Single shot fans

When i joined this forum a week or two back, i did so thinking everyone was as obsessed with the skills and toys of the past as i am, old razors fer instance. In the gun section here i was pleased to see some old webleys, but in the main its modern guns. Anyone else here into old guns, single shot rifles especially ? I have a ruger no.1 international in .243 that i absolutely love (one of the best things made in america). Am i alone ?

First of all, welcome to B&B!

I've still in possession of my first rifle, my gramps bought it for me in 1960 I think, at a gun shop on the corner of Pearl Road at Albion. With that SS Mossberg I outshot all the others who had "better" than my $5 rifle .. a single shot makes you train & aim, not pray & spray like many today advocate.

I'd love to have a Ruger No. 1, when I do it would have to be in something equally iconic and American, 30-06 is all they still have left.

I first learned to shoot with an old single shot Remington Targetmaster, it wasn't really mine, but stayed at the family camp. I shot it the most and eventually took it home with me. When I got older, having acquired other guns, I returned it to the camp where unfortunately it was stolen. I sure wish I still had that old gun. Nowadays, my only single shots are Thompson Center Contender pistols and a TC Encore .45-70 carbine. I've been meaning to set up one of my Contenders as a carbine and have the stock to do it, but have yet to acquire a carbine barrel. And welcome to B&B and the forum!

There's a new .50 BMG single shot ... that one is interesting.

http://www.serbu.com/bfg50.html


AA

I had a #1 , 22-250 in Bull Barreled SS. I bought it for prairie dog shooting in ND a decade ?+- ago. I was working seasonally out there for a couple/few months a year for several years before the oil patch exploded.

I really kind of loved that gun. We used to do golf ball chases after work, and I could knock balls around out to 300 like I was bored with it. Never did work on sighting past there.

The work I was doing shifted east, and I was back in the woods again, and the No #1 went into the safe. After a bunch of years of not even looking at it except to wipe it down, I sold it. Great rifle.

I still have an NEF 12 gauge that I bought to keep in the pickup in the fall, keep behind the front door, without caring about cleaning, condensation whatever. That $65 dollar (at the time, obviously) shotgun got more abuse, more sweating, more frozen/thawed out in a case abuse.... It probably put more grouse on the table, than any other gun I have owned. I still have it, and it still even looks to be in pretty good shape.

I have Ruger #1's in .375 H&H, .458 Win Mag, 30-06, 22 Hornet and a sweet little 1a in 7x57, and a Browning BPCR in 45-70. The last three Ruger's have the fine Kepplinger set triggers installed.

Thank you all. I read somewhere that a single shot denotes the carrier as a gentleman, weither he is or not, lol. Jeff, you must be into heavy game with calibres like that ! But the 7 x 57, or .275 rigby, is genuinely a classic round and ideal for most types of deer, lovely.

My only single shot is a H&R Handi Rifle in 45-70. Certainly not a showpiece, but surprisingly accurate with handloads. Just as heavy as my guide gun in the same caliber so it doesn't see the field as much as it should but I love it as a backup.

RoRo said:

When i joined this forum a week or two back, i did so thinking everyone was as obsessed with the skills and toys of the past as i am, old razors fer instance. In the gun section here i was pleased to see some old webleys, but in the main its modern guns. Anyone else here into old guns, single shot rifles especially ? I have a ruger no.1 international in .243 that i absolutely love (one of the best things made in america). Am i alone ?

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I would be more into them if I could afford them. And no, you are not alone. I think the Ruger No.1 is beautiful!

right now i dont have a single shot, but on my list is a 1874 sharps,

I believe there have been some other threads with fancy .22 LR single shot rifles.

Pity ruger never offered the no.1 in .22 lr. It would be a limited market piece, but popular all the same.

RoRo said:

Thank you all. I read somewhere that a single shot denotes the carrier as a gentleman, weither he is or not, lol. Jeff, you must be into heavy game with calibres like that ! But the 7 x 57, or .275 rigby, is genuinely a classic round and ideal for most types of deer, lovely.

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Just those paper targets but they can be quite dangerous. I just enjoy shooting a large caliber and at my age it is a lot easier to see a big hole in the target. Actually one of my .375 H&H rifles has a proper stock and fits me so well the recoil is less than a much lighter weight 30-06. About 45 years ago we were at my uncles place shooting a 58cal civil war replica rifle, a muzzleloader and he wanted to use a huge oak tree as a backstop, until after about 5 or six shots he saw how much that big 1 oz mini ball was tearing up the tree trunk.

I got several single shot shotguns in various gauges. On the farm they are placed all over the place for varmint or down an a sick animal. They are rugged and low maintenance tools for the Farm.

My daughters .410. She's only 6 months old so still needs to grow into it yet

Grue said:

My daughters .410. She's only 6 months old so still needs to grow into it yet

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Cool none of mine are quite that old. I also have a nice 1970's Mossburg 22 single shot that I use for Rats and Blackbirds.

Grue, i had one of those folding single shot .410's years ago. I had a pocket for it in my old barbour coat. Its not for nothing these types of guns are known as poachers guns !

Grue said:

My daughters .410. She's only 6 months old so still needs to grow into it yet

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That's one elegant looking little shotgun. The only thing I have that compares is a little 28 Ga Darne, a French sliding breech double barrel. You grasp a couple of little "ears" that extend out from a toggle on each side of the breech, pull up and back and the breechblock slides straight back. The system is so strong that those guns are chambered for some of the big rifle rounds for dangerous game.

I shoot a 20ga. Ithaca singleshot, it's light and gives a pretty good kick. Had it for 48 yrs.

Does black powder count? .50 cal Hawken copy, and yes, I use real black powder.