I'm thinking of getting a McMillan stock for my Remington 700. So naturally if I'm coughing up that much dough I want it done right so that means getting my action bedded and free floating the barrel. Ellwood Epps is the closest place to take it. Anyone have any experience with their work? Should I be looking elsewhere to get this job done?
Ellwood Epps Gunsmithing?
- Thread starter Gard
- Start date
"...getting my action bedded..." Starts at $100 at Epp's(long drive from Sudbury). Bedding a rifle isn't terribly difficult. You could do it yourself. Buy an Acraglas kit and roughen the inside of the stock.
Be advised that a synthetic stock will increase the felt recoil due to the lower weight. Not punishing more, but more.
Be advised that a synthetic stock will increase the felt recoil due to the lower weight. Not punishing more, but more.
Willy Tincup
CGN frequent flyer
- Location
- Owen Sound
What about Steve Holborn up in Warren?
shortaction
CGN Regular
- Location
- Manitoulin Island, Ontario
I have sent a couple of things to Ellwood Epps and have not been overly pleased with their work.
1st - Had them put a new recoil pad with a 3/8" spacer on a firearm for me. The fit was pretty good but they used the screws that came with the pad and they were too short and 1 came loose during the 1st range session when I got it back. Had to put in new screws.
2nd - Had them rebarrel a Rem Model 760 Pump which they assured me they had a gunsmith on staff that had done several and it wouldn't be a problem. It took forever. They told me the barrel I wanted had been refused at the border as their supplier's permit had expired, so they ordered me another barrel from another supplier but then it was delayed at customs for some other reason and by the time it was released the 1st problem had been solved so they got a barrel fromt the original supplier.
After the barrel arrived they assured me it would be done in less than 2 weeks. I didn't hear back for a month so I called and one of the guys at the desk goes to check on it and comes back and tells me it the barrel is all ready to go but just needs to be blued. I had order a stainless barrel but at this time I really didn't care just wanted my gun so I said that would be fine just call me when it is ready. Got the call a couple of weeks later and went down to pick it up. Guess what there was my gun with a nice stainless barrel so the guy that I was talking to was just feeding me a line of ####.
All happy now I took the gun home and went to try it out. It wouldn't feed shells worth a ####, the gunsmith hadn't sloped the bottom of the barrel properly and the nose of the shell would jam against it. I was so fed up with their service that I decided to fix it myself instead of taking it back. It only took about 20 minutes with my dremel tool and now it works great.
I have taken several things to Steve Holborn in Warren and have been really pleased with everything he has done but he is not to keen on bedding rifles so you would have to check to see if he would do it.
1st - Had them put a new recoil pad with a 3/8" spacer on a firearm for me. The fit was pretty good but they used the screws that came with the pad and they were too short and 1 came loose during the 1st range session when I got it back. Had to put in new screws.
2nd - Had them rebarrel a Rem Model 760 Pump which they assured me they had a gunsmith on staff that had done several and it wouldn't be a problem. It took forever. They told me the barrel I wanted had been refused at the border as their supplier's permit had expired, so they ordered me another barrel from another supplier but then it was delayed at customs for some other reason and by the time it was released the 1st problem had been solved so they got a barrel fromt the original supplier.
After the barrel arrived they assured me it would be done in less than 2 weeks. I didn't hear back for a month so I called and one of the guys at the desk goes to check on it and comes back and tells me it the barrel is all ready to go but just needs to be blued. I had order a stainless barrel but at this time I really didn't care just wanted my gun so I said that would be fine just call me when it is ready. Got the call a couple of weeks later and went down to pick it up. Guess what there was my gun with a nice stainless barrel so the guy that I was talking to was just feeding me a line of ####.
All happy now I took the gun home and went to try it out. It wouldn't feed shells worth a ####, the gunsmith hadn't sloped the bottom of the barrel properly and the nose of the shell would jam against it. I was so fed up with their service that I decided to fix it myself instead of taking it back. It only took about 20 minutes with my dremel tool and now it works great.
I have taken several things to Steve Holborn in Warren and have been really pleased with everything he has done but he is not to keen on bedding rifles so you would have to check to see if he would do it.
Harrier .45
Regular
- Location
- Ontario, north of Toronto
Curious questions:
1) How long ago did this happen?
2) Did you ever contact anyone at Epps regarding these issues?
3) Was there ever any attempt to have someone at Epps correct these issues?
Harrier .45
Regular
- Location
- Ontario, north of Toronto
Some minor observations:
-- Would this not suggest that the issue lies with the manufacturer? If the gun was not test fired (and why would it be to fit a recoil pad?) but the pad came loose upon firing, would it not stand to reason then that the screws were too short from the original packaging? Had this issue been brought to the attention of someone at Epps, it is reasonable to assume that they would have replaced the screws with a longer set without incident.
-- Ordering gun parts, especially barrels, out of the US is a costly and extremely time-consuming process. If you have never tried to import gun parts, take a minute and read up on the procedures outlined on the Epps website under Policies and Procedures. These steps are to bring a gun across the border. However, the process is nearly the same for parts valued at greater than $100.00, requiring detailed export permits, export licenses from the US-based seller, and importation permits from Canada Customs approved by the BATF and the US Department of State. Lengthy delays are becoming more and more common, with many guns and parts taking in excess of 6 months to cross the border. Just ask any Epps customer (or staff member) still awaiting delivery on guns that are now far overdue.
