Years ago I met a German craftsman who restored furniture for a living. He took on a checkering job as a favour for another friend. His work was flawless (to my eyes) but he said that he thought it would be much easier and swore that he would never take on another job again.
FYI: Steve Milton of Precision Arms and Gunsmithing here in Ontario does good work. Don't know about cost.
htt_p://www.precisionarms.ca/WebPages/CSMWhole.htm