Whatever I can do to help and / or advise, I will. However I am what's called a dedicated .45 auto shooter & loader. I load & shoot only .45 auto. My personal opinion on "going into small scale ammo manufacturing and sales" is probably a pretty bleak one. I would believe that competition is pretty fierce, however, I just started going loading, shooting, and doing the gun shows after about a 10 year vacation. I think that you will get a pretty good indication when you guys start loading for your friends and the forum members. Actually, that might really give you guys some ideas & some pit falls to avoid.
Liability comes to mind.

What would you charge for 200rds of .45? i have the brass

Do you have new brass or does it need to be tumbled and checked?

With new brass, somewhere close to $200. If you provide brass if it's new, subtract cost of brass. Off memory, say $175~ :huh:

Keeping in mind we're not running yet, but will be shortly. Will throw in some for testing. :drink:

I was talking to Gary, but i do have the brass, and i have the tumbler and cork and goodies to do it myself, im just lazy :D, but if you're gonna start loading i'll grab some from you too, i need something for the 28th

Oh sorry. And BTW, that price is for 500 rounds, not 200. Doh! I've got a tumbler. Is your brass used? WHat other goodies you got. Do you have a Dillon progressive? If so, open to a straight trade equipment for rounds made? Just throwing it out there.

Shaolin:
I really hate to do this, and you will positively hate me when we are done with this conversation, but:
I only run my used brass through my reloader & dies.
My statement up above, "liability comes to mind". I really don't like to load for other people. When you start loading for other people, liability does or should come to mind.
I load & shoot only a very light pip-squeak target load, barely makes it to the target, not much more than squibb load.
I am running very short of bullets, just enough left for myself for my next loading batch, and then I have to take a look at what's available on the market for 200 grain cast lead SWC.
Now, in an emergency, I would load enough rounds for you to help you out of a bind if you have brand new R-P brass, and it would come only loaded with Winchester Large pistol primers, 4.0 grains of about 15 year old Hercules Bullseye powder, before they were bought out by Alliant, and 200 grain Western Nevada SWC. Also older than the hills, just like me.

When you are done cussing at me, here's the best that I can do for you.
For mainly target shooting, especially range loads, but loaded hot enough to have some desert shooting fun with buy these at your earliest convenience, which will probably the next Costa Mesa Crossroads of the West gun show towards the end of Aug
.45 auto: Remington Peters (R-P) brand new cases (not reloads) 200 grain semi wad cutter (SWC), $19.95 a box (always loaded in white boxes), 50 rounds per box, from:
Mi-Wall Corp., Grass Valley, Ca. (These are the people at the COTW gun shows that have a large blue with yellow lettering banner over their tables).
This is exceptionally high quality consistent ammo loaded only with the best of brand name components and loaded at a pretty good velocity that is accurate on the range and fun in the desert. I have shot their ammo (on & off) for over 25 years. It's that good.
Save your cases, cardboard boxes, & plastic box containers as they will come in handy for reloading, whether you do it or somebody else does it.
Sorry for the long post & HTH.

BTW, the term "dedicated .45 shooter" does not mean that I am any good, I am not, it simply means that I only load & shoot .45 auto, because I am lazy, don't like changing loading heads & it simplifies things so much. Less possibility of error, too.

Where do you guys buy your brass (when needed), powder, & bullets at?

I actually only shoot low grain loads anyhow, i have a very low weight main spring in my 1911, anything more than 185 grain the gun doesnt cycle properly and becomes notchy any i start eating guide rod bushings. But i can understand if you're nervous about selling ammo you've loaded to people you dont know.

yeah the brass is used, its all been cycled through my 1911. But i'm probably going to keep all my equipment, just in case. Just like the shop full of tools ive used once i like to have it there for when i really need it.

Sorry, Shaolin, I am just a very finicky, crotchety, old man. I really am that particular what cases that I run though my Dillon & I am worse about what I run through my .45's. And I really do only run R-P brass through my Dillon also. Do though buy some of that Mi-Wall .45 ammo at 1st opportunity & affordability. That's where my cases came from.
Shaolin:
What type of gun & what's been done to it and by whom?
What weight of recoil spring? Mainspring is the spring back in the mainspring housing?