Pricing And Availability Of Parts

[Mulebrain]

Been buying parts for builds, and the prices going sky high, and availability is limited or no stock.

I would suggest getting what you can while you can. Track of the wolf has been killing off many of their kits, as they cant get parts.

 

[billraby]

It's just like going to the grocery store.

 

[ohio ramrod]

Simple supply an demand. The demand for M.L. parts has not been high for a long time , therefore venders are not resupplying when their inventory goes down.Which creates a shortage for what demand there is, Shortage results in higher prices.

 

[necchi]

Track of the wolf has been killing off many of their kits, as they cant get parts.

"Killing Off" is kind of harsh.
It's true, they can't get parts.
Welcome to life in 2022.
Track simply made the decision to save customers the frustration of waiting extended periods for parts to become available.
So your right, we should all jump on the opportunity to grab everything we can. We should all hoard parts, making sure we get it before someone else does.

 

[44-henry]

If you want to build these days at an affordable cost you just need to learn to make more of your parts. While a barrel and lock may have to be purchased, the rest of the hardware is well within the capabilities of most craftsman. Even locks are not beyond the capabilities of a dedicated craftsman.

 

[RobertE]

Also have to remember a lot of these components are produced by small mom and pop or one man operations. Health issues, age, desire, are all subject to change quickly.
If there is a part available now that you foresee needing, probably wise to get it while you can. It may not be available a year from now.

 

[1BadDart]

I'm in the assembly stage of a Virginia rifle and didn't really have any issues sourcing parts. Talking with my buddy that builds them, the costs have gone up significantly. My large Siler flintlock was $250, the last one he bought was a couple years ago and it was $175.

 

[sheriff john]

While on-line sales are great for finding parts, "shipping & handling" costs irritate me. Don't mind paying actual postage costs. Charging $ 7.50 to "ship" a wedge just ain't right. But the days of table full of gun parts at gunshows are pretty well gone. Guys are making more from stripping clunkers, selling individual parts. Oh well.

 

[44-henry]

Everything has gotten more expensive and it should not surprise anybody that it has caused higher prices in this area as well. Taking a look at some of vintage Dixie Gun Works catalogs going back to the 1950's shows that parts were not all that cheap (or even easily available) back than either. Many of the folks that got started in this hobby back than chose to make their parts rather than buy them. Even the Foxfire book that chronicled a young Hershel House in the 1970s showed that he was making most of his hardware and really only purchasing the barrels and locks at that time. Using this basic formula a person should still be able to build a nice Southern mountain rifle for well under $500 today. Buy what you can find/afford and learn to make/salvage what you can't. The end result will be more personally satisfying anyway. I find the same attitude does wonders in other areas of life as well.

 

[Eric Krewson]

If you can make it to any of the longrifle shows there are usually usually parts available from the vendors, most of the time with no sales tax and of course you save on shipping.

Alabama Kentucky Long rifle show;

Every part but barrels and stocks, Jack Garner,

Rice and Burton barrels were there;

Harrison Gun stocks;

 

[Notchy Bob]

I'm not sure what to make of it. For sure, almost everything has gotten more expensive. However, there is something else going on with muzzleloader parts. Personally, I think a lot of the critical components come from only a few sources. I heard the Allen Foundry ceased production several years ago. This really hurt. You cannot get a Hawken style breechplug and tang for a 1-1/8" barrel any more, nor can you get a Hawken-type solid patent breech, as the Hawken shop used on their full stocked rifles. You cannot get a J&S styled trigger guard, with the big bow and circular scroll. Fortunately, there do seem to be Hawken hook breeches for 1" barrels, and a couple of the later-styled Hawken guards. However, we have lost a lot of the variety. I believe Davis locks were assembled from components originating from the Mould & Gun Shop, but I don't know the status of that outfit.

I would disagree with those who maintain the demand is not there. I think there is plenty of demand. The fact that someone can get $250 for a Siler lock tells us there is demand. Has anybody priced Laubach locks recently?

