158 grain lead semi-wadcutter or wadcutter.  Why is this stuff so impossible to find?  It is "THE" load for which the caliber was created, the load for which most .357 firearms prior to the 90's were designed.  The closest I can find on the shelf locally is the "cowboy action ammo," which costs 3x whatever it is sittinf next to on the shelf.

I'm currently trying to order some from the mainland, using a freight forwarding service.  The cost per round is annoyingly high. 

Does anyone here have a commercial loader in .357?  I'd be happy to commission a run of, say 3,000 rounds! 

Now you have me wanting a commercial loader 

The Firing line had a little info on them.

Funny, they are talking about the very machine, the Ammoload Mark X, I stumbled across when I went Googling after my last post.  Although that Camdex system looks pretty similar.

Back in Louisiana, I knew a man who had an autoloader in his garage.  Ran mostly .38 spl for local law enforcement, lead wadcutters.  Apparently there was enough money in it, even in this day and age of semi-autos, to keep him up and running.  It was something to see, walking in when he had that machine running! 

The thread at Firing Line makes reference to needing a Type 06 FFL in order to manufactur ammo for sale.  I wonder what the cutoff quantity for that is, and also what the requirements are.  Maybe I can start a second career in the ammo making business!

Although, I think it doesn't bode well that Ronak closed their doors.  I heard one rumor about it being a health issue, but nothing else and no confirmation. 

What do you think?  Is there enough demand here that a person could run a successful business manufacturing ammo?  Would you be able to obtain components in adequate quantity to keep up with demand?  What calibers would you start with?

I think if you are able to put enough money in up front, there is enough demand to float an ammo business. You would need to be able to ship enough primers and powder here at one time to save on the shipping fees. The availability of all the supplies seems pretty decent right now. And if you know someone, you might even be able to get a contract with HPD.

After posting my last post, I did a little more research and found the Dillon Super 1050 that can do 1200 rounds an hour. You can even attach an autodrive to make it run itself. At $2000 per machine, I think you could get started pretty cheaply. For the calibers, I would start with 9mm, .45 acp, .40 S&W, .223, and .308. If you do dedicated machines, $10k could get you started, another $10k in supplies, a little more for insurance, and all the licenses and permit.

There are health issues with lead, so that would have to be researched. Did Ronak load their own ammo or just sell commercially?

For the cutoff on the Type 06 FFL, the cutoff would be 1 round to start and the sky's the limit on the other end (i believe).

I think just imported.  They just had either an uncanny knack or extremely good luck at finding cheap ammo.  And, I do mean cheap, in both possible interpretations of the word.