You are comparing the worst of the single shots (cheap break-open) to the best of the repeaters. The single shots I have owned (Browning and Ruger #1s) included the most accurate rifle I have ever owned...a 6mm Reimignton in a Browning B78. The three Browning single shots were the most attractive rifles I have ever owned (B78 in 45-70, B78 in 6mm Remington, B85 in .22 Hornet (a low wall)). The Ruger #1s in .375 H&H and 30-06 were not exactly cheap either...well made and fairly expensive.
Why Single Shot Rifles Are Great
- Thread starter Ruger4Life
- Start date
I'm with you 100% on the premise that a single shot will push the shooter be a better marksman, that is, if the shooter seeks to be a better shooter in the first place.
And that goes for a single shot shotgun as well. My first shotgun was a H&R single shot break open .12 gauge. I wanted to bring down ducks at 13 years old. I didn't have decoys, and would jump-shoot them. Had to make that one shot count. Yes, it made me practice my marksmanship until I could bring Daffy home for dinner, and it worked.
I'd love to have a well made bolt action single shot in .22 LR, a vintage one in great condition. Which would you recommend?Pathfinder45
New member
It's true that a person, "could", learn to become just as a good of a marksman with a 30-round semi-auto as with a single-shot rifle. But from what I've seen, they will probably get a lot more enjoyment out of a mag-dump than making each individual shot count. You personally might have more self-control than that....or not. A single shot rifle cannot make you a good shot, but it will promote it. The semi-auto cannot prevent you from becoming a good shoot. But it will not tend to promote making every shot count to the same degree as a single shot.
Why argue with a statement that's inherently true? Even if it's arguably not always absolute, it is certainly a factoid. But, if you are a lawyer, then you have a license to argue with a buzz-saw, as my Mother would say....
Disclaimer: I have never actually owned a single-shot rifle, but I was somewhat formally trained with one. I still value that training today. That's why I still insist on a, "military", pattern sling on my rifle.
The single-shot rifle is certainly inferior for providing, "Covering fire!", as demonstrated in the film Saving Private Ryan.
But as a hunting rifle it is entirely adequate for the task. A Browning B-78 leaves nothing to be desired but the funds to acquire it. My brother accomplishes accurate repeating fire with his as fast as I can keep up with using a bolt action repeater.
Why argue with a statement that's inherently true? Even if it's arguably not always absolute, it is certainly a factoid. But, if you are a lawyer, then you have a license to argue with a buzz-saw, as my Mother would say....
Disclaimer: I have never actually owned a single-shot rifle, but I was somewhat formally trained with one. I still value that training today. That's why I still insist on a, "military", pattern sling on my rifle.
The single-shot rifle is certainly inferior for providing, "Covering fire!", as demonstrated in the film Saving Private Ryan.
But as a hunting rifle it is entirely adequate for the task. A Browning B-78 leaves nothing to be desired but the funds to acquire it. My brother accomplishes accurate repeating fire with his as fast as I can keep up with using a bolt action repeater.@fungramps: If you're looking for a vintage .22 rf single shot, I would suggest a remington 514, if you can find one. The older remingtons seemed to be more affordable than winchesters, unless that has changed. I've been looking for a mossberg chuckster, and the one or two local mossbergs were offered at what I thought were ridiculous prices. Who would have thought that mossbergs were starting to command collector's prices?
Sometimes on the older remington .22's, you will get light strikes. Replacing the striker spring in the bolt is an easy fix.
Sometimes on the older remington .22's, you will get light strikes. Replacing the striker spring in the bolt is an easy fix.
bamaranger
New member
No. 3
I would like very much to have a Ruger No. 3 in the Hornet or .223. I've actually had one of each in my hands, but the asking prices, even 10 years ago, were phenomenal.
I would like very much to have a Ruger No. 3 in the Hornet or .223. I've actually had one of each in my hands, but the asking prices, even 10 years ago, were phenomenal.
Jim Watson
New member
A friend has what we call a No 2.
He bought it as a No 3 K Hornet with the stock rather roughly checkered, stained dark, finished shiny.
He never got the accuracy he wanted, so he had it rechambered .223. I know that will get some people's knickers in a rifling twist but he loads varmint bullets and it shoots better than as a K Hornet.
Then he saw a set of No 1 wood at a gun show, so he bought and installed that. He cut the curl off the lever because it was too close to the pistol grip and now has a Sharps style lever.
He bought it as a No 3 K Hornet with the stock rather roughly checkered, stained dark, finished shiny.
He never got the accuracy he wanted, so he had it rechambered .223. I know that will get some people's knickers in a rifling twist but he loads varmint bullets and it shoots better than as a K Hornet.
Then he saw a set of No 1 wood at a gun show, so he bought and installed that. He cut the curl off the lever because it was too close to the pistol grip and now has a Sharps style lever.
I like single shots because they are self loaders. I’ve been selling off my horde because of health. I’m only keeping family heirlooms. I just sold 44mg & 45/70 #3s. That leaves me with two in 375Win ( legal deer gun here in Ohio ) and a 223 my wife bought me for Christmas back in 70s. I have one Rem RB barreled to 22rf and a Savage 219 in 22 Hornet left. Not counting some run of the mill 22 bolt action SSs. The #3 45/70 was uncomfortable to shoot. I also had #1 in 45/70 and it wasn’t as bad as the Marlin 1895 I have now.
