Alex Wheeler
Well-Known Member
The old adage, you get what you pay for applies.
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How much to rebarrel my rifle
- Thread starter The Duke007
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There's ALOT of **** good smiths that don't rape their customers. Just don't spread the word as wait times will increase substantially.
Alex Wheeler
Well-Known Member
What is your definition of rape? Take off 33% for tax, then some more for liability ins and ITAR, thats what a smith clears from a chamber job. Not including all the constant tooling and repair costs. What do you feel is a fair price?
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And don't forget the 7 Rem Mag would work well and give you way more options for brass and in a pinch factory ammo.
I never thought about another issue until I went to Africa and had my 375HH ammo seized by Namibia customs agent who could not speak English so I never knew why. After I got home, I thought maybe if I offered to buy it back from him, all parties would have been happy? Being able to buy ammo there saved the hunt. If it would have been an obscure wildcat or an uncommon cartridge in that part of the word, I would have had to borrow the piece of junk spare rifle the PH kept on hand for situations like this. If your plans include travel, keep this in mind. If you hunt locally, I would pick the weirdest and wildest thing I could find and spend lots of time enjoying the satisfaction of developing your own unique load.
As far as smiths go, pick one with a great reputation and pay him a fair price. I had a bad smith ruin 2 actions for me...but I did pay him a low price to do it
Good luck with your project and enjoy it. Gun folks like us get more enjoyment on a project than any amount spent.
I never thought about another issue until I went to Africa and had my 375HH ammo seized by Namibia customs agent who could not speak English so I never knew why. After I got home, I thought maybe if I offered to buy it back from him, all parties would have been happy? Being able to buy ammo there saved the hunt. If it would have been an obscure wildcat or an uncommon cartridge in that part of the word, I would have had to borrow the piece of junk spare rifle the PH kept on hand for situations like this. If your plans include travel, keep this in mind. If you hunt locally, I would pick the weirdest and wildest thing I could find and spend lots of time enjoying the satisfaction of developing your own unique load.
As far as smiths go, pick one with a great reputation and pay him a fair price. I had a bad smith ruin 2 actions for me...but I did pay him a low price to do it
Good luck with your project and enjoy it. Gun folks like us get more enjoyment on a project than any amount spent.
You made the statement you get what you pay for. Seeming to mean a $250 rebarrel and action work is always less of a job then a $350-400+job. The meaning of my post was find a guy who does the job for a third less and a **** good job based on reputation or your experience. They are out there, how fast a guy wants to work and how long of hours is up to him, as far as how many jobs he turns out a month.
If a guy is in business for 20-50 years, lives good, and works the hours he wants to work, and can make it go on $250 more power to him, paying a third more is up to the guy with the money I suppose. I found two guys I deal with. I won't pay for the third more unless I need it ASAP and they can make that happen quick. Everyone spends their money differently
Reading your post tells a guy who don't know, the more you pay a job the better it is. my post says shop around, ask questions at ranges, it pays to shop around. If one guy pays 1/3+more for the exact same job, I consider that too much. Rape was a bad Use of the word, just making sure the point got raised about "getting what you pay for" vs getting a lot for what you paid. It all matters to the guy with the money.
Many businesses have different overheads, a lot of them by choice. If they have work out to 3-4+months in frt of them at 400 more power to them.
Alex Wheeler
Well-Known Member
I will agree with you that you have no idea what kind of work you will receive strictly based on cost. But I will say I know a lot of smiths that do top quality work, not just functional work, and none of them will fit a barrel and true the action for those kinds of prices. Honestly Id be very suspect of a 250 dollar chamber, crown, and truing job. There are many different methods of doing this work, contrary to what you read they are not equal.
Alex,
I agree with tjfarmer. Since I am the one that posted the $250 in #2, here is what I got for it ...
(Last kill, 528 yards)
BTW, I know the difference in the process, I never said a full blueprint or truing job but rather he squared it, I'm sure you know what that entails. I have been working with Dave Young of http://www.youngs-gunsmithing.com/ or https://www.facebook.com/Youngs-Gunsmithing-973905719333851/ since 2003 and he has always done an excellent job for me. He has also build many LR rifles for a few LRH members like BROZ.
Below is the latest build he did for me in .30 LARA.
I'm pretty sure he would more than happy to answer your question.
Ed
Very well said Sir! In my case, I got a tremendous value for the service I paid for. I have access to at least 5 reputable gunsmiths within an hour's drive from me one of which is only 2 miles away.
Alex Wheeler
Well-Known Member
I probably should not have commented, but my point is I dont know any rich smiths. Some guys really take a lot of time to make sure they are doing every little thing to get the most out of a barrel. Some of these methods are not common knowledge. That takes time and I dont blame a guy for wanting to eat. You can get a pre fit for 300 bucks. Thats a 125 dollar chamber job, you have to cut corners to make a profit doing barrel work that cheap. Its just reality. Now if a guy doesnt have to make money because he is retired or is doing it as a hobby thats another story. Does that make sense? I am not knocking peoples work, I am trying to get across what a guy has to charge just to stay in business.
I assure you Dave did not cut corners and no he is not rich, retired, or a hobbyist, he's just an honest man and for that reason he is my go to gunsmith since 2003. All I know is that I have an excellent working relationship with him and he has treated me well.
Unless you know for a fact, it is unwarranted to make such a judgement call. I wish you well on your gunsmithing business despite your comment. Let's move on shall we?
Cheers!
Ed
Alex Wheeler
Well-Known Member
What judgement call? I never commented on his work. But I may have to sub out some work to him if he is doing 50 dollar bed jobs. Thats the best price I have ever heard of.
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Yes, you did not comment on his specific job but you generalized your own profession unnecessarily. I had some trouble with a slop on the buttstock area so he did not bed it. I paid him and took it home as-is since I needed to have brass fireformed to send to have John Whidden build my custom dies. Once I have the slop resolved, I went to back him. He is not a fan of the chassis but think I could probably get away without bedding it but recommended it anyways. At the end, he only charge me $50 for it. Yes, he could have taken me to the cleaners and would have never known the difference but he did not. If he gave me a break because I am a loyal customer, he never told me that but I would gladly paid him whatever his regular charge rate is. Again, his contact information is on the link I provided, you can ask him directly instead of hearing it second hand from me. Just tell him its Ed Lara.
My sincere apology to the OP. I hope we finally move on from here ...
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