Have you ever considered the cost of doing business

[holzwurm]

Had an occasion the other day to exchange ideas with a friend builder, par excellent, who has made and sold over 200 guns. Some how we got on the issue of the time spent & cost of gathering the necessary giblets to make a rifle. He told me he has just accepted a commission which will cost HIM over $1300 for everything before he sets a chisel to wood. That got me to thinking about my summer project, so I totaled up everything I have so far spent on parts and pieces to build, what will be a high-end FS Hawken. So far I've spent $1250 on items for this piece. This doesn't count the stuff I will be making by hand like RR thimbles, patch box frame, front sight, special decorative inlay's, etc., etc., nor does it begin to cover the extra costs I will spend for the special metal engraving I'd like to see. Well, the pleasure I get from doing the job is worth it, and it keeps me off the streets and out of the bar's.

We grow too soon old and too late smart

 

[rich pierce]

I’ve managed to stay in the black while building as a hobby. Have a few originals and maybe 8 guns I built and kept for myself. Plus parts for another 8 or 10 guns. Let’s hope I get them all done!

 

[Nor Cal Mikie]

And after all the man hours, you're working for $1.50 an hour?
And you know someone out there will say "It's too much $$".
You better LOVE what you're doing before it turns into WORK.

Had a kit for quite a few years. Started it but burned myself out in nothing flat SO, ran onto a Guy that wanted to finish where I left off. Sent him the kit and sent him $$$ till he said "that's enough $$$". Did a beautiful job, got paid for his work and time, I got my gun built and everybody is happy.
Too many folks out there looking for something for nothing.

 

[ohio ramrod]

I figure I make about one dollar per hour on my gunsmith work. But I get a lot of enjoyment from it!

 

[Phil Coffins]

Some folks buy a jet ski to use a couple of times or a dirt bike to ride after a truck ride to somewhere. All sorts of money for intermittent play. I’ve been accumulating things to fiddle with fire arms. Disregard the effort to learn a few skills and gather parts and materials it may never allow me to buy a Lear jet but I like it. So far there’s a heat treat furnace, lathe, mill, bandsaw, drill press, buffer, grinders, disc sander, arbor press, six vices large to small and lots of special tools bought one at a time or made. These days I some times charge a modest amount to work on a project that interests me but mostly do things to please my interest. I feel lucky to have a well rounded hobby that an old guy can do in any weather.

 

[deerstalkert]

It is a labor of love. if i didn't love doing it and totally ignore the $$ it wouldn't happen. now to think up a plausible explanation to the CFO as to why the funds are shrinking!

 

[SOLANCO]

75 Year old eyes with age related eye disease. Each one of my hands has five thumbs. There are things I do well. Building a rifle will never be one of them. Several years ago visited Brad Emig at Cabin Creek and asked him to build a rifle for me.
It was very likely the best money I ever spent.

 

[oldwood]

Years back , while sitting around a camp fire , a couple of my friends and I , unanimously agreed , there are no rich m/l gunsmiths. You either love doing it , or shortly give it up. I always look back at the day in about 1970 , I visited Bob Kern's M/L Shop in Ligonier , Pa. , On the counter, was an original , Pannebecker longrifle. Bob refused to buy the rifle from the owner , 'cause his policy was to never buy the same gun twice. While the owner of the gun was out at his car , Bob offered me the gun for $ 200. Sadly , I didn't have $ 20 to spend on parts , due to just purchasing a kit home to build ,so as to have a roof over my family. . That single disappointment , resulted in a lifetime desire , to build as many m/l guns , as life would allow me to build. It has been fun to make acquaintance of many other builders , and learning gun art , m/l shooting , and the many other skills that accompany black powder entertainment. .............oldwood

 

[billraby]

If you want to make money building muzzleloaders the best way to do it is to spend your free time delivering pizza instead.

 

[Brokennock]

And after all the man hours, you're working for $1.50 an hour?
And you know someone out there will say "It's too much $$".
You better LOVE what you're doing before it turns into WORK.

Had a kit for quite a few years. Started it but burned myself out in nothing flat SO, ran onto a Guy that wanted to finish where I left off. Sent him the kit and sent him $$$ till he said "that's enough $$$". Did a beautiful job, got paid for his work and time, I got my gun built and everybody is happy.
Too many folks out there looking for something for nothing.

