Good days work

[tenngun]

We build for fun, or most of us do. It ain’t easy making a living building guns.
An extra hour or ten pays off for us with a job we’re satisfied with. Just for fun I’m keeping a log on my build. Today I logged in my twelfth hour. Back in the old days folks most guys worked as long as it was light. Summer longer then winter, but in general twelve hours a day. Yeah they had some dinner time and big breakfast but for S&G I’m going to call it a twelve hour day.
In that twelve hours I got my lock frizzen hammer top plate trigger plat and trigger polished.
I don’t think I’d make a living as a gunbuilder

 

[waarp8nt]

In that twelve hours I got my lock frizzen hammer top plate trigger plat and trigger polished.
I don’t think I’d make a living as a gunbuilder

Isn't it amazing the things we love the most tend to pay us the least?!?

I recently posted in the Gun Builders section in regards to "what lock for a poor boy rifle?". My friend / co-worker is in the military and he bought me a small green hardcover journal from the supply store. I intend to log every minute of that build in the journal as it will be my 1st custom rifle that was not 95% or more inlet from the start. I think it is a good idea to keep a log and if nothing else at least we will be able to see just how low we value our labor when it comes to a hobby we love!

 

[Col. Batguano]

This will make for a very interesting journal. Please keep us posted. It would be similarly interesting to see what someone who really IS a professional builder like Mike Brooks would come up with for doing the same thing, only he's on about his 250th rather than 1st.

In my experience, the 2 biggest differences between a newbie at a task, and an experienced hand is that the newbie spends more time figuring out WHAT to do next, fumbles around a bit figuring out HOW to do it, and switches to finer (slower) tools sooner for fear of messing it up. The experienced hand knows exactly which task needs to be performed next, has fewer wasted motions, and uses coarse tools as long as they can.

 

[Vaino]

I've sold all my builds except my 3 personal hunting guns and have never logged the build time....reason.....I make most of the compoments ..eg.....Pbox, RR pipes, Mcap, trigger and trigger plate, inlays, sights, bbl lugs, RRs and buy the bbl, lock, TG, Bplate and use a blank so when learning how to make these components and remove wood from the blank, some time is used to make then over again and never started keeping track of the hrs and still don't. Besides, as a tool and diemaker had to make dies and molds w/in the allotted time and don't want my gun building to be a "job".....Fred

 

[Comfortably_Numb]

I was hoping for 40hrs on the gun I am working on now, missed that mark and am at 43hrs and still have to do all the finish work on the metal. Made from a blank with the barrel inlet and RR hole drilled. Has a wood patch box with some incised carving at the barrel tang , around the wood patch box and a little in front of the trigger guard. It also has incised butt and forestock moldings. Looks like now it will come in around 45-50hrs. Cleaning up sand castings, making your own pipes, sideplate and muzzle cap eats up a lot of time.

 

[sawyer04]

I didn't intend to work on weapons other than my own 45 years back. I had an old buffalo forge, leg vise , anvil in an old lean-to with a work bench.
I have never entertained the fact of making a living with the trade, but have been pleasantly surprised how busy I have been. Still, I do believe it is possibly to make simple existence with the trade and treat the customer fairly.
I never kept track of the time it took to repair, build, or assemble kits the firearms, I think that is called a hobbyist.

 

[Rich]

Let see, if you can sell a good quality built rifle for about 17,000 dollars, you may be even with kit cost and hourly rate.

