Home Forums Hunting & Shooting Ask The Gunwriters Re Single Shot Rifles...

What are examples of custom makers who strike some balance between affordability, utility and beauty? Asked another way, can a man buy a handsome rifle from a custom maker that shoots great for less than the cost of a lung? If so, who?

Many thanks for the coaching.

start looking through used Ruger No.1. they usually come with better than average wood, sometimes very nice.

advntrjnky

A full custom rifle hand made to your specs and not just a rebored/rebarreled action in an aftermarket, mass-produced, stock is a high dollar project.

The big name custom smiths get top dollar but you can actually realize some of the custom work cost in a resale. Custom guns by lesser names will be less exspensive but not cheap and you will be hard put to realize much if any of the custom work in a resale.

Consider a used custom gun in excellent shape made at someeone else's cost by a skilled, but fairly unknown, maker. The odds on finding one that fits your specific wants/needs are very slim. But then the odds that your wants/needs in a dedicated personal custom rifle will change or actually prove ill-conceived are respectable too.

The worst deal is a high price custom project from either a little known maker who is still learning his craft and still has 'dumb fingers' or one from a deservedly famous maker who is so busy he has "trainiees" doing a lot of the work.

BTDT with all the above.

1B

In the new single shot market the Luxus M-11 looks like a very nice "balance" - but that all depends on how much you have to spend.

I spent considerable time last night studying the Luxus 11. Folks seemed quick to criticize, and I failed to find one review that commented on performance. That said, even though many guys spoke of the ugliness of the 11, all that burl and case coloring is pleasing to my rookie eye. Like many things, I wonder if, with experience, my eye will become more attracted to function instead of sparkle.

What are some reputable custom makers?

Beauty is in the eye of the beholder, I find T/C Contender Carbines to be very good looking firearms, but hey that is just me.

Well its not going to be cheap, I Ruger # 1 are fine, thou they can be a bit on the heavy side. Lots of smiths do custom work on them. Merkel makes a very nice single shot rifle, but you are going to pay close to 4K new. Look on Gunbroker. And if you are really willing to pull the pin have Westley Richard build you a stalking rifle on a Hagen Action. You will pay about the price of a 3/4 ton Pick Up truck. There is no easy answer to this question.

You might eep an eye out for a used Merkel Stalking rifle or a Blaser K95. Check Cabelas Gun Library, fine gun stores (google), Guns America, etc.

The two factory rifles mentioned above and also the Dakota model 10 are probably less than full customs yet I would think might offer you a pretty good return if you sell again.

The most accrate single shots are The old New England or H&Rs.With the New England just needs new wood and boyds or others have exelent wood

A well cared for and tricked out Shiloh Sharps will likely retain its value and possibly appreciate. Just don't have ones initials engraved into the lockplate.

I'd love to have a nice 1885 or b-78 someday.

Rugers are very pretty and high quality, but not the quickest or easiest to load or reload in the field, especially with a scope onboard. I currently own just one and have owned many others.

IME&O the quickest in the field are break actions. Some of these include the TC, Merkel, Savage 219, and H&R. I have experience with the TC, Savagge 219, and H&R. The fastest and easiest to load are the TC and H&R, with a slight edge going to the older H&Rs with the ejector instead of the current extractor models. You don't have to move a hand to open them, just put a thumb on the button and when the rifle comes to a stop at port, it is fully open and chamber empty and highly exposed for loading. The same thumb naturally cocks the hammer when the rifle is on the way back to the shoulder.

You can say what you want about the H&R, like how inexpensive and homely they are. I have long wanted to customize an H&R with good wood, high polish, and reshaping of the wrist area. I simply must be about this project soon.

I have never encountered difficulty in reloading my #1s in the field but then I rarely hunt in truly bitter cold that requires heavy gloves all the time. Even then, it seems to me that the reloading of a brake action would be no smoother and certainly no faster because the dropping and closing of the entire action while going for a spare round would be inherently slower than dropping and closing just the falling block. And try relaoding one of those with the rifle still shouldered.

I can eject a spent round, grab a new one from a loop in my right jacket pocket, insert it and get back into battery w/o a hitch. As long, that is, as the ejected case clears the safety -- and, when it does not, a short flip to the right clears the action in a heartbeat. Only the longest cases -- 405 win, 375 H&H and longer magnums --in the #1s I have seem prone to that problem.

regards,
1B

I like them too. Especially with a tack driving 405 win Barrel.

Get a Cooper M22 with all the bells and whistles.

Turnbull has a safety that will not hang on the case.

Gary Reeder customizes Ruger No. 1 and T/C Encore and G2 rifles. You might look at his web site and see if you think they are worth the money.

What, can't single shots be bolts?

They can but then you are adding length for no purpose. A lot of bench rest and long range competition shooters don't care of course.