Not to happy

[bballard]

For comparison, last fall I bought a prefit chrome moly matte finish barrel from McGowan for like $380. Local gunsmith charged me $130 to remove old barrel and install/set headspace on new one.

 

[Glenn Tullius]

Silencer Central charges $99.00 per barrel for muzzle threading. $500 for thread and chamber seems a bit high to me. imho

 

[swabby56]

Sent 2 barrels and 2 actions off to a shop and I got a invoice at 600 for each chambering and muzzle threaded $1250.00 shipped for 2 barrels chambered and shipping. I may ask them to just mail it all back. What do y'all think?

Call ER SHAW in Bridgeville, pa . If you blue it yourself you can get a new barrel chambered to your choice and twist and threaded for probably under 3 hundred dollars.

 

[RockyMtnUT]

Straitjacket armory chambers, threads, installs, and does muzzle threads for $450/barrel, and it's done by either Nick or Trystan, not some high schooler pushing buttons on their CNC machines. They do great work, I have watched their process on a barrel as I live 30 minutes from them. They are good people and stand behind their work. $600 per barrel for just labor seems pretty dang steep. If it was top of the line work, from a very, very talented Smith I could maybe, MAYBE see it. But I know the quality I get for $450 from Nick or Trystan, personally I wouldn't ever pay that much.

I have a barrel from them that wont thread into the action correctly. I will never pay that much from them.

 

[Apex Custom Rifles]

I did that because I bought 2 defiance "prefits" for $2200 1-1/2 years ago from a smith who also frequents this forum.

Those barrels and actions were in his hands 4 times. Still came back jacked up. After 4 times, one of them still wouldn't close on the go gauge… that I sent them.

That's pretty basic stuff. 4 times is about 3 more than I would have given.

 

[Willys]

Smiths can't get help so raising prices to reduce lead times. My production smith shop is 13 months and counting on my standard build with parts and flattop stock all on hand. Only Solution is to raise prices to reduce business and afford to hire more help until demand matches ability to fulfill it. The $600 smith can't afford and doesn't want your $350/barrel biz. Slower one guy shops might.

 

[WHITEBULL]

Welcome to the new real world. I just paid $6.99 for a lb of hamburger.

 

[Ak338 RUM user]

Sent 2 barrels and 2 actions off to a shop and I got a invoice at 600 for each chambering and muzzle threaded $1250.00 shipped for 2 barrels chambered and shipping. I may ask them to just mail it all back. What do y'all think?

We pay 600 to 800 a barrel for that

 

[danthecarpenter]

My GS just raised his price to $550 with my volume discount for the same work. Paid $375 last year. Costs him more to live these days, so he had to raise his price.

 

[5.56×250]

Smiths can't get help so raising prices to reduce lead times. LRI is 13 months and counting on my standard build with parts and flattop stock all on hand. Only Solution is to raise prices to reduce business and afford to hire more help until demand matches ability to fulfill it. The $600 smith can't afford and doesn't want your $350/barrel biz. Slower one guy shops might.

Thats a fundamental of business a lot of people don't get. I didn't get it for a long time in the archery business . I literally had customers coming to me from the 5 surrounding states to have me lay hands on their bows . Many told me I should go way up on labor , that my work warranted it . I stubbornly gave my labor away to keep good customers coming back . They were spending lots if money just to get to me, after all . I finally realized I was killing myself trying to keep up !
Words to live by.....I dont mind being broke and I don't mind being tired , but I refuse to be broke and tired !

 

[FEENIX]

I have a barrel from them that wont thread into the action correctly. I will never pay that much for them.

Did you allow them the opportunity to do it right?

I have a barrel from them that wont thread into the action correctly. I will never pay that much from them.

Did you give them the opportunity to make it right?

 

[RockyMtnUT]

Did you allow them the opportunity to do it right?

Did you give them the opportunity to make it right?

I sent them a action and 2 barrels to spin up for the action. I got barrel and barreled action back after a crapshow of excuses, delays,etc.
*I did allow them the opportunity to make it right. (I sent them an action and 2 barrels to do it right the first time. With funds.)
One and done. There are too many machinist out there to work on barrels.

 

[FEENIX]

I sent them a action and 2 barrels to spin up for the action. I got barrel and barreled action back after a crapshow of excuses, delays,etc.
*I did allow them the opportunity to make it right. (I sent them an action and 2 barrels to do it right the first time. With funds.)
One and done. There are too many machinist out there to work on barrels.

Bummer!

 

[bigngreen]

Sounds about right considering they are threading the muzzle, alot of smiths that have offered cheaper prices can do that because the customer only supplies the action. The smith orders the barrel from the manufacturer and gets a wholesale discount. They probably make $100-$150 on the barrel itself and if they then charge $375-$450 for just a chamber or $550 for everything (including muzzle thread/brake) then it's basically the same price. $100 is not bad for a muzzle thread.

A gunsmith gets about $20 knocked of the barrel price if your ordered are in the 10+ range. The pricing on components to gunsmiths frankly are not worth it except for one reason, you control the order and get what's expected instead of a customer sending you a whole different set of mix and matched parts than you quoted on.
The gunsmith discounts cover shipping, that's about it!!