Are prices shown in USD or CAD?
Prices are shown in Canadian Dollars/CAD.
Why are your prices in Canadian Dollars/CAD?
XYZ is out of stock, when will it be available?
Any time I have an ETA on out of stock items, I will/do post it on the front page of the site as an update.
Why do you no longer stock Russian-made goods?
Like virtually all countries, Canada has instituted a series of economic and trade sanctions against Russia due to their invasion of Ukraine. This includes all shipping and financial processing services, essentially making any trade with Russia impossible. To be clear, I fully support these sanctions, and will not import any goods from, nor export any goods to Russian businesses for the duration of the war.
Can I back-order items?
Items cannot be back-ordered due to the rapid changes in production and freight costs. If an item you’re interested in is not available for purchase, you can always add yourself to the Waitlist to be notified when it’s back in stock again.
Can you add me to/is there a Waitlist?
You can add yourself to the Waitlist for any out of stock item by clicking the button below it marked as same. You will automatically receive an email notification once that product is in stock again.
How long have you been reloading ammunition?
Since about 2003.
Why did you start producing tools?
Reloading is a hobby that has ebbed and flowed in terms of popularity with the price and availability of ammo. As this is very much a supply and demand industry, the larger manufacturers simply aren’t willing to produce tools that don’t appeal to a wide market (you can’t really blame them). As such, I became increasingly frustrated at the lack of solutions available to me as a reloader, specifically regarding shotshell reloading. The first tool I ever designed was my filler wad/overshot card punch. I taught myself CAD, and essentially built the tool I wanted to buy, but nobody made. After posting a short video of it on YouTube, I started getting inquiries from people about making them one as well. As it’s very expensive to make a single tool at a time, producing and selling these was a way to help make my hobby more affordable while meeting the needs of other folks in the same boat.
Why do you only produce tools for Lee Precision presses?/Why don’t you support brand XYZ?
I chose Lee Precision as my platform for the simple fact that in addition to Dillon, their products are the ones I use most frequently in my personal reloading work. Lee presses tend to be among the most budget-friendly, I already own several of them, and they have a very large share of the market among north American reloaders, so they were the most logical choice. In terms of supporting other manufacturers; I would love to be able to support every press type out there, but the reality is that as a hobbyist toolmaker, I just don’t have the time or resources necessary to make that practical. Lyman, RCBS, Hornady and many other companies all produce excellent products, but the cost to procure one of each, modify my designs to fit them, and then manufacture and stock different versions of each is far beyond my means or interest.
Do you ship to XYZ?
Part of the reason I started producing my own tools is because so many US manufacturers will not ship to Canada. That being the case, I understand the frustration of being a non-US resident unable to get the tools and equipment they need for their shooting sports hobbies. Due to this, I am happy to ship all my products worldwide.
Why don’t you offer Free Shipping?
Next to (and sometimes even greater than) actual production costs, shipping is my number one expense. It costs me a small fortune to import many of the goods for sale on my site; selling them with free shipping would not just consume what little profit I do make, but actually see me lose money on most, if not all transactions.
Which Shipping services include tracking/insurance?
Canada Post Expedited, Priority, Regular Parcel, Tracked Packet, and Xpresspost.
Where is my shipment/how long until it arrives?
If you selected a tracked shipping service when you made your purchase, you will receive a notification with a tracking number you can use to view it’s status. If you did not select a tracked shipping service, no information is available. Surface mail in particular can take weeks, even months if it’s going overseas. I highly recommend you use a tracked service!
My shipment was lost/damaged, what can I do?
If you selected a tracked shipping service when you made your purchase, it will include insurance and delivery confirmation– contact me and let me know there’s a problem, and we’ll either get you a refund or a replacement as quickly as possible.
If you did not select a tracked shipping service when you made your purchase, you are not eligible for a replacement or refund. I cannot (and will not) be responsible for goods lost or damaged by the postal service. This is something you should seriously consider before selecting an untracked/uninsured shipping service.
