Home Forums Hunting & Shooting Custom Rifles & Wildcats Rifle build time?

If you supply a gunsmith with a stock to be bedded,action to be blue printed,trigger,barrel that needs to be chambered and threaded and head spaced.How long does this generally take to do not including time waited for him to be open for work?Thanks,Huntz

Three days to nine months in my experience.

It all depends on the smith.

As long as they're up front with me, I'm good with whatever. I've had a few that promised things back in 6 weeks, which turned into 6 months. Stuff that like frustrates me a bit.

Redneck and Shaen on here have been the fastest/easiest I've worked with by far when it comes to time.

This

Yup, fully agree with that. I’d say if you give them everything they need and they aren’t waiting on any components they can get it built in 6-8 weeks if they aren’t really backed up. Seems like most of mine have went quick once they had all of the parts and pieces.

2 weeks on last 3. Maybe a bit less.

Depends on their backlog. I've waited a couple weeks to 6 months

It depends on who you use. I've had minor work done in a week to 1 1/2 years for a custom wood stock rifle.
I'm old enough to have picked out a few that I've had a relationship for many years. Going into a job I understand their work load and call them very rarely when waiting on my projects.

As everyone has said huge variance in wait time among rifle builders. I’m sure the guys who have a huge backlog are great, but I don’t have the patience to wait 6mos + for any toy to be made. I’ll probably have moved on and not want it by the time it’s done. I think there’s enough quality Riflesmiths out there that can do the work in reasonable amount of time (some as little as 2 weeks turnaround). Barrel blanks and parts are usually readily available from stocking dealers.

Also a big problem with custom stock makers now. I love the Manners stocks I’ve had, but ain’t gonna wait 6-8 mos on another custom order.

Walt, I understand what you are saying, but for a nice wood stock rifle you will wait or buy a used one.
I couldn't have this in 6 months.

I do my own glass stock customs and 6 months is about right, but a lot of that time is waiting on components. If I have all the components and I'm motivated I will chamber the barrel, bed the stock, bed and install scope bases, and lap the scope rings. Figure a week as I normally have no need to get it done faster.
I will wait on the very gifted gunmakers because they do things that others either can't or won't do.

Yes, I have even had varied times with the same gunsmith. I generally don’t sweat the time as long as the work is top notch.

I gave the gunsmith all the components beginning of March.He told me it would be done the middle of June.Nothing in writing as I have used him before on small jobs and he was always timely.I even payed him 50% down.I called him the first week in July.He seemed to be aggravated with me that I was bothering him and said he would call me when he was finished.He shoots Palma and I am thinking he takes care of his buddies first.All the big barrel makers know him and praise his work,but that only goes so far with me.Like someone else said,I am losing interest in the project and if he does not come through soon will go and pick up whatever has been done.Huntz

I do think they should stick to a promised schedule regardless of their competence.

Just me - but if I had all the stuff sent to me like you listed above, I'd probably have it done inside a week or two.....with some minor exceptions..

I can confirm what Redneck said, he's always gotten stuff done for me very promptly....and done well.

This has certainly been my experience with both great smiths!

It can vary. A lot!
For example a 1903 Springfield has a coned breach which must be fitted to the receiver in a set position so it can be cut for the extractor whereas a Remington M700 can be simply screwed in. So the Springfields, Enfields, Per-64 Winchester M70s and Mannlicker 1903-1909s all take longer. But as an example 2 months ago I installed a new barrel on a 1903 Springfield for a good friend I go to church with. The turning of the shank, threading coning and the chambering done to about 95% took about 90 minutes. I then install the barrel blank into the action and finish the chambering/headspacing while it's in the receiver and set the head space at .002". The whole job excluding the contouring and polishing (which takes a lot longer) is about 2 hours.

If you start with a countered barrel the time it takes to have it ready for finishing is minimal. If sights are to be used you come back to that after the inletting is done, trigger installed glass-bedding, butt plate or pad installed, grip cap, fore end tip and swivel bases. All stock work if I start from a semi-inlet stock takes me about 8-10 hours. If I start with a blank (as I usually do because of the type of gunsmithing I get most of the time) making the stock from a "chunk of a tree" can be a few days. The very easiest one I know of is a Weatherby Mk5. One of the most difficult is a Mannlicher M1903 or an Lee Enfield fore-stock.
When the stock is all shaped but unfinished I then add sights and zero the rifle. All finish work on both wood and metal are undone at that point. But in doing it that way you have no finish to mar. So when I have the rifle perfectly zeroed, I then start the wood finish. When that is done I do the metal finish and any engraving, if the order calls for any. The very last thing that I do is the checkering.

So depending on what is wanted the whole job can be done in a short time if it is a stainless barrel, (no bluing to do) without sights, in a slick stock with no checkering on lets say...a Remington M700. Such a job can be done in 2 or 3 days without any rush

On the other hand a hand made full-length stock on a Mannlicher M1903 including checkering, new barrel, express sights, side mounted scope base, metal engraving zeroing the sights at 100,200 and 300 meters and also the scope, trap butt, custom made bolt handle, hand made trigger guard and sight bases and a hand made barrel band can be a job that takes me about a full month or even 5 weeks.

Two to three week job in my shop.

As others have said, it takes as long as it takes for a variety of reasons. A good rule of thumb is to never plan to use a new custom rifle any time soon after it arrives. You'll need time to zero, check function, work up loads, etc., so definitely don't plan a hunt around a rifle that you don't have in hand yet and haven't checked out thoroughly. ALWAYS have a rifle or two ready that can handle whatever chores you have coming up.


Okie John

Forever when you're waiting for the finished product; way too soon when it comes time to pay for it.

Last two were from GA Precision and LRI. The GAP was around 10mo and the LRI was a Winchester m70 classic which he had back to me around 2 weeks from the day I mailed it off. I had some delays ordering parts and though I was going to miss opening day with my new rifle. After talking to Chad on the phone he assured me he would have it done in time to do some load development, but as it turned out I shot amazing with ths first and only ammo I've shot thru it.

I'll be calling chad again next time.