Single shot hunting shotgun

Well, it seems a little high for my intended use. If it was perfect I would be willing to save up for one. I overlooked it previously as it is marketed as a trap gun and I assumed it would be quite hefty just like my BT 99.

Won the auction:
http://www.gunbroker.com/auction/ViewItem.aspx?Item=149764820

Not sure if I "got a deal," but as long as it is in good shape besides the end of the barrel I won't really care...
Now to decide if I want to add a poly choke or have it remchoked, or what.
Picking out a front bead now...
And a butt-pad.
 
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Good for you, johnwilliamson062, that is a really cool and interesting shotgun. Hope it works out well for you. A friend of mine just called me saying he has a very nice Winchester Model 37 I might be interested in. It is a 16 ga. and I'm not sure how much he wants for it but I'm going to look into it.
 
Single barrel shotguns, historically, have been geared more to utilitarian useage. At least here in the good ol' U.S.A.

I find nothing "Hi Pointish" at all about my single shot NEF, H&R"s, Stevens, Savage, and the list goes on.

That's just my humble opinion,though.

Many a child has been introduced to shooting with these guns anmd even in my adult ( ahem, middle aged :)) years I still find them loads of fun to carry and they do bring home game.

Good luck in your quest!
 
John,
I hate to sound dense but why not get a simple design like a pump and just fire it single shot? I have an Encore myself and a few H&R's, so I know the appeal of SS. Just wondering because I did not see a lot of specific reasons. Glad you found what you wanted, though.
 
There is a huge difference in weight and handling between a SS and a pump.
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Amen! Amen! Amen!
I've been taking a single-shot into the field for the past two years. I may lose a bird on occasion due to lack of a very fast second shot but since I walk a lot farther and a lot longer than I shoot, I'll take that chance. Anyway, "body count" is not the reason I hunt. The SS carries and handles like a dream.
 
I understand and agree with that point Laz. If you simply think about leading a target and how we shoot in a lateral direction (L-R or R-L), then a SXS is damn near a perfect gun, especially considering the 2nd shot. As opposed to a pump or O/U, where both barrels are on top of each other. Thanks for explaining.
 
If you ever get a chance to handle an exceptionally made Side by Side, in say....20 gauge, weighing about 5#-12 to 6#-4 that has been crafted to balance perfectly between the hands, you will understand why they are coveted so greatly. They move like a wand, not a 2X4. Fitted properly, they become an extension of your pointing finger and birds seem to drop magically every time.

Pumps, most single shots, etc. do not have that balance or feel. Then again, most pumps or single shots do not cost what one of these do. (And I'm NOT talking about a Stevens 311)........:D
 
I've been fortunate enough in several places I have lived, to know some folks with some exceptional guns. H&H, AyA, FAMARS, Fabbri, Purdey, Boss, Arrietta, and on and on. While many are on my "If I win the lotto" dreamlist, I had the privilege of being able to at least shoot these. All I can say is "WOW". The small gauges like 20 and 28 were exquisite. Even looking past the engraving and wood, one could understand why these "Better" and "Best" guns costs what they do. The difference is night and day.

Not saying the other guns won't work or won't get the job done, but there is something to them that just "feels right"
 
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I've had very good luck with this Ithaca 66 in 20 gauge. Dozens of ring neck pheasants have been felled with plain high base #6 ammo. This single shot shotgun was also offered in 12 gauge and is fairly easy to find on GunBroker.com The lever opens the action and launches the empty hull over your shoulder.

Jack
 
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How do you see the bead on that gun Jack? I handled one at a lcal shop in decent shape and they only wanted $95 for it. I couldn't see the front bead over the hump on the receiver when I shouldered it though. The lever seemed cheap and I was afraid I might break it also.
 
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The mainmost problem with an H&R is that the drop is so much that the d... thing recoils up against your face!!! The rearward recoil can be accepted, but that jump will bring tears to your eyes. I made a bet once with a Pard that I could shoot 25 straight with an H&R. After 20 shots I paid the $50 and walked off the field.(I didn't want the others to see me crying!)
H&R's can be loaded, put into the chicken coop, then, years later, at 2AM with a disturbance out there, ya go out and find a fox(skunk, weasel, or coyote) you can bet your bottom dollar that gun WILL fire.
A few years back H&R imported some O/U's from Portugal...I carry one for coyote calling. It sure was cheap, but shoots just fine. It has a LOT of "memories" all over the stock.
Mossberg and Remington both import inexpensive O/U's that make nice hunting guns, and disassemble quickly to put into the suitcase, or under the pickupseat.
You don't HAVE to put two shells in, I guess. The Mossberg is available in three different frames, and all gauges, and made in Turkey. The Remington is a Baikal.
Have fun,
Gene
 
That single-shot Ithaca brings back memories....it was my first shotgun and fit me well, a natural pointer... you could wait till the birds lined up and get a 2-fer. I traded it on a pump that didn't fit so well and coulden't hit anything..sometimes you don't know what you got till its gone.

Bob
 
I have an old Forehand Arms SS, made between its patent date of Feb. 1896 and the date the Forehand Arms Co. of Worcester, Mass. was sold in 1902.

I've already had this gun checked out by a competent gunsmith. The barrel is milled steel (i.e., it's not Damascus steel) and the chamber was measured and is 2 3/4 inch. Almost all bluing is gone from the gun metal but the few rust spots on the gun were easily eradicated by oiling and hand rubbing with very fine steel wool. The gunsmith said it's ok to shoot black powder shells and low powered smokeless loads made for "vintage" guns. I've ordered some 2 5/8 inch brass shotshells and intend to "roll my own".

I'm planning the full retro experience. I'm gonna get a shooting jacket with leather elbow patches, an Indiana Jones-style Fedora like my granddad used to wear in the 1940's, and a gun dog like his old Pointer named "Sam". Then I'm gonna go out for an old timey hunting experience and get myself some upland game birds.
 
Looking for a light field gun of decent quality. Own a BT99 and an H&R.
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The BT99 I owned was a "dedicated" Trap gun inasmuch as it did not have a safety. The lack of a safety makes it impractical for a field (hunting), gun.
 
Win 37

The Win 37's were quality made, quality material shotguns, w/ better feel and pointability than most any single bbl. The rounded receiver, the full butt and forearm do much better than its competitors, now or then. They were mfg'd in the day when Win was still a leader, and the entire product line reflected it. Most, however, were used hard/abused, and a good one today is pricey.

But they are a classic, top end, working man's single bbl.
 
SS

I, too, have been toying with the idea of acquiring a 20 ga. single shot. It'd be the same kind of handicap that one accepts when hunting with a ML smoothbore fowler. One shot.
But that under six pound weight.......you could carry that all day, no problem.
Pete
 
ive shot a lot of break barrel single shot shotguns. they dont perform any differrent than any other of the same type, ever.

If you want to save money on the gun, get a rossi. About 150 bucks at MOST for a 12 guage. they might give u deals on things like a free .243 or .22 LR barrel for an extra 50 bucks, but i got the 20 guage / .22 LR barrel models and i gotta say, ive never shot a less accurate .22 LR than the rossi. but it works.

the frame i got was built around the 20 guage anyway. just dont get the youth model if u want to do anything more than hunt with it, cuz they weigh about 4 pounds and kick too hard.

hard to beat a rossi if ur not too technical about it though.

Got my rossi 20guage/22lr combo for 148 dollars at retail. and the 12 guages from my gun broker are about 125 dollars.
 
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