Fair price to assemble a invest arms kit ?

[RU shooter]

I’m not a professional smith but a local guy reached out to me on our local Facebook flint lock hunting page asking if I could assemble assemble a investarms hawken kit , I’ve built a number of flinters for myself from non inlet precarves and last one from a plank so I know this should be rather easy peasy. Sooooo in the groups opinion what would be a fair price for a simple assembly and finish job on the barrel and wood ?

[Sixgun Symphony]

How much do you charge per hour for labor?

[RU shooter]

How much do you charge per hour for labor?that’s my issue I don’t know I’m not a pro gunsmith I’m a sheet metal worker for my day job , never did gun work for anyone before . I’m fully confident I can do the work but again what’s a fair price

[dondiego]

I have seen Traditions kits go for a couple of hundred less than the assembled rifle of the same model. It would depend on the number of hours that you think it will take to finish the kit.

[Jim22]

I wouldn't do it. I have too many projects. And if something went wrong with the rifle it would be my umbrella policy.

Jim

[redriverhunter]

I have friend who makes knives on the side. I asked to make me two knives. He made them for and never told me a price, he stated give me what you think they are worth. This put me in a bit of a mess too low and I would be a wrong. The how much time will you have spent and what is your time worth.

[Electrod47]

Way back in the day Ol' Swede the congenial gate guard at the power plant where I worked in Nevada had a FFL and a good yarn to go with the used firearms he parlayed to us mill workers. It was summertime and muzzleloader season that winter was going to be the only opportunity I would get with my work schedule. Swede says all you need to get a kit and he'd put er' together in no time for 50 bucks. So I bought a .45 cal T/C Hawken kit from Swede. All summer " How's it goin Swede?" Pretty soon he'd say. That went on til one week in late December he finally brought it in. That was my first smoke pole and I could hardly wait to see all the months long loving craftmanship being delivered into my hands.
It looked like an 8 year old hammered it together the night before. I liked Ol' Swede. I didn't say nothing. While I was waiting for the gun I had acquired everything to make it bang. Took it out alone. Did not want anybody to see that gun in my hands. It was accurate and fun to shoot. But, it was just wrong. At a distance it looked normal. So, I hung it high up above the fireplace with the fancy powder horn I had found.
10 years later 1993 I left the Lakehouse and packed up. I left the muzzleloader hanging above the fireplace. Mind you the BLM was demolishing the lake front properties with D8 Bulldozers to reclaim the land back to the Lake Mead National Park. Thankfully I got older and wiser and built my own T/C 50. New Englander its a beauty and I hope in this my 75th year on earth to get a meat doe this winter with a muzzleloader.
So my answer to the thread is. Encourage the guy to build it himself,

[LAGS]

I have people ask me to build Kits for them.
I tell them , I will help you build your Kit.
And they can pay me for the help.
Mostly it is paid in some form of Horse Trading.
Help others , and let them help you down the line.
They are truly the ones who benefit.
They get to bank away knowledge , and you get a little more experience that you can use.
If they want someone to build a kit for them.
They usually don't have the skills or the tools to do it themselves.
And they just bought the Kit version to save money on the front end.
And usually don't want to pay much to get the rifle first class that is equil to a factory finished gun.

[pietro]

.

IMO, it would take a skilled craftsman at least 10-15 working hours, plus time for application & finishing of both wood & metal, to finish a kit.

The price for such would be whatever your time is worth to you.... AND the buyer.

.

[dondiego]

Way back in the day Ol' Swede the congenial gate guard at the power plant where I worked in Nevada had a FFL and a good yarn to go with the used firearms he parlayed to us mill workers. It was summertime and muzzleloader season that winter was going to be the only opportunity I would get with my work schedule. Swede says all you need to get a kit and he'd put er' together in no time for 50 bucks. So I bought a .45 cal T/C Hawken kit from Swede. All summer " How's it goin Swede?" Pretty soon he'd say. That went on til one week in late December he finally brought it in. That was my first smoke pole and I could hardly wait to see all the months long loving craftmanship being delivered into my hands.
It looked like an 8 year old hammered it together the night before. I liked Ol' Swede. I didn't say nothing. While I was waiting for the gun I had acquired everything to make it bang. Took it out alone. Did not want anybody to see that gun in my hands. It was accurate and fun to shoot. But, it was just wrong. At a distance it looked normal. So, I hung it high up above the fireplace with the fancy powder horn I had found.
10 years later 1993 I left the Lakehouse and packed up. I left the muzzleloader hanging above the fireplace. Mind you the BLM was demolishing the lake front properties with D8 Bulldozers to reclaim the land back to the Lake Mead National Park. Thankfully I got older and wiser and built my own T/C 50. New Englander its a beauty and I hope in this my 75th year on earth to get a meat doe this winter with a muzzleloader.
So my answer to the thread is. Encourage the guy to build it himself,

Replied to wrong post, sorry!

