wanting a single shot fun to shoot rifle

[DaveInFloweryBranchGA]

For year's I've been thinking of getting myself a single shot rifle, something like a rolling block, Ruger number 1 or something like that. Never picked a caliber and never picked an action.

Now it's years later and I'm in my fifties, so it's on my do before sixty list. I'd love to get some suggestions on a caliber that's fun to load for and shoot for a fella with some gravel in his shoulder.

I'm open to some type of "cool" firearm that loads something either in black powder or smokeless in 30-40, 45-70 or some other caliber that'd be fun to load for.

Can you fellas suggest a single rifle that would be a good starter rifle for a single shot in a caliber that'd be fun to shoot and not horrible from the brass cost/reload perspective?

thanks for the help,

Dave

[I'll Make Mine]

I'd say .45-70 is a good choice -- it's got the authority to get the job done with full power loads, is easy to reload with the straight wall case, and can be loaded down to below .45 Colt ballistics for plinking, teaching youngsters, etc. Works equally well with black or smokeless, providing it's in a modern rifle action. You won't find it cheap to shoot like a small caliber can be, but with cast boolits and light loads of shotgun powders you should still be able to make plinking rounds that don't break the bank.

There are reproduction and original trapdoors, rolling blocks and falling blocks, and at least a couple modern break-action single shots available in .45-70 (Ruger #1 and H&R Handi).

[drcook]

Right now Cabelas is clearing out the Pedersoli "Sharps Hunter" which is a pretty decent rifle for $850.00. After having watched Cabelas do this a lot, when they are gone, they are gone.

That rifle would be a lot more fun than one of the cheaper guns and easier on your shoulder and easier to shoot accurately. It would even suffice for entry level competition, should you decide you would like to try that.

Be advised though, better tang sights, as with any of the single shot/BPCR rifles can end up costing quite a bit

http://www.cabelas.com/product/Peder...h-All+Products

[tacklebury]

Personally, I like my .45-70 Buffalo Classic. I load it with round balls for plinking, leads for shooting plates and a variety of jacketed bullets. Done it with BP, subs, Unique (for rb loads) and Reloader7 which is my go to due to its ability to go from 34 gr. as trap door level loads to 56 gr. for Ruger #1 loads. With my irons I've shot many sub 1" groups at 100 yards. Davidson's just got in a shipment of them too.



http://www.galleryofguns.com/genie/d...x?item=CR-1871

The regular length ones are fun too I'm told and are a good bit less expensive.

http://www.galleryofguns.com/genie/d...x?item=SB2-457

[Gunlaker]

[QUOTE=DaveInFloweryBranchGA;1910504] I'd love to get some suggestions on a caliber that's fun to load for and shoot for a fella with some gravel in his shoulder.

/QUOTE]

The .45-70's are fun, but if you've got a bum shoulder then you might want to consider the .38-55.

Brass generally last a long time in a single shot too so that cuts down on costs.

Chris.

[williamwaco]

For year's I've been thinking of getting myself a single shot rifle, something like a rolling block, Ruger number 1 or something like that. Never picked a caliber and never picked an action.

Now it's years later and I'm in my fifties, so it's on my do before sixty list. I'd love to get some suggestions on a caliber that's fun to load for and shoot for a fella with some gravel in his shoulder.

I'm open to some type of "cool" firearm that loads something either in black powder or smokeless in 30-40, 45-70 or some other caliber that'd be fun to load for.

Can you fellas suggest a single rifle that would be a good starter rifle for a single shot in a caliber that'd be fun to shoot and not horrible from the brass cost/reload perspective?

thanks for the help,

Dave

I too have an acquaintance with that shoulder problem and that long time desire for a fun single shot.

I now have two. A Winchester 1885 in .38-55 and a Thompson Contender in .30-30. I love them both.

the Winchester more for its looks and the Contender more for shooting. Twenty or so full power .38-55 loads doesn't bother me so much as I am shooting them but my shoulder will ache and bother me all night.

The .30-30 with 170 grain bullets at around 1400 fps I can shoot as many as I want and it will not bother me later.

ALSO - .30-30 brass is much cheaper and easier to find.

My fantasy rifle would be some type falling block in .30-30.

Stay sway from the .45-70 unless you want to shoot pretty much squib loads - or lie awake all night.


.

[skeettx]

Ruger #1 in 357 Mag, what a hoot and cheap to shoot

No recoil

FUN!!!!!!!!!!!

Like one of these

http://www.gunbroker.com/Auction/Vie...Item=300757168

Mike

[Bullshop]

Since you put the emphicise on FUN and mention having shoulder problems why not a 22 hornet, 218 bee, or 25/20 or something like that.
For just fun shooting the hornet is hard to beat. 150 boolits to the pound of lead and 1000 shot per pound of powder makes them a lot of fun for the money.
They can also be put to some serious hunting use as well.
The 22 hornet was the original poachers pet during the former depression and may become popular in the current one.
If you decide to mess with black powder you would then be shooting a 22 wcf.

