Hunting with a Single Shot

[jackstrawIII]

Guys and gals,

I've had my eye on a Ruger #1 for a while now and am thinking it would be really neat to deer hunt with one. I've never had to take more than 1 shot at a deer.... but I haven't been doing this as long as some of you.

Here are my questions:

- How many of you use a Ruger #1 (or similar) for hunting big game?
- For those that do, have you ever been in a situation where you wished you had a repeater (bolt, lever, etc)?

Would love to hear about it. Thanks all.

 

[jmr40]

Never hunted with a single shot, but if I liked the rifle having only one shot wouldn't be a huge negative in my opinion. I've needed 2-3 shots a few times, but with practice a single shot can be reloaded fast enough. There are several techniques that guys use to keep extra ammo handy.

You can throw lead down range a lot faster with some action styles, but when making repeat shots that actually hit the target there simply isn't much difference between any of the actions. Single shots are the slowest, but not by as much as folks think.

Single shots as a rule have never appealed to me. Most are cheap, inaccurate and not particularly reliable. The Ruger however is a nice rifle. They aren't known to be exceptionally accurate, but should be fine for hunting. All things said and done I simply prefer a bolt gun, but it isn't for faster repeat shots. They tend to be more accurate and reliable.

The biggest advantage the single shots have is shorter overall length. You can get a really compact rifle with a standard length barrel, or opt for a longer than normal barrel while keeping overall length reasonable.

 

[MarkCO]

90% of the time, a single shot is fine. But there are times where I would pass up a shot if I had a single shot.

In 2015, elk hunting, 10F, a foot of snow, 5 minutes after sunset and a herd of 200 elk headed up a slope I know I could not climb then into dark timber. I would not have shot if I had a single shot. But I filled the freezer with it.

The single shot we have is an Encore and I hunt with it occasionally, more to test a caliber out on the cheap. My boys shot their first deer and elk with it, in .308, but have since moved up to bolt action .30-06s.

 

[2damnold4this]

I enjoy hunting with a muzzleloader. I suppose it might be a disadvantage if a sounder of pigs came by and I was only able to shoot one of them before the rest got away but that doesn't really bother me.

 

[Doyle]

Because of the crazy "primitive weapon" rules here in MS, single-shots are used a lot. Here, a primitive weapon includes any single-shot, external-hammer centerfire of .35 or larger. So, you see lots of .35 Whelen and 45/70s being used. I wound up using mine all season long this year because I didn't have to then look at the calendar to see whether it was a normal week or a PW week (not that it did me any good because I never got on any good shootable deer).

 

[Old Stony]

Not a darned thing wrong in hunting with a single shot. I have a couple Encores but mostly have quit hunting with them as they haven't produced the accuracy I want, but my muzzleloaders hold tight groups.
If you can find a Ruger #1 that will actually shoot well, go for it...

 

[Hawg]

Even tho I live in MS where hunting laws are very lax( you can even use your AR 15 with a 30 round mag on private land during the last two primitive weapons seasons) I use a .54 Hawken more often than not. Never needed a follow up shot.

 

[ammo.crafter]

One shot, one kill

I do nearly all my hunting with single-shot guns with great success.

My TC Contender in 7x30 Waters consistently runs 1/2" MOA at 100 yards. Pretty good for a "cheap single shot", huh?

 

[g.willikers]

What if you're not the only thing out there hunting.
And what if whatever else is hunting decides it wants your game.
Or, if it can't have that, it wants you.
Just a thought.

 

[BumbleBug]

I love Ruger #1 & #3's for hunting. Actually, the lever SS' have a slight speed advantage on second shots in break-open single shots. When going from an empty, stowed rifle to ready to shoot SS' are faster than other action types. I like to keep a cartridge holder band on the butt for quick access. Of course the degree of skill & practice by hunters varies. I've noticed that a lot of bolt shooters still take the rifle down from their shoulder/line-of sight when putting another cartridge into battery. As to accuracy, Ruger SS' may not be surgically accurate out of the box, but most can be tuned up to fine accuracy.

Now, all that being said, a SS rifle is great for all non-dangerous game. I never did understand the Ruger #1 tropical in .458 Win or .416 Rigsby for your hunting pleasure in tangling with an African buff or big cat!

IMHO

 

[Hawg]

What if you're not the only thing out there hunting.
And what if whatever else is hunting decides it wants your game.
Or, if it can't have that, it wants you.
Just a thought.

Where I hunt is private land and the most dangerous thing is a wild sow with piglets but you never see them in the daytime.

 

[FITASC]

My favorite and one of a very few guns I regret selling was my number 1 RSI in 243. 85 gr SMK into 3/4" all day long - great for pronghorn or deer or even coyotes. Had a compact US-made 6x Burris on it- was short and very handy when scaling shale slopes to glass.

