Hi all,

Just wondering out of interest how many rifles the average custom 'smith produces per year? I suppose it varies some depending on man power available and tooling etc

Any ideas?

I think the question is similar to this one: How long is a piece of string?

Yep there are some variables for sure...but there must also be a threshold where a gunmaker would have to make so many guns at "x" price to be profitable. Duane Wiebe for example according to his website makes just 10 guns a year, Purdey about 20 if I remember correctly. McKay Brown about 30 guns a year at 40,000 pounds each.

I suppose Im just curious what the smaller shops production is like. D'arcy Echols or Martin Hagn for example? Maybe 10 - 15 guns a year?

How many gunmakers make more than minimum wage after paying overhead?

Labor rates run depending on the work from $40.00 to $60.00 per hour. That being said if it takes 200 hours to build a rifle that's 40 per hour for a top rifle. Of course the exception is probably the rule. You have to have some long ones to make up for the short ones. A great riflemaker will always be busy,most I have talked to recently are booked 1+ year out atleast.

quote:

Originally posted by FAST996:
Labor rates run depending on the work from $40.00 to $60.00 per hour. That being said if it takes 200 hours to build a rifle that's 40 per hour for a top rifle. Of course the exception is probably the rule. You have to have some long ones to make up for the short ones. A great riflemaker will always be busy,most I have talked to recently are booked 1+ year out atleast.

It´s all about regulation. If one has too much to do he can rise the price in order to make things slow down. If he hasn´t much work he must lower the prices to regain a foothold in the market again.