 

[tenngun]

Well I’m not a pro, and it’s a hobby not a job. I’m real good at turning7-800 dollars of parts in to a 7-800 dollar gun.
Let’s say you do have 700 dollars worth of parts and build the gun in hundred hours. You have to sell it for 2200 to pay fifteen dollars an hour.
At fifteen dollars an hour the builder could never afford his product

 

[Robby]

I'm retired and make these guns because I have a passion for it. I have gotten much more than money could possibly compensate me for my time.
Robby

 

[Dr5x]

It took me seemingly forever in building my first ML from a R/C kit.I was very pleased with the result. Years later I learned that the stock that I didn't adjust too much carried a lot of excess wood that could and should have been sanded down a great deal resulting in a better looking and lighterbHawken, By that timeI had already given that rifle as well as my far more expensive Hawken copy to my grandson who politely accepted them but for which he had no interest.. I sort of wish I had them back. Not to shoot but just too look at and remember "them good old days"

Dutcj

We build for fun, or most of us do. It ain’t easy making a living building guns.
An extra hour or ten pays off for us with a job we’re satisfied with. Just for fun I’m keeping a log on my build. Today I logged in my twelfth hour. Back in the old days folks most guys worked as long as it was light. Summer longer then winter, but in general twelve hours a day. Yeah they had some dinner time and big breakfast but for S&G I’m going to call it a twelve hour day.
In that twelve hours I got my lock frizzen hammer top plate trigger plat and trigger polished.
I don’t think I’d make a living as a gunbuilder

 

[Comfortably_Numb]

Well I’m not a pro, and it’s a hobby not a job. I’m real good at turning7-800 dollars of parts in to a 7-800 dollar gun.
Let’s say you do have 700 dollars worth of parts and build the gun in hundred hours. You have to sell it for 2200 to pay fifteen dollars an hour.
At fifteen dollars an hour the builder could never afford his product

I'd just as soon keep a gun than only get $15/hr for it.

 

[RHensley]

Well I’m not a pro, and it’s a hobby not a job. I’m real good at turning7-800 dollars of parts in to a 7-800 dollar gun.
Let’s say you do have 700 dollars worth of parts and build the gun in hundred hours. You have to sell it for 2200 to pay fifteen dollars an hour.
At fifteen dollars an hour the builder could never afford his product

Like others I build for the fun of it. To be able to build a firearm then take it hunting and harvest an animal with that firearm. Now I started this back in the 73 ish area. That was my first build. I hunted with it for a couple of years then sold it to my brother for what the parts cost to build another. and it's been like that for the last 20 rifles. Now I will carry one or two of my rifles in the safe to the local gun shop. When they sell I'll start another. I enjoy working with wood and metal.

 

[Kansas Jake]

RHensley, I like your attitude. I also, don't begrudge the folks who get much more for their beautiful work we see either.

 

[Cruzatte]

I haven't been keeping a journal counting the actual hours I've spent on my FDC. But I did start a photo journal of sorts beginning at the first components arrived. Due to some back issues, it seems I can only spend less than an hour at a time on it, more's the pity.

 

[tenngun]

I’m at 36 hours now. Lockplate is inlet barrel is partially inlet, now I have to move it back about 3/8 of an inch.
Cut twice measure once right?
I bought my parts from sitting fox. I had ordered a straight 42 inch barrel, .54 smooth. Turned out they couldn’t deliver that, so gave me some upgrades on my order. Breeched the barrel and dovetailed and soldered the under lugs. So I inlet the the barrel upside down . The barrel is sitting in the channel lugs up and I measure how far back I have to move thebarrel to line up the touch hole.
Then thought to my self I ought to put a witness mark where the touch hole will go. Got out my center punch and went to mark .... and just before I taped go ‘oops!!! Wrong side dummy.” Clearly I’m not a pro!

 

[Comfortably_Numb]

I'm at the same point as you on my current gun. I have 5 1/2 hours in mine.

 

[tenngun]

I had a problem getting my order in, and my dealer, sitting fox, upgraded me. One of the upgrades I got was lugs places, one dove tailed two soldered on.
I had to inlet all three at once... not fun but all done. Now on to tang/ breechblug.

 

[Rifleman1776]

Howzabout some progress pics?

 

[tenngun]

 

[tenngun]

About an hour or two to get the tang all the way down, then inlet lock parts, pins to the lugs,triggers ect ect