How much should a gunsmith charge to put a K-frame back together?

[billybob44]

Had a plumber come over this week, $107 per hour.

Car mechanics are about $50.00 an hour.

You could have saved the $43.00 by putting the revolver back together yourself.

Don't disassemble a firearm over shag carpet. You will never find the spring, detent ball, or tiny screw once it falls off the table.

Word.

Slam, as a retired GM Master Tech, I can tell that you have not been at a new car dealer service department for awhile. HA-$50.00 per hour? HA HA...Bill.

 

[Magnumite]

Auto tech (now instructor) here, too. I was going to input that, billybob, but didn't because it was a little off topic. Heck, at that rate I'd have them work on MY car for some things - just to see how it feels.

 

[streakr]

Pay him DOUBLE what he billed. A smith like that needs to be cultivated.

s

 

[Deltaboy1984]

You got off cheap keep him as your Smith for your next job.

 

[oneounceload]

You're actually lucky to have what appears to be, a decent smith close to you. Don't knock it, respect the knowledge, and learn from your mistakes

 

[JohnBT]

So, a farmer called the tractor mechanic in town to come out and look at his tractor. The guy said hello, started it, walked around it once, got a wrench and tightened a bolt. That fixed it. He said the price was $100.

The farmer couldn't believe it.

The mechanic replied, "That's $1 for tightening the bolt and $99 for knowing which one."

 

[sw282]

John ---You only learn by doing. l doubt your critics could have done better. As a kid l remember taking my dad's new Craftsman electric drill apart. He was not impressed. Luckily the Sears repairman saved the drill but l was unable to save my @$$ from Pop's belt

 

[Norrick]

most hourly rates do not get pro-rated for the first hour. One hour minimum.

 

[oldfool]

agree with those who say OP got off cheap
(try asking around what it costs to do an action job sometime)
you pay for knowledge, experience, and tools, not just sweat, not just time
and $45 ain't what it used to be, pay close attention next time you fill up your gas tank, or buy a kid a video game, or try to get an expired date but routine prescription refilled without the go-visit-doctor tax

 

[hunto]

You got off cheap.

Ya got off cheap.

Most every profession that I am aware of that charges consumers an hourly rate charges for a minimum of 1 hour...

x2 to these statements....

 

[22-rimfire]

I think it was a very fair price. A one-hour miniumum would be reasonable. Are you actually complaining about the price?

 

[John Wayne]

Did anyone on this entire page actually read my last post? The gun was reassembled without lubrication and possibly with some mystery spring inserted.

Pay him double? Seriously? I paid what he charged. If his work was worth more, he'd be charging more and people would be paying him more. I suppose you all are philanthropists who have enough money to routinely pay people double for their services, irrespective of whether or not they're to your satisfaction?

Does the "$99/$1 for knowing what to do/doing it" joke have to get mentioned in every thread relating to repairs?

 

[CoRoMo]

Many services, across a number of industries, are charged at a first hour minimum. If it takes five minutes, you get charged one hour. Only after the first hour, are you charged by the quarter hour or so.

 

[KingMedicine]

Some gunsmiths are good, some gunsmiths are not so good. This week i had to find someone to repair the timing of my S&W 66-3. Went to one shop that said it would take two hours at 68 bucks an hour. I walked.

Found another shop that gave me an estimate of 70 for that and a trigger job on a 29-3 with a weeks wait. They called today (a day later) to say everything was done for 78 bucks. I could not be more impressed with the service and quality of work.

Ask for an estimate before hand in writing, if you dont like where that is, then walk. I dont think his price was that unacceptable, but it does not sound like great service.

This thread prob needs to be shut down. I dont think its going to advance too much more in the discussion.

 

[bdb benzino]

Got the gun back today. Took it to the range and fired 50 rounds through it, with no issues. Didn't really feel lighter or smoother at all, despite the rebound spring being 5# lighter. Also felt kind of gritty.

Took it home, removed the side plate and sure enough, dry as a bone. I mean, I didn't expect him to grease every contact point with tender loving care, but a 1/2 second spray of Rem Oil would have been better than NOTHING! Seems pretty unprofessional to me to reassemble a gun without any sort of lubrication.

I also got a mystery spring in my Wolff spring pack. I had not taken a rebound slide spring in with the gun, other than the Wolff one I wanted installed, but I got one back...so either he put a replacement stock spring in the gun, and never used the Wolff one (it is restapled), or he gave me a stock spring and put it in the Wolff bag.

Kind of confirms my suspicions that there's no such thing as a professional gunsmith any more, unless they only work for factories. Just because someone has a set of screwdrivers, a sight pusher, and a lathe does not mean they are qualified to work on guns.

