Fair price to assemble a invest arms kit ?

[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.

[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.........


.

[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.