Cost of gunsmithing

Curious about others experience... It's been a few years since I've built a rifle but recently I was surprised at what smiths are charging to thread, fit, chamber and bed a rifle. What is the going rate for a high quality smith to do all the work? Couple years back it was $350-$400 to chamber, $75 for threading the muzzle, $250-350 for bedding and maybe $75 for fitting. Are those still normal prices? I've been quoted twice that price lately but maybe that's normal.

Those are about the same prices I typically see. Some guys are a little lower priced for chambering jobs and barrel installs. Same for bedding jobs. It just depends on if you have the reamer or what it is sometimes.

It's been @ 2 years since my last full-build. The Smith's fee was $1,650. Here's what he did..

*Turn, thread, crown and chamber the barrel
* True the action (Rem 700), lap bolt lugs
* Set the headspace
* 2 lb trigger job
* install bases/rings (Leupold) after lapping and bedding
* Relieve an HS Precision stock
* Devcon bedding job
* Assemble and test fire

150 to square the action lap lugs etc. , 250 to thread and chamber and headspace, 80 bed. Prices are very close between 2 local smiths. Both do great work. 250 to cerakote

I pay

Chamber- $300
Thread muzzle- $175
(Includes blended or knurled cap)
Pillar Bedding- $250
Cerakote- $150


http://beanlandrifles.com/index.php?route=product/category&path=59

Joe S.

Cost can vary with smiths as widely as it can with cars. You get what you pay for and sometimes you're paying for the name engraved in the barrel. I have my go-to local guys and my "swear by" more well known smiths. All do fine work, but only two will draw massive attention based on their names alone.
As for what smiths charge these days, I'd say pay what your comfortable with for the level of performance you need. Not everyone wants a one hole gun, so I've heard, but it sure is nice when it happens consistently due to the skill of a great Smith.
GAP will charge more than the guy down the street, but there's also a reason people will generally buy a used GAP with no questions asked beyond round count and reloading data.
Your old prices are still pretty reasonable by today's standards. Wait times are pretty close to the same too.
Good luck and don't forget to post pics of whatever you have built!
J

I've seen anywhere from $50 to $175 for threading a muzzle in Oklahoma. Just expect to wait for a good gunsmith.

Stock rifles are much more accurate than 5-10 years ago. I do my own work as it's not hard after the 1st or second time & I have a full sized manual machine shop with all American machings & tooling. It's also very satisfying. Look at the TC Compass, just bought 2 6.5CMs for $229 ea OTD. 3 shot 1 moa guarantee, threaded barrel, pillar bedded, 5R rifling, rotary drop box mag, nice bolt handle with 60 deg lift & a lifetime warrenty. Put it in a Boyds stock, new trigger kit($19.95) epoxy bed it & you have a fine hunting rifle for $400. I like Savage except the axis but don't want any part of the new remington junk.

For me, I get a barrel set up from an unturned blank to fully finished for 200 bucks. Any other machining I want is 20 bucks an hour. Sounds cheap but my guy moves like cold molasses so what you might think would take 1 hour takes 5. My last 2 barrels he put something around 15 hours a piece into. Cooooold molasses. On the upside, I get turnaround times of under a week and he's an artist with metal.

BallisticsGuy said:

For me, I get a barrel set up from an unturned blank to fully finished for 200 bucks. Any other machining I want is 20 bucks an hour. Sounds cheap but my guy moves like cold molasses so what you might think would take 1 hour takes 5. My last 2 barrels he put something around 15 hours a piece into. Cooooold molasses. On the upside, I get turnaround times of under a week and he's an artist with metal.

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Good for you! 20 bucks an hour is SUPER cheap in today's standard.

After 8 months of waiting, I finally got my 700 sendero back . I sent it off for a new barrel, trueing the action and bedding and a new muzzle brake .Jim also worked up a load for my new 28 nosler for 1200.00 .I think I have a great starting point to reload ,using 175 elite hunters and retumbo powder ,rifle is shooting a .315group

Many gunsmiths now have to pay for a class 7 license that is $2200 per year where it used to cost $200 for a 5 year license. Class 7 Smiths have to charge more, and hundreds of smiths have closed their shops due to the license change.

Chris Melink said:

Curious about others experience... It's been a few years since I've built a rifle but recently I was surprised at what smiths are charging to thread, fit, chamber and bed a rifle. What is the going rate for a high quality smith to do all the work? Couple years back it was $350-$400 to chamber, $75 for threading the muzzle, $250-350 for bedding and maybe $75 for fitting. Are those still normal prices? I've been quoted twice that price lately but maybe that's normal.

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In the past year I have spoke.with what I consider to be a great prs smith and a great BR smith and 2 incredibly well regarded BR smiths and they are all right in this ballpark. Some SLIGHTLY above and one way under.

idk who wants double this but I would look elsewhere.