Hunting with a Single Shot

[Hawg]

I'm not sure what "just about as fast" means but let's not get carried away with our enthusiasm for single-shot rifles. Everything else being equal, including the experience, equal amount of practice and ability of the shooter, there's no way that a single-shot rifle can be reloaded nearly as fast as most any repeater, aimed shots or otherwise.

Be that as it may when I was young there was an old man that dove hunted with a single barrel 12 gauge. He kept a shell in the chamber and three between the fingers of his left had and he always killed more doves than anybody.

 

[eastbank]

i own and hunt with all types of rifles and actions(eight singles), and i never seen any one shooting a pump shotgun or rifle take it off their shoulder to reload for a fast second shot at game. my main bitch about single shots is when shooting them and reloading from a bench or prone. eastbank.

 

[darkgael]

0ne

he only area where I disagree is small game, upland game, waterfowl, and probably dangerous game. But really dangerous game if you don't have a semi auto how many shots could you honestly get off

Upland game....I hunt ruffed grouse and pheasant with a 16 gauge flintlock fowler. Where I hunt, one good shot is all I am apt to get in any case.
Pete

 

[old roper]

I've taken elk/deer with factory #1 in 7mag later new barrel chambered for 30-338mag. I got it new 70's and if I draw good bull elk tag I'll take bolt action 30-338mag and the #1.

I've also hunted with #1 300Wby and 270. This be my 40th year hunting Co and I hunt same place with bolt or single shot.

I do have wrist band and I always hunt with pack so have few on shoulder strap or if it's snowing got few inside glove. I never figured #1 was anything other than hunting rifle.

 

[David R]

I shot one deer with a 222/20 ga with 50 grain sp and #6 for grouse.
One deer with a 54 cal flintlock.
Both with peep sights.

No follow up shot needed.

Would do it again.

David

 

[Gunplummer]

I started small game with a break open single shot shotgun. I saved enough for a used 870 pump. I quit using it the same year I bought it. It was simply too long for heavy brush shots. When TC was all the rage in handguns, I could not wait to get to the PX to see one. I picked it up and put it down again. No balance to it what so ever. When NEF started in with the rifles I was very interested. That is saying something for me. I rarely buy a factory new rifle. I checked one out and the weight was ridicules. I guess it comes down to what you want to use it for. I still use a single shot H&R 12 gauge in the shotgun areas for deer.

 

[dgludwig]

He wasn't talking about equal amounts of practice and skill. He was talking about a practiced single-shot shooter, versus the average rifle hunter.

I know what he was talking about. I was only making the obvious point that single-shot rifles are inherently slower than repeaters, period. If the comparison comes down to the inept practitioner versus the skilled one; well, that disparity almost always favors the better skilled one, which is true in almost all endeavors in life. No secret there.

 

[Don Fischer]

When Ruger first brought out the #1 I was in a had to have one froth. But back then for a E-5 in the military, $265 for a rifle was a lot of money! Went on like that for a number of years and one day I found one in 25-05 and new for $265. Didn't get it. Picked it up and held it, right cartridge too. Put it back down and walked out. Shoot that time I had the money but the dream died right there. Da*n that first #1 was a beautiful rifle. Only single shot I ever considered buying. Now today I wish I had got it but way out of my price range now and the new one's, look's wise, are no where near as nice as the original #1.

 

[dgludwig]

I bought a new No.1, Varmint 1V, chambered in .220 Swift back in 1995. In spite of all the handwringing you hear about Ruger No. 1 rifles needing accuracy enhancements and fixes to make them shoot straight (and I'm not denying there were some, just citing my experience), my completely unmodified No. 1 continues to be the most accurate of any of the many rifles I have owned. The Swift is one chambering I don't reload for.

 

[Badgerstate]

I was always taught that if you needed more than 1 shot, you needed to practice.
For many years, I deer hunted with a single-shot 16-gauge and took many deer with it. Now, I deer hunt with a .50 muzzleloader and Ive never felt like I need a semi-auto slug gun because usually if you miss your first shot, the animal runs and hitting a shot on a running deer is a pretty low percentage shot.