I wish some enterprising fellow or small consortium would resurrect the Allen Foundry and resume making the former product line at the expected level of quality. This would have far-reaching, positive consequences. It would be a great day if someone would re-open North Star West, also. I think they tried to sell the business, but there were no takers. Danny Caywood is also making some noise about retiring, but as far as I know, nobody has offered to take over his business, either.

I believe there is plenty of demand. Why else would there be 2-5 year waits for custom guns, or flint locks selling for $250 and up? We just don't have enough manufacturers.

Back in the frontier days, a good rifle was a major purchase, along the lines of buying a new car nowadays. I think a lot of us have gotten spoiled by a decades-long run of affordable muzzleloaders. I think we may have to become more selective now, and be willing to pay for the quality we demand.

I sure do appreciate what Jim Kibler is doing. A lot of us do. He looks like he has a lot of good years left in him, but I hope he considers training an apprentice or protege or two, to step in when Jim wants a vacation, and to continue the business when he's ready to retire. I also appreciate @Eric Krewson 's post, which suggests there are some supplies out there if you know where to look.

Best regards,

Notchy Bob

 

[rich pierce]

I’ve stockpiled parts for decades. I could do 8 full builds with parts on hand, and I’ve got plenty more parts for future builds. I mostly need barrels, locks, buttplates, and trigger guards. I can and do make everything else. Just bought a Colerain 20 ga turkey choke barrel because I heard one was available. It’s only 38” long, so I’m trying to figure out what I can make that’s historically right. First world problem.

My stockpiling, amounting to maybe setting aside one extra parts set per year, isn’t hurting anyone. Half the suppliers are now out of business or passed on.

 

[user 34300]

The prices are the result of inflating the money supply four fold and restricting peoples ability to work. There is lots of money but few goods. That is textbook econ class first week, to much money chasing too few goods causes inflation.

I am also very frustrated with the lack of parts. Green Mountain seems to have turned their back on us in favor of barrels for scary looking modern guns. When legislation restricts those modern guns perhaps GM will make ML barrels again.

I do not know much about small parts makers, have they mostly given up or retired?? It seems like they could get back to work now.

 

[rich pierce]

The prices are the result of inflating the money supply four fold and restricting peoples ability to work. There is lots of money but few goods. That is textbook econ class first week, to much money chasing too few goods causes inflation.

I am also very frustrated with the lack of parts. Green Mountain seems to have turned their back on us in favor of barrels for scary looking modern guns. When legislation restricts those modern guns perhaps GM will make ML barrels again.

I do not know much about small parts makers, have they mostly given up or retired?? It seems like they could get back to work now.

Let’s look at a few examples starting with barrels. Keep in mind that most are one or two or three person shops. Bill Large turned out barrels for decades. Douglass got out after being sued. Green River Rifle Works lasted a half dozen to a dozen years before closing shop. Don Getz took over for another outfit (I forget the name), produced great barrels for 20-30 years then passed away and John was not able to keep production and delivery up. Hall Sharon went big, offering 3-4 new kits, and lasted less than 10 years. As mentioned Green Mountain has plenty of business outside ML barrels.

On the castings side Pete Allen aged out and doesn’t want to sell his molds. His prerogative. Reeves Goehring passed away. Everyone “borrowed” Reeves’ guards and buttplates he copied from originals.

These shops were lucky to make $30k/year per person (in today’s money). Every trip to a show or Gunmaker’s fair costs time away from production and $600 minimum for travel and tables. It adds up.

 

[The Appalachian]

With the 2 plus year shortage of reloading supplies, ammo, and even centerfire firearms, many people have switched to blackpowder thinking that's a path back into shooting. The general public looks at muzzleoading, especially the traditional market, as just a niche market so they think there should be plenty of supplies left to go around. The producers have only ever based their production on previously experienced sales numbers, not in a million years forseeing a surge/shortage scenario. What happened is the new BP shooters drained the shelves of what us regulars have always enjoyed and created sort of a false demand. Covid hit the production side regarding "non essential" employees, and boom, higher prices on fewer parts.