Tapos Gunsmithing, LLC is a full-service gunsmith shop in Iowa owned and solely operated by Gunsmith Alex Christenson. He repairs, restores, and customizes all makes, models, and action types. Specialties include antique shotgun restorations, rifle restorations, rifle accurizing, custom rifle building, and parts machining. This list in not a complete nor conclusive encompassing of all the work that can be done, and all prices are subject to change for any reason at any time. For a better estimate or for any questions please give me a call or text at (563) 503-0423 or email alexc@taposgunsmithing.com.

NEW FOR 2026!!!

Tapos Gunsmithing now offers laser engraving!! I can laser engrave any metals, polymers, and some leathers. See in the list below for pricing.

Here's the rundown of my gunsmithing services and prices:

A Couple of Notes:

●  This isn't everything I do, and prices can change. Think of these as estimates.

●  Prices don't include tax.

●  Got a project? Call me at (563) 503-0423 or email alexc@taposgunsmithing.com.

Transfer Fees

●  Non-NFA Firearm Transfer: $35 for 1st on transfer paperwork (4473) and $5 per each additional item on that same form

●  NFA transfer (suppressor, SBR, etc.): $100

●  Fingerprinting for NFA items: $50 one-time fee. Electronic file provided to customer that is available for future NFA item purchases and transfers

My Time & Your Gun

●  Per Man Hour: $150.00

●  Machining Per Hour: $175.00

●  Minimum Charge Per Gun (unless same-day service): $60.00

●  Written Appraisals/Estimates of Work: $60.00 (per gun)

Basic Cleaning

●  Clean & Oil: $90.00+ (strip it, clean it, check for wear, and suggest other services if needed)

Metal Finishing

●  Rust Bluing/Browning: $350.00+

●  Fire Bluing (small parts): $100.00+ (polishing extra)

●  Alumahyde II Epoxy Spray (single color): $170.00+ (assembly/disassembly extra)

●  Wire Brush Stainless Steel: $85.00+

●  Jewel/Engine-Turning Bolt: $120.00+

●  Metal Checkering: Hourly Rate

●  Engine-Turning Small Parts (Jeweling): Hourly Rate

●  Draw-Filing: Hourly Rate

Laser Engraving

●      Laser Engrave Simple Text: $35

●      Caliber Marking: $35

●      Laser Engraving of Name/Trust, City, and State for NFA Items: $35

●      Laser Engrave Basic Design: 1 time setup cost of $75 then $65 for each additional

●      Laser Engraving Custom Job: Hourly Rate

Sight Work

●  Sight In Your Gun: $100.00 (ammo/targets extra)

●  Bore Sighting: $40.00

●  Pattern Shotgun: $85.00 (ammo/targets extra)

●  Drill & Tap Barrel/Receiver (per hole): $40.00+

●  Cut Dovetail in Barrel: $140.00+

●  Install Rifle Dovetail Sight: $70.00+

●  Install Front Sight Ramp

○   Sweat-on: $120.00+

○   Screw-on (includes drill & tap): $80.00+

○   Band type: Hourly Rate

●  Install Insert in Pistol Sight: $60.00+

●  Install Front/Mid-Rib Shotgun Bead: $60.00+ (plus bead cost)

○   Plug hole and re-drill: $120.00+

●  Install Receiver Sights (if already drilled/tapped): $40.00+

●  Scope Mounting (pre-drilled/tapped, includes bore sighting): $70.00

Barrel, Action & Rifle Work

●  Check Headspace: $70.00+

●  Make Chamber Cast: $120.00+

●  Remove Stuck Fired Case: $70.00+

●  Remove Live Round: $150.00+

●  Remove Obstruction from Bore: Hourly Rate

●  Remove Fouling from Barrel: Hourly Rate + Materials

●  Lap Barrel: $175.00+

●  Install Liner in Barrel: $250.00+ (liner/bluing extra)

●  Cut and Crown Barrel (Rifles/Shotguns/Handguns): $140.00+

●  Chamber and Fit Barrel to Action: $350.00+ (barrel, action, polishing, bluing extra)

●  Install Pre-Fit Barrel: $175.00+ (polishing/bluing extra)

●  Install Muzzle Device (pre-threaded barrel): $35.00+

●  Thread Barrel on Lathe: $175.00+

●  Flute Barrel (Straight flutes only): $175.00+

●  Pin and Weld Muzzle Device: $80.00

●  Install Barrel Band Swivel: Hourly Rate

●  Lap in Bolt Lugs: $160.00+ (setting back barrel/new barrel fitting extra)

●  Welding on New Bolt Handle: $150.00+

●  Make and Install Spring: Hourly Rate

Safety Installs

●  Dakota, Gentry, Mod 70 Type w/shroud: $175.00+ (plus finishing)

