Single Shot Rifles

Hey Bronco, glad to see your considering the #1, they are my favorite.
My 6mm started as a 270 international but the muzzle blast was more than I liked for the load I'm using. Any short bbl rifle can have that issue. One advantage to a B is the 26" bbl. A few extra fps in a package that is shorter than most standard bolts by about 2 1/2"'s.
The 270B I have used for over 20 years. When I first got it I did some bedding on the fore end and it would do <3/4' at 100. After 20 years it now does about 1 1/2", I've played with the load but I think thats all she's got anymore. More than enough for me with a 300' limit. If you really need to shoot small groups be aware that the quarter rib, where the scope mounts, expands at a little differant rate than the bbl. This seems to cause a "flyer" after about three shots or so, depending on your load. There are bbl tuning devices to be had but I have never used one. Suppossed to work great to shrink your group...ya never know. The ejector is "tunable" and if you have it set up that brass is "leaving" over your left shoulder. Set it light and it's great at the range if you reload. The only real problem I have had was my own fault. Long ago ...I wasnt setting the sizer properly and I had a few cases "stick' in the chamber :eek: Of course it only happened once or twice but what a pain... and never at the range..only when hunting. Solved that one fast>>
 
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prosper said:
Or get something TRULY ###y. Like:

a shiloh sharps:
bcreedmore1874.jpg


They don't get much prettier than that.;)
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Pretty elegant lines the no 1. When I took it in to get the trigger done the gunsmith fondled it for a bit-obviously a love thing. Now that tells me something. Apparently the action design is particularly good for heavy calibres too as it is so tough.Still my fave rifle and should make a splendid yote gun. Keep in mind if you ever get tired of it there will be a lineup to buy.
Still creates a stir at the range.
 
Owned both a ruger and browning single shot. Had the #1 tweaked by my gun guru which did improve its accuracy, then sold it to a fellow gun nut. The Browning (22/250) was also professionally looked over and is a dream toy to shoot gophers and varmints with. Between the two, l prefer the Browning but that is a personal preference as both are good looking rifles and a pleasure to shoot......
 
The only thing I didn't like about the #1 I owned, which has already been mentioned, was that the brass would bounce off the safety and back into the breech. That was simply fixed by shaving the front of the safety lever.

Once you get that solved, those rifles can be reloaded quickly with a little practice...
 
bogie said:
Pretty elegant lines the no 1. When I took it in to get the trigger done the gunsmith fondled it for a bit-obviously a love thing. Now that tells me something. Apparently the action design is particularly good for heavy calibres too as it is so tough.Still my fave rifle and should make a splendid yote gun. Keep in mind if you ever get tired of it there will be a lineup to buy.
Still creates a stir at the range.
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the first gun i ever bought was a remmy 700P.
i remember when i was buying it, the gunsmith i bought it from pointed over to his own personal rifle sitting on the next counter - it was a stainless Ruger #1 Tropical, and said that i should get one of those instead.

i looked at it, thought 'single shot, pfft...' and went back to the remmy.
dont get me wrong, i love my old 700P, but now i wish id have listened to him and gotten a Ruger #1 instead :)
 
Silverado said:
The only thing I didn't like about the #1 I owned, which has already been mentioned, was that the brass would bounce off the safety and back into the breech. That was simply fixed by shaving the front of the safety lever.

Once you get that solved, those rifles can be reloaded quickly with a little practice...
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True enough, I've found they do need work. They are a favorite of mine and while they do have rather classic lines, 'out of the box', they don't shoot quite as well as I expected. I should add that has been my experience anyway. I had a 1-V in .25-06 and still have a 1-V in .22-250. With the work recently done on it, in line with info from an article I have, "The Ruger No. 1, Shooting and tuning", accuracy/group size has improved. Its not a bad article and I've passed it on to a few others.
 
416 said:
Owned both a ruger and browning single shot...... Between the two, l prefer the Browning but that is a personal preference as both are good looking rifles and a pleasure to shoot......
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I have a Browning High Wall and a couple of Ruger #1s. While the Rugers are very nice rifles and shoot as well as most bolt guns the quality on the Browning is a notch higher. The action and lever move with a degree of precision not found on the Rugers. The firmness of the lock-up and lack of play in the falling block is very different from what one feels with a #1. My particular Browning 1885 will put 3 .277 calibre 140 grain Hornady BTSP bullets into one ragged hole at 100 yards over and over again. :D

491885-2.jpg
 
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Had a look at the Browning site and it seems they are not making the High Wall anymore. How did they compare in price? At least the Ruger is still in production. Going shopping for a scope with lots of eye releif on Friday. The Bushnell 4200 4-16 is not working. Cant get close enough to the eyepiece to be comfy so it goes. Checking out the Nikons and maybe swap my Leupie to see. Let you know what works.
 
bogie said:
. How did they compare in price? At least the Ruger is still in production.
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About 20%-30% more money than the Ruger #1

Winchester just stopped producing their version of the "modern" 1885 a year or so ago so I would imagine some dealers may have some still in stock. (also Winchester guns still list a special 30-06 version on their website)

Every once in a while you will find a used Browning or Winchester M1885 (basically the same rifle) and Browning B78s (very similar to the 1885) for sale here on GunNutz. I also would not be surprised to see Browning start production again in the future.
 
