Could someone give me a ballpark labor figure on replacing a barrel, headspacing, and mounting iron sight blocks? TIA for all responses.

That's like asking how much it costs to rebuild a car engine. Is it a Chevy or a Mercedes? Are you going racing or going to haul eggs to market?

I'd contact Craftsman, John Ricks, Bill Tompkins, and any other 'smith that posts here. Tell them the barrel maker and the particulars you want.

I think www.brockmansrifles.com has a pricelist.

Don

BEJ

The following are my shop prices which I consider about average. I am covered up with work at this time however you will have some idea what to expect in your area when shopping for a good gunsmith.

Fit a contoured barrel to a standard bolt action rifle consisting of truing the action face and lapping the locking lugs if needed, threading, chambering, headspaceing, crowning,and test firing with factory ammo............150.00

Polish and blue barreled action........95.00
Matte blue barreled action.............75.00
Bead blast stainless barrel............35.00

Shilen chrome moly barrel..............160.00
Shilen Stainless Match barrel..........250.00

Drill and tap barrel or receiver for sights or scope...........15.00 per hole

Shilen's labor charge for fitting a barrel is (brace your self).............325.00

Remember these are general prices subject to change with differant situations, for example on a Win Mdl 70 Classic you need an extractor slot milled............25.00 Or if your action has rust pitting bluing would be higher.

Some guys are cheaper, remember you get what you pay for. Look for a gunsmith who fits a lot of barrels and talk to several of his customers before you use him.

The total cost of rebarreling seems high but if you get a high quality barrel and use a skilled gunsmith you will be rewarded with better accuracy than you have ever experienced and will be glad you made the plunge.