Appeal of the single shot?

For a serious hunting rifle I just cannot warm up to the idea. To me it is a compromise, and the "handi rifle" switch barrel concept seems to be even more of a "murphy's law" just waiting to happen. I might be out to lunch, but what gives?

Chuck

What's not serious about a compact, lightweight rifle that shoots sub one inch groups with factory ammo?????? Only compromise I make is not packing all that extra weight.

I own all kinds of actions in rifles and enjoy shooting them all but I do find myself shooting the singles more and more and can't think of a thing I've compromised.

So what does that bring to the table that a bolt action repeater doesn't?

Why does it have to bring anything extra? The fact it has no action does make it a bit lighter and more compact than many factory bolt-action rifles which is much appreciated in the mountains but the fact that it is a great shooting/dependable rifle is all that is required to qualify it as a serious hunting rifle. I like the fit and feel of my Encores and I shoot them well so I hunt a lot with them. Not really sure of the point of this post? What do you think the compromise is??????

I'm not trying to sell anyone on single shots but they sure strike my fancy. If a bolt action is what you like to shoot then that's what you should shoot. A good rifle is a good rifle regardless of action.

My post is a simple question. No intention of ****ing in anyones cornflakes.

Why does it have to bring anything extra?

It doesn't. I don't think it does, therefore the question. IMHO, a good bolt action does what a single shot will do, and then some. I guess that would be my definition of a compromise.

Like I said, it's a simple question. The TC seems to be the poster child for everyone from Larry Weishun and Brad Waddel to Jim Shockey and has more air time than Paris Hilton. Just wondering what I'm missing.

It's a great shooting rifle that has the ability to change from several centrefire calibres to shotgun to muzzleloader to rimfire. That's what it does that no other rifle does.

But yes, of course a good bolt action or lever action or pump or semi auto will do what a single shot does. They are all rifles and like I said, if you shoot them well then that's all that matters. As for the Encore, it's the dependability and convertability to sets it apart.

But I'm still unclear of why it has to bring anything extra. If it shoots well for you that's all the reason in the world you need to own it.

The TC seems to be the poster child for everyone from Larry Weishun and Brad Waddel to Jim Shockey and has more air time than Paris Hilton.

That's because TC is concentrating a lot of their promo dollars on television right now.

I'm not sure the reason of theis post either but I will say I love my "Handi" .243. My favorite gun by far. I love the wieght and comfort of it and theres something to be said for having only one shot. You gotta make it count. And with my "handi" I just can't miss.

Some guys only need one shot.....

Hey DJ, is that the Handi ultralight? If so, how does it shoot? I heard stories of crappy accuracy with the handi utralights.

No its not the Ultralite. And the accuracy is deadly!

I think I understand the original question. And I would answer it by saying it is mostly just a psycological appeal. As sheep hunter pointed out you can have a single shot in a longer barrel with less weight and overall length but that is really a small advantage. Some of the singles do have the advantage of being able to select diffrent barrels in diffrent cartridges and that is an advantage of sorts.

If I were planning to go on an antelope hunt and had the choice of a single shot in a .270, 280, 7mm mag. or a leveraction in 30/30, I'd take the single shot. If I was hunting white-tails in a bushy river bottom situation, I'd reach for the lever action.

I started out bird hunting with a single cooey 12. And I had to learn to make my shots count and consentrate everything on that one first shot. Now I use a pump or an auto loader. I use up more shells shooting at the air between the birds. But now and then I get doubles and tripples, that are impossible with the single shot.

Robin in Rocky

Well I have some single shot rifles. They are Ruger # 1's. I don't think there is an advantage, but the appeal for me is the clean lines, very nice wood and the simplicity of operation.
I call coyotes a lot and don't have a problem getting a second round in for a double.
Check this out:



My friend who also shoots a Ruger #1 in 220 swift. got these four on one stand. From 27 yds out to 458 yds.

If a man knows his gear, he can get the job done.:rollin


I own guns with other types of actions, and I enjoy shooting them as well.

I had always thought (perhaps incorectly) That people liked the single shot becouse it handicaped them a bit. Kinda of like shooting a long bow over shooting a compound.
I never thought of the weight issue

Jamie

I've never once considered a single shot a handicap. I just shoot mine because they shoot well. I don't see there being any handicap over a bolt. I can honestly say I never think about needing a second shot when I pull the trigger.

Bolt or single don't make a difference to me for coyote calling...once the first shot is off i generally miss all the rest anyhow.

I did manage to get my first double this year with an auto-loading .17 hmr (Rem 597). Female stopped at 80 yrds for a front end shot and i caught the male running about the 3rd shot as i swung through him pulling the trigger and he went down. I swapped out magazines and had a look to see if anything was moving...the male got up and tried to trot a few more yards even though he was lung hit so i swung through him and on shot #2 he went down for good(that was fun...may sound terrible but only thing better than shooting a coyote one time is shooting him again...and again if you get the chance). The female went about 10' feet on boiler room shot. A month before that i would have had another double at the same range if i had that gun instead of the CZ American .204 that i had...coyote was out of sight by the time i had the gun cycled and back on the scope...it was close but the little auto-loader doesn't even move at the shot...the .204 doesn't move much at the shot either but it sure does when you gotta cycle that agricultural action in a hurry. Open country no prob, 100 yrd coulee action...good luck with a bolt or a single shot for the double.

