Professional Builders, How much do you charge to assemble a kit?

[Mike from OK]

If you're any good you should get the same dollars per hour that you pay the guy that comes to unplug your toilet. I have been doing this full time since '96 and get about 1/2 of that. I'd suggest you keep doing what you're doing, there is no money in building muzzleloaders.

I don't unplug toilets... But I can wire one up.

When we quote someone our hourly rate you can usually hear them take a breath... I guess they think we get to pocket every dime of that.

Mike

[oldtravler61]

  First I have never built a gun for anyone. The first three guns are scratch built. Still have them an their my learning reminders.
To make a living at it would, in my book be very hard to do. Unless you had a second form of income. Lately I have put together two smr kibler kits for two people. I charged $500 a piece. They were both satisfied an I made a little money. Maybe that will be the new trend for some builders. But not me....!
Oldtravler

[Daryl]

Building guns is a lot like guiding. Most people need a job as well, to pay the bills & feed the family and keep the lights on.

[Bill Raby]

I charge $5000 plus parts. Extra charges start at $1000 for a patch box, $2000 for carving, and $2000 for any engraving. Special requests cost extra. Paid in full before starting any work and no refunds. I won't give out my phone number and I only check e-mail about once a month. By then there are usually too many to read so I just delete them all. Hopefully nobody will think these are fair terms. I really have no desire to do any custom work.

[rich pierce]

Bill, please check your email. JUST KIDDING!

[Jason C]

I charge $5000 plus parts. Extra charges start at $1000 for a patch box, $2000 for carving, and $2000 for any engraving. Special requests cost extra. Paid in full before starting any work and no refunds. I won't give out my phone number and I only check e-mail about once a month. By then there are usually too many to read so I just delete them all. Hopefully nobody will think these are fair terms. I really have no desire to do any custom work.

You have a deal. Let me know your address in order to send the parts and your checking account number for electronic transfer of funds 

[Bill Raby]

I did custom goldsmith work for 20 years. It was nothing but trouble. I doubt custom building guns is much different. I will make whatever gun I feel like making and put it up for sale. Someone can buy it as is or not. I want nothing to do with custom work.

[Lucky R A]

Hey Dave,  That was Jud Brennen at the 1998 CLA show....

Ron

[Ross Dillion]

Five or six years ago I was at the public range working up a load for my 40cal SMR I had just completed. Walnut stock, all handmade mounts, etc.  A guy came up admiring the rifle and asked for a price. When I quoted $1400 without hesitation he acted like he’d been pole axed.  He said something about wal mart as I proceeded to ignore him. Traditional muzzleloaders are a definite niche market with few customers. I hate to try to make a living doing it.

Ross

[alex e.]

Anymore, unless it's someone  I know and like. I won't  build for people.
If they want to buy  something  I've made,great!

[mikeyfirelock]

I have just come to the same conclusion.......I’m not building any more on request.   I’ve just finished a couple  for friends, and in spite of promises to provide some goods in exchange,  I  feel taken advantage of.   I will continue to build for myself, and may sell something to someone I know well at a price which will cover my costs and a bit extra, but that’s it.

[smokepole45cal]

Use your own gut feeling (your normal rate vs. starting low to attract business)...but I would advise NOT selling on ALR. Aside from guns by better known builders, I'm not seeing finished kit guns or guns from a blank selling on ALR for much more than the price of the parts, if that.  ALR really is a builders site - let's be honest... Learned my lesson on that when I had a .50cal flinter on here for 90 days without a single legitimate remark and I dropped price to $500 under what I bought for.  Did people know me here? No. Was it a junk gun? Heck no. So, I pulled it from ALR and it sold on TotW in less than 2 days (yes 2 days) for $300 more than I was begging for on ALR!  (not including TotW's mark up)

Also, the kit market has to at some point become saturated with so many nearly identical guns. I doubt the prices will ever level off but time will tell about the demand.

[Bill Raby]

   The problem you have is that nobody is willing to pay for quality work anymore. Look how many times you see here someone asking to get some type of work and they mention a price they are willing to pay that is only a fraction of what it is worth. If someone actually agrees to a fair price then they will be calling daily and expecting emails with photos of every single step. Spend more time on that nonsense than the actual work. Of course the customer will change his mind about something right after you finish it so all of a sudden it is not finished anymore. By the time the customer is happy you are already losing money. Then when it is time for final payment the customer says forget it. Just bought something else instead and now wants the non-refundable deposit back.

   I dealt with this in the jewelry business constantly. Custom work was always double to triple the normal price just because of all the trouble. I build guns because I like to do it. I sell them because if I don't I will eventually have more than I know what to do with. I won't be taking on any custom work.