See also:The vast majority of firearms before the introduction of metallic cartridges in the 1860s were single-shot and muzzle loading. However, multi-barrel, breech loading, revolving, and other multi-shot firearms had been experimented with for centuries. Notable pre-cartridge era single-shot firearms included, and firearms. Muzzle loaders included muskets, Charleville muskets, and many others. There were also breech loading pre-cartridge era single shots such as, and several others.Cartridge era Rifles Almost all of the early cartridge-fed rifles were single-shot designs, taking advantage of the strength and simplicity of single-shot actions. A good example is the 'trapdoor' or Allin action used in early cartridge conversions of 1863 Springfield muzzleloading rifles. The conversion consisted of (or later ) the rear of the barrel, and attaching a folding bolt, the 'trapdoor', that flipped up and forwards to allow the cartridge to be loaded in the breech.
DBox are you going to build a single shot bolt action such as a bench rest rifle or are you building a falling block such as the Ruger #1? Brownell's has the Ruger #1 actions if that's what your looking for. Otherwise the Stolle Panda bench rest actions are the top of the line for a bolt single shot. For more tests: I used these poorly assembled homemade cartridges, with a.197 (4,75mm) steel bearing ball. The barrel can be.
Once loaded, the bolt was closed and latched in place, holding the round securely in place. The bolt contained a firing pin that used the existing percussion hammer, so no changes were required to the lock.
After firing, the act of opening the bolt would partially extract the fired case from the chamber, allowing it to be removed. In 1866, the standardized on the.50-70 cartridge, chambered in trapdoor conversions of that had been used in the.
The trapdoor mechanism continued with the adoption of the rifle, chambered in the new cartridge. The Springfield stayed in service until 1893, when it was replaced by the bolt-action rifle.Another muzzleloader conversion similar in concept to the Allin action was the British, also introduced in 1866, which hinged to the side rather than forward. Unlike the US Army, which kept its trapdoors for decades, the British soon moved beyond the Snider to the more sophisticated dropping-block Martini action derived from the. Were the standard British rifles of the late Victorian era, and conversions continued in second-line service until the Second World War.Single-shot rifles were the preferred tools of big-game hunters in the later 19th century. The buffalo hunters of the American West used Sharps, Remington and Springfield single-shots; ivory and trophy hunters in Africa and Asia used Martini and break-action 'express rifles' and 'elephant guns.' These rifles were designed for very large black-powder cartridges, from military-issue.45-70 on up to the enormous and; early repeating actions were not capable of handling rounds of this power and physical size.
The single-shot big-game rifle would only be displaced by bolt action repeaters firing high-velocity smokeless-powder cartridges in the early 20th century.After the advent of high-powered repeating rifles, single-shot rifles were primarily used for target shooting matches, with the first official match shooting event, opening at in 1872. From about 1872 until the U.S.
Entry into (1917), target shooting with single-shot rifles was nearly as popular in America as golf is today. During that golden age of match shooting, the most popular target rifles were made by, Farrow,. Calibers used by some of these rifles during matches ranged from the.25/20,.32/40,.33,.35,.35-55,.40-50,.40/70, and a host of.44's (.44/105,.44/77, etc.) for over-600-yard shooting at Creedmoor. But two calibers maintained consistency throughout their tenure during the single-shot era: the.32-40 and the.38-55 calibers. The minimum standard in the beginning of the sport had been 200 yard firing from the standing position (off-hand position). No rifle scopes, no bench rests, no prone (lying down on the front) positions, but shooting, as famed rifle barrel maker, Harry Melville Pope (1861–1950), once stated, 'standing on his hind legs and shooting like a man.' The.32-40 and.38-55 were able to buck the wind better at 200 yards, and not wear the rifleman out by heavy recoil, all while sustaining great accuracy.
