In a fascinating recent post on this forum entitled, �Hunting with a Single Shot?� the author essentially asked why and why not hunt with a single-shot rifle. In that discussion, the most mentioned drawback to a single shot was the commonly perceived lack of a speedy second shot�although most posters quickly added that they had learned to reload their single-shot rifles with more than adequate speed for most field situations.

I wonder how everyone is doing that? What ammo holders and methods have you tried, and what have you come to prefer for quickly loading a SECOND shot while hunting with a single-shot rifle?

I�ve currently settled on an elastic and velcro wrist band on my left wrist (I�m right handed) when hunting with my Ruger No. 1 Medium Sporter in 9.3x74R. It works well for me, although I�m open to other options.

How do you achieve a speedy second shot, if need be, when hunting with your single-shot cartridge rifle(s)?

Timberline,

There are many differnt philosophys on hunting with a Sgl. shot. Where I hunt it is 100% stand hunting in the woods. 60-100yd shots are the norm.

For my purpose, I worry not about a 2nd shot. If the deer is running, I don't even release the safety. I only shoot when only one is needed. Only twice have I fired a 2nd shot, and neither one was needed. However once I fired 4 shots but that one was a special situation. (An Explanation I refuse to offer up at this time.

Many hunters worry that they are not prepared for each and every scenario that just might happen. Like: What if I should happen to see the deer that would score in the top ten B&C? By the same token, I refuse to worry about the 1st and last 15 minutes of shooting light. In Michigan, the law says 30 minutes before sunrise and 30 minutes after sunset. A 6x42 Leupold will easily cover that time frame. Any time outside of that is an illegal shot, anyway... But that's a point few hunters pay attention to.

Personally, I wonder why so many hunters worry about how big a trophy an animal is. I view it as food on the table. .... Idle thoughts from a mostly idle mind...

Grasshopper

You've learned well Grasshopper....


Sorry, I couldn't pass that up...
Kung Fu Ingwe

The single biggest thing is not the method but the automatic muscle/motion memory that is instilled through practice. (I find, with any rifle, that getting off the bench and into more casual and normal practice scenarios with any rifle is most useful when it comes to hunting.) I have used two different methods. (Okay, I used the cartridge slide on the butt stock for awhile too, but gave that up after losing ammo too many times.) Currently I use the offhand as my "magazine" when I am dressed light. I prefer a jacket with a plain, relatively deep pocket on my right (trigger hand) side. I have no trouble getting another one in the pipe quickly.

I hold a spare cartridge between my trigger hand fingers. In only one instance (when I had slam dunked my scope and was off about 9 inches at 100 yds) did I ever need a follow up. Loading speed has never been an issue, it's getting back on target and accurate placement that really slows me down.

Don't know what he was using, but during Wyoming's elk season last fall, I heard a hunter go through 38 rds in about three and half minutes before he shut down. I typically carry 4 rds in the field.

I prefer the elastic loop carrier mounted on the butt of the rifle. Mine are leather with elastic loops, made by Murray. You can get all elastic ones as well. I've only fired a follow up shot with my No.1 7x57 one time. A whitetail, was trotting towards me at a quartering angle, at around 200yds. At the shot, he zigged, when I zagged, and missed him outright(I found out later). At this point, he was about 50-75 yards from cover, and bolted for it. Round two, dropped him as he made it to the edge of the field. I doubt I could have done much better with a bolt, though I'm quite sure there are those that can, and do. The key to fast follow ups is practice, and more practice! I'd use my No.1's for any purpose that I'd use a bolt gun. I maintain that most "handicaps" attributed to No.1's, and to some degree all single shots, are a perception, and not reality.

Jeff

Many thanks... (Bowing here)

Jeff... A big Plus 1... Couldn't agree more...

GH

Hmmmmm�not many responses to this question.