 

[NoSecondBest]

I've been deer hunting for fifty-six years now and I've shot over a hundred and fifty deer. Most have been killed with one shot. The few times I've ever needed a second shot I've had time to take one even with a single shot. As I've gotten older my preference for a hunting firearm has gone exclusively to single shot rifles. I use muzzle loaders every year in that season and have used them also during the regular gun season many times. It's never been a handicap. Several years ago I started shooting High Walls, Low Walls, and Sharps type rifles. They are way beyond most peoples expectations for accuracy. I own several that shoot one ragged hole at 100 yards and do it with ease. They aren't cheap guns to buy, but you certainly get what you pay for. I've never needed a second shot for any deer I hit with the 45-70 and only one time did I take a follow up shot with the Low Wall (357max) and that was to simply finish off an animal already down. I'm also not obsessed with the thought that I have to get every animal that presents itself while I'm out hunting regardless of the gun I'm carrying. Bottom line is you're not handicapped with a good single shot rifle.

 

[T. O'Heir]

No Ruger' rifles in my safe. Too expensive. However, the only other guy to fear than the guy who owns only one rifle, is the guy who uses a single shot. Means you have to be very good with it.
Wake up, g.willikers, you're having a nightmare. snicker. It takes seconds to reload.

 

[TUNDRA_AK]

My oldest hunting partner (we started hunting together when we were 16) is a lefty, and started using a ruger no 1 3006. He killed alot of game here in Alaska with that rifle, and could accurately outgun and out shoot most of the other guys we hunted with. Practice as much as possible and you shouldn't have a problem.

 

[thallub]

I've had my eye on a Ruger #1 for a while now and am thinking it would be really neat to deer hunt with one.

Go for it!!!!

Since 2000 most of my hunting has been done with a single shot: A muzzleloader. Killed 150-200 wild hogs and about 50 deer with muzzleloaders. The experience has made me a better hunter.

i own several Ruger #1 rifles. Have recently done some hog hunting with a Ruger #1 in 9.3x62mm. The gun is a little heavy for long hunts but it knocks big hogs DRT.

 

[Coppershot]

I've had a Ruger # 1 B standard in 25-06 for about 25 years. It shoots well and has nice figure in the walnut. I have taken a few deer with it and would not have needed a repeater on those occasions.

If you keep a round between your fingers, you'll find that the falling block action shucks a spent case out of there pretty quick, and the reload is not far behind. The only reason I do not use it more is that I am more of a 6.5 mm , 7mm, and 30 cal. enthusiast. I have never been much for the quarter bores although the Roberts is pretty nice.

 

[FrankenMauser]

No Ruger #1s or #3s here, but I do hunt with a Handi-Rifle on occasion.

Same rules as with any other rifle:
1. Make the first shot count, and no more should be needed.
2. Practice. Familiarity with the rifle results in better shooting, and in quicker reloads.


When I took my 2012 bull elk with the Handi (.444 Marlin), I did put a follow-up shot into the bull, just to make sure he didn't suddenly decide to drop off the wrong side of the mountain (we were on the spine, just below the peak). But the first shot would have been fatal. The follow-up, in concept and application, was just to drop the thing where it stood and prevent unnecessary tracking and packing.

And, like some other members here, the vast majority of big game that I've taken was harvested with a single shot fired - regardless of the type of firearm. I don't shoot, unless I know it's good. No guessing or shooting at animals. There is shoot, or don't shoot. No, "let's see what happens..."

From memory, I can count only four times that I felt the need to put a second shot into something: One was due to a scope failure. One was a party member's wounded antelope, that I dropped before it could get too far away. One was another party member's wounded antelope that required a coup de grace, and I was in the best position. And the last was the aforementioned bull elk.

 

[Olympus]

Count me in a big single-shot rifle fan. I've been hunting with Ruger No1 and TC Encores for the last 10 years or so. I've taken several deer and hogs with both the Ruger No1 and Encore. In all of my hunting experience, I have never needed or taken multiple shots where having a repeater would be beneficial. I have been in one situation where I walked up on the animal and it jumped up and needed a second shot. But since I had reloaded my single shot after climbing down from the stand, it was not a big deal.

I think a Ruger No1 is about the classiest, coolest rifle there is to hunt with. Guys that I see carrying one and using one generally get bumped up a notch or two in my esteem.

 

[mete]

I started life with 22lr single shots , a bolt action SS and a falling block SS ! Now that I'm all grow'ed up I use a Browning 1885 in 45-70 ! You can reload them quickly with practice !! And a 45-70 anchors them very quickly.

I recommend new shooters to learn with a SS. It gives you a mindset that tells you " you only have one shot , make it count " !
The repeater lets you be lazy and say if I miss the first shot I'll get it with the second or third shot . Most of my deer are , no matter what gun ,are taken with ONE shot . Learn how to shoot and practice !