In the end though, it was the.32-40 single-shot rifle that became the dean of match shooters, as the recoil from the.38-55 took its toll after hundreds of rounds had been fired during a match.In 1878, patented arguably the greatest single-shot rifle ever produced: after Browning sold his design to the it was brought out as the Rifle. Although fewer than 200,000 Model 1885 Single Shots were built, it remained in production from 1885 to 1920., and all made single-shot rifles using different actions, such as the. These rifles were originally chambered in large cartridges, such as.50-110, and were used for hunting large game, often. Later production rifles would be in popular cartridges, such as the.Single-shot rifles co-existed for some time with the rifle, but they began to fade out of manufacture with the advent of reliable rifles.Pistols The handgun began as a single-shot weapon in China in the 14th century. In its many versions it remained a muzzle-loaded weapon until the advent of the metallic cartridge in the first third of the 18th century. Such single-shot cartridge-firing pistols were short-lived, as revolver technology evolved rapidly, and cartridge conversions existed for the common models of cap and ball revolvers.
Two forms of single-shot pistol, however, remained: single-shot, and target pistols, which were essentially single-shot rifle actions cut down to pistol size. The Remington Rolling Block is perhaps the most well known of these. As the era of single-shot rifles faded, so did these early single-shot pistols.In 1907, J. Stevens Arms, a maker of inexpensive break-open single-shot rifles in pistol calibers, started making pistol versions of their rifles. This pistol was chambered in and came with adjustable and grips designed for target shooting. These models were discontinued in 1939.Shotguns Single-barrel shotguns have always been popular as an inexpensive alternative to. They are almost always designs, like the double-barreled designs, but far less expensive since they do not require the precise aligning of barrels.
Single-barrel shotguns are also lighter, which can be an advantage if they are carried hunting, though it does mean they have more felt. They are not widely used in shotgun sports, as most events require the ability to quickly fire two successive shots.The single-barrel shotgun is often referred to as a 'kitchen door gun' or a 'farm gun' due to its low cost as a self-defense weapon.Types of single-shot cartridge actions Trapdoor actions The earliest metallic-cartridge breechloaders designed for general military issue began as conversions of muzzle-loading rifle-muskets. The upper rear portion of the barrel was filed or milled away and replaced by a hinged breechblock which opened upward to permit loading. An internal angled firing pin allowed the re-use of the rifle's existing side-hammer. The made by Springfield Arsenal in the US hinged forward; the used by the British opened to the side.
Whereas the British quickly replaced the Snider with a dropping-block Peabody-style Martini action, the US Army felt the trapdoor action to be adequate and followed its muzzleloader conversions with the new-production, which was the principal longarm of the and was still in service with some units in the.Other trapdoor actions include the rare Confederate, the Austrian, the Belgian and conversion (some of which were made from French 1777 pattern flintlocks!), the M1842/59/67 Swiss Milbank-Amsler, the M1859/67 Spanish Berdan, and the Colt-manufactured Russian. All of these designs save the 1863 Tarpley date from the period 1865–1869, and all but the Tarpley and the Russian Berdan were conversions from muzzle-loaders.Break actions. Main article:Although bolt actions are usually associated with fixed or detachable box magazines, in fact the first general-issue military breechloader was a single-shot bolt action: the paper-cartridge of 1841.
France countered in 1866 with its superior, also a paper-cartridge bolt action. 1 single-shot rifle with custom.243 barrelIn 1966, introduced their first true rifle, which uses a and is available in a wide selection of calibers from to. 1 has always been sought after by shooters who appreciate the compact size of a single-shot rifle, and the falling block action cuts about four inches off the length of the rifle for a given barrel length. From 1972 to 1987, Ruger also made a less expensive version of the #1, the #3. The #3, which sold for about half the price of a #1, used a simplified, non-locking lever for the falling block action, and came with an uncheckered stock. Browning In 1985 Browning re-introduced the famous Winchester Model 1885 single-shot rifles in popular calibers, but under the Browning name. Although the Winchester Single Shot gained fame under the Winchester brand name, it was John Moses Browning that designed the rifle, selling the rights to Winchester in the early 1880s.
