How/why it is fair and the ethics behind it. I'll warn you all now. This is big boy rules and plain talk so if your easily offended, start cracking knuckles cause you'll want to have your typing fingers all ready to go when you blast me.
There are two sides to this:
If your a gunsmith fitting barrel blanks to receivers and you don't already own the staple "food group" of chambering reamers (223, 30-06, 308, 300WM, etc) then your kind of behind the power curve since these are the meat and potatoes of the sporting arms industry. A gunsmith should already have those kinds of chamber reamers on hand just as they should have threading tool inserts, parting tool inserts, taps, reamers, mills, drills, centerdrills, countersinks, etc.
Now, if a guy walks in and wants a 6mmPPC with an improved shoulder angle, a 262 neck and he plans to shoot 66 grain Bart custom bullet but wants it throated like a Weatherby then is it realistic for me as a shop owner to pay for that? How often is it going to get used? When do I get to my investment back out of it? What about the time that goes into ordering it, waiting for it to show up, and then finally being able to do the work. Dave Kiff is pretty **** good but I've waited as long as six weeks for a reamer from him when things are hectic. That's six weeks of your job sitting stagnant in my shop and that means I'm waiting to get paid.
That is a bit blunt however let us not forget the whole point of being in business is to earn a profit so that little mouths at home can continue being the adorable little parasites that they are.
Then what happens when you figure out just how much BS work it is to form cases, neck turn, load develop, buy the dies, etc. and you decide to just go with a 6mm BR instead? Do I buy that reamer too? Now what happens to the "6ppc super exotica"?
I can see/agree with maybe going in half but you better be Jonny on the spot when it comes to doing your part/responsibility as a customer. Make sure that FFL arrives on time, make sure you know what you want ahead of time (Ever deal with a customer who changes his order every time a magazine article gets published?), and don't keep us on the phone for hours at a time because "Bubba" at the range says you should have a 261 neck instead of a 262.
The only way I'd ever absorb the entire cost is if its a caliber I should already own and/or you were a very long time customer who used me exclusively and had a long history of having high end rifles built. But these are also the kind of customers that aren't going to think twice about being asked to buy a $150 dollar reamer either.
Last scenario. You are well intentioned and show up with your own reamer. But now what do I do because I have already invested thousands in specialized tooling to cut a chamber as well as I possibly can. If you want me to use your reamer should I then charge you for my custom pilots that are made in .0002" increments? What if you walk in with a JGS or Dave Manson Reamer. Now my pilots don't work. What happens now if the gun doesn't shoot? Should I have to warranty the work?
These same customers who don't sweat this petty stuff are the same kinds of customers who aren't paranoid about having a gunmaker order their parts and then charge a little for the trouble. They are usually more interested in knowing the work is done right the first time. That's the caliber of people I adore dealing with and I strive for it.
I've kinda gone on a tangent here and it may **** some guys off and I'm very sorry for that but business has to be a two way street. Gimme gimme gimme just doesn't work guys. The good gunmakers out there strive to foster personal relationships with their customers. They also charge a premium because their work and their word sticks. It has backbone.
Told you I'd be blunt.