Re barrell

Shaner82

I know this varies greatly depending on barrel and action but ballpark what can I expect to pay for a custom barrel and fitting by a smith

Shaner82

It's a .308 by the way

Cass

On the low end, €750. Average, €950. High end, €1,100.

There is no Godly reason for paying more than this for any barrel. The average price of re-barreling (the work/labour) is €300 - €350. The most expensive barrel for a .308 i've seen was £595 (€750). Hence the high price of €1,100.

Only once have i seen a guy ask for more (€1,250), but this was to include the price of a reamer than the smith did not carry.

Average prices for barrels are:

• Bergara: €350
• Benchmark: €400
• TruFlite: €450
• Bartlein: €500 average, but can go as high as €750 for their match select & fluted range

I've never bought a Kreiger or Lothar Walther but the price are on a par with Bartlein, and maybe slightly higher.

It really does depend on not only make, but whether it's fluted, the profile, length, etc.

Shaner82

It will be 20 inch for stalking so light and maybe fluted depending on price

Cass

Ring around and find out average prices of different makes and different lads to do it.

All barrels come slightly longer than you request so the smith can work on them. He'll cut it, thread it (for the receiver/action), crown, and if wanted thread for a suppressor. The threading for the suppressor might cost extra.

Shaner82

Will I have to get action blue printed as well or it it advisable ??

Cass

I have a fairly unpopular opinion of blue printing.

Truing an action can sometimes be necessary. However at a cost of between €200 - €300 (depending dealer) i can only tell you this much. I have shot with lads that have used Remington action and other actions as their starting point. Twwo specific lads come to mind. One had his trued, and the other did not. Once zeroed both rifles held the same verticals at 1,000 yards. IOW there was no difference, but one lad paid €250 more for his gun than the other.

I assume you are using the gun for hunting with the 20", light barrel. There is absolutely no need to spend the type of money they are ask for to true and action/barrel for shooting that will be at most up to 300 yards. Even out further.

Take my Two Remmies. Both are factory set. Both can shoot 1 & 1.5" at 300 yards with factory ammo. I've tried the 5R Mil-spec out to 800 yards and it's a little tack driver. Holds sub MOA at 800 yards (that's under 8") with a 5 shot group of 3.125 inch, making it sub 1/2 MOA . The other i've only just got so haven't tried it at that distance.

Others will tell you it's a must. Frankly i don't believe in doing something because it's "just done". I prefer to see the actual results.

The other side of the argument is you might come across a rifle that is so poorly aligned that truing is necessary. Well the answer there is simple. If after the barrel is fitted nothing you do can make itt hit where you want, then look at getting it done. There is no difference to having a rifle trued after than when getting fitted. The dealer will charge you the same for having to remove the barrel and do it later as he would when he has the new barrel ready to fit.

Personally i'd be more interested in having the rifle Glass/pillar bedded first.

Shaner82

Itthe action is a saur and tbh I think it's fine
As you said max range will be 300 yards
I'm looking at getting a new lightweight stock and bedding job as well
It's a target rifle that's just too heavy but I really like the action so looking at options . If it gets to ridiculos money I'm not goin to bother
I'm just contacting usual lads trying to get ballpark figures to get work done
The barrell is fairly well shot out at this stage that's why that has to be done but one smith reckons new barrell and stock could bring weight down by 5-7 lbs so you would have accurate semi custom rifle without any paper work hassle etc hopefully !!!!

Cass

What make/model is the rifle? It must be some weight if 5-7 pounds can be saved.

Shaner82 wrote: »

The barrell is fairly well shot out at this stage ...............

How many rounds do you reckon it has shot? How old is it?

The reason i ask is most .308 rifles will easily do 7,500 rounds. As a minimum. Hell even target rifles that used reloaded ammo, and fire "hotter" loads than factory stuff can do 3,500+ at a minimum.

So saying the gun is shot out is either not the case or an inaccurate description. I've seen "shot" out guns that have been:

• Recrowned
• Cut and recrowned
• Rechamber and recrowned

...... and then shoot like a new rifle. Total cost, a max of €300 (starting at €90).