After this post its real obvious to me you were never going to be happy with his service. If you relayed this attitude to him about the price, thats probably why he did'nt oil the inards for you.
FWIW I watched a you tube video on "how to change a rebound spring", and although it was a pain, I had it done with a flat head screw driver in around 30 min. Its funny how now you are talking %$#@ about a guy that bailed you out of your own mistake! Some people!!

 

[oldfool]

did not mean to hurt anybody's feelings
but if you find a professional anything/something service person who will
A) do what you asked them to do
B) not do more than, not do less than what asked to do
C) do just that for a double sawbuck

post it.. they will get a LOT of new business !

 

[22-rimfire]

I routinely do more work for my clients as part of the service. I am not a gunsmith and I am willing to pay somebody for expertise that I lack whether it be because I don't feel like messing with it or I don't know how.

John Wayne, I don't know if anyone could have pleased you with that gun. You should have re-assembled it yourself if you know how. You got off cheap. If you want a pro, I suspect he would not do it for $40 or so unless it was a favor and you might have waited for 6 months for the one-hour work.

I understood that you asked him to re-assemble it, not lubricate and do other custom work.

 

[The Lone Haranguer]

I see nothing wrong with it. I can see taking nearly an hour to put it together and function test it. Even if it took less actual time, the labor rate comes from his knowing how to do it, which you obviously didn't.

 

[Guillermo]

sounds cheap to me

 

[CSA 357]

im thinking he saved you from messing up you gun, so yea you got off cheap!

 

[orionengnr]

If you wanted it lubed, there would be an additional $20 "HazMat" fee.

Since it's been so long since I've done it (and in honesty, have only done it once before) I just took apart my most recently purchased S&W revolver. It was dry as a bone, so it was worth the effort.

Took me about an hour to disassemble, inspect, clean, lube, reassemble and functional check. I guess I'm going to have to spend a few hours doing the same to my others. One every few nights and I'll be back in business.

Enjoy your S&W, and Merry Christmas.

 

[KevininPa]

Fair

My 'smith charges 50 an hour and I never argue. He does excellent work with cleaning and test firing with adjustments.

 

[John Wayne]

After this post its real obvious to me you were never going to be happy with his service.

Since you're so adept at making assumptions about things that are "real obvious," would you care to predict my future as well?

If you relayed this attitude to him about the price, thats probably why he did'nt oil the inards for you.

NOT ONCE did I say that I went to him with a bad attitude, nor did I. If I got upset about anything it was the kind of responses in this thread, and if I vented anywhere, it was here and not to the person who I'd entrusted with my gun. It says a lot about your character that you justify deliberately sacrificing the quality of the work based on the attitude of an individual, while still charging them the same price.

FWIW I watched a you tube video on "how to change a rebound spring", and although it was a pain, I had it done with a flat head screw driver in around 30 min. Its funny how now you are talking %$#@ about a guy that bailed you out of your own mistake! Some people!!

How exactly am I "talking %$#@" about someone? I am dissatisfied with the services of someone who didn't do what I'd asked and paid for, which was to lube and reassemble a revolver.

You know what I find funny (or at least ironic)? That you are criticizing me for not being satisfied with the workmanship of someone whom you do not know, about a gun you have not seen, and still think I am being irrational. You also posted in this thread to criticize me, yet accuse me of speaking poorly of other people.

I started this thread asking a simple question, which has been answered. I paid the man what he asked, didn't criticize him, and have my gun back. I am also dissatisfied but will break a gun putting it back together myself next time before I take it anywhere, and won't bother asking anyone on THR about it either. There is no need to continue jumping on the "you got off easy" bandwagon.

 

[Old Fuff]

I suspect you may be more capable in disassembling and reassembling your revolver then you think. I suggest that you go to www.brownells.com and buy a book: The S&W Revolver - A shop Manual, by Jerry Kuhnhausen. Brownells will also sell you any tools you may need. If you'd like to know more about the current models with MIM lockwork, go to this forum's Handguns: Revolvers sub-forum and you will find an illustrated guide at the top. As everything on THR, it's free.

Thereafter you shouldn't be dependent on anyone.

 

[Jim K]

I hate to get into this thread again, but lubing a revolver doesn't require taking off a sideplate or removing parts. Here's how: 1) Cock the hammer and put 4-5 drops of a good gun oil down in front of the hammer. 2) Put 2-3 drops in front of the trigger. 3) Swing out the cylinder and put 1-2 drops on the ratchet, 2 drops at the bottom of the crane where it fits into the frame, 2 drops on the outside of the extractor rod, and 1 drop on the extractor behind the ratchet. 4) On an S&W, put one drop into the front end of the extractor rod and one into the barrel lug.

No screwdrivers, no missing parts, no gunsmith.

Jim