Have two Ruger #3's..22 K-hornet and 45/70 plus a Browning 78 in 45/70 and all shoot under an inch with various handloads and with no tweaking of any kind done to them ...factory box stock except they are scoped..

The Browning single shot is in my opinion the better of the three for looks and workmanship etc.

Had a Ruger Number 1 in 7mm mag. in 1978 and it shot well but when I pulled it off my shoulder (slinged) a couple times the little detent button on the lever release would catch on my belt (spare ctgs. knife.. the usual hunting stuff etc.) and open up the action ...I know..my fault.. but got rid of it and went to the #3s.
Would reccommend a Ruger to anyone who's looking for a single shot rifle
 
Thanks Boo. I have seen the odd add for a High Wall but did not know what they were as none of the dealers had any info. Nice shot of one posted in this thread. Very elegant indeed. Might look into that.
 
I'm glad someone brought up the shiloh and c. sharps, it was starting to look like the only single shots made were either TC or Ruger #1. Now don't get me wrong I like the #1 and I have a few...but nothing is as nice as a '74 Sharps, or a '78 Sharps, Rem. Rolling Block or even better, a Hepburn. The Stevens 44 1/2 is a classic, oh, and what about the Ballard? Most of these are avail. again if you have the pesos, maybe now with the cdn. dollar I should call...Ballard...hmmmm.
 
Agreed Ben - Ballard has some beautiful rifles. Does Steve Garby still run that enterprise?

For singles I shoot a Ruger #1 in 7RemMag, custom RPA in 223wssm, AR50 in 50BMG, and my favorite, Pedersoli rolling block in 45-70.

Big dream, though, is this Blaser:

K95AttacheStutzen.jpg
[/IMG]

Some day.
 
I have a Browning B 78 in 30-06 that is in need of a couple of repairs. I am looking for one of the 2 screws that are a part of the trigger adjustment. So far no success. Also the previous owner seemed to be a tad rough in the usage of the gun as the stock had been replaced with a piece of birch and there is a developing bulge near the end of the barrel. If I can find the screw I will have the barrel cut and re crowned.

In the past I owned a couple of H&R and New England Handi rifles. One was a 30-30 / 20 gauge combo gun and the other a 45-70. Both were very accurate. The 45-70 shoting into less thanan inch using black powder and hand cast lead. I did re stock them with a stock configuration appropriate to scope use. It is very easy to fit a new stock on the New england/ H&R rifles and a nice piece of figured 2 X 8 walnut is all that is needed and does not cost all that much. I even went so far as to make an international style fore end and replaced the plastic on the rear of the fore end with a brass piece for added appeal. Years back I saw one which had been converted to a schutzen style complete with hooked butt plate. A real one of a kind and very nice looking.
 
Leave it a German to Build a Better Gun

Have you ever considered the Martin Hagn single shot?

It is made by a couple of krauts out of BC. Google the name and you will see some mighty fine single shot rifles.

Jerry has always made good guns, and the rigs pictured on the Martin Hagn website make the Rugers look like popguns for welfare bums. I heard somewhere that Ruger was thinking of offering a free bowl of soup to every loser who bought a Number One. That might be the trick to save Ruger from bankruptcy.

BB
 
Dmay said:
Agreed Ben - Ballard has some beautiful rifles. Does Steve Garby still run that enterprise?

For singles I shoot a Ruger #1 in 7RemMag, custom RPA in 223wssm, AR50 in 50BMG, and my favorite, Pedersoli rolling block in 45-70.

Big dream, though, is this Blaser:

K95AttacheStutzen.jpg
[/IMG]

Some day.
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Beautiful gun that Blazer, nice wood, but do you really like that fruity stock design?
 
ben hunchak said:
Beautiful gun that Blazer, nice wood, but do you really like that fruity stock design?
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Ya..I like it....kinda classic looking from a distance, but I think the unconventional lines give it a distinctive, luxurious look.......or maybe its just the wood.....They make em in other stock designs as well.....guess if a guys gonna shell out that much money, he better be dam sure he likes it!
 
Had a couple Ruger #1's, 6mm Rem and 7mm RM but my buddies Browning B78 in .22-250 beat the socks off the Rugers for fit & finish. If I was to get another single for big game, it would be a B78 or 1885 Winchester and likely in .45-70 then get a 'smith to ream it to .45-90 just because.
 
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