Single shot rifles
 

Hello all,

I've been thinking about getting a high caliber single shot rifle and im wondering what some of your opinions are on brands/calibers. Right now im looking at a Ruger No.1 in either .405 win or .338 win mag.
I'm worried about the availability of .405 since the only place i can find it is hornady, but the classiccartridge would be part of the fun of this rifle. I'd also like some opinions on scopes that can handle the recoil of the .405 or .338.

This would just be forrecreational shooting on weekends with friends and probably wont ever be used for hunting. I've only ever shot AR-15s in .223 and .22 LRs with iron sights and this will be my first gun purchase so opinions of more experienced shooters will be greatly appreciated.

RE: Single shot rifles
 

We have a Ruger #1 in .375 H&H and if you are not used to shooting a heavy recoiling gun I wouldn't recommend it. It is not something you want to shoot too many times for fun. If you want a large caliber I would look at getting a 45/70. You can get the milder loads or get hot loads for it. We use Zeiss Conquest for most of our rifles and never had a problem.

RE: Single shot rifles
 

We have a Ruger #1 in .375 H&H and if you are not used to shooting a heavy recoiling gun I wouldn't recommend it. It is not something you want to shoot too many times for fun. If you want a large caliber I would look at getting a 45/70. You can get the milder loads or get hot loads for it. We use Zeiss Conquest for most of our rifles and never had a problem.

RE: Single shot rifles
 

The .405 is a cool claiber, but both calibers you mentioned would be pretty expensive plinking, unless you reload. The 45/70 would be a better choice, but not by much. I bought a Marlin 1895 in june, and I am actually having trouble finding ammo, components, and bullets. So far I have been casting my own, and that saves some. I finally have a load I am confident in for hunting this fall.I thought since the caliber has seen such a resurgence in the last few years, it would be easy to find ammo and such. Factory ammo in really expensive and very under powered. Plinking with a .338 would get old in a short time. The recoil isn't that much different than a .375H&H, I own both, and would actually prefer to shoot the .375. I have put fifty rounds through mine in an afternoon of lesting loads, and the next couple of days, the old shoulder is a bit tender. At any rate, plinking with a big bore can be pricey and painful.

RE: Single shot rifles
 

Thanks for the replies so far. I don't really get away to shoot more than 4 times a year so the cost/pain won't really hit me that hard(i hope). The .405 i've found on the internet is actually one of the cheaper large calibers i've found($50.00/20). The only cheaper one i've found is 45/70 ($35.00/20).Im more worried about notbeing able to find .405 as it seemslike itsnot that popular. Im heading out to some local guns stores to check the stock they cary.

RE: Single shot rifles
 

I'll be ordering my #1 in .405 shorty I hope. Wanted one for quite a while now. Mostly just for a plinker and for the classic style rifle with the classic cartridge. I'll reload so ammo isn't a big issue. I have 3 other #1's currently, one of which is a .45-70. Great shooter and also another great classic cartridge. If you're not to be relaoding, I'd sugegst going with the .45-70 just becasue of the wide availability of ammo. All the major ammo makers have a few laods for it and it is less expensive. Plenty capable of any game on this continant too.
if you are yo relaod, I'd even sugegst maybe a .458 Win mag #1. heavier than the .45-70 one a dn you can load down to .45-70 levels while still being quite capable of the full .458 loads should you decide to head to Africa.

RE: Single shot rifles
 

Exactly the reason i want one. Its a classic rifle that i've wanted ever since i was little.

Also, as i said before this will be my first gun purchase from a retailer and im wondering how it all works. If the retailer doesn't have what im looking forcan they order it from the factory for me? Or do i have to order it from the factory myselfand have them send it to the retailer?Or doesit just vary from retailer to retailer?

RE: Single shot rifles
 

Cabelas has 405 ammo for around $37, and there is a #1 stainless laminate on gunbroker goin for just a little over $500. I have 3 of them ,one 405,a 45-70 and a 22-250. They are the only guns I own that would never be sold or traded.Of the 3,I enjoy the 45-70 the most,I have taken 4 bears with it and have never had to track one.

RE: Single shot rifles
 

What about the H&R Handi Rifle in 45-70? You can pick one of those up for around $200 and they are supposed to shoot reasonably well.

RE: Single shot rifles
 

I like my Ruger 1 in 45-70 and it is a cupcake to shoot with factory loads. It will get you out to 100 easy. Ballistically, 8 million dead buffalo can't be wrong. And they are huge beasts, known to get up to 3k. They are also truly thick skinned game.

I use a Burris signature safari scope, for when I crank in a heavier load. Good eye relief! The #1 will handle really stout loads, and kick accordingly. I shoot really heavy loads from the stand. I zero from a heavy camera tripod. Bench shooting an elephant rifle gets brutal fast. Both Buffalo Bore and Garrett have heavy rounds for sale.