[Texas by God]

Does the guy have any primers to trade?

Sent from my SM-A716U using Tapatalk

[LAGS]

Now , That's a "Horse Trade"

[MT Gianni]

It would depend on whether an 8th grade kid sis it as a shop project or an adult craftsman. I also believe that if you assemble it you assume some liability. I would have to be really needing money to proceed.

[Sasquatch-1]

I had one built from scratch, not a kit, a couple of years ago. This was from a guy who makes quite a few. The parts were right around $900.00 to $1000.00 and the rifle delivered to my door was $2100.00. Now this included carving the stock from a blank and some custom work done on the rifle.

This is just a reference point for you. If this is a "snapped together lego kit" I would probably say four to five hundred. But then again I had someone build mine.

[John Taylor]

The whole idea of getting a kit is to put it together yourself. I have built a few kits and a few from scratch. The kits allow you to learn along the way. Being a full time machinist/ gunsmith my shop rate is $150 per hour altho I never really charge that much. When you figure in the cost of running a shop, business license, property tax and other overhead you got to make enough to make the house payment and put food on the table. If you don't have all the other expenses and you're putting a kit together for someone ells, then you need to figure out what your time is worth. Skill level also has a lot to do with how much you can charge for your work. If you are an expert at building rifles your work will show it. If you're new at it and learning along the way, it will show it.

[elk hunter]

It seems to me that when someone buys that type of kit and asks someone else to put it together they're looking to save money over the factory assembled cost. That is unless they're looking for a real custom rifle in which case they wouldn't be buying that type of kit. Is it worth your time and effort to save the other guy money? I'm thinking it would be difficult to charge a reasonable amount for your time and save him any money. I would think one or both of you will be disappointed.

[freakonaleash]

I charge $35 an hour

[country gent]

I have "helped" a couple guys build their kits. I never touched a tool ( other than getting it out for them and cleaning it up and put away). These kits were meant to be built by the owner and completing them into a nice correct finished rifle gives a lot of pride. It also is a good start on the care cleaning and repair of it. This was more satisfying to both parties in the long run. These guys learned things they used later on like draw filing, block sanding, finishing, spotting and fitting, some layout.

But you need the 'right" guy for this to work, I tried it with a family member on a different thing. Every time I told him what he needed to do I got told how he was going to do it or so and so said to do this this way. Frustrating and unproductive. I finally let him go making sure he was safe and not damaging my tools. The finished part didnt look good didnt work right. when he wanted me to fix it and finish it I told him so and so knows more take it to him.

[idahoron]

I have friend who makes knives on the side. I asked to make me two knives. He made them for and never told me a price, he stated give me what you think they are worth. This put me in a bit of a mess too low and I would be a wrong. The how much time will you have spent and what is your time worth.

That is kind of what I do. I built this knife for my Barber and I told her to make me an offer. She gave me a card with 20 free hair cuts. It worked out to about 400 bucks.

https://i.imgur.com/hkisjba.jpg

A guys I knew from work wanted me to restore his grandmothers kitchen knife. He said he remembered her using it when he was very small. He was 70 when he wanted it done. It had rusted and the old wood handle was gone. The only thing left was the rivets. I told him the same thing and he gave me 200 dollars. I felt like I was compensated fairly.

https://i.imgur.com/3UJkq8P.jpg

[Edward]

That is kind of what I do. I built this knife for my Barber and I told her to make me an offer. She gave me a card with 20 free hair cuts. It worked out to about 400 bucks.

https://i.imgur.com/hkisjba.jpg

A guys I knew from work wanted me to restore his grandmothers kitchen knife. He said he remembered her using it when he was very small. He was 70 when he wanted it done. It had rusted and the old wood handle was gone. The only thing left was the rivets. I told him the same thing and he gave me 200 dollars. I felt like I was compensated fairly.

https://i.imgur.com/3UJkq8P.jpg

You do nice work!!!/Ed

[RU shooter]

I charge $35 an hour
I’d consider that a bargin for your level of craftsmanship Sir .

[RU shooter]

Thanks all for the thoughts and opinions , Yes I hear what some of you are saying about the type of kit it is . As the guy explained to me he really wants to get into flintlocks/black powder but he really don’t have a space to work on it except the kitchen table basically and is very limited on tools to do the work . So me being the type to want to help people get into the sport and keep it alive I told him I’d consider it . But don’t want the guy coming over and hanging out at my place either . I’ve kinda figured 20 and hour would be fair for me and him , I’ll let him decide if that’s worth it , if not I have a smooth bore to get started on for myself

[country gent]

Id start at 30 he can always make a counter offer

[indian joe]

I absolutely hate "pay me what its worth" - its a real good way to ruin a friendship / or a business relationship --you name your price and I will decide whether I want it or no

[Sasquatch-1]

