This line of thinking would lead to zero expansion of any offerings. Just because they aren’t doing it yet doesn’t mean it won’t be done and there isn’t demand.
Sometimes people just haven’t gotten to it yet, and their current demand is taking up their time.
We were never going to see carbon wrapped Bart barrels either, many other examples.
It's also a question of cashflow. They don't make customs so I'm sure they have some system to see how things are going if they're going to add SKU's. When they do so it's going to be across a bunch of shouldered tenons. Their website has almost as many shouldered options on it as I make. So make 5 units for each action, then make it in 3-4 different lengths because their carbon wrap approach can't be cut back as needed.
Let's say that they do it for 20 actions to keep the math simple, and 5 units per length and 4 lengths.
Just to add 300PRC to the mix that's 400 barrels to put on the shelf. Even a place like PROOF where steel comes in and finished barrels go out there's cost associated with it. Multiply by 400 barrels and it's well into 6 figures with the cost of steel, electricity, cutting tools, supplies, labor, etc. That's just 1 caliber. Let's add 300PRC, 7PRC, and 6GT onto that mix all in a single year, oh and do it in steel and carbon. Now it's 2000+ barrels to produce and run out onto the website for sale. If you need to add another steel contour in there that's 400 more barrels for every contour for every caliber. It's financially impossible to do so.
And each SKU only has 5 pcs available for sale, when the 5 available TL3-LA 300PRC 22" Carbon barrels are gone you now have to make more for any more revenue to come from that SKU. So we've committed over a million dollars to something that is probably going to get 20-25% of the inventory sold immediately and the other 75-80% sitting for at least 90 days if not all year long.
So, shops like mine which offer some production and a lot of custom options fill that void.
So let's play out the custom offer that I have for $685
Take $500 off that to compete with the PROOF stocked piece.
In the extra $185 we have to jump into the machine that contours and make you exactly 1 (oh and if I screw up, I now make another for free). We then push it over to the muzzle threads and we put that on there (again, any screw ups make another). And lastly we swap in a 300 PRC rougher and finisher, touch them off and cut the tenon and chamber.
Without having any other order to put it against and amortize the setup changes together we're talking about an additional hour to make sure everything is right to make exactly 1 without screwing up anything. That's on 2 different machines that bill out at $150/hr or they're not covering the cost of the floorspace that they take up. Ripping into a machine to make something also means putting back whatever was in it before jumping that 1off job in there.
From the guy sitting in the business planning chair I can readily see why Proof isn't knocking down the walls to make a cell for another caliber, nor do they do customs, and why I charge $185 more to make that custom.
However, I'm also not deaf to people wanting something in the market. So here's a counterproposal. If you put together and organize a group buy of at least 10 barrels I will make it happen. I will do a SH group buy on 9tw and 10tw 300PRC shouldered prefits on my Ospreys for $500 plus shipping and CC cost. That includes 5/8-24 muzzle threads and finish lengths from 20-26" in 1" increments. Any steel barrel contour on my website.
You organize the order, keep the spreadsheet, handle everything short of payment. People can pay us directly with a CC+3% so you don't have to do that. Then we can do a 10pc MOQ for 300PRC shouldered prefits. Lead time for 10-15pc is 5wk.
I happen to want a prefit in .260, but nobody is offering them up at low prices either.
Nailed it. The 260 has gone from ubiquitous to niche in the 6.5 market in 5 years. I'd be happy to make you one, I would be willing to bet lunch that nobody else orders a 260 in the next 30 days.
