I am taking my savage axis barreled action to a gunsmith tomorrow. I am going to get him to remove the old barrel, and install the new criterion prefit barrel, install the new barrel lug and barrel nut, and check the head space. People on youtube make it look like it takes 5 minutes. I have only used him before as an ffl xfer. He seems to be a good guy and has great reviews. What should I expect to pay for this?
Gunsmithing what $ should I expect?
- Thread starter oldschoolhdmike
- Start date
Impossible to estimate... Some smiths have tools for different guns and if the headspace matches up, it might be 1 hour of shop time
Some local smiths are business people and turn things quick. Others are "Artists" and building an AR upper could take them 9 months.
Some local smiths are business people and turn things quick. Others are "Artists" and building an AR upper could take them 9 months.
$50 or less. I would estimate half hour of time if everything goes smooth. You should consider paying him to thread it for a muzzle brake too if it has not been threaded. If someone pays me to thread a muzzle I would do the barrel swap and headspace for $20 more.
Hell you wanna pay shipping back and forth I can send you the stuff.
Or if you wanna buy it you can.
Or if you wanna buy it you can.
You might think it only takes 5 min but if the guy has a legitimate business that 5 min needs to help pay for a lot.
I would expect the man's time to be valued at $75-$100 for this.
Personally I'd do it myself. @Kadams1563 made you a really nice offer.
But if you don't want to be bothered then you will pay whatever your smith wants.
I would expect the man's time to be valued at $75-$100 for this.
Personally I'd do it myself. @Kadams1563 made you a really nice offer.
But if you don't want to be bothered then you will pay whatever your smith wants.
i went today. $75. I was happy with that. he removed old barrel, installed new barrel and barrel nut, and set head space.
Hey if you are happy and your smith is happy then it was money well spent. Glad it work d out for everyone
This is what I would have guessed. It really is a 10 minute job unless they are hunting around for tools or you neglected to take the scope off.
This is the route I always take. It's also why I have a snap-on box full of gun dedicated tools.
The op didn't want to take that route for reasons of his own.
Some people don't have the mechanical abilities, time, patience, ingenuity, or desire to attempt much of anything themselves. This keeps the gunsmiths in business and they'll be there for you when you need a lathe and mill to fix something.
it would be a waste of money for me to buy the tools I will use once, spend more than the $75 I paid him, plus my time. I use to mfg air suspension and have a pretty good knowledge of all kinds of machines/ tooling, cnc etc. I also have built quite a few custom Harleys, frame and all. completely capable of the job, but to me its worth the $75, plus I start a relationship with my gunsmith. I am not against anyone doing it their self, just was not for me in this situation.
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