I am considering a .404 Jeffery project. If I get my hands on a good Mauser 98 action, a L-W chambered barrel, and my own stock that I would finish myself, how much should it cost for a gunsmith to do final assembly,etc.? If I can keep the price down maybe my wife won't find out until I'm done... Thanks

Cengel,

Well, Gunsmiths are like so many other professions around, there will always be a wide range of prices for a give job. This does not mean though that you will get the same quality from the varying smiths.

Those who charge more generally do so because they do the small things that really make a rifle perform well, not just cut a chamber and screw down the barrel.

Your project is a good one but I suspect there are not to many smiths out there that have a 404 Jeff reamer in stock, I know I do not. They gan easily be ordered but this will cost YOU not the smith. A new reamer will run anywhere from $100 to +$200 depending on the quality and type of reamer.

My advise to you is go to your local smiths and see what they will do the job for, then find out exactly what they do for that price and then make up your mind.

Good Shooting!!!

50

cengel---

You can figure about $3,500 from my shop but I'd rather work from an unchambered barrel and will insist on having veto power over the action you pick.

That includes all action prep (ground,polished, squared, lapped, etc), Blackburn trigger and bottom metal, sleeved island rear or quarter rib w/sight, banded swivel mount and front ramp, new bolt handle, altered bolt stop, blind rear hole and test fired.