[gandydancer]

check out the CVA scout compact in 45/70 with the Bergara Barrel.comes with mount and rings. for around $250.00 OTD and will shoot better then some of the others out there. I have two the compact 45/70 and a reg scout in 44 mag. I'm shooting 1200 to 1400 FPS because of back
surgery three months ago. its a ton of fun.



Bergara Rifles

[fryboy]

just get a encore and then later as you desire you can try anything from mild to wild , get a pistol frame tho and buy the rifle stock and barrel(s) that turn you on ,i say a pistol frame because there is some debate about converting a rifle papered frame into a pistol but not vice versa , fair warning they can be addicting !!!
personally i love the action on the older contenders best but for sheer caliber selection it's hard to beat an encore , even possible in a 12 gauge or a 28 or black powder
my last 'tender barrel ? a 18" custom shop K hornet ( doesnt seem to weigh anything ) , the barrel before that was a 15" 375 JDJ encore barrel ( like i needed a another barrel in that caliber :P )

[uscra112]

The fun fades fast shooting .45-70. The cost of powder and lead add up, and so does the recoil. The old Schuetzen men would never have considered it, because they had to fire their rifles at least 100 times a day. It would have tired them out too much. They mostly preferred the .32-40, although some stalwarts used the .38-55. Today the modern Schuetzen cartridge is about .32-20 in case volume, firing a 200 grain boolit.

I've got over a dozen single shots, few of which are newer than 1915. I find I have the most fun shooting the smallest cartridges, even the lowly .22 rimfire and a .32 Colt. Nothing will tech you wind-doping better than shooting .22 rimfire at 200 yards. (Not a typo.) If you cast, nothing can beat a .357 for cheap fun. You can even load it with Holy Black and be successful. In a strong action, such as an Win. High Wall, it will take deer using a stiff charge and a 180 or 200 grain boolit.

I do admit to having a Contender, Gen 1 with the set trigger. It is a neat gun with a .22 Hornet barrel, and very accurate. Not so neat with a .357 Max. I regret having reamed a .357 Magnum barrel out to make the Max. Anything past the .357 Magnum wants an Encore chassis.

[Mk42gunner]

Dave,

I'm 48, and the older I get the less I enjoy shooting rifles with heavy recoil. I have a couple of suggestions for you, depending if you want to shoot at longish range or under fifty yards.

Longish range: A Winchester Highwall in .30-40. It shouldn't aggravate your shoulder with cast, and maybe not with j-words.

Under fifty yards: No. 2 Remington rolling block in .32 caliber. Convert to centerfire and you can leave the chamber alone and shoot the .32 Long or Short Colt, or ream it out to use .32 S&W Long.

Robert

[357Mag]

Dave -

Howdy !

Since you are localed down South, you shouldn' t be very far from a gunstore or pawnshop that has some of those special-run H & R single shot rilfes chambered in .35 Rem ( for "primitive" season ) for sale.

This would be a great first-effort gun, and would also feature barrel inter-changeability as a built-in capability. Lead or "J-word.


Regards,
357Mag

[.45Cole]

Well you asked a question that was sure to garner lots of responses, and I'm going to bite too.
Browning 1885 low Wall in your pistol caliber

Cheap (ammo), easy on the shoulder, quality and pretty, easy to load for (esp .357/.38), and best of all half round/half octagon
I have a .45 colt and I shoot it until I come close to shooting all my ammo
http://www.gunbroker.com/Auction/Vie...Item=314617923

[DaveInFloweryBranchGA]

Keep them coming fellas, I'm loving what I'm learning.

[XTR]

If I like the way my C sharps '74 shoots (I imagine I will) there is about a 100% chance that my Win-Mir Highwall 45-70 is going to get re-barreled into a 30-40 or a 30-40AI. I'm thinking that is about perfect (well, maybe a 7mm-40 AI wildcat would be better) Long neck brass to shoot cast if you want, if you do the AI thing it falls on the high side power wise between a 308 and a 30-06, if you leave it as a straight 30-40K it's pretty much a 308, you can load it from 155s up to 220s, shoot cast or fast pointy bullets to hunt longer ranges. The 30-40AI was one of PO Ackley's original experiments, the dies are available w/o ordering custom. Sounds to me to be almost perfect.

If I didn't have this rifle that I'm thinking of rebarreling I'd have already purchased one of the Italian highwalls in 30-40K with a set trigger and a pistol grip stock from BACO.

[Buckshot]

............If you can find something in either 30-30 pr 30-40 Krag I think you'd really enjoy either one. I was going to suggest the 40-65, but the choices for those are slim. I suspect they're slim for the 30-40 in a modern SS too, but again the 30-40 or 30-30 would be my choices.

.............Buckshot

[Starvnhuntr]

Ruger no.1 in 45/70. fun with roundballs and something like 3 gr. unique. this load is a tackdriver at 50 feet and inexpensive enough to shoot all day.

[StrawHat]

I think the Mini Sharps is available in 45 long Colt. That might be an option for you.

[Boz330]

38-55 or 40-65, both are a hoot to shoot and easy on powder and lead. They convert to BP well, if you want to go that route. My experience with the 30s was that fouling with BP can be an issue.
There are a lot of options but the replicas of the old rifles just add another dimension.

Bob