Shaner82

Ssg 3000 nearly 13 lbs weight. A dealers scoped it and showed me. It looked fairly bad
I'm looking to get a handy stalking rig and not getting much takers for trade in so just exploring this route is all
I bought it a few years ago and was a bit green. Looked cool and seemed spotless i etc but abviously had a good few rounds down her
Whatever I buy this time I intend it to do me for life so don't mind buying a bit of quality hence gunsmithing route or new rifle.
Im trying to gauge if I buy tikka sako etc I reckon by the time you bed it or get a nice thumbhole stock for it etc I could have same spent on the saur which as I said is lovely action

Cass

I had the SSG205 in 6.5x55 for years. Same as your one, it was very heavy and i used it for stalking even though it was really a target rifle.

One thing about the Sauer/SSG. You might find yourself in some bother with a rebarrel. Sauer use an unusual method for their chambers so rebarreling is/can be a nightmare. You cannot remove the barrel and replace it with a custom one. One lad with the same SSG205 as myself tried it and it very, very expensive. In the end the smith had to cut the factory/original barrel an inch or two past the action/receiver, thread that bit of barrel, and then thread the custom barrel to screw onto this piece of original barrel. Basically he but and extended the original barrel with a custom one.

Now it worked, but if he made any mistake he was screwed as he would have had to buy a new barrel from Sauer, and do the same again. I don't know if the SSG 3000 is the same. Even Border Barrels in Scotland (a very well know, and respected company) have separate prices for rebarreling Sauers and they are much higher than the standard rebarrel of most other rifle makers.

As for trade value. Unfortunately you're in the same position as i was myself with the SSG 205. The gun is a cracking gun, but too heavy for stalking and just not up to spec for proper target work. I got a bad price when i traded mine, but the alternative, a rebarrel & stock change, was going to cost in excess of €1,500 so i traded the gun, and used €600 to change the rifle entirely. Now that was a target rifle to another target rifle, but the same applies here.

Make sure the re-barrel can be done. Then consider the amount of €1,500 as a base price for the rebarrel and stock (which i think is low tbh), and ask yourself is it:

• Worth it
• Can you recoup this money if you trade later
• Cheaper to just take a lower trade offer and take the "hit" now.

Shaner82

If I got the lot done for 1500 or 1600 I'd be happy
I emailed one gunsmith down South who has a good name and he said he had done work before and didn't mention any problems
I just have to bring it down and see what they say
Just trying to get ball park figure of ye guys
Thanks for all the input and effort by the way

Cass

Shaner82 wrote: »

If I got the lot done for 1500 or 1600 I'd be happy

As said above the highest i would pay for any rebarrel, even if there were problems would bee €1,100. Even at that i'd choke a little unless it included glass/pillar bedding. Just make sure you get a break down of prices and be aware of "tax" being added when it's not applicable.

I emailed one gunsmith down South who has a good name and he said he had done work before and didn't mention any problems

Perhaps the same issue with the SSG 205 is not present in the SSG 300. As said above it can be done, and Border Barrels in Scotland have "kits" to do it. So no impossible at all, but it was "chancy" and hence a hard work. To me anyway. Perhaps gunsmiths, used to doing this, see it as much simpler.

I just have to bring it down and see what they say

That is your best bet. If you're not sure on the price, costs, time, etc. don't leave your gun. This is not a reflection on any gunsmith/RFD, but it's hard to say "no thanks" when you're on the spot. It's easier to politely refuse, go home, think about your options and then make a decision. If necessary go back down.

Just trying to get ball park figure of ye guys
Thanks for all the input and effort by the way

I've kinda run away with myself on this thread, but have been down this road many times over the years.

Cass

Sorry, one last thing.


Take whatever you are being offered for your rifle as trad or selling. Add a minimum of €1,500 to it, with the possibility of €2,000 and ask yourself what you could buy with the value of the SSG and this cash.

Also when in a gunsmiths have a look at what they have in stock. It might be better to trade your rifle to them, as they would deal with those type of guns more frequently than other RFDs, then add less money than it would take to customise your own gun, to this gun and have a stalking rifle turned into a true tack driver for less money than you are planning on spending now.

Shaner82

Sound cass
Thanks again