The Accurate Reloading Forums THE ACCURATE RELOADING.COM FORUMS Guns, Politics, Gunsmithing & Reloading Gunsmithing Ted Blackburn is trying to sell his bottom metal business.Go | New | Find | Notify | Tools | Reply | |
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Just looked at Ted Blackburn's website (cncspecialtyproducts.com), and the homepage says that he is offering the rights to his product line up for sale along with some tooling. Matt FISH!! Heed the words of Winston Smith in Orwell's 1984: "Every record has been destroyed or falsified, every book rewritten, every picture has been repainted, every statue and street building has been renamed, every date has been altered. And the process is continuing day by day and minute by minute. History has stopped. Nothing exists except an endless present in which the Party is always right." | ||
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Yep. That's been up for some time. Wonder what he wants for it??? Oh well I ain't got that kind of money anyway. www.KLStottlemyer.com Deport the Homeless and Give the Illegals citizenship. AT LEAST THE ILLEGALS WILL WORK | |||
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You won't know until you ask. A man with your talents might make a good go of it. Matt FISH!! Heed the words of Winston Smith in Orwell's 1984: "Every record has been destroyed or falsified, every book rewritten, every picture has been repainted, every statue and street building has been renamed, every date has been altered. And the process is continuing day by day and minute by minute. History has stopped. Nothing exists except an endless present in which the Party is always right." | |||
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I might be talented but I'm broke  And zero credit at least business credit anyway. But you know I might just inquire as to what it would take. It might be something to think about.www.KLStottlemyer.com Deport the Homeless and Give the Illegals citizenship. AT LEAST THE ILLEGALS WILL WORK | |||
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You know...I have been thinking about a career change and got some spare cash hanging around. CNC...can a normal person run one of those things? Mike Never under estimate the internet community's ability to reply to your post with their personal rant about their tangentially related, single occurrence issue.  What I have learned on AR, since 2001: 1. The proper answer to: Where is the best place in town to get a steak dinner? is…You should go to Mel's Diner and get the fried chicken. 2. Big game animals can tell the difference between .015 of an inch in diameter, 15 grains of bullet weight, and 150 fps. 3. There is a difference in the performance of two identical projectiles launched at the same velocity if they came from different cartridges. 4. While a double rifle is the perfect DGR, every 375HH bolt gun needs to be modified to carry at least 5 down. 5. While a floor plate and detachable box magazine both use a mechanical latch, only the floor plate latch is reliable. Disregard the fact that every modern military rifle uses a detachable box magazine. 6. The Remington 700 is unreliable regardless of the fact it is the basis of the USMC M40 sniper rifle for 40+ years with no changes to the receiver or extractor and is the choice of more military and law enforcement sniper units than any other rifle. 7. PF actions are not suitable for a DGR and it is irrelevant that the M1, M14, M16, & AK47 which were designed for hunting men that can shoot back are all PF actions. 8. 95 deg F in Africa is different than 95 deg F in TX or CA and that is why you must worry about ammunition temperature in Africa (even though most safaris take place in winter) but not in TX or in CA. 9. The size of a ding in a gun's finish doesn't matter, what matters is whether it’s a safe ding or not. 10. 1 in a row is a trend, 2 in a row is statistically significant, and 3 in a row is an irrefutable fact. 11. Never buy a WSM or RCM cartridge for a safari rifle or your go to rifle in the USA because if they lose your ammo you can't find replacement ammo but don't worry 280 Rem, 338-06, 35 Whelen, and all Weatherby cartridges abound in Africa and back country stores. 12. A well hit animal can run 75 yds. in the open and suddenly drop with no initial blood trail, but the one I shot from 200 yds. away that ran 10 yds. and disappeared into a thicket and was not found was lost because the bullet penciled thru. I am 100% certain of this even though I have no physical evidence. 13. A 300 Win Mag is a 500 yard elk cartridge but a 308 Win is not a 300 yard elk cartridge even though the same bullet is travelling at the same velocity at those respective distances. | |||
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The way CNC's are.... Yes and No. Yes you can run it. Set it up, program it. etc... But to be efficient you should have some basic machining experience. So you could run it and break some tools and machine stuff either way to fast or way to slow. But yeah you could do it. I'm actually waiting for a phone call from Maggie www.KLStottlemyer.com Deport the Homeless and Give the Illegals citizenship. AT LEAST THE ILLEGALS WILL WORK | |||
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Dettorre, You could move out of California. Move to God's country. _______________________________________________________________________________ This is my rifle, there are many like it but this one is mine. My rifle is my best friend, it is my life. | |||