The Browning Single Shot Rifle was in production from 1985 to 2001.Cooper. Open action of Cooper Model 22 single-shot rifleThe majority of rifles made by are single-shot bolt-action rifles. Many of their rifles are specially crafted to suit long-range varmint hunting, where the accuracy of the single-shot action is helpful.Remington Remington has once again made their No. 1 Rolling Block rifles available through their custom shop.New England Firearms (H&R) One of the most common single-action rifles would be the New England Firearms inexpensive break-open rifles, which are built on their break-open shotgun actions.
The rifles however are made on a heat treated steel action, and the shotgun actions are not heat treated. Any rifle frame may accept rifle or shotgun barrels, the shotgun frames however are only safe for shotgun barrels. These were originally built by Harrington & Richardson starting in 1871. H&R was later acquired by NEF, and both are now part of the family. Rifles are sold both under the NEF and the H&R names. These rifles are quite accurate, and often less than half the price of a bolt-action rifle in the same caliber.Winchester In 2005, Winchester re-marketed their legendary, under their Limited Series category. The modern calibers of.17 was offered in a Low Wall design, and the.243 and.30-06 were of the High Wall type.
The most faithful of the reproductions are the Model 1885 Single Shots, as they have the original style steel crescent butt plates, and folding steel tang rear sights, with full length octagon barrels. The Traditional Hunters are chambered in the 19th century calibers of.45-90 BPCR,.45-70,.405, and.38-55. Test firing of some of these Winchesters showed that they are high quality in construction, using the latest technology and modern steel, they are stronger and safer than their 19th century predecessors; and accuracy from their factory (non-custom) barrels were exceptionally good; especially at 200 yards.Sharps were a staple of the buffalo hunters in the late 19th century.
Recently they have had a resurgence in popularity for hunting large game as well as historical firearms events and black-powder cartridge (BPCR) competitions. Much of the current popularity is due to the film that featured a Sharps Model 1874 rifle. The popularity of has also affected the availability of single-shot rifles, with many replicas of the old rifles, particularly the, now being available.Barrett M99 The is a single-shot, bolt-action, bullpup sniper rifle. It is chambered in.50 BMG, and.416 Barrett round that has 0.5 MOA accuracy at ranges that far exceed one mile.Denel NTW-20 The is a bolt-action, anti-materiel or large-caliber sniper rifle. With a buffered slide in the receiver, that the barrel can recoil inside the frame, allowing for large rounds to be fired with relative ease by the user. It is chambered for, and round.
Specifically, it is only a single-shot when chambered to the 20mm Hispano-Suiza round, while the remaining chamberings feed from 3-round magazines.Steyr The original version of is a single-shot bolt-action sniper rifle. It is chambered in.50 BMG (or the.460 Steyr round in California) and can reach ranges from 1500 to 2500 meters.See also.References. Kelver/Roberts. There is no general consensus on terminology, and 'falling block' and 'dropping block' are often treated as synonyms. The model number 55 was used twice by Winchester; this article refers to the.22-caliber rifle introduced in 1957, not the variant introduced in 1924.
Hogg, Ian and Robb Adam: Jane's Guns Recognition Guide. Blue Book of Gun Values, 13th ed.
Blue Book Publications. 2007-07-11 at the. 1. Kelver, Gerald O: Schuetzen Rifles, History and Loadings. 3rd Edition, Pioneer Press. 2.
Kelver, Gerald O: MAJOR Ned H. Roberts and The Schuetzen Rifle. 3rd Edition, Pioneer Press.
3. Campbell, John: The Winchester Single Shot. McLerran, Wayne (2014). Browning Model 1885 Black Powder Cartridge Rifle - 3rd Edition: A Reference Manual for the Shooter, Collector & Gunsmith. TexasMac Publishing., 418 pages.External links.
Chuck Hawk's articles on,.
The discussion about the got me thinking. Setting aside for a moment whether or not there's any market for it, how would you go about designing a solid, reliable, but as inexpensive-as-possible shotgun, for defensive purposes?You can get a single-shot for pretty cheap.
