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How much and how long does it take for a gun smith to chamber a custom barrel for an action?
- Thread starter ShinonomeRyoko
- Start date
It depends and it depends on what it depends on.
You'll only know if you start making phone calls or checking their websites. Custom spun barrels are something you plan to have in 2-6 months.
Last custom spun barrel I had done was for an AR. Bartlein blank, mid-gas 14.5" medium/heavy profile to the gas journal, 223 wylde chamber, pin/weld muzzle device, cerakote black. $1100. Misery Custom Rifles. It shoots very well and took about 2 months, but I also did some overseas shenanigans with him, so if I was a regular Joe it may have taken longer.
I'd imagine a bolt gun barrel wouldn't take as much work, so would be cheaper. No barrel extension, no gas block, no pin/weld, no cerakote.
The price of admission to the custom barrel club is still gonna be likely starting at $500 - $700. Last I knew (haven't checked in a couple years) most blanks are 300-400$. Chambering and threading is 300-400$. Any work to your action is gonna be extra. Plus shipping both ways fir the action, etc.
I haven't done many custom barrels, others have and they may chime in with their experiences.
You'll only know if you start making phone calls or checking their websites. Custom spun barrels are something you plan to have in 2-6 months.
Last custom spun barrel I had done was for an AR. Bartlein blank, mid-gas 14.5" medium/heavy profile to the gas journal, 223 wylde chamber, pin/weld muzzle device, cerakote black. $1100. Misery Custom Rifles. It shoots very well and took about 2 months, but I also did some overseas shenanigans with him, so if I was a regular Joe it may have taken longer.
I'd imagine a bolt gun barrel wouldn't take as much work, so would be cheaper. No barrel extension, no gas block, no pin/weld, no cerakote.
The price of admission to the custom barrel club is still gonna be likely starting at $500 - $700. Last I knew (haven't checked in a couple years) most blanks are 300-400$. Chambering and threading is 300-400$. Any work to your action is gonna be extra. Plus shipping both ways fir the action, etc.
I haven't done many custom barrels, others have and they may chime in with their experiences.
Many of the "custom barrel" gunsmiths make prefits too (if not most of them). That just boils down to the consistency of the machining in the action you're using. Or you can use a barrel nut system and set the headspace yourself...but that method has been replaced with prefits for the most part.
Regardless, that same gunsmith will put the same effort into the chambering work for you, even without your action present. Obviously there are some larger operations that kind of offer the whole thing (make the barrel and chamber it), and most have a pretty good reputation too.
Really, in the last few years weve had a shift to aftermarket actions. And the benefit in tighter tolerances that they offer over mass-produced factory actions allows for dudes to spin you up an excellent barrel with perfect headspace, without ever seeing your rifle.
I've got one gunsmith who has done both a barrel installation, and made me a prefit (different rifles). All of his work shoots amazingly well.
What action are you thinking about putting the barrel on?
Regardless, that same gunsmith will put the same effort into the chambering work for you, even without your action present. Obviously there are some larger operations that kind of offer the whole thing (make the barrel and chamber it), and most have a pretty good reputation too.
Really, in the last few years weve had a shift to aftermarket actions. And the benefit in tighter tolerances that they offer over mass-produced factory actions allows for dudes to spin you up an excellent barrel with perfect headspace, without ever seeing your rifle.
I've got one gunsmith who has done both a barrel installation, and made me a prefit (different rifles). All of his work shoots amazingly well.
What action are you thinking about putting the barrel on?
- Nov 3, 2010
- 9,699
- 20,386
Last barrel took 8 weeks to the day. 18 inch Brux blank in 7-08 from Southern Precision/Bugholes for a Solus action. Cost around 800 plus shipping I believe
I'm right at 6 months and waiting from RWS to chamber a blank I sent them, cost around $750 plus shipping.
DW
DW
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TS Customs takes 2-3 weeks for a prefit, Alamo Precision takes 3-4 weeks for a custom.
Fisher T&C specializes in threading and chambering barrels. He usually has a good turn around time.
LRI
Chamber, thread muzzle and cerakote barreled action.
10 days from departure to arrival. Half of that was shipping time. I supplied barrel.
Results were flawless.
Chamber, thread muzzle and cerakote barreled action.
10 days from departure to arrival. Half of that was shipping time. I supplied barrel.
Results were flawless.
Remember Prefit is not the same as on the self. Prefit means that the you do not need a gunsmith to have the action in hand to cut the threads and install it. Most (if not all) Custom actions publish a set of tightly controlled tenon specs that allow a smith to cut the barrel chamber and headspace it without having the action to fit it to. They send you a headspaced threaded barrel and you install or you have them do it if you don't want to. Most here shoot Custom Pre-fits.
Surprised your state lets you use anything but a sling shot.
@Keith Johns at Phoenix Custom makes a great barrel w quick turn around times!
Why don't you call gunsmiths and get some real quotes?
They are too busy working. Unlike some of us.
Locally, 6 months to chamber a blank. About $1500 all in. IBI is down to about 2 months if you order one. They have some prefits in stock I think. Considering you can buy a new T3X for $1100+tax today, not always a simple decision.
Bugholes is 6-8 weeks from order to ship, huge selection of barrels to choose from. Depending on options (fluting/ cerocoat/muzzel threading/ ect.) 800ish to 1200ish .
