doublegunshop.com - home Forums General Discussion DoubleGun BBS @ doublegunshop.com Cost of stocking a sidelock action

I agree. If I was restocking an AYA or a bottom of the line Arietta, I would go the $850 route; however, if I was restocking a Holland Royal, I would go the $4500 route at a minimum or maybe even go with Paul Hodgins who charges $7500 labor plus your blank on top of that. Or maybe I would go with SDH as his work looks exceptional too. My point is, for a high priced Best gun I would go with the Best stocker I could find because as mentioned above the wood to metal fit and lock to wood fit is very important for the 100 year plus long haul in terms of strength and wear and tear on these fine guns.

If I had the money returned to my credit card that was blown on nonsense, I wouldn't even flinch at paying for quality work on one of my firearms. Funny how we obsess over one expenditure while letting cash flow through a sieve for baubles...Steve

If you have and AYA or a bottom of the line Arietta that needs restocking it probably would be more sensible to sell it and buy another that doesn't need restocking.

Thanks jOe. I don't own an AYA or a bottom of the line Arietta that needs restocking so fortunately I don't have to make this sort of decision.

I wonder if those stockers that charge ~ $850 for their work feel that their work is worth 1/4 that of those that charge $3500? Do those that charge ~ $3500 feel their work is 1/2 as good as those that get ~ $7000?

I wonder if those stockers that charge ~ $3500 for their work feel that their work is worth four times more than those that charge ~ $850? Do those that charge ~ $7000 for their work feel that their work has twice the value of those that charge ~ $3500?

I would suspect that some of that price comes from their reputation of turning out top notch work.

Don't forget that "They" may not be doing all of the work. I don't know if I want the worlds best stock finisher wasting his time on the band saw or belt sander. Better to force multiply and use the best available for each of the tasks necessary.

I have come to believe that due to time/ money constraints, and the overwhelming desire to please "Patrons", Joe off the street doesn't get treated the same as a "Patron".

It's not that Joe off the street isn't discerning, it's that he probably isn't coming back with two more years work from some far away auction.

Once a builder has adequate work on his books, and cash retainer, he is free to work. To do his best. To serve his Patron. Until then, he's gotta stay warm. So, some work cranks through for cash, and Patron work proceeds slowly. Joe off the street's work is to a price point/ time balance point. Even if Joe is never told that.

It's the same in every artisanal industry.

If you show the world your best, and they keep coming back, two years backlog is just about the right amount to suggest a price increase. As after all, all the artisan has to sell is his time.

It is more like having the reputation of turning out top notch work relies on getting top notch prices to do top notch work. Only a dedicated hobbiest can turn out quality work without reasonable wages.
As for the above post, I've only ever done one quality of work; the best I was capable of. The majority of my clients are self-made men who appreciate achievement and its value.
Garbi, 20 ga. two 29" barreled set.

Mr. Hughes how does that picture copy write work ?

Wild Skies,

Several variables operate regarding restocking prices: i.e. the market�s depth, the agregate utility curve of the gun owners, the local hour price of qualified artisans, the degree of transparency in a given market, the shipping restrictions on shotguns. So, in the US you have a big market, well informed gun owners of top notch shotguns but less well informed of more numerous owners of medium quality guns, high prices per hour of artisan work, ready available info on high quality repair, several restrictions to ship guns overseas. So, in summary there is a mid to lower section of the repair & restocking market that is not well attended. Maybe this section of the market should consider going abroad to satisfy their needs. Certainly those artisan that charge different prices are not necessarily in the same market, nor they have to feel unhappy because the earn 1/4 or 1/2 of somebody else. Another matter is the degree of contamination of this thread with opinions that do not answer the original question nor they help to solve problems of gun owners that have different utility curves than top notch gun users.

Regards,

EJSXS