Home Forums Hunting & Shooting Canada Elwood Epps Custom Rifles

Ellwood had a very good reputation among shooters, but could be crusty. I am not aware of any other Canadian shop that had a catalog as big as his. When he started, private gunsmiths were the driving force behind change, progress and experimentation. Ellwood talked about revitalizing military surplus rifles - Enfields, Lee Enfields, Mausers and others, improving cartridges, etc. back when stocks and chambers were not created using equipment controlled by computers. Everything was hand fitted. He did his share of new, custom pieces as well.

Canadians had heard of Ackley, if they read the magazines or bought books. Back then, there was no television or Internet, so the world was a smaller place. Ellwood's catalog was popular for many years. Probably from the early 1950s to mid 70s. Ellwood died in the early 2000s but the business was purchased from Epps by George Winkel in the mid 1990s. His stuff comes up on auction from time to time, but the store doesn't have any original pieces. It's been too many years.

https://ellwoodepps.com/epps-ellwood-custom-krag-rifle-30-30-ackly-imp.html





The shop he started is still open, but like a lot of businesses, it has changed. I suppose it's to be expected. A lot of the clientele are into black rifles and tactical stuff. That's progress.