I own an NEF Pardner 12 gauge. It was the first shotgun I ever purchased, and I think I got it for less than a hundred bucks back about fifteen years ago. I don't know what the NEF (or similar) single shotties run these days.But let's start with a clean-slate design. Let's assume domestic manufacturing (because you can get a Chinese-made pump shotgun for $200 at Walmart), so no cost-cutting with foreign labor. The idea is to be perfectly serviceable, but as inexpensive as possible. Sub-$100-out-the-door price is the target.
It needs to be easy to use, easy to clean, and designed for rapid assembly.Personally, I'm thinking some kind of double barrel. A single shot is fine, but a double barrel would be better for this purpose.Now, would it sell? I don't know. Hi-Point pistols sell. If I could buy a double-barreled shotgun for a hundred bucks I'd be all over it, even if it was a little crude.
I'm thinking something like this:Okay, put the torches, pitchforks, tar, feathers, and skinning knives away whilst I explain.Double-barreled shotguns have a two-hundred-odd year history of caveman simplicity and dead-nuts reliability. It's a simple design that should be (should; I'm a writer, not an engineer, so I don't know for sure) be inexpensive to manufacture, moreso if you use a double-trigger setup with exposed hammers.
No complicated mechanical or inertia resets. Use a simple bake-on for the metal and synthetic furniture and it should be dirt-cheap. Dunno if you're gonna get a less-than-$100 price point, but it should get darn close.
The Thompson/Center action could probably be mimicked and built for under $100, if you were using a fixed barrel instead of an interchangeable one. Use an AR trigger group with an extension welded onto the hammer to cock it.$100 is a weird pocket to aim for. How easily someone could hit it, and turn out a weapon that's not more of danger to the person behind the trigger than behind the bullseye, may well depend on what they had laying around.On the other hand, I bought my Mossberg for $150, soooooooo. The Thompson/Center action could probably be mimicked and built for under $100, if you were using a fixed barrel instead of an interchangeable one. Use an AR trigger group with an extension welded onto the hammer to cock it.$100 is a weird pocket to aim for. How easily someone could hit it, and turn out a weapon that's not more of danger to the person behind the trigger than behind the bullseye, may well depend on what they had laying around.On the other hand, I bought my Mossberg for $150, soooooooo.
I got an NEF Pardner Pump for just over $160 a few years back. That shotgun has impressed the hell out of me. Not too shabby for a Chinese 870 knock off. The gunsmith who refinished it for me said he thought they might even have better receivers than most recent Remingtons he'd seen.Raptor is on the right track with that double gun. I don't mind the rails at all, or how ugly it is.
I like Evil Black Guns myself.Personally, I'd rather have an ugly, short-barreled over/under. Certainly the Chinese could come up with a knock off of the Stoeger O/U Double Defense that wouldn't blow up in your hands.I don't care if it's stupid.
I suppose a single-shot 12 gauge isn't the best option for home defense, but it's better than using a baseball bat. I any case, a single 12-guage round is worth a whole magazine full of a.380 pistol, so it's got that going for it.You could make the whole thing out of steel tubing with a plastic grip and stock. The only parts that need to be hardened are the bolt and barrel. I think with enough volume of production you could get the price to a hundred bucks. Less, probably, if you produced them offshore.
I suppose a single-shot 12 gauge isn't the best option for home defense, but it's better than using a baseball bat. I any case, a single 12-guage round is worth a whole magazine full of a.380 pistol, so it's got that going for it.You could make the whole thing out of steel tubing with a plastic grip and stock. The only parts that need to be hardened are the bolt and barrel. I think with enough volume of production you could get the price to a hundred bucks. Less, probably, if you produced them offshore. Do you practice with this gun quite a bit? Semi-frequently, even?
The person whose economic circumstances are such that they'd need to rely on a $100 shotgun to defend the home with probably doesn't have a lot of free time and disposable income for range trips. A single shot is limited, but it's still a 12-gauge, it's still fairly easy to aim and shoot with minimal practice. Recoil would not be fun, but when a crackhead kicks in your door you've got bigger problems.A double barrel would be better, of course, but that makes it harder to get to our $100 price tag. Perhaps if it was manufactured in China?
But a modern design, meant for simple manufacture without a lot of machining or hand-fitting, not a replica of a 19th-century design.