Price Estimates
We have clients all over the country that send us their guns to work on. We can provide you with packing materials and instructions to get your gun safely to our shop.
OUR GUNSMITHS WORK ON THE FINEST DOUBLE GUNS ON A DAILY BASIS. WE ARE NOT THE USUAL, GENERAL GUNSMITH.
All prices are based upon time and materials w/ $105 per hour shop time ($70 minimum bench fee). All 4 gunsmiths are well versed in fine double gunsmith work. Estimates are given prior to starting any project. Below is a list of the common services we perform for our clients. We can usually get your work done promptly, often within a few weeks.
All prices are based upon time and materials w/ $105 per hour shop time ($70 minimum bench fee). All 4 gunsmiths are well versed in fine double gunsmith work. Estimates are given prior to starting any project. Below is a list of the common services we perform for our clients. We can usually get your work done promptly, often within a few weeks.
1. ACTION/RECEIVER - Maintenance/Mechanics -
- "VFI Certified" - Ultrasonic clean action, scrub and inspect parts for function and integrity, measure spring tensions, lubricate properly, 90-day mechanical warranty : $275
- Ultrasonic Clean ejector forend, details same as above : $100
- Safety issues- safety buttons that are stiff, loose, gummy, or malfunctioning can be easily made right. We commonly take three position safeties as found on L.C. Smith guns and eliminate the rear position that is actually “FIRE” mode designed for clay target and live bird shooters. We call them “WIDOW MAKER” safeties as most guns are in the safe position when all the way rearward.
- Repair buggered screws- many can be made excellent with punch, files, and a short amount of time; some need welding, engraving, or to be made new from scratch. Cost ranges $50 - $250 per screw.
- Ejector timing and repair- many times Ultrasonic cleaning solves the problems. We can fix any issues we find, including springs, sears, ejector hammers, etc. We have a large inventory of parts for most makes and models
- Triggers- many times Ultrasonic cleaning greatly improves trigger function, crispness, and pull weights. We can tune triggers to suit your needs. SINGLE SELECTIVE TRIGGERS REPAIRED AND MADE TO FUNCTION RELIABLY.
- Top lever left of center- we can adjust your action so the top lever performs as designed and bring the top opening lever to right of center to properly lock the barrels to the action
- Rejoint side by side shotgun- MAKE BARRELS TIGHT ON BREECH FACE- we properly square up the breech face of the barrels and bring them to be tight on the standing breech of the action. Costs average from $550 to $950.
- Tight on hinge pin-if your barrels wiggle on the hinge pin when they are fully open, we make them tight as new again. Costs average $240 to $380
- Engraving- we have several Master Engravers that do our work under contract, the finest in the country. If your vintage shotgun has worn, damaged, or “soft” engraving, it can be touched up to look as it did when it left the factory. Price by quote.
- Case color- we carefully prepare your action to remove flaws prior to sending to Turnbull Restorations for their world-renowned bone and charcoal case color. Our shop can provide expedited service and reduced costs compared to going direct, and we manage the entire project.
- Trigger guards- most makers used a charcoal blue on their trigger guards. We faithfully reproduce the factory finishes.
2. BARRELS - The heart of any gun, most of what we work on are double barreled shotguns. We can perform the same services on any shotgun barrel.
- Measure up bore diameter, choke constriction, and minimum barrel wall thickness, check for sound ribs. This is always done before altering a set of barrels : $15
- Lengthen chambers- most guns can be made to shoot 2 ¾” modern ammunition. We always measure up the barrels to determine that we can work within safe tolerances before beginning work. $80 Per Barrel
- Extend forcing cones- most guns have short, abrupt forcing cones measuring about 5/8” long. Extending the taper of the cones to 1 ½” will noticeably reduce felt recoil to the shooter and, more importantly, to the fine original wood that is susceptible to cracking under heavy recoil. A gentler transition from chamber to bore causes less pellet deformation and can improve patterns as deformed pellets tend to leave the pattern $100 Per Barrel
- Remove dents- many can be removed without disturbing the blued finish. Approximate Cost per dent :$60
- Sight replacement- we have many styles of shotgun beads from vintage shotguns, including genuine ivory.
- Choke alterations- open existing chokes to a choke with less constriction- this service is performed from the breech end with tooling guaranteed to keep the cutter on the axis of the bore…the only correct way to alter chokes. Most gunsmiths come in from the muzzle end risking off center chokes. $150 Per Barrel
- Ribs- the ribs on most vintage double-barreled shotguns were soft soldered in place and occasionally come loose in small sections. We can properly relay the ribs, and sometimes small repairs can be done without the need to reblue the barrels.
