Really, he's not. The people that are willing to pay what he charges know how long it takes. The lead time is more of a testament to how many people want what he's offering. There are quite a few good smiths with multiple year leads and that's just how it is. Some of them try to balance that with some lighter work. Stan Chen comes to mind. Others close their books as was previously discussed.
Think about it - if it took you forty hours to crank out a gun, you're only building a few dozen a year. True art pieces these are. All you need is a hundred people that want one and you're booked three years out. The problem is, a lot of people underestimate the demand for this kind of thing.
Bookmarks