Ranch Dog - thanks for the site and more

[wallythacker]

I'm still working on putting the various pieces together.

I visit a number of sites for firearms and the name Ranch Dog appears in many places. I didn't clue in Ranch Dog here is the same one for a bit. There are still a few places with advertising for Ranch Dog products, molds it seems, and results vary if you click through. One gets you a message saying contact Lee, another says closed for business. So I think our host at one time was in the business of selling (contracting out ?) molds for a variety of calibers and maybe co-ordinating group buys of other gear?

Anyhow, I came away not overly sure if anything Ranch Dog had his name attached is available other than used from ebay/firearms sites/etc. I personally would love to get some of the Ranch Dog molds I've read about. It's hard enough getting decent design molds from the majors, either their molds are lacking in some fashion or just not available. A handful of RD molds would do me for my lifetime.

Is there any way to revive the Ranch Dog line of molds so those latecomers like me can get some?

Time to stop rambling and says thanks Ranch Dog for this site.

[ironhead7544]

on thanking Ranch Dog for this site. I have learned a lot here.

Check over at the Cast Boolits site for a mold.

[Ranch Dog]

Thank you for your comments concerning this site, my goal was to create a place where a Rossi product could be discussed "stress free".

Wally, welcome to the forum and yes, I am the one and only Ranch Dog as far as I know. I did run a retail business where I sold bullet molds that dropped bullets of my design, the mold were cut by Lee Precision. I closed that business at the end of November last year. I still do have a static website that shows my designs and it's main purpose is to offer load data to those who bought the molds. I closed the business for a couple of reasons:

• The investment required; at any time I had about $75,000 tied up in my inventory but to keep molds on the shelf I really needed to increase that to about $200K.
• The amount of time involved, I became a box packer that did not have the time to be with my family let alone hunt or shoot).
• The volume of communication the business required. Despite having more information for each given bullet than any similar website I've seen, I still received 2000 to 2500 emails a month and my phone rang around the clock.

My reason for establishing the business was to prove to Lee Precision that there was a need for designs like those I offered.

Overall, the business had great potential, I had looked into cutting my own mold blocks, cutting gas checks, offering bullets as a component and producing loaded ammunition. I even looked at a building in town that would have been suitable to run such a business from. It was a soft drink bottling facility adjacent to our Post Office and would have been a match made in heaven. It takes a lot of money to do something like this but I will be 59 years old this year and moving rapidly to a well planned retirement. If I would have gotten involved in this endeavour 20 years ago, it might have been another story.

Anyway, I have given my designs to Lee Precision who remains quite interested in placing the more popular designs in their product line and plugging their gaps in designs with others. No doubt I have proven that the Micro-Bands used as lube grooves work on rifle bullets. I have had several designs available with both the standard lube grooves and with the Micro-Bands, The Micro-Banded bullet will always be faster and the groups tighter.

Lee Precision, and every other member of SAAMI, were taken by surprise by the response to the last Presidential election coupled with the timing of several key events. Despite being in a production position established by the demand of the last election; we, the shooting public, made our own evaluation and the hoarding spiraled out of control. At present Lee has distributor orders totaling 27,000 molds! Until that backlog is filled, nothing new is being added. I do know the folks at Lee and know that they are working two shifts 24/7 and that it will take 6 to 9 months to catch up.

I have four designs offered through group buys, three still opened. These are designs that I need personally and are the only reason I'm hosting them. I do not like running a group buy, it is a hassle in every respect, but at the same time knew that others were interested in "the rabbit" that I keep pulling out of the hat. I do not have any plans to run any other group buys and I've not sure that Lee would accept them if I did. I'm also selling my 9X18 Makarov molds on eBay, this is all that I had left in my store.

[Tuco Ramirez]

In my mind you have accomplished your goal and much more.

I have been on quite a few forums through the years and this one by far is the best IMHO. I drop by several times a day just to see what is going on. There is lots of good info and friendly folks who do their best to help a brother out.

I know how much time it takes to do the small projects I have in the fire. I have no idea how you did it but like the others here have said I am damn glad you did. I consider this my hunting and shooting camp and look forward to stopping in every chance I get.

Now all I have to do is get my hands on your 45-70 mold in 425 gr and I know I will in time.

Thank you RD for all you have done and still do!!!

[Ranch Dog]

In my mind you have accomplished your goal and much more.

I have been on quite a few forums through the years and this one by far is the best IMHO. I drop by several times a day just to see what is going on. There is lots of good info and friendly folks who do their best to help a brother out.

I know how much time it takes to do the small projects I have in the fire. I have no idea how you did it but like the others here have said I am damn glad you did. I consider this my hunting and shooting camp and look forward to stopping in every chance I get.

Now all I have to do is get my hands on your 45-70 mold in 425 gr and I know I will in time.

Thank you RD for all you have done and still do!!!

I really appreciate your comments Tuco, your words mean alot to me. I'm quite pleased how the membership takes care of it's own and coupled with the gentlemanly behavior of all the participants, makes the management of this forum quite easy.

No doubt you are a patient fellow in that you enjoy your Rossi firearms, so hang in there and I firmly believe that you will be able to purchase that TLC460-425-RF through MidwayUSA, Mid South, or any of the other Lee distributors. My goal in proving the need for these designs was to see them available in these types of places through Lee so that we can buy a $40 six cavity mold. It was no good keeping it the way it was as I would have had to increase my prices up to $75 to $90 per mold just like the other small speciality suppliers charge. Much better to wait it out.

[wallythacker]

Thank you so much for your clear and detailed answer.

Now I further understand why you are known around the web as well as you are and I really understand the demands running a business places on someone, especially if you had other plans, like retirement. I did the business thing but not, as of today anyhow, done the retirement thing.

I'm famous (in my own mind) for being a day late and a dollar short when it comes to great deals or one off specials. I toyed with getting back into reloading seriously last fall but put it off till after the dust settled after your presidential elections. I got serious about getting back into reloading in early March and started to dust off and add to my existing kit, and started hunting for molds.

I hope one of the majors recognizes how your molds would strengthen their existing lines. Example, other than the 459-405 hollow base Lee mold I bought there's not a single offering from the majors that I'd consider essential, or even interesting enough to experiment with. I don't really feel like shooting 405g exclusively for the rest of my life.

One last thing, you mentioned 4 group buys, 3 are open. Do you know where the open buy is being offered?

thankis

[Ranch Dog]

One last thing, you mentioned 4 group buys, 3 are open. Do you know where the open buy is being offered?

Use the links in this topic to take you to the topics on the Cast Boolit Forum:[ur=http://www.rossi-rifleman.com/viewtopic.php?f=20&t=1160]Ranch Dog Mold Group Buys[/url]

The TLC311-165-RF for the 30-30 Win is closed now, but the other three are open to the end of the month. These are bullets for the 25 ACP, 38-55 Win, and 454 Casull.