A mind is a terrible thing to lose.
I believe that the barrel was around $ 355 or $375. At the time I was purchasing, it was the ONLY short barrel I could find in one of the calibers I was seeking, and I would have paid more. I didn't want to wait 12 weeks for a special order - I just don't have that kind of patience. I spent extra to have the barrel shipped next day to meet me on the road at a hotel, and the total including shipping was under $400.
The front sight is a TC fiber optic from (I think) a pistol. I had a machine shop drill and tap the barrel to mount it. I'm still working on a rear sight. I tried a scope base/peep sight combo (If you look REAL close you can see the peep on the ramp at the back of the scope base). That peep is actually for the muzzleloaders. Since the barrel is slightly tapered (It's a heavy barrel configuration) the front sight is too low.
What I'm working on is an iron sight configuration to use as backup in case the scope poops out. I can either get a shim made to raise the front sight or find a rear sight to mount in "scout" fashion forward of the scope base. If the latter, I'd have to remove the scope base to use the sights.
Anyway I couldn't be more pleased. Groups less than 1" at 100, less than 2" at 200 off the bags. And it breaks down small enough to fit in a backpack!