If i'd been carrying that combo the past few years i'd probably have scored a few more doubles like that as but i set up in areas that give me 0-100 yrd opportunities for the most part...i kill 90% of my coyotes under 130 yrds so i'd have given up a few longer ones to do it(but probably had more fun with the little gun ). If in the open a light recoiling accurate auto-loader in small centerfire would be awesome imo. I think coyote calling has the perfect recipe for light recoiling auto-loaders....as the recipe is "small fast targets that don't stop moving and often come in multiples". I can see why the 'murricans' like those little black rifles...so would i.

For big game...single shots work great(self defense though might want more than one...probably why bolts are good alround choice...can do it all sort of thing?). I found a way to be almost as quick as a bolt with some NEF single shots. I would use an elastic to hold a couple spare shells around the eyepiece of the scope...its a two handed affair but with practice you can be surprisingly fast(right hand pushes eject button while left is going for a round on the scope and a short movement with left hand its in the chamber(as its right under the scope) and left hand back to forearm and closing gun while right hand is pulling back hammer and boom(faster than it sounds).

A nice slick cycling bolt gun like a tikka though is really fast for a bolt gun. My CZ bolt is a slug when your in a hurry compared to the tikka. So i can see the single working okay on coyote multiples more in the open country but the bolt probably best alround and the auto-loader the one to give you best chances for multiples on coyotes over the long haul in all situations.

My two cents.

Blake

hmmmmm I think a single shot is irresponsible (an opinion, just an opinion. Don't freak out). Ethically I think you should be capable of a quick follow-up shot if needed. The only advantage of a single I've seen mentioned here is weight.. how much weight? a couple ounces? Man, hit the gym if those three ounces have you huffing and puffing. :b LOL

No, I'm going to freak out Oko...that could be the stupidest thing I've ever heard said on this board. There is no guarantee of a second shot with a bolt, pump, lever or semi and it's the first shot that counts. I'll guarantee I've never lost an animal because I was shooting a single shot. The load time to get a second round in is amazingly short and truthfully, if you need a second shot you likely screwed up the first and shouldn't have taken it. That's what seperates the responsible from irresponsible hunters. So I guess muzzleloaders and archery gear should be totally outlawed then?

Man, think about what you say before you post!

As for your other comments you obviously haven't got a clue about serious mountain hunting and the real test of an ethical rifle is one that shoots well and that you shoot well...not how many bullets you can spray out of it in a short time.

Still shaking my head!

So by your reasoning then Oko....something like an AR would be the most responsible of all hunting rifles? Definitely a lot quicker follow up shot that a bolt action.

Yikes I guess your classing single shots, bows, crossbows, muzzle loaders all irresponsible since they only have one shot. That is the craziest thing I have ever heard.
I would have to say that it would be irrespirable if you have to depend on your second or third shots. Make the first one count.

The first shot is the one that counts. After that its usually a hail marry.

Ya, i dont shoot the single shot large cal rifles{dont own one}. I will say, I grew up shooting a single shot everything, and knew how to use em. Fat and hair all over the place fellas. I could get two shots off with my old 12 bore Cooey, as fast as anyone could rattle three through a slide. And thats no lie. I would practice with empties for hours. I would often dump doubles on late jumping sharptails, and huns. Ducks were the same. Id get too excited at that age on geese in the blind though, and always picked one out way away from the lead bird{where i knew no one else was throwing lead}, and dumped one every time, guaranteed. Isnt that what hunting is all about, a well thought out, well executed game plan, for a close guaranteed and ethical one shot harvest. Sounds good hey, gotta love it when a plan comes around like that. I hope thats the story on my 2007 hunts. I wont lie, i have and will continue to ship a follower on game if the opportunity is present. I disagree with people who are too busy admiring their shot, when they should be cycling another round for finishing work, if the first doesnt nessesarily go as planned. And honestly, who really knows. And game gets away. I have watched it happen. Knock another arrow, cycle another round, whatever, stay in the game. Its hillarious, anyone ever watched someone with all the time in the world on a follow-up, get excited, short stroke the bolt on a bolt action, and fire on an empty chamber. My point is, practice for perfection, but be proficient with your equipment.
edit: i think ive been flogging a dead horse.

keep a strain on er.

I hunt with a bow and with a muzzleloader so I'm no stranger to the concept of making the first shot count. But "the best layed plans of mice and men"...sometimes a second or third shot is nessasary. When it is I like to have a quick one.