Having grown up in Wisconsin where the whitetail brush is very thick, shots from a deer stand are typically less than 75 yards and a second shot is rarely offered, I can understand a lack of concern over preparation for a reasonably fast second shot. And while an awful lot of U.S. hunting is just that way, the close-cover whitetail woods is not the entire hunting world. I know, I left Wisconsin when I was in my mid-20s, and moved west to the mountains.

What I discovered with that move is that as the cover opens up and hunting shots become gradually longer, the need/desire for some measure of a practiced second shot also gradually increases. Yes, if the first shot is right on the money, as it should be, a second shot is rarely needed. But when a second shot is needed, it�s REALLY needed. Thus my concern over being reasonably prepared for that possible second shot..

In the recent thread on this forum �Hunting with a Single Shot,� quite a number of responders mentioned considerable hunting experience and success with single-shot rifles. Others admitted to not hunting with there single shots much at all. Savage 99 talked about a string on classic hunting rifles. Prostrate8 mentioned his 7x57 No. 1 and North Texas pine forests. El Numero Uno cites long hunting experience with his Ruger No. 1. Bluesman talks about a friend taking a huge elk with a single shot rifle. BC30cal says he�s been hunting with a No. 1 for 9 years in British Columbia. IB has over 30 #1s and hunts with them. SharpsShooter took his single shot to Africa recently with great success. Ranch13 uses his 309-06 single shot for antelope, mule deer, whitetails and elk. Tony Montana admits that about 90% of his hunting has been done with a single-shot rifle. Klikitarik whacks moose with his No. 1 (and provided a great answer). AZ Southpaw hunts mostly with a Ruger No. 1. Just a Hunter uses a .264 single shot for mule deer and antelope. The majority of Grumulin�s big game hunting has been with single shots. Ian touch on the romance he and his Dad hunting with single-shot rifles. Idaho Elk Huntr posted a great single-shot elk photo. Shag detailed west-coast single-shot hunting. Akjeff has used nothing but a single shot or a drilling for the last four seasons (and gave a fine answer). Mule Deer made a single-shot success list that ran from ground squirrels to Cape buffalo. Marlinman93 lies his old Marlin Ballard for hunting. Cowkiller prefers hunting with a single shot. Iminute draws the single shot line at dangerous game (and already contributed an answer). Mcmurphrjk has killed a bunch with a Ruger No. 1 and a Browning B-78. TomW prefers his No. 1. Elvis likes his 7x57 IA for pigs.

So, how do YOU HUNTING GUYS prepare for the remote possibility of a reasonably quick second shot when hunting with a single-shot rifle? Practice, yes, but exactly where and how do you carry that second round? Your input would be interesting and very much appreciated.

Buying a couple snap-caps allows you to practice at home. Its about repetition. Also, going out into the field with a simulated deer target is great practice. I'll practice shots from various ranges. I only use what I'd have in the field. You can set up a drill where you have to fire multiple times at a target. It takes practice, just like anything else. Just because someone is carrying a repeater doesn't mean they are prepared to take shot #2 either. I've seen lots of short-stroked bolts and other folks that just couldn't get back on target. It wouldn't have mattered what they shot with.

Lots of people shoot front-stuffers. They are infinitely slower to load than my No. 1.

Hunt these guys (or ptarmigan). If you take your eyes off from them, they better be kicking snow or you may not be able to find them again.

Keeping the target in view and reloading without looking is probably the single most important thing - with any weapon. Small game hunting is a great way to practice this, but you can discipline yourself to do the same thing with practice on informal targets. BTW, in singles, besides the fact that rimmed cartridges seem to be perfectly suited to them, the rim gives one a tactile advantage when it comes to reloading quickly without looking - even when reaching for loose ammo.

Practice enough so there are no surprises. With a #1, you better know if your rifle tends to leave them in the groove after hitting the safety and how to clear them quickly and automatically. The snap cap idea is good, but I would also practice enough with empties - if dry run practice is mostly what is available- so that you know exactly how the unloading part of the process is likely to go. (Neither snap caps nor "loaded" dummies will eject the same as the empty cases will.) And don't grab the cases. Practice letting them fly or drop just like they should when hunting!

Even a one shot killer ought to have the second round in the tube immediately after the follow through from the first, regardless what action type is being used. To do otherwise, regardless of the person's supposed history or reputation, is foolish.

The second shots I've taken (or prepared to take) while hunting with my single shots required me to empty my rifle, reach into my pocket, retrieve a cartridge, reload my rifle, and aim. How fast have I/can I do this? I have no idea. I suppose I could spend some time practicing this to become faster than when I started practicing, provided I could find someone to spend the same amount of time taking measurements for me so that I could quantify any benefit that I had gained for our mutual investment in time. But I don't. How often have I performed this non-practiced maneuver? About 1/10th as often as I've taken a game animal on the ground, that I have stalked on foot before I have seen, without said game animal alerted to the fact that I shared its woods. This, by the way, I practice.

I guess my point is, hunters seem to take interest and/or pride in very different things and the "exactly how fast can I reload my single shot to minimize the deficiency in firepower that I assume by hunting with one" question has never really interested me.

A friend I used to do a bit of culling of feral goats and he used a #1 almost exclusively. He kept spare rounds in an elastic ammo holder on the butt stock.

He was pretty quick and wasn't handicapped at all when it came to taking repeated shots. I certainly never shot many more goats than him with a bolt action, if he was shooting better than me on the day, I would be outdone.

Mr. Timberline;
I carry spare ammo in an elastic butt cuff on my No. 1.

As Mr. Klikitarik noted, one does lose some cartridges that way, but other than that, I find it a handy place to keep the ammo.

Once I sight in my hunting rifles, I try to do as much shooting as time allows in sitting or other field positions. I try to practice reloading as a reflex after shooting, and I think it seems to have helped me.

Even the reflexive action of grabbing the cartridge out of the butt sock seems to help.

I hope that was of some use to you, good luck on your upcoming hunts.

Regards,
Dwayne

A couple of comments.

I usually carry four rounds on the sling in four loops (black elastic type sling). Have one round chambered. The spares are easy to reach quickly on the sling. They are out of the way, I do not like the slip on stock ammo holder, it tends to bind up on me when I shoulder to fire every now and then.

Second shots, we are normally shooting no more than 100 yards in the heavy brush, stand and sitting hunting (even closer shots). Using a #1 in 7x57 norm is a one shot flop. No running shots or long shots in our area.

Cycling the #1 to load quickly and not jostle around just takes practice. The first shot is the critical path item (literally).

I started hunting with a #1 in 375 H&H almost 3 years ago and have been keeping extra round between the fingers of my firing hand. One of my high school teachers showed me that trick years ago and I never forgot it. He had hunted with #1's all over and took us to his house for a field trip one day, even giving us a demo of him rapidly reloading that impressed the hell out of some of us cocky teenagers!

T/C makes a very nice elastic sleeve that slides over the muzzle and slips back to the middle of the forearm. It puts a reload in a natural grab position when the gun comes open.

I tried the wristband but quickly decided I didn't like it. THe stretchy butt ammo carrier has worked well for me. I poked a hole in it to allow the sling swivel through and this keeps it from sliding down the taper of the stock.

To be honest, I have killed over 35 critters with my T/C and the one time I needed a second shot due to a Ballistic Tip explosion, I don't even remember reloading the rifle to this day. Thus, I have become so confident with my personal discipline afield that I don't ever take a shot with a thought of possibly needing another. Like Grasshopper mentioned, if I don't feel the one shot is all I need then I don't level the crosshairs on them.

Given that, my freezer stays full all the time.

I carry my ammo in a belt..I am not concerned with a fast second shot..It's the first shot that I am concerned about. If I were concerned about a fast second shot then I would shoot a repeater.
Same goes for a double rifle and hunting dangerous game. I want two good shots and fast isn't in my scenario..still I can load either a single shot or a double fairly fast..

I did get in a hurry one time and actually cut a loaded 30-06 case in half when I jerked the lever up and the case was only half way in the chamber of my Ruger no. 1!! Guess I was excited, and a huge whitetail flicked his tail at me and disapeared into the brush, never to be seen again...what happened with the first shot, well the gun was in the PU and unloaded when this big boy jumped out and crossed the road and a clearing and I jumped out loading the rifle and it was all downhill from that point on..:)

Took a TCR-87 in 308 Win to New Zealand and got laughed at by the locals for using such a slow loading almost relic looking rifle.
After a mob of 17 goats turned up in a clearing they stopped laughing. 14 of the goats was spread out from ca 30 to 250 meters.
Having grown up among break open combination guns with only one bullet available means one learns to reload quickly. I use two methods - either I store the rounds on the buttstock in a carrier from Uncle Mike's or I have an easy to reach semi deep pocket in my hunting jacket with a few rounds in it.
//K9

Where is Lee24 when ya need him,,I heard he invented the fast second shot

And here I thought that I was the only one! I actually did the same thing with my long-gone No.1 .458 Win. It didn't cut the case in half, but it sure creased it sharply and made me feel like a real boob.

I initially carried four different .243 cartridges in a waist ammo belt but, as I normally favour the prone or laying down position for shooting ferals (cats, foxes, goats and pigs here in Australia) with my Harris bi-pod mounted carry sling attached Browning B78 High Wall, I found it both rather awkward and time consuming selecting another round � particularly if there were multiple prey present. I�m not a regular hunter but I recently trialled the unorthodox procedure of carrying around a lime green MTM CASE-GARD 50 handled plastic ammo box. Simply open it up and quickly select and load whatever bullet suits the relevant feral/s at hand � extracted cases are stored directly into the empty slots. Note, I�ve placed a thin piece of high density foam on the underside of the lid to eliminate the rattling sounds of the various cartridges as I wander about the bush. As similarly stated by several single shot hunters, I rarely fire unless I�m 100% sure of a clean one shot humane kill. In short, another alternative for follow up shots......
Cheers, Ross.

Chimbu,
Excellent post...I also agree that the purpose of hunting with a single shot is to make the first shot count, otherwise use a repeater..

I know that using a single shot and knowing you HAVE to make the first shot count tends to make you a better marksman or at least a "thinking marksman"

I use an elastic band that hold 4 on my off wrist (left for me) works great.

I have to agree with atkinson 100% here. If I'm really concerned I need that second shot, I should have brought a repeater. I can reload my #1 pretty damn fast if needed; just never really needed to. OH, I carry my spare ammo in a pocket. Anyway, theres my answer.

I carry an ammo cuff on te butt stock as well, but sometimes one on my belt.
Most times I'm not worried about the second shot either.
Cat

I carried two between fingers of non-trigger hand. About as fast as a bolt gun, maybe a few seconds less. Fast enough to take a second shot at a groundhog before it hits the hole. Suppose I could go belt-fed if I needed more?

I carry extra rounds in the left-hand chest pocket of my shirt or coat. After the first shot the lever gets opened with my right hand, ejecting the case. If the case hits the tang safety and sits there in the "well" I tip the rifle to the right and the case falls off. Meanwhile I'm reaching into my ammo pocket with my right hand, grabbing a round, and sliding it into the chamber.

It doesn't take very long, partly because I've been varmint hunting with a No. 1 for quite a while. In recent years this has been a .22 Hornet 1B. Fuiring several hundred or maybe even 1000 rounds a year at prairie dogs gets the motion down. And believe me, when you get fast at getting another round into the chamber with a Hornet, getting a big game round in there is easy.

Generally, by the time I get the second round in there the animal is down (or up, in the case of a prairie dog).

I aloso have a Merkel break-action single-shot .308 and am pretty quick at reloading that too, even though it doesn't have an ejector, just an extractor, so cases must be finger-picked out of the chamber.

One thing I have always found odd is that people who are suspicious about hunting with a single-shot because a follow-up might be too slow almost always use bolt-actions. If you're hunting in a situation where a quick second shot might be a good idea, a pump, auto or double is far quicker than a bolt, even when the bolt is run by an expert.

"One thing I have always found odd is that people who are suspicious about hunting with a single-shot because a follow-up might be too slow almost always use bolt-actions. If you're hunting in a situation where a quick second shot might be a good idea, a pump, auto or double is far quicker than a bolt, even when the bolt is run by an expert."

Stop using logic, and hands on practical experience, JB, the naysayers won't listen. I'd wager that a fair amount of the single shot skeptics, have never fired/hunted with a single shot in their lives. They just "know" you can't use one effectively on game. If they have, and still can't, it's due to lack of practice, which is the root cause of many shooting woes, IMO.

Jeff

I bet that is one sweet packing gun.

It is! The weight with a 6x42 Leupold is 6-3/4 pounds--and it's as nice to look at as it is to pack.

The only time I've gotten a little nervous packing a single-shot, though, was when I had a backpack full of caribou meat and the Merkel, and was coming down off a big hill in the Northwest Territories in an area where more than one tundra grizzly had been seen. Those little bears are among the more aggressive grizzlies, probably they're hungry almost all the time.

So I kept a round in the chamber and the Merkel in my hands all the way down to the lake shore and the boat. Luckily it was also very open country, where a bear could be spotted a long way away....and I didn't seen one.

Another reason I like the Merkel is that it has the cocking tang safety. The rifle is not cocked until you push the "safety" forward, so it can be much more safely carried with a round in the chamber.

it never amazes me how one hunter will go out and bow hunt all year long and Never worry about how he'll get a second shot off. and yet that same hunter in rifle season will then want a rifle that will allow a second or third follow up shot. i see this all the time and i just laugh. with the exception of hunting were dangerouse game can come into play as noted above there is just no need for feeling under gunned with a single shot. and if you do then maybe you should put that bow away too. i don't think most hunters would be hard pressed to reload their single shots in a timely manner if they needed it for some reason especialy if they put that first shot were they intended.

If you've missed with the first shot - with anything- what are the chances that you'll be making a well prepared second shot anyway? From what I've seen with many folks, having made contact with the first, they'll often watch to see what's going to happen before the action gets worked anyway. All the while, a hunter with any sense is going to chambering another round. In other words, if the latter fellow happens to be using a manual single loader, he's going to be ready while the former will standing around with an empty chamber while an animal that recovers enough makes its get-away.

One of my few concerns about carrying a single is that I'll happen across a pack of wolves or even a lone one which I'd like to tag. Often that involves running shots, misses, and rapid reloads. Anyone who knows that game likes rapid repeaters, often ARs or Minis or something along those lines. I missed my last opportunity with a bolt gun which works well most of the time. It just happens to bobble sometimes when it's worked quite vigorously - as I did when the wolf appeared around the bend. If I had had a single shooter, that bobble would not have happened and that wolf would likely have been on the wall.

I solved the problem by only carrying one round.

Yep

That sure encourages better follow-through that lifting and yanking or tapping the yammer thirty times rapidly.

It's like Kristoferson said in Tracker, when asked why he used a single shot:

"Shoots harder, I don't aim to miss"

Ha, I use a leather arm shell holder myself, I built a 338 wm ruger #3 SS (basically turned it into a #1!) for hunting big bear, the way I get around the problem of using a ss for dangerous game is to pack 2 guns, a shotgun or lever 1895 in .405 I use if I am going to my site in thick brush, and as a backup in case I get a critter running up on me

I absolutely agree.

Doc

With a bow if you miss you seldom completely spook the critter, whereas with a rifle you do, the whole idea is to take the animal with a well made shot but Murphy is around enough to nix things

so i guess all those muzzle loaders shooters should hang em up too?

Yeah, the Ruger reloads a LOT faster than my traditional muzzle loader...

Well, sometimes two rounds, but I keep the other one in my pocket.