Average wait time with gunsmiths unreasonable?

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wetcoaster

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I have an affinity for most smiths that I have met on a personal level and have had good quality work done most of the time. Having said this I find wait times to be a major problem. Do others feel that wait times with Canadian Smiths are exorbinately high and unreasonable? Based on the amount of wait time that I hear most guys talking about with their gun smith it seems like there is a real shortage of practitioners for the demand that is out there. I understand that seasonal demand is high around hunting season but some of what I and others I know have experienced is verging on rediculous in or out of hunting season.

I would love to hear some stories and opinions about the issue from fellow gunnuts. If any smiths could comment about the business side of the issue to help us understand the reason for long wait times that would be great.
 
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I think it is just the nature of the beast. Every time you call a smith you can talk to him on the phone for a 1/2 hour about what he can do for you, what hes done for others, what projects he is planning... This all takes away from the time he should be spending on another customers gun.

If you are ordering anything coming in from the states and it ends up getting hung up at customs this adds major wait time. I waited for my Sako TRG 42 to come in from Finland for a year.

Just be patient and all will turn out just fine.
 
When I first started in IPSC in 1990, the common logic was if you wanted a new gun built, budget at least a year once you had all the parts in hand.
 
When playing with bringing components out of the states be prepared to wait. Then a little time for Canada Post after Customs hangs onto any item for anywhere from 2-6 weeks. And if you are sourcing different parts from different suppliers, don't forget they may all have their own hang ups with production etc.

Not too mention that your gun is the only gun being worked on in the shop. It could be one of many and these projects are often tackled in the order that they come in, the order that parts arrive etc.

Maybe with certain guys you could get it built faster, but can you afford the down payment.

remember, quick isn't always better.
 
i have had only minor little things done by the smith i go too stuff like re crown, stock fitting, stock shortening, and everything i have brought in to get down was either read ythat day or done the next waiting for p/u
 
In our experience, the average gunsmith spends 30% - 45% of their time actually smithing. The rest of the time is spent on the phone, email, sourcing parts, following up on orders and taking care of the legally required administration of the business.

Most gunsmithing businesses will barely generate enough income to cover the costs of running the business with an employee, so there isn't an option of hiring more employees, even if you could find qualified people! If Bill Gates had been a gunsmith, he'd still be working out of his garage!!

Gunsmiths are gunsmiths because they get a sense of satisfaction from a job well done but it's not a money making business.

It's a matter of supply and demand. There is a limited number of gunsmiths and they inevitably become fewer, not more.

Barry
 
Good gunsmiths have lots of business. You wait because someone else has been waiting longer than you. Sometimes however if the job is small you might get luck and the smith can squeeze in your minor task between bigger operations.

I've waited almost a year to have a gun returned for what I thought was a relatively simple task but there were others ahead of me and when the rifle came back I was very happy.

My general rule when receiving a time estimate from a gunsmith is to automatically double the length of time and add four weeks. It's been surprisingly accurate in my experience.
 
I try to do as much as I can myself, replace parts, recrown barrels, polish triggers, etc...

I let the smiths do the hard stuff, :) (stuff I don't want to scerw up)

they are busy so don't bother them to much and let them get on with their work.
 
I find the local gunsmith is fairly quick on anything I have need done; the only time he has been held up is when I aksed him to drill a hole and he had to order a drill bit.

I had a rifle built last year; it took 8 weeks from the time the action was mailed until I drove there to pick up the barreled, trued action. In that time, the stock manufacturer was building the stock; I had the gun back from him about 2 weeks after that.
 
Basicly you're luckey to have a gumsmith, with storage and handling creating a huge insurance bill, and few locations with a range and people with $1000's in the gun and scope #####ing if you charge more than $10.00/hr. plus every maker having 100 different models and 1000's of parts and poor service records and all his clients keeping from doing the thing he loves hunting and shooting. I did it, got smart and just enjoy working on my own and using.
 
