Mark,
Having looked at your wedsite, you appear to have a machining facility almost second to none, and one that most of we amateur gunsmiths could only dream about, even after selling the wife into White Slavery to try and raise the amount of money such a set up would cost.
From a purely personal point of view, I have never been a fan of smaller versions of existing rifles,UNLESS they are made to train boys in the use of rifles. With respect the prices you have to charge for your work is likely to work out a tad expensive for a boys rifle.
The Winchester 1885 is in production be several manufacturers, so you have competition there, there is also a company producing 1885 kits for home gunsmiths.
There are two manufacturers of Sharps Borchardt rifles and actions with another in the offing, one is considerably less expensive than the other, but I have no doubt the cheaper model will work as well, if not better, than the original Sharps Rifle Co. product.
Ballards and some other single shot actions are produces in the USA and abroad. Some are frightfully expensive.
What is needed, is a competatively priced single shot action, made to high standards of accuracy, preferably based on one of the traditional American or British designs of the period 1870 - 1890.
There are several American companies producing modern replica's of US designs, but virtually none producing copies of the British single shot rifles of the period. From a personal point of view, I would like to see reproductions of Deely and Edge and Frazer single shot rifles, no one is making either. DeHaas's Single Shot Rifles and Actions has both these actions reported on. Original's bring premium prices. It's time a modern reproduction of these actions was available at a reasonable price for the single shot enthusiast.
An old saying applies here: if you can make a good quality action and sell it at a price your competitors may balk at, then you will get the sales. It's far better to sell a thousand with a reasonable profit margin, than a hundred or so with a 300% markup on your manufacturing costs.
Good luck with your enterprise,
Harry
(a wannabee gunsmith who left it 50 years too late.)
Last edited by Harry Eales; 03/06/10 02:29 PM.