- Nov 3, 2010
- 9,699
- 20,386
If you have reservations about the OP, or know something is definitely off, you should probably report them and save the site some headache?
my last barrel was at the smith for like 2 days.
$300 Chamber/ tennon (i'd assume this covers crowning also.
$85 muzzle thread
$300 Chamber/ tennon (i'd assume this covers crowning also.
$85 muzzle thread
CORRECT.
Obviously the 2 days does not include the wait time for the blank either. I keep my own spare barrels on the shelf.
It all depends on who you send it to?
Some guys are backed up for months and others can turn it around in days.
There are pros and cons to both.
What action?
If you don't care about having the engravings timed then maybe a prefit is good enough.
Some guys are backed up for months and others can turn it around in days.
There are pros and cons to both.
What action?
If you don't care about having the engravings timed then maybe a prefit is good enough.
Thats about what I pay at Bugholes, his prefit price is 325 for an impact shouldered and 100 muzzle threading, blanks are running me 425. time to ship is 6-8 weeks.
Some actions have clocked threads and you can get the barrel engraving timed.
The gunsmith never touched my action. Had a barrel drop shipped to him. He did the work and mailed it to me.
Sadly, that barrel died a couple of weeks ago after 5200 rounds...
Tell us what tools you have on hand so we can be better informed on how to guide you.
Do you have a good workbench in your bedroom?
Here's a direct quote from PVA (me):
Standard lead 6 weeks
We have blanks on the shelf and they're contour to order.
Rush services as fast as 1 week ship time, if it's something that we need the action for then the lead time is based on the day the action arrives in hand here.
Prefit Barrels with Osprey blanks
patriotvalleyarms.com
Great turn around...I think my barrel was back to me in 3-4 weeks and it was a very nice job.
My current 6.5CM barrel was done by Kelblys, from ship to return was less than 4 weeks from what I recall with no rush added.
But I'm sure it's all based on work load at the time they recieve it.
But I'm sure it's all based on work load at the time they recieve it.
I'm right now in the process of this. Getting a Stainless Bartlein myself. The barrel from the manufacturer was months out but he was getting them from a distributor which stocked them. Said it would take a few days to get and work on. Right now waiting on a brake coming tomorrow to hand him to attach and then it's going into cerakoting for about a week. Ultimately I think it really does depend on the barrel your looking for (brand and caliber) along with the gunsmith and anything special (such as flutes, etc.) Best I found is to call and say what your wanting to do and lead times.
To follow up, some places carry large stocks of barrels and or have regular deliveries based on standing orders. Bug holes is the one I know but there are others. They also come with longer lead times as they have the backlog to justify the inventory. If you know the barrel you want you can look around for inventory I did that with a 22rf bartlein I wanted, took me three months but in the end I tracked it down.
I don’t know if you know something I don’t but IBI on their page states 16-18 weeks for a barrel nut style barrel.
Their wait times are way down, with lots of the shelf. The website may be updated last after the Facebook stuff. I ordered a carbon prefit 6.5 barrel mid August and got it about a week ago.
Last two were ready in a week. I had two barrels shipped to the smith, took three days to arrive, and mailed him a fired piece of brass. Then met him at the match four days after he got the blanks to get my barrels.
Really depends on his workload.
Really depends on his workload.
I'd love to order a couple of barrels if the wait was only 2 months but I'm having my roof redone in 2 weeks.
23K is the starting price plus any surprises they find. I have a feeling that there will be a couple of surprises.
- Nov 3, 2010
- 9,699
- 20,386
Same here. Got the contractor supposed to stop see me this weekend so we can get materials ordered. Not quite as high as your number, but makes me want to sit tight until it’s done and paid for
Sent my Remington 40X action for my M40 tribute build to Douglas Barrels and they trued the action, profiled, chambered and installed a stainless .308 barrel for $635 including shipping IIRC... they initially quoted 4-5 weeks to complete but they called 5 days after they received the action saying it was finished & ready to ship back to me. I was pleasantly surprised to say the least lol and it shoots damn good so far!
Takes about 1 hr to do barrel work for most guys on a manual machine. Cnc machining is quite a bit faster but time is taken to dial in the barrel still so time varies. Fitting stocks and stuff like that can take some time, but machine work does not take long.
I owned a business building rifles for 6 years. Built thousands of rifles and did thousands of barrels. I can knock out a barrel on a manual machine in about 30 mins. It’s not hard or complicated work.
Good luck. My parents went through this and quote doubled by the time it was all said and done.
It's a contractor that I do business with on a regular basis.
I'm a mechanical contractor.
I only got a table in my bedroom and I have no tools lol. I plan to get some tools to assemble the rifie.
Once you pick a gunsmith to spin you a barrel you’ll wait whatever his lead time is and it will take about an hour to spin up a barrel depending on the methods used. Once shipped to you, all you need to put it together is a barrel vice, action wrench, either a crescent or a torque wrench, and a basic set of tools to put the action in the stock and put the trigger in the hanger. Fixit sticks are great for scope rings, action screws and 95% of the items on the gun.
Sounds like a rough time.
Depending on the table, you may need to rethink your plan.
A good solid workbench can also be a table but not necessarily the other way around.
Good luck
