Home Forums Hunting & Shooting Single Shots Why does the Single Shot get passed over so many times?

As to the original posted question, ("Why does the Single Shot get passed over so many times?")...

I believe it's because we are no longer a "Nation of Riflemen". That "time" has passed. As a result, a majority of todays hunters often NEED more than one shot.

When I went into the Army, most of us were already good rifle shots because it was commonplace for Dads and sons to "go shooting" at a nearby gravel pit on Sundays. As a result, many of the men in my outfit qualified as "expert" with the M-1 Garand (.30/06 caliber) on the rifle range.

I wonder what percentage of men today would quality as an "expert rifleman" with the M1 Garand (.30/06 caliber semi-automatic rifle) when they've never even HELD a rifle in their hands prior to going into the service?!?

The times, they are "a-changing".

Now, our Armed Forces issue "poddle-shooters" capable of full-auto fire (aka "spray & pray" rifles)... and, sadly, it is obvious "we" are no longer a "Nation-of-Riflemen".

How I wish this were true. My M1A 'loaded' will out shoot my Ruger #1 easily, despite my having put a lot of effort into accurizing the Ruger. Then again, my Browning 1885 low wall will also outshoot the Ruger.

Come to think of it, almost every rifle I own will outshoot the #1. But I do love it so.

The problem with old style BRM was that while people shot well at the range, they tended not to shoot at all in combat. Thanks to modern operant conditioning, almost every infantryman in battle shoot at the enemy.

But there's no denying we are no longer a nation of rifleman. That started around WWII, as the nation changed from agricultural to industrial. No a lot of shooter in the big cities, which is why you'll note that most of the well known snipers in WWII and after come from rural areas.

When I went through Infantry basic in 1980, we had a mix of urban poor and rural poor (this was the end of the Carter years) with a few oddballs like me. About 80%of the people there had never shot a rifle before.

The again, modern tactical doctrine doesn't rely on small arms. The reality is that rifle fire has little impact on modern battles -except in counter insurgency!

Given the type of wars we are likely to fight in the next decade, we better start learning to be rifleman again. Smart bombs and such doen't do much good in COIN ops inside cities.

You just don't get it. Like the federal government, Ruger decides what you want or need.
I have a small collection of Rugr #1s and most are the "B" model which just happens to feel like a club in my hands. yet, my favorite model #1 is the "S" model which Ruger in all their omnipotent wisdon discontinued except for the far too short barreled 45-70. Ever since the #1S model came out, I never found one for sale, nor could any of the gun shops get one for me. Now, I have three picked up at gun shows, two being 200th year guns and all three in .300 Win. Mag. JMHO, but of all the #1 models, to me the "S" model is not only the best looking, but arguably the best balanced of the #1s.
I would love to convert my "B" models to at least have the Alex henry forearm, but Ruger won't sell me the forearms nor will they make the change. Kind of makes one wonder how much more money they might by being a bit more accomdating to theur customer base?
Paul B.

A very simple answer; the single shot rifle is just not for the majority! An even smaller minority choose to hunt with a single shot. What else is there to say!
ENU

PJGunner

I agree that the 's' is one of the best(I have a 9.3X74 on order) but I'm also partial to the 1 H. I guess its just a heavier 'S' anyway. Some find it too heavy but I love the looks. I think the 1-H is one of the best looking, but perhaps not best finished, firearms made.

StillWater,
I have four or five similar events that happened to me in my lifetime, got passed over on several high end guns passed down to grubby fingered sciolists. No one in my family shoots but me. Go figure.

The last and most recent episode was a 1950's Wby Mk V in 257 Wby and a 1960's Wby Mk V in 7 Wby, serial number 74,000, both promised to me by the owners upon their death. One went to the sciolist and the other to a crack head opportunist who sold it for drug money. I know where the 7 is but I refuse to pay $800 at the gun shop where it was sold.

Trying to convince someone who lacks confidence in his or her shooting skills that they should try a single shot is an uphill battle I no long attempt. Pretty miuch like trying to convice me that I need to use a semi outo rifle with high cap. mag., I'd guess.

PJ,
I agree with you on the "S" model. Been my favorite of the No.1's as well. And, yes, they have been scarce in the gunshops. However, I have never had any problems finding a store owner that couldn't find one for order for me. Unless you were asking for a cartridge Ruger didn't chamber the "S" model in. Sounds like you need to find a dealer that cares about their customers a little more...

Shame they discontinued them.

Don't forget the 1-S is now available in 9.3X74 too.

I agree. I have three "H"s, a .375 H&H, .404 Jeffery and a .416 Rigby. Unfortunately the idiot I bought the .404 from was a bit of a pussy as he put a muzzle brake on the gun. One of these days I'm going to have my gunsmith remove it and make a cap to hide the threads. At $6.25 a pop, the .416 doesn't get shot much either.
Regarding the hunting with a single shot, Al Miller once wrote an article in the January-February #43 isue of Rifle magazine on speed loading the single shot rifle. Allow me to quote one short paragraph from the article, if I may.