 

[dgludwig]

I was always taught that if you needed more than 1 shot, you needed to practice.

Depends a lot on what you're hunting. A fast second shot would be a comfort against a charging cape buffalo, lion or grizzly bear. Needing more than one shot might have more to do with survival than with practice in some circumstances.

 

[ruggyh]

Depends a lot on what you're hunting. A fast second shot would be a comfort against a charging cape buffalo, lion or grizzly bear....

When is the last time you experienced this in Ohio?

Or did I miss the context of the OP- he is deer hunting in NY.

Good luck and be safe
Ruggy

 

[NoSecondBest]

I live in NY and hunt both NY and Pa. So far I haven't been charged by any large dangerous game. I feel pretty safe using a single shot rifle

 

[mete]

I was home already skinning my deer when my hunting buddy arrived. He had been hunting near me and heard a shot . Sounded like a 45-70 so he assumed it was me. But a second shot came too fast for a SS [he thought ] so it couldn't be me .Seeing my deer he asked how could I fire two rounds so fast from a SS [Browning 1885 45-70 ] ?

 

[dgludwig]

Quote:
Depends a lot on what you're hunting. A fast second shot would be a comfort against a charging cape buffalo, lion or grizzly bear....
When is the last time you experienced this in Ohio?

Or did I miss the context of the OP- he is deer hunting in NY.

Like I said in addressing his unspecified, blanket statement "...if you need more than one shot, you need to practice"; "Depends a lot on what you're hunting...", context specified. One thing that you've made clear though: you've obviously never hunted in Ohio. Our woodchucks get big, are fast afoot and have notoriously bad tempers.

 

[ruggyh]

...you've obviously never hunted in Ohio. Our woodchucks get big, are fast afoot and have notoriously bad tempers.

You are absolutely correct-never hunted Ohio woodchucks

Be safe
Ruggy

 

[dgludwig]

Quote:
...you've obviously never hunted in Ohio. Our woodchucks get big, are fast afoot and have notoriously bad tempers.

You are absolutely correct-never hunted Ohio woodchucks

I neglected to mention that our Buckeye woodchucks have been migrating-looks like you might have caught up with one. Knowing their dispositions, I assume the one you got (and I noticed it wasn't with a TC Contender ) was charging.

 

[johnwilliamson062]

I'm not taking an immediate second shot even if I have a repeater. I may have to take a finishing shot later, but not in any time frame where a repeater would be convenient.

When I take the shot I pretty much know if all went well or not before I recover from recoil. If the animal is running and it went well, it will probably be down in less than 50 meters. Maybe 100. No reason to shoot again.
If it didn't go well I just hope I missed entirely, I guess.

The time a deer ran off my scope was bumped off and I didn't realize it. A second shot would have been equally off.

I hunt deer exclusively with single shots.

 

[FrankenMauser]

The time a deer ran off my scope was bumped off and I didn't realize it. A second shot would have been equally off.

Yep.

And that's exactly what happened with the scope failure I very briefly mentioned previously.

Bolt action loaded with 4 rounds.

First shot was off. - But it hit ... very badly.

Second shot verified that something was very wrong.

And then I was stuck trying to figure out where the rifle was going to hit, while doing my best to take down an animal that was fatally wounded ... but not in a manner that was immediately fatal. And it was running...

One of the worst hunting experiences of my life.
That stupid antelope made things worse by not knowing when to die.

...But it wouldn't have been any different with a single-shot.
Investigation and testing later on revealed that the scope had taken a crap.

 

[NHSHOOTER]

I hunt deer here in NH or in So, Carolina either with my smoke pole 1 shot or one of my bolt guns and I never put more than 1 round in the mag and 1 in the chamber and I would be totally fine just having the 1 in the chamber, I never shoot unless I know its a kill shot.