How Much $s did you pay or would you pay for a Custom Chambering in your rifle???

[JuddL]

Interesting post and I didn't expect the wide range of pricing but I also suspect prices will be increasing soon, like every thing else. (like shortgrass mentioned)

I bought my lathe (and soon mill) because I felt like every time I saw my gunsmith I was giving him a thousand dollars and thought it would be more satisfying to do it myself. I had some friends agging me on and with the hope of maybe giving myself a "retirement job" to keep me busy and earn a little extra income.

It's a lot of work and you're paying for knowledge as much or more than product.

Good luck Len and Jill!

 

[Zen Archery]

I hope my builder doesn't see this post! Now I feel like I'm ripping him off.

 

[FEENIX]

Morning to you Bill
yest it's about $300 for a chamber and muzzle thread especially

Chambering should be the same cost as to the labor. There is an extra cost depending on the reamer you use.
if you have your own reamer, Also all chambers should be done exactly the same way. Never heard of a GS tell someone do you want a "Hunting Chamber of Match Chamber" and charge different. The only difference is the " Reamer" it's self. Takes the same amount of time and skill to cut a SAAMI chamber as does a Match/Custom designed chamber. Just have more cost for the type of Reamer.

Sometimes customers ask for special throating and that's an additional step/process and, of course, an additional cost—for instance, a +P throating on .338 EDGE.

 

[WYOHTF]

Sometimes customers ask for special throating and that's an additional step/process and, of course, an additional cost—for instance, a +P throating on .338 EDGE.

This brings up a price point and concern.
Two of the smiths I talked to would not throat the the chamber out further on my 7mm-08 A.I. unless it was spected into a reamer.
I thought this was odd and noted it as a lack of experience on the smiths part.
One smith fly out said it would be a separate charge to throat past his reamer because it's a separate step.
It's a wonder there isn't a Kelly Blue Book for shop rates with some of these smiths

 

[JuddL]

^^ also additional tooling that typically one job will not offset the cost.

 

[shortgrass]

This brings up a price point and concern.
Two of the smiths I talked to would not throat the the chamber out further on my 7mm-08 A.I. unless it was spected into a reamer.
I thought this was odd and noted it as a lack of experience on the smiths part.
One smith fly out said it would be a separate charge to throat past his reamer because it's a separate step.
It's a wonder there isn't a Kelly Blue Book for shop rates

There used to be a page in Brownells catalog that gave average shop rates for various jobs. I haven't used their catalog in years, just order on-line if I want something . As for the fixed price industry wide, with the huge variation in skill levels, gunsmith to gunsmith, I don't see that happening. The overhead from 'smith to 'smith might vary some, depends on a lot of things. The skill level is what you're paying for. The 'skill' is not universal where all know and can do the same things. Also, it matters what part of the country you are in. Prices in places like California and New York are bound to be higher. The demand for the shops services makes a difference, too. When you start telling me how much I should or shouldn't be charging you're entering a different system than capitalism. Think about it, this forum operates because of capitalism.

 

[biff's reloading]

Prices have gone up quite a bit. But you have way fancier equipment and space than you'll ever need for just offering basic machine work. The market is saturated with small shop threading jobbers, and I think if you want to stake a claim out there, you should do more difficult things. Cylinder blanks for revolvers, cnc fluting, rebore/rifling, tank bluing and anodizing etc, or even custom actions (bit extra paperwork there).

I can Easily do all the things you mentioned in my little shop with just an old sb heavy 10. And I do. Lots of guys do. I charge about what Has been mentioned so far. From blank to torqued is 400. Threaded muzzle another 100. Throated 100. Devcon stock, 100. Pretty simple. But I'll never pay the mortgage on it. Gotta do higher end stuff and VOLUME to pay bills. Takes all the fun out

 

[shortgrass]

Prices have gone up quite a bit. But you have way fancier equipment and space than you'll ever need for just offering basic machine work. The market is saturated with small shop threading jobbers, and I think if you want to stake a claim out there, you should do more difficult things. Cylinder blanks for revolvers, cnc fluting, rebore/rifling, tank bluing and anodizing etc, or even custom actions (bit extra paperwork there).

I can Easily do all the things you mentioned in my little shop with just an old sb heavy 10. And I do. Lots of guys do. I charge about what Has been mentioned so far. From blank to torqued is 400. Threaded muzzle another 100. Throated 100. Devcon stock, 100. Pretty simple. But I'll never pay the mortgage on it. Gotta do higher end stuff and VOLUME to pay bills. Takes all the fun out

Biff is correct. You can get quality barrel fitting in more places than ever before. You need a specialized niche to survive in todays world of 'gunsmithing'. Barrel work, glass bedding, Ceracoat are all basic to working shops, today. Anybody can 'drop' a barreled action into a synthetic stock or chassis that was mass produced for it.

 

[WYOHTF]

@shortgrass
I absolutely wasn't trying to dictate what someone should charge
I get a pretty good chunk for labor rate as a carpenter. I am quick to point out I'm not low bid and why I have zero intentions of ever being low bid.
And I did not take your post in a negative manner.

Simply meant that like mechanics, not all skill sets are the same. Haha, carpenters too

 

[nksmfamjp]

Never heard of a GS tell someone do you want a "Hunting Chamber of Match Chamber" and charge different.

I haven't either, but I was. Thinking a setup like Beanland describes is top notch, but adds some cost to tooling, and I would guess time.

I saw a video on the ultimate reloader channel chambering a 300blkout that was said to be much quicker and slightly less precise. I think they were chambering using a "live center".

 

[shortgrass]

I haven't either, but I was. Thinking a setup like Beanland describes is top notch, but adds some cost at least to tooling, but I would guess time.

I saw a video on the ultimate reloader channel chambering a 300blkout that was said to be much quicker and slightly less precise. I think they were chambering using a "live center".

Maybe chambering "between centers"?

 

[waspocrew]

Deep South Tactical recently chambered a Terminus Zeus prefit for me. Their current rate is $300 for chambering and threading the muzzle. I couldn't beat that locally, including shipping my barrel to/from DST.

 

[nksmfamjp]

Maybe chambering "between centers"?

Actually, I looked again. He was threading between centers, then fed the reamer into the barrel locked into the headstock.

Fred Zeglin doing the work…

 

[tobnpr]

One smith fly out said it would be a separate charge to throat past his reamer because it's a separate step.

Of course.
It is, and he should. His time is your money- it's that simple.

It is preferable to have the desired freebore ground into the reamer. It is the most precise way of doing it- and as the customer, you know that the freebore is exactly what you asked for (as well as the neck if you want tighter clearance). And, you'll have that reamer to chamber the next barrel once you shoot that one out- or ask the smith if he'd split the cost- I'll do that if I think there's a good chance I could use it again down the road. Esp if he splits the cost, your end will be negligible when you factor in the savings from "not" throating it separately.