how cavalier they are with recipes, and QC, etc....
William T. Watts
New member
The "only" people I load for is my son and grandson, I have access to their rifles so the ammunition is tailored to their rifles only!! With that said I have been asked but politely declined to provide ammunition to anyone for any reason. I have offered to help folks but require them to read a couple of loading books before I will help, no one has ever accepted my offer. This a hobby that in my opinion only a small percentage of people are suited for, lots of satisfaction but the potential for a lot of trouble if your not 100% paying attention all the time! William