●  Mark II/Beuhler type: $60.00+

●  Chapman Swing Safety Lever: $80.00+

Trigger Installation and/or Adjustment

●  Shilen, Timney, Dayton-Traister, Moyer type: $70.00+

●  Double-Set: $175.00+

●  Single Set: $70.00+

Shotgun Specifics

●  Long Forcing Cone:

○   Non-plated bores (per barrel): $200.00+

○   Plated bores (per barrel): $250.00+

●  Resolder Rib: Hourly Rate (bluing extra)

●  Resolder Forend Lug: Hourly Rate (bluing extra)

●  Raising Dent in Barrel: $150.00+ (bluing extra)

●  Polish Chamber/Bore: $150.00+

●  Back-Boring (non-plated bores, per barrel): Hourly Rate

●  Open/Modify Choke (non-plated bores, per barrel/tube): $175.00+

●  Install Screw-In Choke (plus tubes, non-plated bore): $250.00+

●  Port Barrel (per barrel): $150.00+

●  Refitting Hinge Pin Lug: $275.00+

●  Machine and Install New Hinge Pin: $300.00+

Muzzle Loader Work

●  Pull Ball: $100.00+

●  Remove Broken Ramrod: $150.00+

●  Stuck Breech Plug: $120.00+

Handgun Work

●  Revolver Action Job: $150.00+ (clean, smooth action, parts extra)

●  Rebarrel Revolver: $175.00+ (labor only for factory barrel)

●  Semi-Auto Pistol Action Job: $170.00+ (clean, smooth action, parts extra)

●  Cut Slide for Dovetail Front Sight: $90.00+ (sight extra)

●  Install Front Sight (existing dovetail): $35.00+ (sight extra)

●  Install Rear Sight (existing dovetail): $35.00+ (sight extra)

●  Hand Stipple Polymer Frame: Hourly Rate

●  Cut Slide for Optic (Red dot): $175.00+

●  Port Slide and Barrel: $175.00+

●  1911 Specific Work:

○   Bevel Magazine Well: $90.00+

○   Checker Front of Frame: $200.00+

○   Fit New Trigger: $90.00+ (trigger extra)

○   Fit Custom Hammer: $90.00+ (hammer extra)

○   Fit New barrel, Not including barrel

■  Non-Ramped Barrel: $150.00+

■  Ramped Barrel: $225.00+

Stock Work

●  Fit Barreled Action to Pre-Finished Stock (Boyd's Laminate, etc.): $120.00+

●  Inletting & Finishing Rough Inlet Stock: $600.00+ (checkering, recoil pad, etc. extra)

●  Prefinished synthetic stock

●  Fit and install barreled action: $150.00+

●  Wood Finishing:

○   Hunter Finish (unfilled oil/lacquer): $200.00+

○   Gunsmith Finish (filled, rubbed oil): $275.00+

○   High-gloss Oil Finish: $450.00+

○   Spray Finish (lacquer/polyurethane): $175.00+

●  Recutting Checkering (per panel):

○   Simple: $150.00+

○   Complicated: $200.00+

●  Glass Bedding Barrel & Action:

○   Hunting Rifle: $150.00+

○   Match Rifles (M-1 Garand, M1A, etc.): $250.00+

○   Pillar Bed: $200.00+

●  Install Recoil Pad (labor only): $80.00+

●  Install Adjustable Butt Plate (labor only): $125.00+

●  Install Adjustable Comb Hardware: $350.00+

●  Install Sling Swivels (Std and Q/D): $70.00+

●  Install Stock Cross Bolt (not including refinish): $80.00+

Recoil Reducer

●  Simple installation in butt stock: $90.00+

●  Hydraulic butt plate-style (Gra-Coil or Counter Coil®): $250.00+

●  Drill Stock & Install Recoil Reducer: $150.00+

AR-Style Rifle/Pistol Work

●  Maintenance:

○   Cleaning (complete disassembly, clean, safety check, oil, reassemble): $90.00

○   Rebuild (new spring & gas rings added to Maintenance Cleaning): $150.00

●  Install Aftermarket Trigger: $70.00

●  Install Aftermarket Forend/Free-Float: $70.00+

●  Assemble Complete Upper: $75.00+

●  Assemble Complete Lower: $75.00+

●  Assemble Complete Rifle: $150.00+

●  Open Gas Ports for Functioning: $90.00+

●  Install or Replace Gas Block: $70.00+

●  Install or Replace AR Barrel: $70.00+

●  Install or Replace Buttstock & Buffer Tube: $35.00

Package Deals

●      Handguns

o   Optic Cut in Slide, Cut Slide for Ports, and Port Barrel: $390.00+

o   Full Tune-Up (Plus Cost of Parts)

▪        Trigger Job, Action Smoothing, Undercut, Stippling (if Polymer Frame), Slide and Barrel Porting: $550

