Blue Gun Swap?

[Fredo]

I ordered a Blue Gun from Rings. (Ruger LCP). I expect it to get here in the next day or so. Thats a good thing because I have 2 orders for holsters for that gun. Now I'm thinking I'll need to keep buying them for the other more popular guns. However at over 50 bucks per unit to the door it can get pretty expensive for sure.

I'm wondering if any of you would be interested in forming a co-op of sorts? I'm thinking that we coud set up a swap system.

For example if you need a mold for the LCP, I have one that I can loan out. If I need one for say a Glock then someone can loan that out.

Just tossing out ideas here. I'm sure that money flow is an issue for all of us here and it might make for a good way to save a little cash.

Fredo in San Diego.

[Jon Seeley]

This sounds like a great idea. What are your thoughts on how to administer the co-op?

[Fredo]

This sounds like a great idea. What are your thoughts on how to administer the co-op?

Well this is just preliminary however I imagine it would go something like this.

We set up a list of contacts for all interested in joining the co-op.

Then a mass mssg is sent out to the list with something along "I need a gun mold for XYZ gun. I have molds for swap for XYZ guns.

Of course original owners will always get thier molds back . It's a loaner swap, one where I use your mold, you use mine and we return the molds to the original ownner ASAP. Of course we will have to be men and women of our word. trust is a funny thing espacialy when you're talking about the interweb HA!

I'm hoping others will chime in with thoughts and ideas how this might work for everyone involved.

Edited December 15, 2010 by Fredo

[bitone40]

im down . I was just talking to my wife about buying some more just this morning . I need about 4 of them and she asked me if it could wait until after xmas .. i told her no . lol .. wellcount me in , dont forget about shipping ......

[Fredo]

im down . I was just talking to my wife about buying some more just this morning . I need about 4 of them and she asked me if it could wait until after xmas .. i told her no . lol .. wellcount me in , dont forget about shipping ......

Bitone, Im thinking that shipping would be on whoever is shipping at the time. Just to keep it fair. Now say that you have one I need but you dont need mine then I'd be covering shipping both ways.

PS: Your Name "Bitone" is exactly what I'm going to do to my Firestar M40. Frame and slide parked, buttons, trigger and hammer will remain in "starvel" finish.

Two tone guns RULE!

[Rayban]

Put me on the list !

Anyone have a PPS I can "borrow"?

[Dwight]

Just a tip, . . . contact my supplier for all your blue guns.

I shopped the I-net for a couple of days, a few years back to get the best prices.

These are the folks with the best.

They have even had the stuff drop shipped from their supplier, saving me money on the shipping. And because they don't have it today, . . . doesn't mean that they cannot get it shipped to you tomorrow.

They are a 1st class organization in my book.

May God bless,

Dwight

Contact: www.letargets.com

[Fredo]

Dwight, Thank You!

[Lobo]

This topic comes up from time to time. I have my doubts about a co-op approach working out. In order to ensure that the person using someone else's dummy gun will return it promptly and in undamaged condition, a deposit (equal to or greater than replacement cost) will have to be required. Postage costs can be expected to be about $4.00 (first class) to $6.00 (priority mail) for each trip; add delivery confirmation fees (undoubtedly, someone will claim--truly or falsely-- that they never received a shipment) and/or insurance, and you're up to around $6.00 to $8.00 every time a dummy goes into the mail. Realistically, this means $12.00 to $16.00 for each loan-out, or about 1/4 to 1/3 the cost of the dummy gun. And that gives no consideration to the time needed to package, address, and mail each parcel.

How long is the "borrowing" period? A week? Ten days? Better start thinking about late fees, just like the public library charges. Add in some time for corresponding with each co-op member, scheduling, re-scheduling, etc. Factor in some costs for aspirin, because you're probably going to have a lot of headaches.

How about a high-demand piece? Several co-op members want it, so you schedule delivery to "A", who keeps it for a week then sends it on to "B", who uses it then sends it on to "C", who uses it and sends it back to the owner. When the owner receives it back the front sight is broken off, the trigger guard has been crushed in someone's holster press, or the left side has been melted in someone's drying cabinet or convection oven. Everybody denies responsibility, so what happens next? Who gets to bite the bullet?

I can imagine another dozen sad scenarios, any one of which can just about be guaranteed to happen, the only real question is when.

Professional mechanics do not lend out their tools for a reason; they rely upon those tools for their living. The same is true of carpenters, roofers, surgeons, barbers, and others.

For the hobbyist making an occasional holster for someone else the much simpler solution is to use the customer's handgun for patterning and forming that order. Do you have a good safe to keep it in? How about insurance that will cover property of others involved in a business transaction? If you can't answer "yes" to both of these questions, I recommend having the customer bring the weapon to you for patterning, then bring it again for forming, and taking it home in between.

For the full-time or part-time holster maker in business the answer is to purchase those pieces for which there is sufficient demand to justify the expense. Dummy guns typically cost around $50.00 delivered, so the first order should recover the expense and that piece will remain as part of the maker's inventory, ready to generate profit indefinitely.

Personally, after having purchased dozens of dummies I have decided to just buy the real guns whenever possible. If I can't use it at least ten times per year I really don't need it; if I use it ten times in the first year it has paid for itself. The cost is a tax-deductible business expense, and the gun will retain its value indefinitely (or increase in value over time). Essentially, the guns become a part of my retirement fund, and very few investments have grown in value over the past 30 years as much as good quality firearms.

I always try to encourage people to pursue their dreams and goals. But I also encourage people to stay in touch with reality. Whatever you are doing is either a hobby or it is a business. The goal of a hobby is personal gratification. The goal of business is profit. In either case, loaning and borrowing tools is likely to defeat the intended goal.

Best regards.

[Rayban]

So you don't want on the list, right Lobo??