Pricing to chamber barrel and install

[jimmymac]

The cost of everything is crazy. Six years ago when I started shooting BR, barrel chambering was running me $150. Now it is up over $300 for the same job. The time it takes to chamber a barrel hasn't increased, only the price. I suppose many products and services have doubled in price in that time, but things are getting pretty brutal as we rapidly approach $1000 for a barrel blank and the chambering that goes with it.

 

[LuvDog]

I would say we e already reached $1000 for a fitted barrel when you include shipping.

 

[Will Henry]

I am actually retired and only do work for friends anymore. I won't take the trouble to drive to the post office so shipping is out. So it is that what I may charge isn't really germane to the conversation. Back in the day, when I was doing a lot of work, I would do four to six barrels in an eight hour day, unless there was some complicating factor. I charged for my time plus some for my (meager) knowledge. In general, I would say that good work, from a good craftsman, is worth good money, and results matter. Guys trying operate and maintain a business are entitled to make a decent living at it. WH

 

[Bc'z]

Someone told me one time you can have cheap, good, & fast but you can only have 2.
Cheap & fast won't be good
Good & cheap won't be fast.
Good & fast won't be cheap.

I break it down a lil farther
You can have it right....
Or you can have it right now....
Price remains the same

Remember your not paying for an object, your paying for the experience an individual has gained in creating your object.
How long it may or may not take to preform these tasks shouldn't be the concern of a person unable to preform them.
Think about that the next time anyone needs an Attorney or a Doctor.
Would you be seeking the cheapest or the best in thier field?

 

[skeetlee]

I charge between 300 and 400 depending on the chamber.
What I am seeing more and more of these days is the popularity of prefit barrels. The CNC guys are doing them cheap and they can pump them out! Not all of course, there are some great smiths that use CNC lathes but they usually don’t advertise prefits. You can’t beat true custom hand fitted work.
I have seen first hand, these CNC shops chamber these blanks from a live center. Not bore measuring! A very popular match AR barrel supplier here in north central Illinois does this. These folks are back up for months too. I just don’t understand it!
When you can find a smith who has a true passion for accurate rifles and truly enjoys the craft, then pay him whatever he asks and you will be much better off! Fast and quick usually means fast and quick and rarely does it mean quality!
Lee Gardner Precision

 

[Bill Norris]

I feel my "Smith" is fully capable of giving me the best job possible. It is his choice to set and charge a price that he feels will pay him for what his workmanship and knowledge is worth. His work is second to none in my opinion. (WSMNUT here on the Forum)

 

[DR_2297]

I have seen first hand, these CNC shops chamber these blanks from a live center. Not bore measuring! A very popular match AR barrel supplier here in north central Illinois does this. These folks are back up for months too. I just don’t understand it!

That is because different disciplines accept different precision. I assume you are speaking of a primarily HP barrel supplier. You have to remember HP is fired on targets that have a 2 MOA 10 ring at 300 & 600 and is fired from a sling. Thus a 1/2-3/4 moa barrel is more than adequate and can be achieved by this method. A whole bunch of BIG scores (for the discipline) have been shot with those CNC turned Wilson’s. Some of the most accomplished names in the sport use them.

Now would someone participating in SR or LR benchrest opt for such? Or even F Class for that matter? No and you don’t see this supplier catering to those disciplines either.

It’s all about the requirements that drives the execution.

 

[ArtinNC]

I feel my "Smith" is fully capable of giving me the best job possible. It is his choice to set and charge a price that he feels will pay him for what his workmanship and knowledge is worth. His work is second to none in my opinion. (WSMNUT here on the Forum)

Mail me who you use as a gunsmith .

 

[jimmymac]

This won’t be popular but I’ve not seen any difference on my BR targets whether I’ve paid top dollar for a well known gunsmith to do the work or the guy down the road who charges a half or two thirds of that for a quality job. There are a lot of no name or lesser known guys out there who are perfectly capable of doing quality barrel work. One just has to seek out the who and more importantly the why.

 

[Bill Norris]

Mail me who you use as a gunsmith .

DONE.

 

[bubbalo7]

What's the going price to chamber a barrel and install in action.I have my reamer and headspace gauges ,just don't have the means to do the work myself.

My Smith charges me on average $500 to Chamber and thread muzzle for brake and put barrel on action.I can't say about others.I only use Kenny Porter at Porters Precision Products LLC.

 

[Fuj]

Well it used to cost me nothing other then turning on the lights, and
whatever 3 phase power used. Currently, I can have tenon and chamber
done, threading for tuner, crowning, and head spaced for $500 or less,
and don't have to clean up my mess.

 

[gunsandgunsmithing]

I've been too cheap for a while but went to $350 about the first of 2023. Sounds like I'm still too cheap. Lol! I'm ok at that for right now, though on most things.

 

[Walt Krafft]

I think I will send a link to this thread to my customers and ask them what my price should be.

 

[Mudcat]

Walt, I am thinking about the same thing!

 

[gme]

sounds like a lot of $$ until you add up the cost of what you put through it during it's 5 second lifespan

 

[CCM]

I've been too cheap for a while but went to $350 about the first of 2023. Sounds like I'm still too cheap. Lol! I'm ok at that for right now, though on most things.

That's where I'm at now for a standard chamber + tenon that doesn't need anything extra. I do a fair amount of lever action work, those barrels run between $650 and $850 to fit and chamber depending on what all they want.

 

[JFrank]

I break it down a lil farther
You can have it right....
Or you can have it right now....
Price remains the same

Remember your not paying for an object, your paying for the experience an individual has gained in creating your object.
How long it may or may not take to preform these tasks shouldn't be the concern of a person unable to preform them.
Think about that the next time anyone needs an Attorney or a Doctor.
Would you be seeking the cheapest or the best in thier field?

I use to ask the Vet questions I took my dog to while we’re in for a check up or shots. Lol

 

[jackieschmidt]

That is because different disciplines accept different precision. I assume you are speaking of a primarily HP barrel supplier. You have to remember HP is fired on targets that have a 2 MOA 10 ring at 300 & 600 and is fired from a sling. Thus a 1/2-3/4 moa barrel is more than adequate and can be achieved by this method. A whole bunch of BIG scores (for the discipline) have been shot with those CNC turned Wilson’s. Some of the most accomplished names in the sport use them.

Now would someone participating in SR or LR benchrest opt for such? Or even F Class for that matter? No and you don’t see this supplier catering to those disciplines either.

It’s all about the requirements that drives the execution.

^^^^^^^

 

[DaveTooley]

Let's see
$140K for my shop 8 years ago
$35K for one of my lathes with basic tooling 14 years ago
$15K for my manual machine tooled up 25 years ago
$???? a drawer full of carbide inserts
$5K for my old mill
$???? for 3 roll around cabinets full of tooling
$30K for the 200 or so reamers I have
$5K for compressor, grinders, buffers, spray booth, oven etc.

When I look at all of it, maybe I need to go up on my price.