The response from the gunsmith didn't seem that strange to me. I have found over the years that some smiths that have built a very strong reputation, and following for their product tend to have more work than they can handle, with very long delivery times. Many have a build formula that they have perfected and believe that it is that formula that is responsible for their reputation. Their philosophy is why take on a job that doesn't fit their model when there will always be a customer that wants their formula. My buddy just ran into this same situation a couple of months ago.
Greyfox is right.
There are 'gunsmiths' who put together the collected customer parts into whatever the customer thinks they want. There could be no guarantees with this approach.
IMO, gunsmiths should stick to gun repair.
There are 'gunbuilders', who actually design, manage parts orders/finishing & assemble guns, with specific goals(purpose built). They can make performance guarantees.
There are 'machinists' & 'stockmakers' & 'actionmakers' & 'barrelmakers', etc, who can finish your collected parts and then you can put them together. I've gone this route a couple times(working on a third), it's a nightmare. One of the two guns shot to my expectations. The other ended up a learning experience..
The hassle in each route is that every one of these service providers are liars. And you'll even lie to yourself!
So if you try to be your own gunbuilder, plan on 3+yrs to eek through every line and blown deadlines.
If you can find a gunbuilder who has already rung out a design that would work well for you, pay that guy whatever he wants(in CONUS)(don't pay anyone in Canada for anything).
I appreciate what you guys are saying and agree - to a point.
To make the discussion easier, lets agree that in this we're not talking about the guy on the corner who bore-sight, does some trigger adjustment, some bedding, scope mounting and some limited accuracy improvements.
I believe we're talking about the super high-end accuracy assembly package Makers. Folks like many of our Long Range Hunting site Supporters - guys like Kirby Allen, Shawn Carlock, Jim See, Mountour County (can't remember his name sorry), Nathan Dagley (Straight Shot Gunsmithing - don't think he Supports here anymore though) and some others that i apologize for overlooking - i don't mean to offend anyone.
These guys are among the best of the best *anywhere* and specifically for our interests. Since these guys make their living - AKA buy their clothes, groceries, their kids clothes and everything else - from making the most accurate smoke-poles available they less inclined to be as "open and honest" as is prudent in good business development. However, i'd bet everyone one of 'em - to the last on the list, could take the same group of materials HoytFlinger was going to supply and make a tack-driver out of it.
They are Masters at what they do - their reputations precede them and they have the professionalism to back-up what they say and do. If there was a material item on the list that wasn't up to snuff, i'd bet they would discuss it professionally. If that item was a "material" compromise to the build i believe they would either refuse the build, in a professional manner, and stating their reason *or* would qualify the build to function, but with less-than-normal performance assurances.
What i'm trying to say is that a Professional can work under a wider variety of circumstances/materials and *still* achieve excellence. In Home Construction the equivalent saying would be, "The hammer doesn't make the house"; In photography we say, "The camera doesn't take pictures".
This was a gun builder not a general smith. I sought them out as my action and parts fits their model.
Too bad for them and GREAT for you - sounds like you've found a Professional to do the build for you - Yahoo!!! Kudos to the Pro's and hard-knock class for the non-professional.
