doublegunshop.com - home Forums General Discussion Double Rifles, Paradox Guns & Gauge Rifles @ doublegunshop.com single shot "stalking rifle"

I've used single shot rifles for hunting all my life, starting with a Stevens Model 44 "Ideal" in .22 WRF that I got for cleaning out a neighbor's sheepshed in 1952 when I was 9.

I prefer the original Win 1885 High Wall and the Ruger #1 for big stuff and the Win Low Wall and T-C Contender Carbine for little stuff. The T-C is butt ugly but shoots like a dream and is easy to take down, clean, and switch barrels. Right now I have only one, but it has a .22WRM barrel, a .410 barrel, and a .25-35 WCF barrel.

REAL "stalking rifles": break-open Germanic single shots like the Merkel are just too expensive for me. The Ruger #1 is an excellent and economical choice, made in USA. How many good products can claim that any more?

Mike Armstrong

I took a great 5x5 Whitetail buck last week with my favorite stalking rifle, my H&H falling block built on a trade farquharison in .30 super. The gun is deadly accurate and powerful with ballistics quite similar to a .30-06. Pictures to follow.

C?Z brno has a stalking rifle in 308 or 3006 german styling at around 1600.00.good job Steve, i really like the 30 super mc

I've been hunting with single shots since 1986, either a BPC rifle or muzzleloader, with the occasional hunt with one of my douible rifles. I've never experienced any difficulty or lack of confidence in my one shot. Sure has been a lot of game fallen to my rifles.

Up until my eyes got so bad I couldnt shoot open sights anymore, I used a Ruger #3 in 45/70 as my elk rifle. We hunt in a rough area and shots are seldom more than 50-60 yards. I packed a 45/120 Sharps for a while as well. I shot a good number of deer with it around the home place. One shot, witnessed by my boys,516 yards off sticks with a cast bullet. Held on the nose, broke the brisket...Tang Peep..Scoped .416 these days..

I have 2 that I use, the first is a No. in 45-70 with a old Redfield 1.75x5, has been a very productive rig. The second is and old Savage 219 in 30-30, for sights I installed a Wms. Guide Receiver and a fiber optic front sight, this combo has taken a number of deer too. Alas, but none this year.

Do you still have your #3 LD? I would never give mine up. About 20 years ago I had thought of having mine chamber reamed for 45/90 so I would have more powder capacity. I never did it and I'm glad. Recoil with handloads is murder just the way it is.

If "reverse snobbery" isn't a problem the H&R/NEF "Handi-rifle" might be worthy of consideration. The standard version, in 30-30 caliber offers a nice 7-pound package that carries easily and offers pretty good accuracy and flexibility with great carrying characteristics. The same rifle can also still be obtained in 45-70 and 50 S&W but those calibers in such a light rifle might be "too much gun" for some folks.

Another worthy "stalking rifle" is the "Buffalo Classic" version. This 32-inch barreled, 8-pound beauty has a fine balance and is capable of excellent accuracy. It is also rated for 1895 Marlin-class loads. This fact should make it "big medicine" for anything that walks or crawls in the Western Hemishere.

H&R single-shot guns can be great "customizers". I had the butt stock of mine reshaped to a Prince of Wales grip configuration and also had the "Schnabbel" on the forestock refined a bit. With its new, "darkish" stock finish the rifle's stock might not pass for a custom-grade walnut masterpiece but it is "pretty", all the same. A gunsmith's judicious trigger stoning and adjustments resulted in a pretty respectable "hunting trigger", too.

My #3 45/70 was stolen some time ago with 70 other guns, only one ever recovered. Interesting that another of the stolen guns was a Savage 219! This one had 2 Bbls, .410 and 22 hornet. Was a special order I think. Cheekpiece, BT forend, some engraving nice wood..My #3 was real kicker, possibly because I tried to make it act like a .458...I Broke 2 buttstocks, Ruger said they wouldnt fix it any more..so I backed off to "normal" loads..The H&R single shots, aside from being really ugly, perform very well..

You have my sympathy. A miscreant helped himself to my guns a few years ago, too. There was a real sense of violation. The guns were ultimately replaced, more or less, but the feeling has never quite gone away.

I suppose that "ugly is as ugly does" when it comes to H&R single-shots. My "customized" piece looks quite nice IMHO and the "Buffalo Classic" and the trap gun can be at least reasonably attractive guns "from the get-go". Who knows? Perhaps in each "ugly" H&R is a "pretty" H&R stuggling to get out!