Seems to me like any one who calls himself a "gunsmith" should be capable of doing a basic gunsmithing task, like pillar bedding. It should not take a 'specialist'!
If I didn't care about ruining someone's reputation, I would post pictures of a pillar bed job that a company did for a guy I came to know after he had issues with accuracy. This company touts themselves as building the most accurate rifles in the industry… this bedding job was a total abortion from aesthetics to actual function. I understand that sometimes people can't get the job to look good, but it remains functional. Years of doing it will allow them to make it look as good as it functions.
Being a stock maker for 22 plus years, I know a thing or two about bedding.
When I checked this bedding job for "stress", I found over .015" of deflection when I released the front action screw.
So to your point Shortgrass, not everyone who calls themselves a "gunsmith" is capable
of doing some of the most basic work.
I charge $450 for a complete pillar bed job, and there's a reason for that. You're not paying me
for the few hours it takes to bed your stock, you're paying me for the years of knowledge I've acquired to do it proficiently so that you can get the maximum amount of "accuracy" out of your combination.
I always tell my customers to do their due diligence when sourcing someone to handle a build for them. Don't let price be the deciding factor.. know who you are going to spend your hard earned money with, and be confident in their ability.
