** Is this about the time it take for BRAKE DOWN of INSPECTION & CLEANING

This what I see for time need for INSPECTION & CLEANING. Is this about right time for the work

Dave

INSPECTION & CLEANING BRAKE DOWN

Receive firearm inspection and make notes on condition 15
Paper work need by ATF (IN) 5
Removing stock 5
Disassemble firearm 15
Clean barrel 5
Clean small parts using q-tip for small holes 10
Clear receiver 5
Reassemble firearm with new spring if need 15
Reassemble Stock to barrel and receiver 10
Clear stock ( touch-up as need & lite polished) 5
Touch-up bluing as need 5
Inspection (making report) 10
Package firearm ready for customer 5
Paper work need by ATF (OUT) 5
.==========
Tolal time 115 min.

Hard question to answer. Condition and type of gun can change those figures quite rapidly.

Ok, reading this post and the previous one; where you tried to validate prices.

Now I’m not a “General” gunsmith, so I may be way out in left field but

A few comments

First it looks like you’re new to the business, or haven’t started yet. Try and think about ways to do it quick & efficient.

Think about solvent tanks, parts washers or ultrasonic cleaners.

When I disassemble all parts go into a wire basket, then into my cleaning tank, 24 hour soak, rinsed off, put into the oil tank then ready for assembly; 4-5 guns can be cleaning at one time, generally while I’m doing something else.

And as Lazarus brought up, the type of gun can have a significant impact. Most decent smiths can break down an M 70 or Ruger 10-22 in about 10 minutes, and reassemble in the same time. I’ve had doubles in here that took 2 days to reassemble and get to function correctly.

Inspection, what kind of inspection are you going to do? are you going to do a function check with dummy rounds and check headspace? Or is this a look and see if I can spot anything? Scratch in the receiver..ding in the stock. Bottom line is that the customer can see that ding in the stock, he wants it safe to fire, and if it isn’t he wants to know what it will take to make it so.

Cold Blue…is this with or without the customer’s permission? Cold blue has only one use in my shop… that’s to determine if a gun is nickel plated, otherwise it don’t touch a customer’s gun. To me Cold Blue is always a sign of amateur hour.

Mike Hunter
Hunter Restorations
Hunter Restorations – Color Case Hardening, Winchester Restorations