Have had to wait at the hospital or to see a specialist for anything medical, now thats waiting, but few whine about it, because afterall they are doctors or specialists.
There are very few really good smiths still in this country to service the number of gunowners here.
Naturally for someone who is really good at the craft, there will be a backlog.
Get used to it , it will only get worse with time as those who are in the trade are not getting any younger, and very few are getting into this trade now, compared to 50 years ago when trades were not looked down upon.
KK
 
knockknock said:
Have had to wait at the hospital or to see a specialist for anything medical, now thats waiting, but few whine about it, because afterall they are doctors or specialists.
There are very few really good smiths still in this country to service the number of gunowners here.
Naturally for someone who is really good at the craft, there will be a backlog.
Get used to it , it will only get worse with time as those who are in the trade are not getting any younger, and very few are getting into this trade now, compared to 50 years ago when trades were not looked down upon.
KK
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I guess that is what I am getting at if we are outpacing the demand you would think that more would rise up to fill the void.
 
Machinists are in high demand, a man that works on a lathe and mill and is an expert at it is worth his weight in gold. A gunsmith is basically a machinists with a few other tidbits here and there, if he is not an expert machinist then his work is mediocre. Most of the trade related high schools have closed down and re branded as High tech/Science type schools. The are three in Edmonton that were known as vocational schools and all three are now techy high schools. There are no longer any shop teachers. We have done this to ourselves and geared up for a tech world and that tech world went bust in 2000. I went to university and became an Electrical Engineer, jobs were not hard to come by in the 80's, when the crash of 2000 came it is extremely hard to find an job in my field. I re-educated myself in a trade and I actually make more money now then I did before and truly love my work. As KnockKnock said it will only get worse until there is a change or a shift in thinking. Right now in Edmonton trades rule and if you are a journeyman the world is your oyster. If you are an engineer it will be awhile before you get a job.

I have been waiting 6 months now for a trigger job on a 1911 because the sear is bad, guess that is about normal.
 
I've been "practicing" for the last 17 years. Biggest down-time for me is working at my real job that pays the bills. I try to get things in and out as fast as I can. I took 3 weeks vacation recently (bill-paying job) to work on firearms. With the time of year, they come in faster than you can possibly keep up with. Factor in that parts availability in Canada is poor at best, you can expect to wait awhile. Seems you always get people saying, "Well, I've known about this problem since last hunting season, but..."
 
Overall, I've been happy with the service I've gotten from the gunsmiths I've used, especially with the ones that are, or have been active members of this site.
 
gunrunner100: I can sympathize. I am a gas fitter for a utility company and you wouldn't believe the amount of times that I have been called out at Midnight in January when it is -30 Deg. I get to the house and ask where do they smell the gas at and inevitably they say by the gas meter, we have been smelling it all spring and summer and now they decide to call it when it is the coldest day of the year. Instead of phoning when it is nice out and I can take my time, it is black out and you are trying to keep warm and re thread pipe and rebuild the meter set. To bad I couldn't just slap them on the side of the head and tell them what I think of them.
 
I am just a hobby smith. But it has in a few cases taken up to a year and even longer to gather the proper parts to start building a project gun. Regardless of when you ask your smith to do it, he has to access parts and if it's an unusual part like a barrel in a different than normal caliber or weight, he is going to be waiting before he can even start building. I enjoy it but don't even consider wanting to do it for a living, I will do my everyday job and enjoy the little time I get to play smithy. I think it would be a thankless job with some small times of gratitude and a lot of clients blaming you for their shotsightedness in repairs and builds. Good work takes time and this is not the best country in the world for availability of firearms parts and supplies.
I see the odd looks I get from people when I tell them I put together guns as my hobby. I can just imagine the negative attitude you'd get from everyday "civilized" people like bank loan managers when you say you're a gunsmith. Drug lord might be a more acceptable response.
 
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