Who is the cheapest gunsmith ?

B

buckboy

Member
Rating - 0%
0   0   0
Location
alberta
I have a 700 BDL LH 7mm Mag that I would like to have rebarrelled for something a little harder hitting to 5-600 yards. I am thinking 300 Win mag,300 WBY,338 Win mag, or 340 WBY. I hunt moose,deer, and elk. I want to have the 700 rebarreled and am wondering which smith to drop my rifle off at. I want a 26" barrel, add a muzzlebrake, accurize the action,& lighten the trigger. The barrel can either be stainless or chomemoly. The rifle already has a H S Presicion stock and LImbsaver pad. Any and all feedback would be very much appreciated . I was quoted $ 950-1000 from one smith. Is this too much or is it in the ballpark? Thanks but i did not imply it would be a hardship or to be a cheapskate to spend the money or who ever is the cheapest but Who does the most for the least money wise?
 
Last edited:
i don't think if your spending $1000 its wise to be seeking the cheapest gunsmith. i would worry more about the quality. price seems to be inline for the work quoted.
 
Cheapest gunsmith

I know one that has yet to buy the first round of beer. Is that what you are referring to? You've detailed quite a bit of work and the price seems pretty good to me. Does he do quality work?
 
What does "accurize the action" consist of ? It means different things to different people.

$200 for rethreading and machining lug recesses and machining the bolt on a 700 would be a low price I would think.

A stainless match grade barrel barrel all fitted and finished in the stock is usually not less than $600 and if glass bedding is done it could add $75-$100.

A good muzzle brake installed can vary considerably but $300 is not out of line.

A trigger job on a 700 can be $30-$40...

"Accurizing" an action is a waste of money on most hunting caliber/rifles. Just install a good barrel and good bedding and most of them will shoot real well...

.
 
A stainless barrel installed is going to run you about 550-600 dollars.
Amuzzle brake will add 150-200 dollars.
A full action job will run 200-250.
So,the price you were quoted does not seem out of line if the work is of good quality.
Keep in mind, these are my estimates of what I think such work would cost. They are not necessarily what I, or anyone else, would charge.
In Alberta, my recommendation for a 'smith to do such work is David Henry. I'm sure there are others but I know David and his abilities. Regards, Bill.
 
Helps to also determine how long your gunsmith expects to take to do this work. There are of course very legitimate reasons for delays....but remember some folks have greater patience than others....and impatience can result in a bad rap for the gunsmith and an unhappy client who can never enjoy the gun thinking of the frustration they experienced getting it...be realistic... but get an idea up front how long it will take....my 2 cents fwiw
 
cheap gunsmith???

what are you thinking??
harder hitting at 5-600 yards? how many animals have you lost with your 7mm @ 5-600 yards?? or should i ask how many animals have you hit at 5-600 yards? you have a perfectly good caliber for the type of shooting you [want to do] need to do. so my advice would be to become better with what you have. or maybe spend that $900 and get a smaller rifle so that you can shoot more.
quality costs money!!
 
Gunsmithing Rates

The quote you were given seems fairly close for the services you are looking for, although it should be twice as much .
Bill, thanks for the plug its allways nice to get a recommendation from the likes of yourself.
However backlog of work has me not accepting anymore jobs untill I get to see the light at the end of the tunnel. I'm All booked up for about a year.
P.S. Anyone want to buy a busy gunshop, one requirement is youve got to be a bit daft. All the best, David.
 
ramhunter said:
what are you thinking??
harder hitting at 5-600 yards? how many animals have you lost with your 7mm @ 5-600 yards?? or should i ask how many animals have you hit at 5-600 yards? you have a perfectly good caliber for the type of shooting you [want to do] need to do. so my advice would be to become better with what you have. or maybe spend that $900 and get a smaller rifle so that you can shoot more.
quality costs money!!
Click to expand...
X2 my friend
i went to the 300 win mag to use out towards the 1000yrd mark
for 5-600 yrds the 7mm mag is perfect for all game unless your hunting elephants at 5-600yrds. if your serious about the fancy work and a new calbire then the price you where quoted seems like its inline if not a little low for the work.
as for gun smiths well theres quite a few on this board that are to be likened as the best in canada and unless your going to see bubba with a hacksaw out behind the woodpile expect to pay for the quality you get
 
7mm Mag will hit as hard or even "hit harder" at extended range than a .300 Win Mag bud... A 180gr 7mm has a much higher ballistic coeffient than an 180gr .30 cal.

7mm Rem Mag is already overkill for just about anything in North America... I just think you should think this over. As well, as Prosper noted, for the price of the work, you can buy a Rem 700 Sendero in 7mm, .300, or .338 Ultra Mag as a ready to go stainless heavy barreled long range rifle with a 26" barrel. What do you hunt that far out?
 
prosper said:
You could just go out and buy a Sendero in 300 RUM
Click to expand...

Excellent advice! Spend the same money and have two rifles! :cool:

Other than that, Bill, David and Dennis have all posted to this thread and any one of them can do the work for you.

You don't need a cheap 'smith. You need a good one!

Ted
 
Last edited:
I stopped in and visited the shop of Mr. Henry while passing through Bentley earlier this week. I have never had any work done by this man, but judging by what I saw, and talking with him, I sure would not hesitate to do so.
 
You must log in or register to reply here.
Back
Top Bottom