-- If you had ordered a stainless barrel, it would not be blued. Epps does not have the facilities to apply bluing to stainless steel. Rather than "feeding [you] a line of s**t", as you claim, it is likely that the person to whom you spoke was quoting the delivery time for the next existing batch of parts to be blued without realizing that your stainless barrel would not be included in that batch. Had you noted to that person that the barrel in question was stainless, you might have been advised of this.
-- As previously noted, if you were not happy with the fit and function of your gun, why was this issue not brought to the attention of someone at Epps? A home repair job with a Dremel tool is not gunsmithing. Should you not have considered having the qualified gunsmith who worked on your gun reexamine and complete the repair if it was lacking? Should you not have discussed this situation with a representative from Epps rather than bring it up here for the first time in a public forum?
And finally:
-- Since the OP of this thread was looking for advice concerning stock bedding and barrel floating, what purpose does it serve to suggest he contacts a gunsmith, who by your own admission, "is not keen on bedding rifles"? Kind of like asking David Miller to suggest which handgun one should buy, isn't it?
Again, just some observations.
-- Would this not suggest that the issue lies with the manufacturer? If the gun was not test fired (and why would it be to fit a recoil pad?) but the pad came loose upon firing, would it not stand to reason then that the screws were too short from the original packaging? Had this issue been brought to the attention of someone at Epps, it is reasonable to assume that they would have replaced the screws with a longer set without incident.
-- Ordering gun parts, especially barrels, out of the US is a costly and extremely time-consuming process. If you have never tried to import gun parts, take a minute and read up on the procedures outlined on the Epps website under Policies and Procedures. These steps are to bring a gun across the border. However, the process is nearly the same for parts valued at greater than $100.00, requiring detailed export permits, export licenses from the US-based seller, and importation permits from Canada Customs approved by the BATF and the US Department of State. Lengthy delays are becoming more and more common, with many guns and parts taking in excess of 6 months to cross the border. Just ask any Epps customer (or staff member) still awaiting delivery on guns that are now far overdue.
-- If you had ordered a stainless barrel, it would not be blued. Epps does not have the facilities to apply bluing to stainless steel. Rather than "feeding [you] a line of s**t", as you claim, it is likely that the person to whom you spoke was quoting the delivery time for the next existing batch of parts to be blued without realizing that your stainless barrel would not be included in that batch. Had you noted to that person that the barrel in question was stainless, you might have been advised of this.
-- As previously noted, if you were not happy with the fit and function of your gun, why was this issue not brought to the attention of someone at Epps? A home repair job with a Dremel tool is not gunsmithing. Should you not have considered having the qualified gunsmith who worked on your gun reexamine and complete the repair if it was lacking? Should you not have discussed this situation with a representative from Epps rather than bring it up here for the first time in a public forum?
And finally:
-- Since the OP of this thread was looking for advice concerning stock bedding and barrel floating, what purpose does it serve to suggest he contacts a gunsmith, who by your own admission, "is not keen on bedding rifles"? Kind of like asking David Miller to suggest which handgun one should buy, isn't it?
Again, just some observations.
My personal opinion is that the highest quality gunsmithing is available from SC Gunworks in Markham, On. I realize this is not at all close to Sudbury but for anyone able to reasonably travel the distance you will get the very finest in service and craftmanship. Most if not all dealers in the GTA send their most demanding jobs there. I believe posting a "hot link" would violate the posting guidlines but if you're interested in having a look at their web site copy and paste the address to your browser.
http://www.scgunworks.ca/
Ron
http://www.scgunworks.ca/
Ron
shortaction
CGN Regular
- Location
- Manitoulin Island, Ontario
Ya, I guess I could have taken both things back (10 hr round trip)!
Then my response would have been (supposing they got it right the second time). "Don't expect them to get it right the 1st time but if you take it back they will fix you up right the 2nd time."
Look I am the customer and the one spending the cash, if they are too busy to spend the time and get it right the 1st time I don't see any problem with letting fellow CGN's know that, maybe a little less work will give the "qualifed gunsmiths" the time to get it right!
Too add insult to injury when I got to Epps to pickup my gun, the wife and I where heading out on vacation, they had not done the firearms transfer yet and because it was a change of caliber and it was late in the afternoon they couldn't get it done that day and wouldn't let me have the firearm so we had to cancel our hotel reservations in Peterborough and stay the night in Orillia and go back in the morning to pick it up once the transfer was complete. To say my wife was pissed is a gross understatement!
And by the way any comparison of Steve Holborn to David Miller is an insult to highest degree.
Again, just some observations!
Don't be too hard on Epps.............they do pretty damn good for guessing & get it right most of the time.
Not to many other choices way up in the sticks in Northern Ontario.
I've taken minor repair stuff in there over the years and everything was good......but it ain't H & H, Purdey, Greener, Surgeon Custom Shop or even the Remington Custom Shop.
If you want an expert job done at a top notch custom gun shop then get ready to reach deep into that wallet ........a lot deeper than I'm prepared to reach.
Epps repair work is close, handy, reasonably priced and adequate for most of us GUNNUTZ in Ontario.
Epps is to gunsmithing what Crappy Tire is to auto repairs..........they ain't the best but they'll get you back on the firing line or into the tree stand or duck blind in a reasonable time without the necessity of having to take a second mortgage out on your house.
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