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Basic machining experience...hmmm does making sparks on a grinding wheel as a kid count? Mike Never under estimate the internet community's ability to reply to your post with their personal rant about their tangentially related, single occurrence issue. What I have learned on AR, since 2001: 1. The proper answer to: Where is the best place in town to get a steak dinner? is…You should go to Mel's Diner and get the fried chicken. 2. Big game animals can tell the difference between .015 of an inch in diameter, 15 grains of bullet weight, and 150 fps. 3. There is a difference in the performance of two identical projectiles launched at the same velocity if they came from different cartridges. 4. While a double rifle is the perfect DGR, every 375HH bolt gun needs to be modified to carry at least 5 down. 5. While a floor plate and detachable box magazine both use a mechanical latch, only the floor plate latch is reliable. Disregard the fact that every modern military rifle uses a detachable box magazine. 6. The Remington 700 is unreliable regardless of the fact it is the basis of the USMC M40 sniper rifle for 40+ years with no changes to the receiver or extractor and is the choice of more military and law enforcement sniper units than any other rifle. 7. PF actions are not suitable for a DGR and it is irrelevant that the M1, M14, M16, & AK47 which were designed for hunting men that can shoot back are all PF actions. 8. 95 deg F in Africa is different than 95 deg F in TX or CA and that is why you must worry about ammunition temperature in Africa (even though most safaris take place in winter) but not in TX or in CA. 9. The size of a ding in a gun's finish doesn't matter, what matters is whether it’s a safe ding or not. 10. 1 in a row is a trend, 2 in a row is statistically significant, and 3 in a row is an irrefutable fact. 11. Never buy a WSM or RCM cartridge for a safari rifle or your go to rifle in the USA because if they lose your ammo you can't find replacement ammo but don't worry 280 Rem, 338-06, 35 Whelen, and all Weatherby cartridges abound in Africa and back country stores. 12. A well hit animal can run 75 yds. in the open and suddenly drop with no initial blood trail, but the one I shot from 200 yds. away that ran 10 yds. and disappeared into a thicket and was not found was lost because the bullet penciled thru. I am 100% certain of this even though I have no physical evidence. 13. A 300 Win Mag is a 500 yard elk cartridge but a 308 Win is not a 300 yard elk cartridge even though the same bullet is travelling at the same velocity at those respective distances. | |||
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Good try but nope. Seriously though if you bought a machine and negotiated training in with the price.... We bought a new lathe one time and had the company train us by using our part we were going to make on it. It was a turn key set up. They programed it and set up all the tools. All we had to do is load material and push cycle start www.KLStottlemyer.com Deport the Homeless and Give the Illegals citizenship. AT LEAST THE ILLEGALS WILL WORK | |||
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Kerry, I am generally not allowed to pick up sharp objects. Power tools are a big no no... I do however like Johnnie Walker Blue and have been drinking tonight. Mike Never under estimate the internet community's ability to reply to your post with their personal rant about their tangentially related, single occurrence issue. What I have learned on AR, since 2001: 1. The proper answer to: Where is the best place in town to get a steak dinner? is…You should go to Mel's Diner and get the fried chicken. 2. Big game animals can tell the difference between .015 of an inch in diameter, 15 grains of bullet weight, and 150 fps. 3. There is a difference in the performance of two identical projectiles launched at the same velocity if they came from different cartridges. 4. While a double rifle is the perfect DGR, every 375HH bolt gun needs to be modified to carry at least 5 down. 5. While a floor plate and detachable box magazine both use a mechanical latch, only the floor plate latch is reliable. Disregard the fact that every modern military rifle uses a detachable box magazine. 6. The Remington 700 is unreliable regardless of the fact it is the basis of the USMC M40 sniper rifle for 40+ years with no changes to the receiver or extractor and is the choice of more military and law enforcement sniper units than any other rifle. 7. PF actions are not suitable for a DGR and it is irrelevant that the M1, M14, M16, & AK47 which were designed for hunting men that can shoot back are all PF actions. 8. 95 deg F in Africa is different than 95 deg F in TX or CA and that is why you must worry about ammunition temperature in Africa (even though most safaris take place in winter) but not in TX or in CA. 9. The size of a ding in a gun's finish doesn't matter, what matters is whether it’s a safe ding or not. 10. 1 in a row is a trend, 2 in a row is statistically significant, and 3 in a row is an irrefutable fact. 11. Never buy a WSM or RCM cartridge for a safari rifle or your go to rifle in the USA because if they lose your ammo you can't find replacement ammo but don't worry 280 Rem, 338-06, 35 Whelen, and all Weatherby cartridges abound in Africa and back country stores. 12. A well hit animal can run 75 yds. in the open and suddenly drop with no initial blood trail, but the one I shot from 200 yds. away that ran 10 yds. and disappeared into a thicket and was not found was lost because the bullet penciled thru. I am 100% certain of this even though I have no physical evidence. 13. A 300 Win Mag is a 500 yard elk cartridge but a 308 Win is not a 300 yard elk cartridge even though the same bullet is travelling at the same velocity at those respective distances. | |||