Just because someone says a gun (or whatever handcrafted item you choose) is "too much money," doesn't mean they are saying it isn't worth it, nor do they necessarily not understand the cost that went into it. Often it is simply a case of too much money for that person to spend. There is a difference.

 

[waksupi]

I remember handling a gun Monte Mandarino made, that sold for $286,000. Five years of building time. It is on the over leafs of "Steel Canvas". Very few have that talent.
When I was still building, I got tired of customers calling, wondering when their gun would be done. Fact of the matter is, the builder is at the mercy of a supplier. I started having the customer have all the parts sent to them, before forwarding them to me. That way, they were bugging the vendor, rather than burning up my shop time.
When I was procuring parts, I required half down, half due at completion of the gun. If they couldn't come up with final payment within a set time period, I kept the gun, sold it, then refunded the down payment. No guarantee how long it would take to sell it, not my problem. It only happened a couple times out of several hundred guns, and one managed to scrape up the money before the gun sold, so finally got his rifle.

 

[billraby]

I spent 20 years making custom jewelry. I don't do that anymore. Now when someone asks me the price to build a gun for them the answer is NO.

 

[rkrcpa]

That's why I don't keep track of what I spend on hobbies.

We have chickens. So far I think I've got the cost of eggs up to $6 a dozen. Should be $8 by the time the new coop is finished.

 

[ronaldrothb49]

Years ago I made some rifles for others. The deal was simple you pay for the parts and then I would build the rifle for a set price. I wasn't trying to make a living at it, Just wanted to get more experience. I actually wasn't even making minimum wage for the time I had in building one. Got tired of people who wanted a custom rifle complaining they could buy a TC for less money. Since then just build what I want and if you like it we can make a deal. If nobody likes it fine, I have nephews and great nephews who will appreciate the rifles when I get tired of one or get a new one to play with built.

 

[SOLANCO]

There are costs in both time and money learning to be a good gun builder. Or in learning any art or craft. Given that, I think custom built rifles, custom forged knives and hawks and many other objects we might be interested in are more than fairly priced.

 

[Nor Cal Mikie]

Started sewing when I was maybe 7 or 8? Made marble bags and patched my jeans. Got into making my own shirts.

Wife wanted a new sewing machine so I picked out the machine and she picked the cabinet. Needed to sew something so the wife had a couple of dresses cut out but not finished. (for our girls)
Whipped them out and the girls wore them to school. Teachers asked "Your Mom made you a new dress"? NO, my Dad made it.

Got into making quilts. Time and material? $$$$! Nobody considers that.
Way to many $$$ so they stack up or get given away. At least we keep warm.

 

[SOLANCO]

Started sewing when I was maybe 7 or 8? Made marble bags and patched my jeans. Got into making my own shirts.

Wife wanted a new sewing machine so I picked out the machine and she picked the cabinet. Needed to sew something so the wife had a couple of dresses cut out but not finished. (for our girls)
Whipped them out and the girls wore them to school. Teachers asked "Your Mom made you a new dress"? NO, my Dad made it.

Got into making quilts. Time and material? $$$$! Nobody considers that.
Way to many $$$ so they stack up or get given away. At least we keep warm.

The Lancaster Quilt Show at The DoubleTree Willow Valley ...

https://www.thelancasterquiltshow.com

 

[HighUintas]

There are so me that make a living doing this, right? Doesn't Mike Brooks do it for a living? Is he just extraordinarily good at making a gun someone will buy for $5000+ very quickly?

 

[LME]

I figure I make about one dollar per hour on my gunsmith work. But I get a lot of enjoyment from it!

I was told by a friend that owns a sporting goods store that I would be smart to quit working on rifles. He mention the laws and liability if something went wrong. I started out helping friends for free and I didn't get a dollar an hour just a thank you, which was enough back then.

 

[SOLANCO]

There are so me that make a living doing this, right? Doesn't Mike Brooks do it for a living? Is he just extraordinarily good at making a gun someone will buy for $5000+ very quickly?

Yes. But the best builder I know