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View Full Version : Custom Engraving Cost?


Kirk Potter
03-26-2017, 07:12 PM
Anyone have a receiver entirely custom engraved? Ballpark cost?

Dean Romig
03-26-2017, 08:12 PM
Geoffroy Gournet engraved my trigger guard in the Bulino style for $300 or $350... (I don't remember the exact amount) I guess my point is different engravers charge different prices. It is better that you get estimates from various engravers.


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Kirk Potter
03-26-2017, 08:25 PM
I'd really like to someday have a custom shotgun built. I was looking at a CSMC Fox, but it's looking like that's out of my price range for now. I saw the custom C grade Parker thread on here and thought maybe that would be a cool way to go, I have a particular B grade engraving design I really like.

Brian Hornacek
03-26-2017, 08:50 PM
Depends on what you want, $1000 to $10000. Best to find an example of what you want and get a few estimates.

Perazzi $6k-$7k
Fox $4k-$5k
63 $1k-$1.5k
61 $600-800
12 $1k-$1.5k

Brian Dudley
03-26-2017, 10:30 PM
The price of work will completely depend on the amount of work needed.

The best thing to do is get some examples of what you want and inquire with some engravers.

Kirk Potter
03-27-2017, 09:15 AM
I got a quote of $4k from Geoffroy Gournet for engraving the B grade design I like on a V grade.

Dean Romig
03-27-2017, 09:30 AM
Does that include the bead behind the breech balls?

Seems like a fair price.





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Rich Anderson
03-27-2017, 11:38 AM
That seems like a fair price to me as well. bob Strosin did Gunner's gun complete coverage along with the fore end and trigger guard for around $5K. You can do a search for Gunner's gun and find some nice pictures that another member took of it. JJ Roberts did the engraving on this rifle for a very reasonable amount and the turn around time was exceptional.
Bob's web site is www.resengraving.com and he might have some pictures of it as well.

Brian Dudley
03-27-2017, 01:20 PM
Does that include the bead behind the breech balls?

Seems like a fair price.





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Unless specified, i would think that any engraving quote would be for the engraving itself, not the prep or alterations. The frame would likely need to be given to the engraver annealed, old engraving polished out, prepped and bead added. Especially since that bead would require welding and filing.
,brian

Tim Wells
03-27-2017, 03:52 PM
Depends on what you want, $1000 to $10000. Best to find an example of what you want and get a few estimates.

Perazzi $6k-$7k
Fox $4k-$5k
63 $1k-$1.5k
61 $600-800
12 $1k-$1.5k

Very good advise.

Kirk Potter
03-27-2017, 08:17 PM
Seems like a fair price.

I thought so too, I'll have to see what my all in cost would be before making a decision.. Finding a decent enough VH to build off of, having a custom stock made, preparing metal for engraving, etc.

Kirk Potter
03-27-2017, 08:19 PM
Rich, Gunner's Parker is truly a work of art, and a beautiful tribute to a great dog.

Bill Murphy
03-27-2017, 10:08 PM
My Becker Fox project involved #1, buying the gun, the right gun with absolutely no mechanical or excessive wear problems. #2, having the entire gun prepped, annealing, all sculpting, filing, polishing, screw making, planning. This involved many meetings and emails to plan details. #3, off to the stockmaker with a blank that you painstakingly selected and paid for. Many meetings with the stockmaker with your special needs, dimensions, and features desired. Provide the stockmaker with the trigger guard and buttplate that you want him to use. Many more meetings and emails to plan your checkering patterns and inlays. My project is at this point right now and I have no idea what further effort will be required to get the gun engraved and finished. Good luck.

Bill Murphy
03-27-2017, 10:13 PM
Get Rich to tell you about the construction of Gunner's Parker. I owned Gunner's Parker for many years before it became what it now is. The raw material is important in a project. Gunner's Parker needed no mechanical work that I am aware of. Start your project with a good solid gun.

Rich Anderson
03-28-2017, 11:10 AM
Bill's advice is spot on when considering a custom gun. You don't want to start with a project gun to begin with. The VH I bought from Bill was the ideal beginning as it was perfect mechanically. This isn't an inexpensive undertaking and be advised that a custom gun is just that a gun that's for you and possibly your heirs. This isn't something you undertake with the idea of being able to sell sometime down the road and profit on. You rarely get your money back from such a project BUT it's a unique item to you and I personally wouldn't want it any other way. Gunner's gun and I have had some great days afield and on the clays course.