- Slow Rust Blue- fine shotgun barrels are slow rust blued to protect the metal from the elements. We make sure to not soften any lettering or stamps in the process, and the workmanship is the best available. Barrels that need extra prep work would have an extra charge. : $475
- Recut lettering or stamps that have been softened over time, price by quote
- Fitting a new set of barrels to an existing receiver. We can make your gun into a 2-barrel set with matching serial numbers, engraving, etc. We have barrel sets for sale for mostAmerican vintage side x side shotguns.
3. STOCK WORK – maintaining the protective finish on the wood of your gun preserves the integrity and beauty of the wood. Cracks and splits should be repaired before they get worse. Stock fit is important to shooting a shotgun well. Sometimes we need or desire to completely restock a fine gun. General pricing for some of our services are below. Most projects require discussion and choices.
- Restore existing buttstock and forend, including recutting the borders only on the checkering. Usually includes removing old finish, drawing oil from stock, inspecting for cracks or splits, and applying a hand rubbed oil finish layer upon layer until all pores are filled. Desired sheen to be specified by the client : $750
- Cracks, splits, splinters of wood missing, poor fit to action, or other flaws will be addressed if present. Cost of repairing properly will be discussed with client. Repairs are done with a goal of longevity during decades of use following the repairs. Repairs are not strictly cosmetic. Properly done, most repairs will hold up to recoil and use and not be noticeable.
- Staining- we can change the color of your stock to more suit your tastes
- Checkering- we recut existing checkering and properly finish to return the diamonds and points to original quality. We also do new checkering on uncheckered wood.
- Rubber Recoil Pad installation- we pay great attention to detail fitting and shaping the pad to your stock. The black hard rubber base is polished and free of sanding marks. To do properly requires 3 hours of time. We maintain a supply of vintage pads, reproduction vintage pads, and modern pads for your selection.
- VFI top quality work - Average cost for superb work, including cost of pad:
- Regular, modern, or reproduction pads : $350
- Premium pads - Silvers or original Hawkins: $385
- Leather covered pads: $625
- QUICK PAD WITH SANDING MARKS IN SPACER, REGULAR PADS: $285
- VFI top quality work - Average cost for superb work, including cost of pad:
- Stock bending- hot oil stock bending to help get your favorite gun to fit your properly. We bend a lot of stocks and have superior equipment and methods that work. Minimum cost : $250
- Restocking your gun- we have $25,000 worth of fine walnut blanks in our inventory and more at our immediate disposal. We can restock a fine double to your shooting dimensions with your choice of wood to personalize your gun to your tastes. We understand the importance of historically correct shaping, checkering, and details so that your new stock will look just like the original maker would have made it, except it will fit YOU. More important than the way it looks is the way it is headed up to the action so that it does not split and crack during use. Prices start at : $2700
4. FULL RESTORATIONS- restore your gun to factory new from butt to muzzle, with extreme attention to detail and historically correct finishes. We review the gun thoroughly and give an estimate of cost to restore every aspect of the gun, ie wood, action, barrels, screws, mechanics to make the gun look and function as a new gun from the original maker
5. CUSTOM GUNS BUILT ON VINTAGE AMERICAN DOUBLE GUN BARRELED ACTIONS – we have an inventory of Fox, L.C. Smith, Parker, and Ithaca guns with broken, short, or otherwise bad wood that were purchased for their actions and barrels at a reduced price. These guns (mostly Fox guns) can be stocked with the quality of wood of your choice and to your dimensions, checkered and finished to your liking, the barrels can be choked to your specifications, and the receivers will be restored to new to give you a truly custom gun built to your specifications. Two-barrel sets are available as well, with 26”, 28”, and 32” barrels presently available. We have several world-class engravers that can create the engraving you choose.
6. CUSTOM HARD CASES- we help you choose a hard, trunk style case for your gun and custom fit the case to your gun so there is no movement during storage or transport. The areas that typically wear in a traditional case are reinforced with heavy saddle leather. Accessories (nickel snap caps, oil bottle, ebony or rosewood cleaning rod, and cleaning brushes, jags, and swab) and leather trade label are added to help properly display your gun. Cases can be new or select from our inventory of vintage cases for your vintage gun.
- Canvas and leather custom fit cases start at : $950
- Leather custom fitted cases start at : $1250
- Oak and leather custom fitted cases start at : $1650
7. GUN EVALUATIONS- we evaluate your gun or one you are buying from an outside source on a 3-day inspection, so you know what you have or are buying. We have the proper tools to measure barrels, stock dimensions, and the experience to spot hidden repairs, problem triggers, ejectors, guns made tight on face by illegitimate methods, restocked guns represented as original, etc. Know what you have, or make sure you know what you are getting. The cost of our evaluation can save you thousands during a 3-day inspection if the gun has hidden flaws that you may miss. Cost : $125