I have been reloading for a couple buddies that recently had custom rifles built. They are paying for all of the components themselves and I basically just have my time in it. I also will take the rifles out and shoot them when doing load development. I'm not trying to make a bunch of money off them but they have insisted on paying and I would like to know if anyone has done something similar and what you charged/how you came up with your price. Appreciate any insight.
Old adage: No good deed goes unpunished. Everyone has their Aw **** moments, even the big ammo companies....think recalls. Regardless what you think, you are not immune from them. There is liability involved in doing something for another individual. Even if the moment is totally their responsibility.....everyone today wants to be indemnified from their own stupidity...... if another individual has their fingerprints in the equation, there is liability, especially where injury or high dollar damage is involved. Dollars are more powerful than almost any friendship, ruin many friendships. You need to consider this. Consult with a lawyer. Yeah, not cheap. (The only identified benefit of a lawyer D-in-L.) Consider a hold harmless agreement, although a good ambulance chaser can penetrate that veil and/or make it so expensive to enforce that one at some point will settle for some amount........plus sunk costs of defending your position and Mr. Stupid Former Friend's legal costs. Blood/suffering/stupidity always win in our litigious society. Lawyers are always the ones who win.
Next, most will ignore thinking they can sweep under the rug, consider the issue of being in the ammo manufacturing business from a government/ATF/zoning/fire regulations/insurance/tax implications.......licensing, inspections, record keeping, tax implications. Even if you are only recouping actual or portion of costs, government can spin a for-profit intention, thus in the business. Not reporting is tax evasion. If you are a pro-gun entity, you will get no mercy with government involved. Again, think cost to defend even if one wins. The liability, effort, costs cannot really be covered in a small operation. You are going to be doing it at a lost with all the overhead implications. What are you heart beats worth. Those are your real non-replenishable resource. Maybe you are young enough to be oblivious to that last statement. But, the years fly by incrementally approaching the speed of light, and one day you will understand. One's last heartbeat is worth more than all the rest. Just a really, really old very siccessful geezer's life experience and observations. YMMV, but I doubt it. Been there, done that, observed that over and over en route to being this old. As Nicholson once commented...."You can't handle the truth."
Those smiley faces make reality more palatable.
