What did Sgt Major Brumley say about Custer, “Custer was a wuss…..” It is in the book too, by the way.
I learned to shoot with single shots so am no stranger to making the first and only shot count.
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What did Sgt Major Brumley say about Custer, “Custer was a wuss…..” It is in the book too, by the way.
I learned to shoot with single shots so am no stranger to making the first and only shot count.
Hey Scrounge that was the first rifle I shot too. down in TN. My Uncle(southern relation, actually)had it and we shot tin cans at about 20' with hardware store 22 shorts! Great gun, greater memories!
I like single shots foe the memories, as well as the fact you concentrate more on the shooting and not the BANG affect.
I was fortunate that my dad started me with a single shot. i thought I was missing out on something by not having a fancy gun. Over time I am so grateful to still have this gun, and the lessons it and my dad taught me. Once you have confidence in your ability to use it, it doesn't feel like a disadvantage at all. That gun cost 59.99 when he bought it on sale 36 years ago. Still going strong, and kills everything that needs killing.
I have always loved single shots and have both Ruger’s as well as Thompson’s. In the Ruger department I have all the #3’s except for a 30/40 Krag. I even have one which I has been rebarreled from 223 to 22TCM. In #1’s I have a 45/70 and a 357 Magnum. For Thompson’s I have a couple Contender frames that I swap a 22 Hornet, .44 Special (Stub barrel project), and 30-30 in rifle length. In Encore I have a 50 Cal Muzzle Loader barrel and a 10” 454 Casull.
Rifles and pistols of the same caliber are also a favorite but I when it comes to that I tend to lean towards matching up lever guns with the pistols.
When I was in Afghanistan, I fell in love with the .577 Snider and .577/450 Martini-Henry and after watching the movie Zulu I knew that I had to have one. Luckily for me, I was able to bring home a Snider and a buddy of mine wanted to sell his Martini-Henry. I knew that ammo would be very hard/next to impossible to find but I started reloading for them. They are so much fun to shoot with the black powder.
If I cannot load up my shotguns and pull the trigger at least 6-8 times B4 reloading, I do not own one! I have several semi-automatic 12 gauge that are really fun to shoot. Just aim and pull the trigger......until the gun is empty. Can't beat that. No cocking or messing around reloading.
Elegant simplicity!
Slows my rate of fire with the shortage of components. And they are fun.
And there you have it.Quote:
Originally Posted by popper;5262433[b
The old single-shots from about 1885 to WW2 are an amateur gunsmith's dream, they're so easy to take apart and put together. Many a home machinist has built replicas entirely from scratch. Stevens rifles from the period are takedowns; you don't even need a barrel vise, but properly put together with a good barrel and good sights. they're as accurate as all but the best modern bench guns. I have had many a pleasurable day at the range tuning a load for one, firing one shot every 5-10 minutes.
Me too, the tools were a big draw for me. I cant tell you the number of people, including NRA trained people, who have yelled at me that I'm going to blow up my barrel by breech seating a bullet. Love the simplicity of the single shot - it also makes me shoot slower, particularly when breech seating.
Yeah....there's a whole world of internet experts out there whose knowledge of firearms history goes back to at least 2005. And, spray and pray is just so cool......not! For goodness sake, eliminate anything that requires action by the shooter other than exercise of an index finger.
I'll betcha their jaws drop when you start shooting 1moa groups with that antique.
Break action single shots just feel and look right! I have two - both shotguns. I would dearly love a Handi or H&R rifle. In the meantime, I shoot my Lee Enfields and 22's in single shot mode. Except when I go out into the field. Gotta carry my spare ammo somewhere! Mind you, I have used quick follow up shots but I would rather carry a break and deliberately load each shot.
I have a few single shot bolt action 22's but that's not the same. I just want that break action! Well, it's not going to happen so I might as well enjoy my little Lee Enfield carbine with it's ten shot mag, which I am currently preparing for hunting and target shooting. In single shot mode with a magazine minus the follower and spring, the Lee Enfield drops its empties into said magazine so no catching spent casings. So it has it's plus side as a single shot.
When I owned a hunted with a 223 mini 14, I would fire a shot then watch where the spent case went before considering another shot. What I did like about it though was that it reloaded itself during the noise of the muzzle blast. So there is that aspect to an auto-loader. I hunted with it because it was a neat little rifle. Same reason I want a break-action. They are neat!
Even my bolt action repeaters are usually employed as a single shot. Habit, I guess.
To me an old 1800's single shot rifle is just about as cool as it gets. Knowing there were lever action repeaters at the same time, and yet many hunters chose to buy a nice single shot instead, just speaks volumes for how men looked at the guns they used to put game on the table back then. It wasn't about how many shots will my rifle hold, and how fast can I shoot it. It was about making every shot count, and how much game can I take with a box of cartridges.
I used to hunt with a modern bolt action rifle for many decades. But after taking a large number of deer at distances up to 400 yds., I considered taking one of my old Marlin leverguns, and enjoyed that experience much more. Then I figured one of my single shot rifles might be even more fun, and a bit more challenging. After my first deer taken with an old Ballard in .38-55, I never considered using anything but an old single shot rifle.
These days I shoot single shot rifles exclusively for hunting, and target shooting. I still have some of my 1800's Marlin repeaters, and my modern bolt action rifles. But they don't see any use these days as when I head to the range it's always with single shot rifles for many years now.
To me the old rifles are a link to a slower world. A world without all our modern conveniences like BLM, CRT, social media, YouToob, anti-gun zealots, und-und-und.