I had a #3 in .375 Winchester which I modified to have a thick rubber recoil pad. My intention was to use it exclusively with my home-cast heavy bullets for deer. I planed on shooting a Michigan deer through the ribs (heart), to see how well it worked. However, my brother had requested I shoot a "meat deer" for him and when I saw a six-point, not wanting to have any meat distruction, I shot it in the head...therefore, there was no chance to evaluate that cartridge/bullet/gun combination.My No.3 in .45-70 had a nice thick recoil pad on it when I got it. It's comfortable to shoot with factory loads (BP levels).
It will also handle 350gr JSP slugs at 2200fps.
Shooting those, you've left comfort behind, last week!
Any rifle can easily become a single-shot...just load one round. I use to hunt with a bolt action and only one shot, when hunting varmints. Some times, when hunting with another guy, for safety, I'd just put the cartridge in the magazine, but it could become available by quickly operating the bolt, should we have seen a fox, or other moving game. It's almost as quick as flicking off the safety.
Jack O'Conner
New member
I often hunt deer with a 50 caliber CVA modern muzzle-loader but don't feel handicapped at all. It shoots accurately well beyond 100 yards and hits hard.
Jack
Jack
wachtelhund1
New member
I own 8 h&r/nef single shots. I'm a handloader so for me it's alot easier to keep up with brass. I prefer ejectors to extractors because they are much faster to reload, and the brass is easy to catch as it ejects.
As a side note I own plenty of semi autos and pumps as well. But most of the time I prefer single shots.
As a side note I own plenty of semi autos and pumps as well. But most of the time I prefer single shots.
As for the debate on a single shot promoting marksmanship, I have to side with the OP. I understand that focus on fundamentals, and not how many shots are available, is what improves marksmanship. At the same time, when training my daughters to shoot using a marlin model 60, that temptation to pull the trigger again if the first shot went awry was definitely there. My oldest daughter, who is 16 and now a phenomenal shooter, was very quickly converted to loading one round at a time when she first started shooting. An hour of that and no misses on a series of shots, and then I let her load 3 rounds at a time. After a month or two and a few range sessions, she was making every shot using iron sights on a small coffee can at 100 yards when she was 9 years old. I finally let her fill up the tube with a warning that we would go back to single loading if she started shooting faster than she could make hits. She nearly lost her 9 year old patience with me a few times, but she is a great shooter today.
FWIW, I was given a single shot .22 by a neighbor that I plan on training my youngest daughter on. And to train the grandkids.
FWIW, I was given a single shot .22 by a neighbor that I plan on training my youngest daughter on. And to train the grandkids.
Some single shots ARE bolt guns... I have one, an FWB .22 match rifle.
I have had a love affair with single shots for decades and own quite a few.
Flintlocks...Lyman GPR, a CVA carbine, two fowlers
Two T/C Contenders and a bunch of barrels.
A T/C Encore and another bunch of barrels.
A Stevens Favorite
A Martini-Cadet.
A Martini-Henry.
A Ruger #1 Tropical
A Trapdoor Carbine.
A Browning BT-99
A Browning BPCR
An H&R 45-70
And probably a few that I am forgetting.
Yeah, I like them.
Pete
Hammerhead
New member
My New England Handi rifle is one of my favorites, also my least expensive firearm.
It's the older style with click adjust steel sights and ejectors instead of extractors.
$135 for the 30-30 rifle, $65 each for the factory fitted 357 and 410 barrels. ( the 90's)
Very muzzle heavy, but I shoot it off hand standing better than my rimfire rifles.
The 30-30 will do 1.5 moa with several loads.
The 357 is more like 2" to 2-1/2" at 100 with a good, stiff magnum load.
My 357 barrel is my favorite plinker, magnum loads get a nice speed boost, light loads are nice and quiet. Deadly accurate off hand inside 50 yards.
It's the older style with click adjust steel sights and ejectors instead of extractors.
$135 for the 30-30 rifle, $65 each for the factory fitted 357 and 410 barrels. ( the 90's)
Very muzzle heavy, but I shoot it off hand standing better than my rimfire rifles.
The 30-30 will do 1.5 moa with several loads.
The 357 is more like 2" to 2-1/2" at 100 with a good, stiff magnum load.
My 357 barrel is my favorite plinker, magnum loads get a nice speed boost, light loads are nice and quiet. Deadly accurate off hand inside 50 yards.
My brother had a Rem 514, which he left to me when he left for college. I liked the little rifle and had a 4X Mossberg scope mounted on it by a gunsmith (drilled and tapped) when I was 15. I shot many .22 shorts in it and belled the chamber of the soft-steel barrel, so long rifle ammo wouldn't eject anymore. Other than that, it was quite accurate, though I don't recall ever shooting at a target from a bench. We shot in gravel pits and always saved soup cans for that (never glass, except at open burning dumps). We certainly got the $25 cost out of that little gun and I always had a soft spot in my heart for Remingtons after that...maybe even softer than the barrel steel. LOL
One of the best things about a single-shot is that you always go "full-auto" every time you pull the trigger!
One of the best things about a single-shot is that you always go "full-auto" every time you pull the trigger!
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