Looking at a gun which needs to be sleeved. Anybody have a current suggestion who to have it sleeved by and what the normal cost is now? I would like to get it sleeved, before shipping it here. I do not know who to use, as the couple contacts I had, have retired and one I think is dead. For all I know they were sending them out to someone else in the trade and acting as a middle man, not that that would matter to me. £3,000 was the last quote I had for a top level job, with two options of £2,000 as a "decent" job and £1,350 as the "economy" version. Is that still the going rate?
There are three guns in the Holt's upcoming sealed bid, I would love to buy, which all really need to be sleeved. I have thought about just using Briley tubes in them and shooting them as is but the extra weight would change them too much I am afraid. I do not like near eight pound small bores. They are not in the stock, action and cut barrels category yet, but very thin walls, black powder proof, with pits and dents, that are in the .016 or under range. To me that says sleeve me or pass. I might try saving one of them if I could get a handle on the sleeving cost.
My favorite listing is that endless money pit we all think would be cool do, but which in real life you hate before you ever get it finished. About the only thing not needing attention are the hammers and maybe side plates. Barrels are a mess, stock a complete mess, off face, trigger guard slightly bent, you can just see the piles of money needed to put it right. That £250-500 gun soon becomes a $3-4,000.00 gun or twice that much and that could buy a very nice gun, without the need for so much of an overhaul. But still it is such a great looking money pit.;)
