When I read or hear the words "Install barrel" or "fit barrel to action", precisely what jobs should I understand will be accomplished for my money? The quoted costs vary by hundreds of dollars. Would someone please educate me. Thanks

They mean the same thing; if you start with a raw blank, it means; turning to a contour, threading, chambering, crowning, and polishing. If you start with a contoured blank, then you don't need the contouring part. It varies because some applications require more time and some smiths think their time is worth more than others. IE, if you need an extractor cut, that takes more time.

When I get a request for a "new barrel" it is usually with a contoured blank. It includes fitting, chambering, headspacing, crown and polish. I don't contour. I have different prices for Flat breech (Mauser), Counterbored breech (Remington) and coned/extractor breech (model 70 or Ruger #1). Finish is extra, like blueing.

Whereas I often take a basic blank and turn it to the customer's custom contour specification; one that can't be bought off the shelf, like a custom Mauser stepped barrel.

Is there any action work that you guys would consider as a "standard" part of installing a barrel? i.e. truing, etc? For example Pac Nor states "lapping and truing of action" is part of their fitting. Is this a typical inclusion?

When I was first starting out, I was taught that a barrel job included facing the receiver and lapping the lugs (if necessary). I also started with a full blank and contoured the barrels myself. At the time, we charged eighty bucks labor and that included bluing! Later, I started using more and more contoured blanks and made more money by doing so.
I charged extra for a Ruger No.1 to cover the additional complexity of the job but didn't charge any more for Model 70's, Springfields, or Enfields. This doesn't mean I was a nice giy but that I wasn't too bright! Regards, Bill.

What about the gunsmith term 'BOAT job'? The gunsmiths that I contribute to keep nodding their head with my ideas and say "Sure, we can do a BOAT job'.

It translates out to 'Break Out Another Thousand'.

I've seen what Duane's talking about taking lapping too far. I've had two folks come into the shop with their Mauser actions, one Turk and one VZ-24, that they'd decided to build their own rifles on. They both came complaining they hadn't been able to get 100% contact on that pesky third lug. Both actions had the lug recesses lapped down so they were no longer even there, just continuous ramps! Proves again a little knowledge can be an expensive or dangerous thing.

The one term that always gets me is:

"1 or 2 weeks"

I guess I just measure time differently :-)

quote:

"1 or 2 weeks"