●      Rifles

o   Fit Chrome-Moly Barrel Blank to Action, Chamber, Thread Muzzle, and Rust Blue (Plus Cost of Barrel Blank, Receiver, etc.): $875.00+

o   Fit Stainless Steel Barrel Blank to Action, Chamber, and Thread Muzzle (Plus Cost of Barrel Blank, Receiver, etc.): $600

o   Thread Muzzle and Install Specific Muzzle Devices (Plus Cost of Specific Device)

▪        Thread Protector Only: $190.00+

▪        Time Muzzle Device: $200.00+

▪        Pin & Weld Muzzle Device: $250.00+

▪        Fit Custom Muzzle Device and Profile to Match Barrel: $220

Shop Work Policy

Guidelines and Procedures

Free In-Person Estimates

All customers are entitled to free in-person estimates. This allows my clients to understand the scope of the work required and the potential costs involved without any initial financial commitment. I encourage you to ask about cost of your project before committing to it. A lot of custom work and repairs are time consuming, and I respect your trust in me to do it. All I ask is you respect the amount of time I took to do it and recognize the associated cost.

Overnight Gun Policy

Any gun that remains in the shop overnight will incur a minimum cost of $60 per gun, regardless of whether any work is performed on it. This means if a gun is dropped off on the 1st and the customer decides to cancel the job on the 2nd, even with no work performed on the gun, there will still be a $60 fee to reclaim your property. This fee is necessary to cover the secure storage and handling of the item.

Shop Supplies Costs

All work will include an additional shop supplies cost. This consumable fee is charged to account for the wear and tear on the machines, tooling, and equipment. The amount will be 6% of the labor cost and detailed in the invoice provided to the customer.

Payment Policies

All estimates and cost guidelines are pre-tax amounts unless noted in written estimates. All work is subject to state sales tax.

Payment Deadline: Payment or arrangements for payment must be completed within 14 days after the work is finished. Failure to comply will result in a 10% late fee per week, which will be added to the total amount due.

Non-Payment and Item Recovery

Items that are not paid for, or for which payment arrangements have not been made, within 90 days of the completed work will be sold to recover the costs incurred. If the sale amount exceeds the cost of the work completed, the remaining balance will be mailed to the customer, minus a $35 transfer fee and applicable postage.

Billing for Outstanding Amounts After Non-Payment Sales

In cases where the sale of the item sold due to non-payment does not cover the cost of the work performed, the outstanding amount will be billed to the customer plus any applicable collection costs and attorney fees when applicable. This ensures that all costs are appropriately recovered.

Customer Communication

I will maintain open communication with my customers throughout the process. Notifications (text, email, and/or phone calls) will be made when the work is completed, or any other communication is necessary.

I do my best to provide an accurate estimated completion timeframe when work is dropped off, but things can change depending on unforeseen circumstances. In these situations, I will do my best to reach out and provide an updated estimated completion date, but the longer I spend doing that, the less time that is spent working on jobs. Same goes for those that insist on calling every few days asking, “Is it done yet?” While I respect that I have possession of your property, the time spent answering these questions also takes up time that could be spent working on that job. You will always be the first to know when I have an update on your project.

Thank you for choosing my services. I am committed to providing the highest quality workmanship with transparency and fairness in all my dealings.

Warranty Policy

My warranty policy covers all issues arising directly from workmanship. I take pride in my high-quality standards and stand behind the work I perform. Should any problems arise because of my workmanship, I will promptly address and rectify the situation.

For issues not directly related to my workmanship, they will be handled on a case-by-case basis. I commit to doing everything in my power within reason of resolving any concerns related to my work.

Expediting Fee

            Lead times can vary depending on the current workload in the shop. If current lead times are longer than desirable to the customer, an expediting fee of the greater sum of 20% of the labor cost or $20 can be paid to “skip the line” and get your work completed sooner. For example, if a job’s labor cost is $60-99, the expediting fee is $20. If the labor cost is $100+, the expediting fee is an additional 20% on the labor cost ($200=$40, $500=$100, $1000=$200). This policy can change depending on the situation and is up to my discretion on enforcing.

Firearm Transfer Fee Policy

Transfer Fees:

●       First firearm transfer per 4473: $35

●       Additional firearm transfers on the same 4473: $5 per firearm

Example Transfer Fees:

Number of Firearms

Transfer Fee

1-$35

2-$40

3-$45

Pickup Policy:

●       All firearms must be picked up within one calendar month from the date Tapos Gunsmithing receives the firearm from the transferring dealer.

Storage Fees for Transfers:

●       If a firearm(s) is not picked up within one calendar month, a $15 storage fee per firearm will be applied.

●       This $15 storage fee will accumulate monthly until the firearm(s) is picked up.

Abandoned Property:

●       If the accumulated storage fees reach the value of the firearm(s), or the firearm(s) is unclaimed for 6 calendar months, whichever occurs first, the firearm(s) will be considered abandoned property.

●       Abandoned firearms may be sold to a separate individual to recuperate the cost of the fees accumulated.

●       Transfer to the original buyer will only occur if the entire cost of the accumulated storage fees is paid.