A couple years ago I was hunting deer with my Savage lever action in .300 sav. I saw some wolves chasing white-tails in a cutblock. I got set up and called with a fawn disdress call. Two wolves came running at me. I shot the first one at ~ 80 yards and then dumped the close one at 40 steps. The first one got up and stated legging it for the bush, through spruce and pine planted saplings. I cranked that lever and shot at him every time I saw some hair. My savage holds 6 shells when full and it was empty when the two wolves lay still.

If I would have had a single shot I would have probably shot the closer wolf and closed the action on my finger trying to get it loaded for the farther wolf.

I would have been happy to have shot a single wolf and would not have thought I was "handy capped" with the single shot. However the way things turnned out with the levers "fire power" was about as much excitiment as I could stand.

I can just imagine someone nearby hearing those quick 6 shots. They surely thought I was in a war and was missing everything.

Robin in Rocky ( I have a couple levers, a pump, a couple semiautos, a couple singles and several bolt guns)

if your dont like the single shot format but want multiple barrles go shoot/buy a blaser 23 factory chamberings and 3-4 shot magazine and the bolt is made of 8 locking lugs that are way stronger than any bolt action on the market, i know people that load way above max. loads and his friend accidentally shot one of his hot loads through his "ordinary" bolt action and got powder burns because of the less superior quality

The Blaser is a cool rifle for sure but still not the versatility of the Encore. With that said, I'm all for everyone shooting what they prefer and shoot well but to say that users of single shots are irresponsible and unethical is ludacrous. If that's what I chose to shoot and I shoot it well it's anything but irresponsible and unethical.

Okotokian has us banning semi autos and single shots...I wonder what is next. I used to wonder what side he was on.....I don't any more!>: >: >:

Oko, please correct me if I am wrong.
Didnt you just start hunting?

Thanks
Jamie

I bought an old single shot cooey off my kindergarten teacher when I was 11ish. The first couple of times I went shooting with friends when I was 15 or 16 I felt undergunned going up against their nylons and pump 22's but I always killed more gophers and used way less ammo. If you pull a trigger on an animal with the idea that you're going to need a quick follow up shot, don't pull the trigger.

If you pull a trigger on an animal with the idea that you're going to need a quick follow up shot, don't pull the trigger.

Amen!

When I squeeze the trigger I am hoping I will connect with a clean one shot kill. I do not "plan to need a second shot".

Just like when I go driving my truck down some less traveled back roads I do not "plan on getting stuck". I do like to have a cable, jack-all, tire chains and stuff along with me incase I do get stuck. And in some hunting situations I do like to have a "reapeater" in my hands in case I need another shot.

In many situations a fellow with a single shot is "handy capped" or at a disadvantage over a fellow with a "repeater". However there are situations when that is not the case.

Robin in Rocky

I'm with the rest on what has been said about the single shot being "Unethical".....sheesh!

I dont know alot about the Encore, but I can tell you for certain that a Ruger #1 weighs a pile more than any of my Bolt actions, so weight savings in that regard are out.

I used to Hunt a bunch with 2 different Ruger #1's, one in 25/06 the other in .375 H+H, I liked the Rifles alot, and I currently own one in .416 Rem. Mag. They are typically a little more accurate & like it was stated earlier the looks are IMO very aestically pleasing as is the functionability of the action.

The .375 I had, I used for a few years Guiding in B.C. & the YK, with a bunch of practice I could get off the 2nd shot with it as quick, and at times quicker than some of my pals could do with their Bolt Actions. If I can do it, anyone can, therefore the follow up idea can be thrown out.

In fact, if I didnt have a plethora of Rifles already, or if I were a new comer to Shooting and/or Hunting I could easily see myself, grabbing a TC Encore & Hunting the World with the Myriad of configurations that is available with having one.

But I really couldnt see myself as being a "One Gun guy" ever again.....Too many Guns, too little time!!!

ps, I'm with Sheep, I pull the trigger each & every time like it is the only shot I'm 'gonna need, anything less than that attitude IMO is unethical!

I don't have any single shot rifles but I'd use one on gophers and coyotes but NOT on a grizzly hunt.:eek

Yeah Yeah the old mountainmen of days gone bye did but they didn't know any better.

I'd use mine on a Grizz hunt, heck I would even use it on Cape Buff, or any other DG for that matter.

In my eyes, it wouldnt matter if it were a Single shot or a .50 BMG....Whatever Game I hunted with it, I would surely have enough confidence with my Rifle to do so!

Single shots definitely have their place in terms of beginning hunters. For novices learning to shoot, there's nothing better, for a couple of reasons. First is safety. After they shoot, they can't accidentaly fire another round like on a semi (always loaded) or if they forget they racked the bolt/pump/lever in their excitement afterwards. 2nd is, as others have said, learning to make the first shot count, knowing you probably won't get (and shouldn't need) another. I shot my first 4 or 5 deer with a Ruger #1 falling-block 6mm, which taught me good habits and to have confidence in my equipment. I still use it a couple times a season, when I want a change from the 25-06 bolt action.