My shipment is missing XYZ!
Please thoroughly check the package and packing materials before assuming something is missing. Many of the parts and components used for reloading tools are small, and easily missed. Likewise, please also check the included documentation (tools only) which will state clearly what should be included. Still missing something? Contact me.
Shipping/Packing Materials
Next to actual production costs (and sometimes even exceeding them), shipping is the number one expense for me. You hate paying for shipping, I hate paying for shipping– No one in the history of civilization has ever liked paying for shipping. On average the shipping I charge comes up at least a few dollars short of the actual cost. In an effort to keep those costs as low as possible, I reuse old boxes, packing materials, and sometimes even ship goods without their retail packaging altogether. This is done to keep weight and volume down, and save us both some money.
Do you offer custom tool production?
No, I do not offer custom tool production. Unfortunately the high cost of research, development and prototyping/testing make small-scale runs prohibitively expensive.
Why don’t you offer XYZ in 410/28G/16G/10G?
There are a few reasons I don’t offer many tools in gauges outside 12G and 20G. The first (and biggest) is lack of demand. While there’s certainly nothing wrong with the less-common gauges, the reality is they represent a very, very small segment of the market for shotshells. As a small-scale tool designer, I can’t afford to keep piles of stock on the shelf that don’t move. As a result of this, I concentrate on the gauges that sell well, which are 12G and 20G.
The second reason is practicality. I don’t personally shoot anything outside of 12G/20G, nor do I own any presses, firearms or test equipment for them. Likewise I live in Canada, and it’s both challenging and expensive to get a hold of components in 410/28G/16G/10G here, which means it’s equally challenging/expensive to do the testing necessary to ensure a design is safe, and effective.
Lastly, specifically as it relates to 10G, the sheer size of the ammunition makes it very impractical to work with in standard metallic cartridge reloading presses. The dies have to be very large, which not only adds to the material and production costs, but yields a number of installation and fitting problems.
Why does it seem like everything you make is stainless steel?
I like to use stainless steel whenever possible for three reasons.
Do you produce a Roll Crimper in gauges other than 12G?
At this time, no. I am considering making a 20G model in the future.
Why are your Hull Mouth Repair Tools gauge-specific instead of ‘Universal’ like other manufacturers?
I chose to make gauge-specific hull mouth repair tools because I think they do a much better, and more consistent job than the ‘universals’. Gauge-specific tools cannot accidentally over-expand a hull the way generics can, and they’re cheap enough you can afford one of each without spending much.
What’s the difference between the Shotshell Filler Wad/Overshot Card punch and the Full-Sized Wad Punch?
The Filler Wad/Overshot Card punch produces wads designed to fit into (or on top of) a conventional plastic shotshell wad. They can be used to either increase the height of a shot column, or to achieve a professional looking crimp on shotshells. The Full-Sized wad punch is designed to punch out wads for use in place of a conventional plastic shotshell wad. These are often used when loading black powder or brass hulls, as well as by folks who shoot at facilities that only allow biodegradable waddings.
Which material is best for punching wads?
This is a complicated question with a complicated answer. Material choice is often conditional on several factors including availability, cost and intended function. Corrugated cardboard works well as a filler wad and overshot card. Regular cardboard and plastic blister packaging make excellent overshot cards. Cork, and felt are popular as filler wads. Leather is excellent for use as a gas seal/overpowder wad. There are many other materials (or combinations of materials) that work well, too.
Can the wad punch cutting edge be sharpened?
Absolutely, although it shouldn’t require it for a long, long time unless you’re punching particularly tough materials. If you do decide to have it sharpened, I strongly recommend you take it to a professional to avoid damaging it.
Will the wad punches fit my press?
All my wad punches are designed to fit Lee Precision single-stage presses. With that said, the dies are threaded 7/8-14 (standard reloading die threading). The punch portion is designed to fit Lee Precision single-stage presses, however it is generally (although not always) able to fit any ram with sufficient clearance and fully compatible with Lee Precision shell holders.