Why are replacement loops so expensive?

[Tripplebeards]

I mean, come on...really??? A loop is about five cents worth of metal at most. I really wanted to get a bigger loop for my 336 but I’m not spending $100 or more that’s ridiculous. You would think on the real world $18 to $25 in the real world would be a responsible replacement price. Im going to call Marlin direct so see how much a factory larger loop replacement will run on Monday. Normally direct from Remington isn’t that bad of of a price for replacement parts in my past dealings with them. The Aftermarket lever action loop manufacturers must just pray on us for wanting a larger cowboy Loop. Guess I’m just gonna live with my small loop. For the price most want for loops I can purchase a used gun if I power shop.

[NSB]

The cost of the metal is the smallest cost involved in making a lever. If we figured only the cost of materials, you'd be buying a new Chevy Suburban for around a thousand bucks. Someone's paying for a building, insurance, help, utilities, taxes, design, machinery, etc, etc, etc. I remember my grandfather one time complaining about the cost of a hotel room. He said, "fifty bucks just for a place to sleep"! I guess it didn't occur to him that he was getting clean sheets, a made up bed, his room cleaned, heat/AC, lights, hot water, building, grounds, taxes, etc, etc, etc. I guess he just figured that a mattress was a couple of hundred bucks and it got used hundreds of times. Should have only cost him a buck or two to stay there Think about it.

[Tripplebeards]

I understand the cost of paying for machining, employees, and keeping the lights on but I still think lever loops are grossly overpriced for what they are.

[725]

Market forces.

[dragon813gt]

Limited market. They’re selling a little for a lot to make any sort of profit. If the market was large enough there would be a lot of options at low prices. The AR market is the perfect example of this.

[Scrounge]

I understand the cost of paying for machining, employees, and keeping the lights on but I still think lever loops are grossly overpriced for what they are.

Buy yourself a milling machine, and some metal, and start making your own. I'm not going exactly there, but I did buy a mini-mill yesterday. And a box of end mills for it. He said there was about a thousand dollars worth of end mills in there, and wanted $100 for it. I didn't have that much left, so he gave it to me for $62. I've just now been looking through the box. Most of the end mills are solid carbide. They can be $50 apiece or more, really easily! You can do that sort of work with a file, but its a great deal easier with a milling machine and the right cutters. I did use a file to cut the T-nut for my AXA toolpost. Took about 4 hours. This mini-mill and a half-inch cutter would have done it in about 20 minutes, and most of that spend doing the setup.

[Scrounge]

Limited market. They’re selling a little for a lot to make any sort of profit. If the market was large enough there would be a lot of options at low prices. The AR market is the perfect example of this.

yep, nailed it. One Bridgeport or equivalent milling machine, new, can run over $20K. I've seen some factories where they have over 100 of them. Gotta have someone to maintain them, spare parts, raw materials, and operators for each one. At least double the cost for a CNC machine.

[NSB]

You can sell parts for a lot less when the volume goes way up. It's all supply and demand.

[bowfin]

Because an enlarged metal loop is something you WANT, not something everybody needs. Producers know that they can tack on a hefty profit on things people want. For example, people who wouldn't bat an eye at buying a Harley Davidson for $30,000 because they want it will gripe endlessly when the gas that goes into it costs over $2.00 a gallon...even though they need it.

The lever on your rifle is all you NEED, but you WANT something else. The person who fulfills that want is going to get handsomely paid for it.

[Shawlerbrook]

Compared to the price of plastic replacement automobile parts, the price of well made in the USA, steel gun parts like levers seem very reasonable.

[GregLaROCHE]

Machining isn’t cheap especially, if it’s one off. Sounds like the perfect job for a CNC mill. Maybe there’s VoTech school near you, who would take it in as a project. We used to go to them years ago, before CNC, to save money on having machine work done for hobby projects.

[Winger Ed.]

I mean, come on...really??? A loop is about five cents worth of metal at most.

I have to chuckle at this.
My Mom was that way (unless she was selling something).
'How can they charge so much for this, don't they have to sleep at night too"?

After hearing that so often for about 40 years, I finally asked her once,
"How much would you charge to make, and market one of those"?

[Oldgold]

Get the Chinese in on it.
“But, American made, Dangit”
Can’t have it both ways.

[pietro]

I understand the cost of paying for machining, employees, and keeping the lights on but I still think lever loops are grossly overpriced for what they are.

I would suggest that you try making one yourself from scratch, not reshaping an existing lever, and you will shortly find out that they're not grossly over-priced - besides, profit is not a dirty word under capitalism...…..

.

[Winger Ed.]

I would suggest that you try making one yourself from scratch, not reshaping an existing lever, and you will shortly find out that they're not grossly over-priced - besides, profit is not a dirty word under capitalism...…...

^^This^^

The first ones made for Chuck Conners on 'The Rifleman' TV show were shop made from the factory original.

I'd seen a article on how to do it years ago.
The guy cut the loop, heated it to reshape the bend, and made the filler piece from a long box end wrench,
and put it together.

All things considered:
If I wanted one, I'd figure $100 was pretty cheap compared to making it myself.

[Plate plinker]

Ya try that and getting it just right then matching the blue. Pay the $100 and smile.

[GregLaROCHE]

Unless you are getting personal satisfaction from making one yourself, spend the hundred and start shooting it. Or else you could sell what you have and buy exactly what you want.

[Scrounge]

Machining isn’t cheap especially, if it’s one off. Sounds like the perfect job for a CNC mill. Maybe there’s VoTech school near you, who would take it in as a project. We used to go to them years ago, before CNC, to save money on having machine work done for hobby projects.

CNC is not suited for a one-off. Sometimes not even for a short run. Unless you have a niche market, and a small and inexpensive CNC mill, and the skills needed to run it. You can get a small commercial CNC mill for around $10K. It's probably big enough to do a lever like OP wanted. The school I'm going to for precision manual machining also teaches CNC. My class was $1800, and it's a subset of the CNC class, which was $4200 last I looked. Lots of guys don't finish the class, because they get hired before they graduate.

[Skooterr]

"Buy Once, Cry Once", then move on.
Want, more than Need principal applies here.

[Kev18]

I bought a repro lever for my 1886 and cut it up to make a large loop. Didnt take long. Didn't cost alot either .