Author Topic: Finished lead cores (Read 913 times)

stever · « **on:** October 12, 2003, 07:27:42 PM »

Hi all. I know that Clint Starke is out of the bullet making business, but will still be making cores. Is there a way of contacting him? Does he have a new website up yet? Perhaps there may be other suppliers.

I will use an old fashioned letter if necessary. Thanks for any help!

Safe Shooting! :-D
Steve Redgwell
303british.com

Rick Teal · « **Reply #1 on:** October 13, 2003, 06:11:57 AM »

Steve:

Here is the text of a post Clint made back in May. I hope it helps.

"We have decided to end our bulletmaking business. If anybody would be interested in a list of equipment offered for sale, please call or send a stamped, self addressed envelope to:

SBC
P.O. Box 400
Cooperstown
ND. 58425

Call: 701-797-3431 or 3432.

We have Corbin hyraulic presses and several sets of H dies, as well as Carbide dies by Niemi Eng. We plan on staying in the core swaging business, call for specifics.

Thanks, Clint Starke clintstarke@starkebullets.com "

Rick

stever · « **Reply #2 on:** October 13, 2003, 08:14:03 PM »

Hi Rick. Thanks, I read that one and tried the email address. It's no good. I wrote a letter and will send it off in the morning.

My core forming die is very tight (.251) and the first few buckets of wire were not a problem. The last bucket seems to be bigger in diameter. This leaves me with 2 options:

1. Buy a smaller nozzle for the extruder - I'm thinking .240 instead of .250. The supplier will charge $90 for this, but at least the lead will work in the die.

2. Buy finished cores :roll: Production is being held up by the lead and that's not acceptable. I will go with the extra expense to get things rolling.
It triples the cost of the cores doing it this way but, and I say this to make myself feel better, it reduces the time to the finished box.

Are you still bashing away at the 35s? I read some of your other posts. The thing with this bullet business is that you always seem to have another mountain to climb...

Safe Shooting! :shock:
Steve Redgwell
303british.com

talon · « **Reply #3 on:** October 14, 2003, 04:56:34 AM »

Stever, is that $90C ? I believe RCE would most probably cut and harden your extruder dies for somewhat less than that. All Richard needs to know is the extruder model, or the specs on the die, including the wire size you want to make and the sort of alloy you use (different lead alloy has different 'spring back' ratios; pure lead [if there is such a thing] has none). However, he may not be able to do the work immediately as he has a FIFO policy.

stever · « **Reply #4 on:** October 14, 2003, 08:56:02 PM »

It is 90 Cdn, but it's not my extruder. I get the lead from a supplier in S. Ontario.
Until I can get some thinner wire, I'm on hold with the project. That's why I decided to check with Starke as well. Between the two, I hoping that the process can be sped up. It's either that or shaving the lead piece by piece.

I'll have to look into an extruder. Unfortunately I have no info on where one can be had. Time to do a search.

Safe Shooting! :-D
Steve Redgwell
303british.com

talon · « **Reply #5 on:** October 15, 2003, 05:56:14 AM »

Both RCE and Corbin Co sell extruder die sets, but wire making requires hydrolic presses to produce and maintain the needed pressure thru the entire stroke. These suppliers have electro-hydrolic presses for sale, and you can see these products on their web sites. The aproximate price to get you into such equiptment is about $4,800C + freight. That's step 1. To then make the cores you want from this wire is a further process: to do that in volume is a semi-automatic process using the same press and a simple (common) core swage die. If you fail to find Mr Stark (he never did answer my letter), you can always read thru the " World Wide Bullet Makers" list that's on line at Corbin Co, and see if you can locate someone who can make cores for you. However, with the price of shipping these days, if you have a local lead supply, I would look into purchacing your own equiptment if you are a volume producer. By the way, I make .218 and .250 wire and am just south of Ft Francis, Ont, but am a hobbyist, not in business. I make wire for .30 cents (US) /pound if you don't count my time or equiptment costs. Needless to say, it would cost 5 times that to ship it even across the street.

stever · « **Reply #6 on:** October 15, 2003, 09:39:11 PM »

Thanks for the reply. I knew that it would be expensive, made even more so by my geography. Living in Canada is often like having a home on top of a mountain. It's a fight bringing everything to the house. Up hill and far from anything.

The easiest thing to do is to get my present supplier to make the fitting for the die and be done with it. I had been making only .308 bullets for myself, but decided on a 303 project a couple of years ago to supplement my military pension and work for myself. I've written some books and run a website, so the effort to get this done while frustrating at times, is not unfamiliar to me.

I hope that Clint answers my letter. I asked him to use email as a convenience. I wonder what's happening with him?

Safe Shooting! :shock:
Steve Redgwell
303british.com

Clint Starke · « **Reply #7 on:** October 25, 2003, 12:21:52 PM »

Stever:

I received your letter and order, thanks. Sorry for the mix-up on emails, the new one is cbs@invisimax.com. The old address died with the website. Should get your order out the door in the next few days.

Thanks again, Clint.

stever · « **Reply #8 on:** October 25, 2003, 08:13:25 PM »

Thanks for getting back to me Clint. I appreciate your help on this. This is the first time that I've ever responded to another business via a forum.

Do you have any plans to put up another site? Since you'll still be making cores, people will want to get ahold of you, get product info etc.

All the best!

Safe Shooting! :shock:
Steve Redgwell
303british.com