Home Forums Hunting & Shooting Custom Rifles & Wildcats TOP GUNSMITHS in CANADA

RIck

I hope you are not referring to my comment that the rifle took a long time. <img src="/ubbthreads/images/graemlins/confused.gif" alt="" />

I knew it was going to take some time long before I sent my rifle off to Bill. And, like you, I was completely fine with having to wait a little while longer for top notch work. <img src="/ubbthreads/images/graemlins/laugh.gif" alt="" />

Once again, I could not be happier with my rifle. <img src="/ubbthreads/images/graemlins/laugh.gif" alt="" />

Sorry Clarke, no not you. <img src="/ubbthreads/images/graemlins/blush.gif" alt="" />

PM on the way a bit later.

Where does Bill Leeper live - anyone have his number?

Leeper lives in ELko.

The truth of the matter is that there may well be no one gunsmith who is the "best" in Canada or anywhere else for that matter. Of those who are well regarded, all will have produced some very good work. All will have given the best service they could and all will have usually satisisfied their customers. I think it is safe to say that all will have, at some time, made a mistake, All will have occasionally given less than perfect service and all may have occasionally dropped the ball on a given job. Some may be very good gunsmiths and very poor businessmen. Some may be good at both. Some may be great at customer relations and some may have a personality which is a hinderance at best. The fact is, gunsmiths are just people!
I am certainly not Canada's best gunsmith or gunmaker. What I am is a competent tradesman who is truly grateful for the patience and tolerance shown by many customers!
I think the best craftsman in the gunsmithing trade in Canada right now is Martin Hagn. He has abilities and experience which is hard to imagine. On top of that, he is a prttey good designer as well. That his rifles are so Germanic is beside the point. His talent is impressive to me. His political beliefs may be a bit right of extreme and he may be a bit set in his ways (he IS German!) but he is darn sure good.
His partner, Ralph Martini is also a very good gunsmith and is getting better and better as time goes on. He shows me examples of work from time to time and he hasn't showed me anything I would not have been happy to have produced. I count Ralph and his wife as friends and they are good people.
I have known a few of the other gunsmiths mentioned quite well and for quite a long time.
Dennis Sorenson installed barrels for my Dad! This is not to say that Dennis is a lot older than I ( though he is!). Dennis is a very knowledgable and experienced gunsmith. Like any good 'smith Dennis' techniques and abilities have evolved and improved over the years.
Nobby Uno. I used to shoot BR with Nobby and he was always one of my favorite competitors. If I was shooting as well or better than Nobby, I was pretty happy with life. If I was producing work as good as Nobby's, I was happier yet. The one thing that kind of pisses me off about Nobby is just this; He doesn't seem to age! I swear he looks the same as he did 25 years ago.
I, on the other hand, have aged plenty and people often say things to me like, "Say, didn't you used to have dark hair? In fact, didn't you at least have hair? And a waistline?" My response probably does little to enhance my customer base!
Mick McPhee. Before he was a gunsmith or a barrelmaker, Mick did things to guns which were to be admired. He did some absolutely amazing work with tools which should have been inadequate for the job. Mick is another guy I have always liked and admired.
There are a whole bunch of others, some of whom I know and some of whom I don't but all of whom deserve recognition. Ted Gaillard, Ron Smith, Rob MacLennan, Vic Swindlehurst, Bevin King, Carey Stricker, David Henry and a host of others.
Ther are also some who are no longer with us or at least no longer active in the field. Guys like Al Pederson, Art Bourne, Don Robinson, Sam Elliott, Elwood Epps and more. These guys, along with their American contemporaries, influenced and inspired many of today's 'smiths.
Ultimately, the customer is often as important as the gunsmith. The customer's requirements and his willingness to work with the gunsmith can greatly influence the outcome of the job. Customers give the gunsmith the opportunity to gain experience and to get some feedback on his performance. On top of this, they buy his groceries!
I wish I could make rifles for everyone and that all would be thrilled to have them. Since this isn't going to happen though, I'm glad there are so many good, qualified, people out there that every one at least has a chance of getting what they desire.GD

Hagn's certainly right of extreme, would you change your name to Adolf?

His actual name from birth is Adolph Martin Hagn, what is wrong with that? Maybe it should be Chung Singh Multiculter????

If his nazi belief's were known to Imigration Canada when he got off the boat, he would have never got in. Hopefully they deport him real quick, and his Canadian version of Eva Braun, Kutenay( the closet chinaman?)

You really know nothing about what you are saying.
Were you aware that thee great benmchrest pioneer and opics maker John Unertl was German?

Heritage means nothing, a man's character means everything.
Just because a person may be of some race, creed or colour is no reason to paint him with a big brush...
Cat

The ignorance of this poster is about what one might expect from a troll who does not post his area of residence and labels a world famous gunmaker such as Adolf Hagn as a "Nazi"; I think that such bullschitt is best ignored.