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Given the economy, it might be cheaper and easier to hire a laid-off or retired machinist than learn a new skill. And they LIKE folks who can write checks! "There always seems to be a big market for making the clear, complex." | |||
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Hey Mike, Try the JW Gold, mothers milk at half the $$. | |||
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Try Pacific Distillery's great absinthe and you might imagine yourself IN the CNC chipping metal with your teeh... | |||
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I just wonder how many units he sells in a year. i.e. is it something i can make a go of full time? Sounds pricey but if the demand is there it would pay for itself quick www.KLStottlemyer.com Deport the Homeless and Give the Illegals citizenship. AT LEAST THE ILLEGALS WILL WORK | |||
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I think you could make more money doing something else. If Ted has the machines, fixtures, and prints and can't keep the doors open, how would you expect to buy everything and make money? Butch | |||
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By actually filling orders | |||
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Don, At this time with Duane making quality products and the other folks in the business, I wouldn't do it. If you invest the money required for the business, a location for the machines, and material you still have a long way to go. You will have to build a large inventory to be able to compete. When I started my small gun related business the first thing we decided was to always have inventory. You can't imagine the sales we made because we actually had it on hand. Admittedly the initial expense was scarey and was very stressful. If you can overcome the initial expenses and can afford to build inventory you may have a small chance. Butch | |||
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Agreed. It takes some big coin to commission a balanced project around a blackburn or similar bottom metal. If I wanted to get into this type endeavor it would be in the tactical arena. Backwards hat wearing, tattood younguns without two nickles to rub together think nothing of building up $2k blam blam guns and lots of businesses are doing quite well supplying them aftermarkent anodized aluminum bits. Hell, theres plenty of shops doing ok building bits for 10-22's.
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Based on purely a WAG, I think the economics of the business suck, especially as the deal is structured. He appears to be selling a failing part of the business and trying to keep what makes it possible to make a profit. Even if I was a machinist, there are multiple more oportunities doing custom machining. We've got a guy locally, who is truely in the middle of nowhere, Malta, Texas (population way under 500), who has more work than he can handle and is doing quite well but then again, I understand he is very customer responsive. xxxxxxxxxx When considering US based operations of guides/outfitters, check and see if they are NRA members. If not, why support someone who doesn't support us? Consider spending your money elsewhere. NEVER, EVER book a hunt with BLAIR WORLDWIDE HUNTING or JEFF BLAIR. I have come to understand that in hunting, the goal is not the goal but the process. | |||
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Tell me who makes mauser actions that is making a good living. If that were the case several of the existing receiver manufacturers would be in the business. Butch | |||
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You wanna know something? How come all of these "experts" and "wannabes" ain't rich and famous. HMMMM Jim Kobe 10841 Oxborough Ave So Bloomington MN 55437 952.884.6031 Professional member American Custom Gunmakers Guild | |||
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22WRF. Is the Roden family still making the Granite Mountain Actions. If so then, his start up money came from the commerical vacum cleaners he makes and sells. The late Fred Wells also spent a LOT of time helping them out getting started correctly. Jim Wisner | |||
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World is full of arm chair experts. Howard Moses Lake, Washington USA hwhomes@outlook.com | |||
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It's the get rich quick folks that make me suspicious. Most people here are actually doing the opposite and urging caution. Nobody is saying you will get rich making custom bottom metal. It's a pretty niche market as I see it. | |||
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Here's the business plan: Make bottom metal and get as rich as Blackburn Make other unique parts and get as rich as Wisner Make Mausers and get as rich as Hein and Satterlee combined. One thing that these folks have in common is that they are fine machinists; the other thing they have in common is that they probably could have made a bunch more money applying their talents to an industry other than firearms. ______________________________ "Truth is the daughter of time." Francis Bacon | |||
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Forrest is correct. They need to make the money with their skills and do the gunstuff as a sideline. Butch | |||
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I would expound on what Forrest said by saying that being a good machinist doesn't make one a good businessmen. I would further say that the lack of business acumen would cause them to fail no matter the business. Its their business/work practices that cause the failures not the industry they choose. Howard Moses Lake, Washington USA hwhomes@outlook.com | |||