I'm thinking Daisy needs a gun as well, perhaps a long barreled Fox in a 20 or a 16. Thinking usually gets me into trouble especially when it's gun related:)

Kirk Potter
03-28-2017, 08:37 PM
Thanks everyone for the advice.

tom tutwiler
04-01-2017, 07:05 PM
Bill nailed just about everything. One thing I'll add is time and lots of it. The good thing is it allows lots of changes to be made because ideas evolve over time. On my Fox D upgrade, the walnut changed 3 different times in the 3 years involved in the project. The gun went from a straight grip to a round knob and back again a few times. Stockmakers time became elongated, engravers time became elongated. Ultimately the project came out perfect in every way possible from my point of view. PS. The other good thing about taking a long time is one has to write checks pretty far apart. I gave Gournet a deposit to get into his pipeline when I knew he wasn't going to see the gun for at least a year. In summary patience is is a virtue on these custom guns because these folks are true craftsmen and the really good ones are backed up always.

Dean Romig
04-01-2017, 07:11 PM
And we need to always remember - We are not their only customers.






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tom tutwiler
04-01-2017, 07:37 PM
And we need to always remember - We are not their only customers.






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Agree 100 percent Dean. I have other guns to shoot and I have lots of patience. Although I do recall one time when a certain engraver (not Gournet or Strosin) had a gun of mine in the white for over a year and never looked at it. I ended up picking it up and having to have the action and barrels repolished before they could go to another engraver to be finished. That was not a pleasant experience.

Rich Anderson
04-01-2017, 08:57 PM
If you have a plan and stick to it the time frame can be reduced dramatically. Gunner's gun from start to finish took a year.

Kirk Potter
04-01-2017, 09:16 PM
The other good thing about taking a long time is one has to write checks pretty far apart. I gave Gournet a deposit to get into his pipeline when I knew he wasn't going to see the gun for at least a year. In summary patience is is a virtue on these custom guns because these folks are true craftsmen and the really good ones are backed up always.

I kind of planned on this since I don't really have the funds to have everything done all at once.. If by the end of this year I've located a suitable VH or VHE and had the stock work started and maybe the metal surfaces prepared for engraving, then I'd be happy.

Also I've never had a custom stock fitted before so I don't even know my dimensions, so I'll have to get that done.. I've just always adjusted to whatever gun I was shooting.

tom tutwiler
04-01-2017, 09:42 PM
If you have a plan and stick to it the time frame can be reduced dramatically. Gunner's gun from start to finish took a year.

That's rather amazing for sure. It took me more then a year just to get in the que due to backlog of the craftsmen involved. In the case of the engravers, once they started on the projects, the turnaround was within 3 or 4 months.

Rich Anderson
04-02-2017, 10:38 AM
Bob Strosin did the engraving and I worked things around his schedule as far as stock work and metal prep went. Once he started everything moved quickly. I had the blank (this came from Cecil Fredi) picked out ahead of time. One smith did the metal prep and the stock work.

I have had several custom rifles built and the turn around time has been basically the same. I'm amazed at some of the times people tell me it takes to get a custom project done.

Gary Carmichael Sr
04-04-2017, 04:22 PM
Rich, You are right, if you are in a hurry you do not want to do a custom gun, The time for Matties gun was almost two years, worth the wait in my estimation, course it was a little more complex since it started life as a O grade 16 gauge hammer gun with twist barrels, now it has Vulcan steel barrels with the correct third hook. A steel barreled 16gauge hammer gun was what I was after. of course with some embellishments added. I would like to add a 40 cal sharps business gun one day. Gary

Rich Anderson
04-04-2017, 07:21 PM
Gary please enlighten me as to what a Sharps Business gun would be.

I think my next custom project will be a Fox small bore or another rifle in 6.5X55, the old Swede is still an excellent choice.

Bill Murphy
04-05-2017, 09:49 AM
Gary, who did your third hook job?

Gary Carmichael Sr
04-15-2017, 09:56 AM
Bill, Chris Dawe did the work and the stock work on Matties Gun

Gary Carmichael Sr
04-15-2017, 10:05 AM
Rich, Sharps business rifle was a no frills version of the 1874 sporting rifle, shorter round barrel and open sites, I would prefer 40 cal. This would be the platform to start from if you could find it! Gary

Gary Carmichael Sr
08-21-2017, 06:48 PM
Well Rich I have got to stop buying all these guns! Just bought a JD Schimdt over and under with side hammers and jones underlever in 45-70 made around 1915 or so should get it today or tomorrow, It is a back action with lots of engraving, Jim found the gun for me should be fun to shoot, Gary

Rich Anderson
08-21-2017, 08:47 PM
It sounds like it would be a blast to shoot. I have a Heym .500 B.P.E. rifle with hammers and a Jones under lever. It's a back action and fun to shoot and amazingly accurate for an iron sighted rifle. I hope to take a deer with it.

I have a line on a couple of Parker small bore but the jewel in waiting is a 16ga CHE that's got probably 80% case color, 30 inch barrels, PG. SPF. A really nice gun.

My daughter is getting married the end of September and that's not inexpensive:nono: