I'm thinking about a single shot for a 'truck' (Rover and little old Bronco, actually.) gun; reasoning that it'll, actually, be the quickest from unloaded for safety to a shot fired and very compact.

This is the current leading candidate:



Model: 1885 TRAPPER
Caliber: 30-40
Barrel Length: 16.5"

I've had very few singles, so more experienced opinions on both my reasoning and rifle choice are very welcome.

I don't think I would want to spend that much money on a rifle that was going to be rattling around in a truck. Maybe a used one that dings and nicks in it.

CDNN Sports had some deals on those, last time I looked. If you order from them, ask for Steve. He's a real good guy and he always treats me good.

Yes, that's where I found it and the price isn't bad at all.

It'll ride in a soft scabbard, getting maybe less rash than in gun stores or safes.

This one works well for me:



T/C's get little respect here on the "Fire". But the ability to change barrels quickly, i.e. rifle to shotgun, to longrange caliber, etc. is pretty convenient:







DMc

DMC, I had one that was identical to your top T/C pictured with the same scope in .223 that I traded in to my LGS! Here in TX a few years back in a moment of weakness. It was an accurate little Carbine and light as a feather. Its one of the few rifles that I've ever regretted trading off. What caliber is yours?

You might consider a H&R Handi-Rifle.

I like the Rossi 3 guns 22, 20 ga, 243 for 249.00

I went a little nutz on T/C's and accumulated several calibers, (..and finding those Leupold "shorties" is an under-taking!)

Pictured above in the wood stocks is a 44 Mag. The synthetic set comes closer to your 223. It's a 221FB and .410.

Below that are all high-powered calibers.


DMc

Cool. Those old Contender Carbines are very underrated, and mine are all extremely accurate. And those shorty Leupolds are next to impossible to find nowadays.
I was hoping that was my old .223 Carbine on top. I was gonna try and buy it back.

I also believe a T/C Contender or Encore will work well. With MGM (and others) custom barrels, you have have about any caliber you might want.

LOL. Very nice sig line.



DMc

Rover what is that?, Looks like a highwall/#3 cross? and what do they cost? Thanks-Muddy

I do believe he means a "Land" Rover and an "old style" Bronco are the vehicles he'll use for his future "truck" gun.

Rifle pictured is a Winchester 1885 "Trapper" in 30-40 Krag.



DMc

Is anybody making slim contour barrels for old Contenders these days?

Got a "hard-opener" from the late '60s I'm thinking about doing SBR form on just so I can put a Ute stock on it and run it w readily available handgun barrels. Got a 10-in. .357 that's a tack driver I'd like to have Bellm punch to .357 Max.

if i was looking for a knock around truck gun, it would be a H&R handi rifle, in .223, 30-30, or a .22.


maddog

Roving...

I'm a Ruger #1 fan, so I don't know anything about the rifle you're considering, but it appears to be a decent little single-shot.

If YOU "like" it and can afford it... then go-for-it if that's what you like. Once it's "your's", the price doesn't matter.... what matters is how well will it serve-your-purpose. If it does a good job of that... then why not get it?!?

That said... it's a fine lookin' rifle with really nice wood, so keep your plan in mind about the "soft case"... it would be a shame to allow it to "beat up"... and the .30/40 Craig cartridge is a good cartridge for deer and even elk and moose... IF you put a good bullet like a 150 grain or, better yet, a 165 grain Nosler Partition into the animal's "kill zone"... you'll put meat-on-the-table to enjoy for quite a while.

Jus' my 2�...


Strength & Honor...

Ron T.

Thanks all for the info and ideas.

I'll look into the other options suggested. I do want to stick to 30 caliber, though; because I'm thinking of a load using those inexpensive plated or half-jacketed bullets with Trailboss or pistol powder for a rimfire replacement. I think with that and a second load, like RonT mentioned, with a good middleweight bullet a truck gun in .30-40, .308, or .30-06 can handle come what may.

I've having never had the chance to play with .30-40, brings it up to even as a choice. I know little about 1885s, but it seems a neat gun for the role and the price, now discounted to $799, is less than any Number 1 and about the same as an Encore.

The CVA scout is a nice, compact single shot that can be found in several calibers. I have a CVA Apex and with a 308 or 30-06 cut down to 18 or 20", it would prove to be very handy. The Apex is an excellent rifle and has enough heft to handle the 30-06 round without undue recoil from a single shot.

I live in suburbia.
My "Truck gun" is a loaded semi auto pistol in my glove box.

For a month during hunting season I stay in a small town population 250. For that month I keep my main hunting rifle on the passenger seat. I do not drive around loaded, but I keep the ammo in the butt stock pouch.