"If hunting with a single shot were half as tough as it's supposed to be, millions of elk,buffalo and antelope would still call the Great Plains home. And as for that one round business --- few of last century's African hunters would have lived long enough to write about their adventures if they hadn't been able to crank out a quick second shot now and then. The truth is, a good game shot will do just as well with a single loader as he will with a repeater; an indifferent marksman will fare no worse."

He then goes into some of the various ways to do a reload for a fast second shot and the best ways to practice doing this. It only take 5 or 10 munutes a day to get up to speed. (no pun intended) When I take one of my "one-shooters" to the range, I always finish up with a couple of speed loading sessions.

I don't know if you can get a reprint of that article from Wolfe Publishing or the entire magazine, but hose who are serious about hunting with a single shot rifle should try to get a copy. I would consider it required reading.

As to my difficulty in getting a dealer to find me a #1S, I tried three in Nevada, four in Tucson and two in Phoenix over the years. I would think that at one of them should have been successful. The "B"s and "A"s were thicker than fleas on a hound dog, but nary an "S". I'll keep on hitting the gun shows and trying to find some in calibers other than the .300 Win. mag. A friend said he saw one in .338 Win. Mag. and showed me the guy selling it. By the time we got there, it had been sold. I'll just keep on looking.
Paul B.

Paul,

Wow! If I had known that you wanted one that bad, I'd have let you know. A local gun shop had one in .300 Win. recently, but last I was there, it was gone. I entertained the idea for a short time, (Very short!) But since I already had one in a 1-B, I just couldn't justify an "S". 'Sides, I don't really like cluttered up barrels, anyway.

Grasshopper

Single shot is a frame of mind, not a frame of a firearm. My wife had a 243 NEF Handi, and it was a single shot. She now has a 30-06 bolt action with a 5 shot mag. It is still a single shot. She never cycles the action after she shoots a head of game. Gives me the shakes, but that is my problem. I keep telling her, "Reload, reload!" She never listens to me. Argh!

I have a 300 magnum that has never shot more than one round at an animal in its life. Why I carry the mag full of ammo is beyond me. This year I am going to hunt deer with my H&R Buffalo Classic in 45-70, and moose with my #1H in 405 Winchester, just to prove to myself that I am a rifleman . . . . or something.

Paul,

Thanks for the post. Too bad about that brake, but still, you have a .404!!!

I have the 450/400 on its way and a .458 Lott in a 1-H. I'm considering a .405 and could probably be talked into any 1-H if it had nice wood. Other chamberings (.375, .416 Rigby and Rem) I own in bolt guns already. I probably wouldn't get a .458 win as I own the Lott already.

I've read a similiar article somewhere and I do use the wristband when hunting with the SS.

Mr. PJGunner:
I�ll have to agree with you on the fore end on the 1-B.
I made mine to look a little like a Dakota 10 and a little like a Ruger Alex Henry.
I added a Gentry barrel band then, just cause I like them too.
To me it all feels a bit nicer in the hand. It�s still heavy though��
Thanks
Dwayne

Nice rifle! What is the chambering?

The wood on that Ruger is outstanding. Mine is about as plain as a 2x4.

Ruger used to seem to save their best wood for the #1s. Now they are mostly plain. I try to buy them only when I can see them first(ie, not mail order) and the two(I know, I'm just a beginner!)I own so far, are quite good.

Mr. SakoAlberta and Mr. Tod:
Thank you, I agree on the wood.
The butt stock was nice from the factory. The factory fore end was not much to look at. I had to hunt some through my walnut to find a nice match.
It is a .300 Win. Mag. that I believe to be an �82 vintage, complete with the long throat of that era.
It�s been pretty worked over. In addition to the new fore end, I epoxy bedded the butt stock as well as installing the Decelerator.
The factory trigger was replaced with a Moyer�s unit, which was I felt a marked improvement. I also installed a trigger shoe, which is a standard modification my finger seems to require.
As well, I drilled and tapped the mainspring housing with a 6-48 screw and installed a Delrin half-round pressure pad.
The fore end is epoxy bedded on the hanger and does not contact the barrel or receiver.
It shoots OK now, in around 1�-1 ��, if I�m on my game.
One nice result of all the modifications, is that it seems to hold zero exceptionally well, IIRC, 4 years now actually.

I believe your comment on the earlier #1�s having better wood overall could be correct. A good friend, now passed on, had about 10-12 early #1�s form the 60�s and 70�s. They all had very nicely figured stocks, with a couple of them having exceptional wood.

Thanks
Dwayne

Dwayne

Thanks for the info. It is a heck of a nice rifle now.

Now that you mention it, I've seen many nice #1's but I can't say that I've seen any that had a truly nice front stock(factory). Has anyone?