Do you know a hunter who does not reload? Ask for the empties. Maybe you know several friends who hunt. You can purchase as few as 50 pieces of brass at
http://www.midwayusa.com and probably other places. I have been making rifle shell pens for 10 years and only remember purchasing empty brass one time. They are available if you do some checking and asking. Ebay may be a good source but I find friends who hunt to be an invaluable source. I came home a few days ago to find a pkg of empties by my front door. A free pen works wonders.
7mm kits use the cross style refill and other ball point kits use the parker style refill. Did you really mean "schmidt" refill? If so, I am confused. Schmidt refills are used on rollerball pens. But, maybe schmidt makes cross or parker style refills.
Do a good turn daily!
Don
I have looked into making my own shells but I am having trouble finding the brass locally. I have gone to a couple ranges that I know used to sell old brass and they said they no longer sell it instead they just recycle it. And if I wanted to purchase it I'd need to buy about 20lbs. That seems like a little much. But I think I will give it a try in the future. if you use a 7mm kit can you still use a scmidt refill and mechanism?