This is my fault for having made an offhand reference to Martin Hagn's political beliefs. Whether he is or is not a Nazi has no real bearing upon the subject at hand. He is a gunsmith and a damn good one. I know a good number of people whose political or religious beliefs are, to me, questionable. Nonetheless, they are people who have my respect for other aspects of their being. I even feel grudging respect for some Liberals and one friend, otherwise normal in all respects, is an NDP supporter!
My point is, the subject is Canadian gunsmiths and their gunsmithing skills and perhaps, their customer relations. I was wrong to have brought up anything else. GD

The last time I was in Martin's shop and office I saw a change of name document rearranging his name to Martin Adolph Hagn. Whether or not this was an application or final document I can't recall. Regardless , he is a very fine and inventive gunmaker. I'd love to have one of his single shots, completed by him.

Ralf Martini is an exceptional machinist and can do custom work with the best of them. I am not aware of ever seeing any stock work by his hands and perhaps he doesn't do any.

I believe I probably saw the same Dakota bolt rifle that Kutenay has referred to. The choice of wood was not exceptional but the inletting was very high quality and the finish and checkering were quite competent.

Sometimes we tend to forget that not every customer has the money to request wood of the highest quality, or, the most elaborate checkering, and has to settle for a lesser grade and be satisfied with the workmanship. That is the purchasers option and does not necessarily reflect on the maker.

I heard I got slammed over on this site. After reading all the posts I don't feel so bad. I have never classified myself in the same ballpark as kutenay stated he prefers... "My idea of top workmanship in rifles is based on Hagn's singleshots and custom bolt rifles from major US makers."

I do remember talking to you kutenay but I don't remember your name... possibly Dave ? I believe I told you I don't do the kind of work you want. At one time I did custom stocks and metal work but you were talking about Weber and Hagn and others who are extremely talented. I believe I said I stopped doing custom work like that 15 years ago and that I never did work as fine as those smiths at any rate.

For the last 15 years I mostly do quality rebarreling on factory actions and using fiberglass stocks from McMillan and Brown Precision and a bit of "Benchrest Gunsmithing".

Sam Elliott was mentioned by Bill Leeper. I thought I would post a few pictures of a rifle Sam built about 1970. It is based on a 1952 Brno. He replaced the bolt handle and made a fantastic stock from an old French Walnut blank he had for many years. Sam was the finest craftsman I knew personally. He passed away August 27, 1994.

Enjoy the pictures. Click on the links below.

http://www3.telus.net/drswebspace/Brno/Brno1.JPG
http://www3.telus.net/drswebspace/Brno/Brno2.JPG
http://www3.telus.net/drswebspace/Brno/Brno3.JPG
http://www3.telus.net/drswebspace/Brno/Brno4.JPG
http://www3.telus.net/drswebspace/Brno/Brno5.JPG

That is a beautiful rifle. I wouldn't worry about getting slammed in this thread, I don't think there is a gunsmith inCanada that didn't get slammed.
Martin

Thanks Dennis-I havn't seen one of Sam Elliots rifles for a few years.His work always amazed me.Beautiful stock work and the metal finish was incredible.I don't think any one here will dispute this-his work stands well with any I've seen.That memory alone was worth this thread. Take it easy and go shooting.
Glenn

Thanks for posting. Didn't he have fun with that.It's well over the top,but not one line wrong.To do that goes beyond skill,into talent.

Well,
New to this site, and a new lucky owner this year of a Leeper .284 that Rick used to own. I have to say its the nicest gun I've ever had the pleasure of shooting, and all I can do now is worry about howlong it will last me, and where I'm gonna get my next one..hah. Seems like I'm slowly getting addicted to the 'Custom Guns' gang......
Dont know much about gunsmithing yet but here's my vote for Leeper....would love to meet him one day and tell him thanks for building such a nice gun.....

Well I just perused the website for Martini & Hagn. Now those are some fine rifles. Exactly what I'd hope to see from someone who was so highly touted. Their Mauser in 9.3x64 shown on their custom rifle page is my idea of a dream rifle. Well, if it was part of a matched set of triplets in 275 Rigby, 9.6x62 and 416 Rigby I wouldn't know what to do with myself.

http://www.martiniandhagngunmakers.com/customrifles.htm

i'm presently pondering rebarreling a rifle so i saw this thread and thought ... excellent!
in case the fellow i would like to do the work is too busy i'll get some names & phone numbers of others.
then i started working my way through this thread. pretty useless really.
apparently there's no one qualified to do this "complex" job in canada. bull!
everyone sounds like conservatives at a leadership review.
and we wonder why we're losing the gun battle in canada?
and why no one wants to get into the business?
i'm sure even john browning had unhappy customers, but he did ok by and large ...
any names? phone numbers?