Thanks all for the thoughts and opinions , Yes I hear what some of you are saying about the type of kit it is . As the guy explained to me he really wants to get into flintlocks/black powder but he really don’t have a space to work on it except the kitchen table basically and is very limited on tools to do the work . So me being the type to want to help people get into the sport and keep it alive I told him I’d consider it . But don’t want the guy coming over and hanging out at my place either . I’ve kinda figured 20 and hour would be fair for me and him , I’ll let him decide if that’s worth it , if not I have a smooth bore to get started on for myself

Seeing as you are in SW Pa, are you near Chambersburg? If so, take your buddy over to Ft. Chambers gun shop. They have everything from entry level guns and up, already put together. They are mainly a black powder gun store.
This is the contact info found online:
Fort Chambers Black Powder Gun Shop
www.fortchambers.com
3292 Black Gap Rd, Chambersburg, PA 17202 · ~41.2 mi
(717) 263-2223

[Shawlerbrook]

My take. You really can’t compare what a friend will take as opposed to what a gunsmith that makes a living charges. That said, a lot depends on how close a friend. If just an acquaintance as opposed to a close friend, then do you have the time and do you enjoy doing these projects ? All that and I would just pick an hourly rate and figure how much time it will take.
My first question is why would someone with no interest in building a kit, buy a kit instead of a completed gun ?

[Buzz Krumhunger]

Maybe because they think it’ll save them $100.:bigsmyl2:

[KCSO]

First off how much assembly, Just fitting the parts in place is one thing and doing a proper job, Shaping and trimming the stock, recutting the lock panels, tuning the lock for proper function ect is a whole nother deal. No one will pay you what a proper job is worth if you want a wage similar to your real job as a proper job on a kit can take up to 40 hours of labor and at just 20 bucks an hour??? Heck just doing a good job of finishing the wood can take up many hours of sanding and rubbing. I would much rather have the owner come over and guide him through the process and learn his gun inside out.

[Maven]

What KCSO said!

[pietro]

As the guy explained to me he really wants to get into flintlocks/black powder but he really don’t have a space to work on it except the kitchen table basically and is very limited on tools to do the work.




FWIW, that's exactly how I started playing with guns, fifty years ago, after I got out of the service......... :drinks:


.

[idahoron]

You do nice work!!!/Ed

Thanks a bunch.

[indian joe]

It seems to me that when someone buys that type of kit and asks someone else to put it together they're looking to save money over the factory assembled cost. That is unless they're looking for a real custom rifle in which case they wouldn't be buying that type of kit. Is it worth your time and effort to save the other guy money? I'm thinking it would be difficult to charge a reasonable amount for your time and save him any money. I would think one or both of you will be disappointed.

If hes a good friend you might help him through the process of doing it himself - if its just an aquaintance looking to save a buck - you dont have time for it - tell him there is a possible liability issue you are not insured for - sorry cant do that!

[waksupi]

First off how much assembly, Just fitting the parts in place is one thing and doing a proper job, Shaping and trimming the stock, recutting the lock panels, tuning the lock for proper function ect is a whole nother deal. No one will pay you what a proper job is worth if you want a wage similar to your real job as a proper job on a kit can take up to 40 hours of labor and at just 20 bucks an hour??? Heck just doing a good job of finishing the wood can take up many hours of sanding and rubbing. I would much rather have the owner come over and guide him through the process and learn his gun inside out.

If I were doing it, it would cost more than the kit did. Kind of a stupid tax.

[Eddie2002]

I built an Investarms Hawkens kit about ten years ago, bought it from Cabella's. I think it took me about 15 hours to fit, sand and finish the wood and polish the brass furniture. The stock was cut about a 1/4 inch proud around the butt cap and even with an stationary belt sander it took a good hour to even get it close. I have to admit that the walnut stock had some beautiful grain in it and it was worth all the time spent on it. You might be better off just purchasing a factory built gun of a better quality. The lock geometry on my Hawkens was a little off and the flint would hit low on the frizzen. Not sure if that was a common problem but I replaced the factory frizzen with a small rifle frizzen from Seiler which was a big improvement and then started shooting cap locks. LOL

I guess I'm saying that unless you want to tinker and tune the rifle after building the kit it don't buy it. For me the pride of building a fire arm I'm going to use is the main reason I bought the kit and the hours spent made the gun special to me.

[Cosmic_Charlie]

I see some very nice flinter kits that come with top notch lock work, raw barrel blanks that require dovetail cuts for the sights, drilling and tapping for the breech plug and perhaps cutting and crowning to the length you desire. Then there is all all the fine tuning of the metal to wood fit, finishing of the cast metal parts and a finish on the stock and barrel. If you had the skills to do it imagine it would be worth upwards of $,1000, perhaps much more if you were an expert craftsman.

Pectonica sells some craftsman type kits and you can pay them to do the barrel fittings. If you knew what you were doing you could wind up with a functional museum piece.