A completed gun of that style can be had for about $250, maybe slightly less on the low-end. A kit for that style of gun can be had for about $200. These kits are pre-inletted, the stocks are 95% or more shaped, and the metal work is ready for finishing. Total build time may be only a few hours. Mostly sanding, staining, and bluing/browning. Easy-mode, great first time projects. Just starting out, they're what I'd recommend. I've seen completed Kentucky Pistols for as low as $125 through Cabela's.
The low-end guns work, just not all that well in many instances. Many of them work "fine", for people who don't want to pay the best prices for the best guns. That's ok, but realize you DO get what you pay for...
In a flintlock, you may find the frizzen isn't the best, or hardened quite the best, so sparks aren't the best. That leads to ignition problems. Then, the flint may not point to the center of the pan, which leads to more ignition problems. Then, the flash-hole may not be positioned (or shaped) correctly, which leads to either excessive delay between pan ignition and main charge ignition, or no ignition at all. Percussion guns come with a whole slew of their own issues, which is probably why the in-line surge is going so strong nowadays...
The VAST majority of flintlocks on the market look nice, but have those problems. It's no wonder that the "modern" view of flintlocks is so poor. Even among people who live/breathe black powder firearms, very few have ever fired a high-quality flintlock. Movies generally showcase the flintlock delay, and exaggerate it by poor loading practice. "Last of the Mohican's" comes to mind, although I love that movie...
In a very real sense you can take the final price, and divide it three ways. Lock, Stock, and Barrel. In a $150 firearm, the barrel costs no more that $50 (after retail markup). While the lock is vital for ignition, the barrel is vital for accuracy (as is the trigger, and fast, predictable ignition). The stock looks nice, and needs to fit you, but really just holds all of the parts next to each other.
The gun I built, I built from components, and the total for parts without finishing cost me about $550- $600, took me about 60 hours to build, and runs in the $1200-2000 range complete (which is far too much for me, hence built it myself...). The stock was not inletted for any of the parts, the metal parts were "raw". I used a vice, hack saw and chisels to cut the dovetails for the tenons and sights, etc... These parts came with no diagrams or instructions. I had to do the research on all the "how to" and "what order to" aspects, and apply them to this specific project. Very high-quality lock, match-grade barrel blank, etc..
Now I get to play with it!
The woodwork is easy for me, even with hand tools. I have a degree in art, and woodcarving was my medium (don't do it much anymore). I also have lots of professional experience with designing and building custom cabinetry. The metal work is tougher for me, I do some blacksmithing, and have a forge and tools, but no formal training or modern milling tools or ability.