I'm with maddog on this one. H&R with a .357 barrel is mine.

Ella

Me THREE. I too recommend the Handi-Rifle!

In .30-30 rechambered to .30-40!!

Or just stay with the .30-30.

In .308 Winchester it also wouldn't be too bad;
or .30/06
or .357 or .44 Mag ..... , etc!

I'm building a 19" 12ga 'SURVIVOR' gun in the Handi,
that'll have plenty of storage in the stock and forend.

Here is the CVA Scout. It's really compact and is available in multiple calibers.

[img:left][/img] [img:left][/img]

One of the best setups I ever had was a TC Contender carbine with a custom shop 20 inch .357 Maxi barrel. I don't remember why I got rid of it. Another good one is a Winchester 94 trapper, .30-30 or .44 magnum.

With "book" loads, the .30-40 doesn't offer much over a .30-30. Most .30 cal bullets meant for .308, '06, and the magnums won't open up at .30-40 speeds even from a long barrel. My father is a big .30-40 fan. I've seen it in action A LOT and with pointed 180s, expansion is the exception, not the rule. Probably the best .30-40 bullet out there, especially for the shorter barrels, is the Nosler 170 grain round nose partition. Speer 170 grain flat points would be my 2nd choice.

Tom

What TOM sez is probably true... as far as he went.

However, Nosler makes a quick opening bullet (Nosler's Ballistic Tip/boat-tailed bullets) in several different .30 caliber weights including 125 grain, 150 grain and 165 grain weights which would be excellent for deer and Nosler's excellent Partition bullet is available in several different .30 caliber weights if you need deeper penetration for bear, elk or moose with the Krag cartridge.

As you probably know, the front half of the Nosler Partition Bullet opens up rather fast, but the rear half remains in tact and drives through bone and muscle without breaking down, so the Nosler Partition Bullet is useful for your purposes as well... and no one can "knock" the Partition Bullet... it's "THE" big game bullet to which all others are compared.

I've used the Nosler Partition on large moose and it's retained over 71% of it's original bullet weight and the front half of the bullet has "opened up" perfectly while the rear half remained totally together and drove through heavy bone and muscle to bring down the moose with a single shot to a vital area.

I wouldn't be so fast to discount the old Krag cartridge... and at the muzzle velocities my reloading manual indicates, the Krag is almost as fast (muzzle velocity wise) as the once very popular .300 Savage. I.E., the deer would never be able to notice any difference.

Of course, you'd need to reload these bullets yourself or find a reliable person to reload them for you, but with the 150 grain Ballistic Tip which could easily be loaded to have muzzle velocities in the 2560-2595 fps range , the 150 grain Nosler Ballistic Tip bullet would make an excellent deer round in a .30/40 Krag cartridge.

Of course, you won't get that much muzzle velocity outta a shorter barrel than the 22" barrel used in the tests in my reloading manual, but you'll be close enough for government work.

Enjoy life 'cause you only "go around" once.

Jus' my 2�...


Strength & Honor...

Ron T.

Hmmmm ... yer right, I forgot about the 125 grain ballistic tip.

Remember the context of the OP's question, though: he's asking about the late-build High Wall trapper carbines which have a 16-1/4" barrel, not a 26 or 28 inch like we're more generally used to in the single shots. 10-12" of barrel is a lot of loss.

Man that's be a handy little bugger in a backpack though. Wow.

I have a Marlin 1984 45 Colt with a 16.5" barrel which makes for an outstanding truck gun, albeit somewhat short range.

You guys are too good at providing options.

I thought that I'd stumbled on a useful truck gun concept of using a single's ease of loading that one round to keep it quick and simple for a truck gun, and had a likely candidate.

Now I've several rifles and action types listed at which to look and handle.

;)You have made such hard and unpleasant work for me, to have to go to a couple of gun shops and checkout some rifles.

This gives you the reason to buy one of each action type represented to determine the one best suited for your needs.

We're just looking out for you.

This is what I call a Truck Gun GA 937638874
http://www.gunsamerica.com/classifieds/view/_937638874.aspx

BTT

Encore #1; Contender #2; any caliber.

Those 1885s are gorgeous. But you could buy 3 H&Rs for the same price and not have a coronary if they were stolen.

This works.

Courtesy demands, that I thank all of you for all of the good information and options.

Honesty demands that I say, that you've given me so many good options that my essentially made choice is now back to comparing several rifles.

A Range Rover? In that case, yes that purdy looking rifle would be the perfect match for your "truck"� just make sure it rides in a silk soft case in the back seat on that English saddle leather�

Where can you buy an 1885 that cheap? I will take two or three.