The issue is apparently resolved with the intended rifle escaping the intended buyer's grasp, but the question of where to find the gunsmith for the project is an interesting one.
When I have a gunsmith whose work I trust, I don't go looking around elsewhere to see how much somebody else can lowball my previous gunsmith on the next project. Then do it again with the next project.
Have used the same gunsmith for the last 40 years since he first did work for me while working at now long gone Guncraft. Have no idea whether somebody else could charge less to do my projects, but I am pretty certain that they'd have a hard time putting a better finished rifle in my hands, both for finish and attention to detail and accuracy. My gunsmith is slowly shutting down his business, but at my age I probably don't have to worry about looking for a new gunsmith when he says he's finally done.
In my (obviously limited) experience, the loyalty of being a return customer to a gunsmith is repaid by the gunsmith's loyalty to a returning customer. You should have a personal relationship, not just a customer at the till relationship. I believe you get just a little more attention given to detail on your project than the standard given to the next job from some unknown customer that shows up. And maybe your work gets done a little bit sooner - maybe the gunsmith stays an extra hour or two on a couple of days to get yours back to you sooner, where otherwise, the lights would be off and he'd be out hunting or at home eating supper instead.
Very generally speaking, all gunsmiths have the same basic costs as far as machinery, reamers, bluing facilities, etc. After that, just like their customers, their job still has to make enough after their costs to pay the mortgage, power bills, put food on their table, etc. The gap between the cheapest estimate and the most expensive estimate is where you decide on where the best quality/pride of ownership, etc lies when you make your choice.
Not saying there's anything wrong with gunsmith shopping, there can be many reasons for doing that. But there's a lot of value in, having found a good gunsmith, patronizing them and helping to keep them in a business where very few are making nearly as much money as they could be making if they just took a machinist's job at some company that offers sick leave, benefits, RRSPs, a retirement plan, paid vacation, etc.
Gun owners have a vested interest in keeping good gunsmiths in business and having a personal relationship with that gunsmith, giving them reason not to decide they're better off not worrying about pleasing customers, working an 8 - 4 in a local machine shop or a union job at the local mill.
