Home Forums Hunting & Shooting Hunter's Campfire Burned by gunsmith hourly rate

So I went to pick up my 9.3x62 from the gunsmith yesterday.

FN98 action in a McMillan edge stock. Asked for smith to glass bed the action. Bedding job does not look very good although probably functionally adequate. He tells me it took him three hours and my total was $375 plus tax. This no-name smith is changing $125 per labor hour.

I did not ask prior to what the labor rate was. Shame on me but in all my time working with reputable smiths the rates has varied from $40-$75 per hour. Am I off base with this?

I am pissed that a simple glass bedding job cost that much but the work is done.

Do I have any option for recourse or am I obligated to pay the man and move on?

Was the smiths name U R Stuck ?

The last one I used was charging $100.00/hr, but he knew what he was doing and got things done quickly. I took him 4 handguns to put night sights on and he did all 4 in an hour.

that must have been the "metric" rate. Pay and move along, IMO.

The expectation that a professional sole proprietor could make a living at $40-75/hr is just not reasonable in today's economy, after you think about taxes, insurance, expenses, and retirement. Every plumber and electrician I have hired in recent years has been in the $100-125/hr range, and I cannot see that a gunsmith should be worth less.

So $300 for a bedding job is not out of the question (which is why I do my own). Now whether it is a professional quality job is another matter.

Just had a 300 STW pillared and bedded and barrel bead blast and brake added and stock painted in polane T and was only $550 from a known smith. That's a slight bit high in my opinion.

BUT HE HAS DONE NUMEROUS FOR ME IN PAST. AND SEMI RETIRED.

My local gunsmith has a list of prices on his website. -Glass bed receiver using Devcon Steel putty. $125.00 Add $50.00 for 2 aluminum pillars-

It won’t hurt to mention his price and see what he says .

You just have to decide if rifle is worth another $375.

If not, then tell him you hope he enjoys the rifle, and walk away.


I've done it.

Took a chainsaw in for a minor repair and went to pick it up after they finally got it fixed after about 8 months. Bill was like $250.

A whole new chainsaw was about $275... I told them to enjoy having that saw for supper. And left. Never to return.

I completely understand the need to make a living but I have yet to see a glass bedding job cost north of $300. All have been between $150 and $250 whether fixed price or hourly. The $250 ones usually include pillar bedding prior to the glass.

The rifle is worth me keeping. I am in fact in possession of it now. He does have other small projects that we negotiated a fixed rate on before I left the shop yesterday.

Darcy Echols probabaly isn’t even that expensive....

Ive did the same.....

Man says, “There are no good gunsmiths around me. I hate that I have to send everything off to someone a thousand miles away for a little job.”

Man gets bill from local gunsmith and says, “This is just too damned much. I could have sent this to someone a thousand miles away and paid less.”

This is my thinking....

Hate to admit it but this is my reality.

This is why you check references before engaging any tradesman.

By the time I get done mounting a scope, I wouldn't even do it for someone else for $100.00...

Time to find another Smith.

I do my own bedding, Devcon 10110 steel putty. it's really not that difficult.

If you have the skills to make a peanut butter sandwich, you should be able to master bedding.


I have used local gunsmithing for lathe work, and I always ask for a price or estimate up front. No surprises thank you.