dropmdead
Well-Known Member
Ignoring who's who just now, £1500 is a bit spendy (IMHO), given a typical barrel starts at £200 up to £500 or so for a blank
A CNC threaded and chambered barrel barrel is (I'm probably going to get slated here but open to correction and discussion as it's not my job to understand the finer details) closer to a generic thread for the action and muzzle than a program made and saved for that particular rifle. It's a lot of time to measure specifics of the action I presume.
Given the £1,000 or so is left for the chosen "old skool" gunsmithing and proof, it's a lot of money for up to one days labour (or less depending on who does the job....)
I appreciate that you need to consider wear and tear on machinery and to "take a cut" from the reamer, or buy one that you get to take home for future uses.
I think I remember seeing on FB at one point a gunsmith posting their price to do the cutting/chambering.
Stainless barrel can have a bead blasted finish or cerakote as a final finish.
Keeping it simple (in guesstimations?)
Barrel blank (upto) £500
Proof £100
Cerakote £200
Gunsmiths price/labour £?
I would also consider, is the gunsmith full time in full time business premises/front shop as I would consider theirs to be dearer than a part time due to significantly greater overheads.
Do they do everything in house, or farm out different tasks (cerakote/blueing/bead blasting etc).
I'm also being presumptuous that there not many gunsmiths in the UK that are part time, and they aren't on here (again, I would probably be slated if they were, but considering I give my rifle to my local RFD and ask him to "make it happen!", I'm never actually sure....)
Potentially a less chance of a quality job, due to it not being your full time day in day out rhythm, being at one with the tools so to speak...
You do get what you pay for if it's a part time gunsmith over full time?
At the end of the day, there shouldn't be such a thing as a bad barrel (even at £200), but more the care and attention to the fitting will determine the accuracy potential.
For £1500 or so, I would look at a proof/bartlein/IBI carbon wrapped barrel for £900 or so, plus proof plus fitting.
Sorry for the extended blurb, but I may also come over as being tight with my price point of a barrel job....

A CNC threaded and chambered barrel barrel is (I'm probably going to get slated here but open to correction and discussion as it's not my job to understand the finer details) closer to a generic thread for the action and muzzle than a program made and saved for that particular rifle. It's a lot of time to measure specifics of the action I presume.
Given the £1,000 or so is left for the chosen "old skool" gunsmithing and proof, it's a lot of money for up to one days labour (or less depending on who does the job....)
I appreciate that you need to consider wear and tear on machinery and to "take a cut" from the reamer, or buy one that you get to take home for future uses.
I think I remember seeing on FB at one point a gunsmith posting their price to do the cutting/chambering.
Stainless barrel can have a bead blasted finish or cerakote as a final finish.
Keeping it simple (in guesstimations?)
Barrel blank (upto) £500
Proof £100
Cerakote £200
Gunsmiths price/labour £?
I would also consider, is the gunsmith full time in full time business premises/front shop as I would consider theirs to be dearer than a part time due to significantly greater overheads.
Do they do everything in house, or farm out different tasks (cerakote/blueing/bead blasting etc).
I'm also being presumptuous that there not many gunsmiths in the UK that are part time, and they aren't on here (again, I would probably be slated if they were, but considering I give my rifle to my local RFD and ask him to "make it happen!", I'm never actually sure....)
Potentially a less chance of a quality job, due to it not being your full time day in day out rhythm, being at one with the tools so to speak...
You do get what you pay for if it's a part time gunsmith over full time?
At the end of the day, there shouldn't be such a thing as a bad barrel (even at £200), but more the care and attention to the fitting will determine the accuracy potential.
For £1500 or so, I would look at a proof/bartlein/IBI carbon wrapped barrel for £900 or so, plus proof plus fitting.
Sorry for the extended blurb, but I may also come over as being tight with my price point of a barrel job....