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Trinidad now has a 3rd-year gunsmithing program for teaching better business practices. Don't know any details but it's gotta be better than the single Accounting 101 class required when I was there. Regards, Joe __________________________ You can lead a human to logic but you can't make him think. NRA Life since 1976. God bless America! | |||
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Funny..I was not referring to the legiitimate commentators, only the ones from the wannabee and we know who he is. Jim Kobe 10841 Oxborough Ave So Bloomington MN 55437 952.884.6031 Professional member American Custom Gunmakers Guild | |||
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Exzactly, but when playing with this gun stuff gets in your blood...your in trouble!  _____________________ Steve Traxson | |||
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Well, started to put in my 2 cents worth, but found that I was writing a book! In a nutshell, I'd advise any potential buyer to KNOW CNC backward and forward Hiring a retiree did not work for me...even here close to Boeing Aircraft. Hiring a compotent CNC programmer and operator will work if you offer a complete package of retirement, sick leave, vacation, insurances...etc. I did get lucky..found a man with 31 years experience..met all the programming and machinist requirements and actually WANTED part time work so he could devote most of his time to sailing and sailboats. This, of course, means my work takes a disant 2nd priority. Frustrating as hell..but he's also a good teacher. You NEED that machine working pretty much full time. so...you NEED someone else who can be a parts changer and button pusher who works cheap while you try to generate enough income to pay for the machine, tooling, programmer/machinist and said "button pusher" I'd advise anyone to go into this enterprise with both eyes wide open. | |||
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And the less of an "expert" they are in firearms the better off you are as well. Like Duane said the job isn't making gun parts the job is running a CNC machine. Howard Moses Lake, Washington USA hwhomes@outlook.com | |||
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As Henry Ford supposedly said, "I'm not in the business of making cars, I'm in the business of making money." | |||
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Great advise from Duane I am not a machinist but have done a lot of projects, evaluations, business plans and now run my own business.
In a nut shell you need to sell machine time in order to make a profit. Also make sure you pick the right machine. There are 100s of CNC machines new & used. You need the right one to do the right jobs and have the flexibility you need..... Good luck. "When the wind stops....start rowing. When the wind starts, get the sail up quick." | |||
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Naki: You're absolutely on the money...the very last where you suggest (I think) to let others actually make the widgets?? We tried that with a firm, with over 30 years making very complex medical parts..spent $$$$$ (lots) in engineering and programming...ten CNC machines asnd they absolutely f....d up. We rejected so many parts, even after giving tolerances of +- .010. that we partesd ways. I purchased the fixtures and programs. probably right now are using about 20% of those because he just didn't really....really know firearms. One more piece of advice: Do as I suggest, not as I did. | |||
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Glad my physical and financial condition prevent me from considering endeavors like this, it needs a younger body and someone willing to take more risks than I. Good fortune to whomever snatches this up! | |||
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Imp, You would do all right. Remember the secret to success in this business: Behind every successful man running a gunshop is a wife with a good job in town. dave | |||
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..Amen..! DRSS: HQ Scandinavia. Chapters in Sweden & Norway | |||
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If it was a money making deal, it wouldn't be for sale  | |||
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Possibly or probably true related to this particular offer, but otherwise absolutely not true, there are good money makers for sale everyday for good and valid reasons, such as retirement. I posted (for general information, I had nothing to do with it, nor am I a broker of any kind) on AR some years back about a local farm supply business for sale for about 2 years net income including real estate. It was bought by a local who has made all of his purchase price back and is pocketing low to mid six figures out of it every year and has since bought another one in another town. This is a person who had zero experience in the business (which admittedly is not rocket science) but was willing to work hard and learn. xxxxxxxxxx When considering US based operations of guides/outfitters, check and see if they are NRA members. If not, why support someone who doesn't support us? Consider spending your money elsewhere. NEVER, EVER book a hunt with BLAIR WORLDWIDE HUNTING or JEFF BLAIR. I have come to understand that in hunting, the goal is not the goal but the process. | |||
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The Accurate Reloading Forums THE ACCURATE RELOADING.COM FORUMS Guns, Politics, Gunsmithing & Reloading Gunsmithing Ted Blackburn is trying to sell his bottom metal business.
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