Brazos Bullets

Are they still in business? 

Show no 45ACP, 9mm and 357 for sale? 

Weird

 Says they are shut down for the next month for maintenance.

That was a while back, I was wondering if someone knows more?

Yes, that was two or three months ago. I sent them a message Sunday through their contact link asking how their repair and maintenance was going and estimated availability. No response yet. Will update when/if I hear back.
Darrell

I've called, Facebook message, and emailed.  No reply.

With Magma Casting Machines closing I guess that may have put them out of business if they needed parts to fix the casting machines.

Rodger Barthlow wrote:With Magma Casting Machines closing I guess that may have put them out of business if they needed parts to fix the casting machines.

I thought the business had moved to Australia?? Magma.

There is a big long thread about this on the cast boolets forum. It runs from early February through last month.

https://castboolits.gunloads.com/showthread.php?465087-Did-Magma-Engineering-go-out-of-business/page5

Bottom line: Magma is gone. No parts left. All shop equipment auctioned off. All designs and intellectual property sold to a company in Australia. They are looking to start producing there. It will not be quick but there are Magma user groups and facebook links in the thread. 
Those users are banding together and sharing sources and links for parts and supplies. 

Wishing all the best for Brazos and all the other bullet makers who are suffering right now.  

To get the full picture start at page one and read the whole thread. Lots of background info to give clarity to their situation.

Darrell

Rodger Barthlow wrote:With Magma Casting Machines closing I guess that may have put them out of business if they needed parts to fix the casting machines.

that's what machine shops and machinists are for. so machine company goes belly up and all their customers do too? if that was true we would be in trouble. you own the machine so getting the prints would be your right. your not  creating the whole machine, so I can't believe a broke part would put you out of business.   heck of a bad business model.

Cmysix wrote:

Rodger Barthlow wrote:With Magma Casting Machines closing I guess that may have put them out of business if they needed parts to fix the casting machines.

that's what machine shops and machinists are for. so machine company goes belly up and all their customers do too? if that was true we would be in trouble. you own the machine so getting the prints would be your right. your not  creating the whole machine, so I can't believe a broke part would put you out of business.   heck of a bad business model.

Magma was that machine shop for a lot of small casting operations. Cast bullets is a relatively small cottage industry. If I owned the machine shop equipment to make and maintain the casting equipment, I probably wouldn't be in the business of casting bullets, I would probably be targeting a more large scale manufacturing for better profit margin.

I suspect “intellectual property” would refer to prints.
I don’t believe customers have rights to those.

One reason forLLC’s I guess

Cmysix wrote:

Rodger Barthlow wrote:With Magma Casting Machines closing I guess that may have put them out of business if they needed parts to fix the casting machines.

that's what machine shops and machinists are for. so machine company goes belly up and all their customers do too? if that was true we would be in trouble. you own the machine so getting the prints would be your right. your not  creating the whole machine, so I can't believe a broke part would put you out of business.   heck of a bad business model.

If the designs and prints were submitted to the US Patent office and a Patent was issued, no one has the right to copy them since they are protected by law.
One of the reasons all the drug companies medicine prices are so high until the Patent runs out.

Patents like that have a time span of 17 years.  And just because it’s a new machine, there isn’t THAT MUCH new (my opinion) in the design.  There are plenty of automated indexing mechanisms previously created (“prior art”).  The melting pot opening is a relay controlled by microswitches and timers…basic stuff.  So I’m not sure how patentable it is.  Note that I’m not a patent lawyer but I am a patent holder so I know how it works generally.

I believe that Magma also produced the molds. 
So when your molds need replacement, and I believe that the mounting system is different than handles that most of us would use at home, what does a supplier like Brazos do?
As for prints/drawings and patents, I'm with Ashley, but will state that reverse engineering for replacements is about the only option available. Unless a purchaser of the equipment paid for those drawing (doubtful for many reasons), they are not entitled to them....they just bought the machine, much like you purchase a car.

Reverse engineering because nobody’s giving you the manufacturing drawings.

you have the broken part ANY good machine shop can make it. I'm a millwright and my Father and Grandfather were Tool and die makers, ask me how I know.  Dillion has stopped any parts for the old 450, Their new primer drop tubes are a different diameter inside and out, I bought an old 450 got the primer "foot" but no tube, bought a new style tube removed the new foot and bored the old foot for a press fit and WA_LA! progressive press for $200, because the owner thought it was obsolete,

james r chapman wrote:Reverse engineering because nobody’s giving you the manufacturing drawings.

Good company's do it all the time. I worked for Gehl Mfg. in SD, if a customer wanted the print they got it. had a print for every part on the machine.

Lots of images of parts already made. Latest update as of June 26th from Australia.

States. "hundreds of parts in progress".

Well, - must disappoint you all.  Official word from Ashley Fisher is that "We are no longer in business", verbatim!  That is from my conversation with her today.  It is not known at this time if company will restart in the future.  Ashley is not part of that process any longer.  I hope, company will restart one way or another.  However at this point Brazos' customers need to look for other options.  

I personally switched to using bullets from Donny Summers (180gr flat based SWC) and Zero (swaged 185gr R186 bullets).

AP

Darn it, this is really disappointing! I really like their 200gr coated bullets.

That is a shame loaded my last 180gn swc last night. Any thoughts on Summers 175gn Coated?

To All:

Do not intend to hijack this thread (admin please move it if necessary) but have been looking at other vendors/sellers to decide on a replacement source for Brazos.  Will continue using 200 gr. SWC but would like more information on NLG v lube groove bullets (seating, crimp, accuracy, etc.) before I make a decision.

Thanks

https://www.ssusa.org/content/accuracy-of-lube-groove-vs-no-lube-groove-cast-bullets/

No disrespect intended, but I think we Sharpshooters tend to overthink the small stuff such as groove/no groove. Just choose a bullet from Donny Summers and get to shooting!

dgbullets.com