The 338 is really a different round. It is designed to reach out and hit hard at longer ranges. It starts in the 200 grain weight class and has significantly more frontal area than the 300 magnums. Much to like there.

RE: Single shot rifles
 

I guess the expense thing is relative. This time of year I am out shooting two or three times a week, and I shoot between twenty and two hundred rounds per range session in various calibers, so $40 a box factory ammo seems pretty expensive to me. I am guessing from your posts you don't re-load, if you do, the suggestion of the .458 makes a lot of sense. Another possibility in the Ruger #1 is .458 Lott, you can still fire .458WM and load it up or down, and you have the versatility of being able to use all the versions of the .458. Ain't guns fun : )

RE: Single shot rifles
 

No i don't reload...id probably kill myself if i tried.
Just to clarify, are you saying that if its chambered for .458 lott i can still use 45/70(since its .458...i think)? Or that i could just handload a .458 lott down to 45/70 levels?

RE: Single shot rifles
 

.458 Lott and .458WM are both from the same parent case, the .375H&H. The Lott is just a full length case the win mag is shortened. You can fire the win mag in the Lott chamber, you can also load the win mag down to 45/70 ballistics and use cast bullets. The 45/70 won't chamber in the win mag or Lott because it is rimmed the other two are belted. But you still have the versatility of using several rounds in the same gun. If you want to get really exotic, the Ruger #1 is also available in .416 Rigby or 470NE : )

RE: Single shot rifles
 

Ahh...thanks. Im learning (slowly) about all this. Right now from whatpeople have said and looking around myselfi think imleaning towards the 45/70 for the fact that its nice and cheap and the variaty of loads its offered in. You've got me intrigued about the .458 and thats definitely something i'll look into once Ilearn a little moreand get comfortable ebough to maybe start re-loading myself.

RE: Single shot rifles
 

Reloading isn't rocket science (I can do it :) ) just takes some common sense. Reloading opens up so many possibilities, beware though it is a sickness and will consume you

RE: Single shot rifles
 

The dealer orders from a distributor which gets them from the manufacturer. I will tell you that blued .405's aren't readily available as the laminate oens are. Many of the ss/laminate #1's have been discontinued and many distributors have bought the remianing supply from Ruger and at lower prices and are selling them off at much lower prices than they originally sold for. Blued ones though have already had thier production run for the year and as it's not a highly sought ater model, distributors don't keep abunch in thir stock.

RE: Single shot rifles
 

Yeah, almost every place i went to the other dayhad one ss/laminate #1 in stock almost all in small calibers.

RE: Single shot rifles
 

HillBilly, Go to this website: http://www.galleryofguns.com/

This is Davidson's, the largest distributer of Ruger firearms that I know of. Most of your local gunshops have probably heard of them before.

Plinking with a .405, I wish I had your kind of money.:D

Vtgao

RE: Single shot rifles
 

heh, ireally don'thave that kind of money either. Ihaven't even reallygot the money for the rifle yet/convinced the girlfriend to let me buy it.I probably wont take it out of the closet more than 2 or 3 times a year and when i do i only buy 1or 2 boxes of ammo for each gun i take.Blowing the crap out of stuff with guns is a lot cheaper than taking a vacation...plus you don't have to deal with airports.Though, i dont think that argument would work with her :D

RE: Single shot rifles
 

I'll proberly not use mine more than once or twice a year either. Looking at hunting trip out to Montana next year though so it'll either be the .405 or .45-70 that goes with me. Guess that takes care of the shooting stuff and taking a vacation/dealing with airports all in one.
I actually don't mind airports/air travel. Do it enough with the regualr family vacations it'll secondary now.

RE: Single shot rifles
 

well you could go with a H&R handi rifle in a 45/70 gov. or you could go with a .500 S&W those are the biggest cal. that gun has they also have some classic guns which are bigger cals. too go to hr1871.com

RE: Single shot rifles
 

OHIO GOZAIMUS, OHIO!

Over the years, I have had a number of Ruger single-shots, both No. 1's and a No. 3. ALL mine have been quite accurate, right out of the box. One is a .45/70 and another is a .375 H&H. With a heavy load, the .45/70 is much worse to fire than the .375. Of course, this is partly due to the .45/70 being at least 1 pound lighter than the .45/70. I have used Leupold scopes on these two, a 4X Compact on the .45/70, and a 2.5X-8X on the .375. Both have handled the recoil of these two rifles with no problems. Earlier, I tried two differentsteel-tubed Weavers and a Bushnell Scopechief IV on the .45/70. It "ate" all three in less than five shots!

As for choice of caliber: Unless you handload, the .405 Win. leaves something to be desired. The 300-grain bullet is NOT heavy enough for deep penetration on large, thick-skinned game. The SD is too low. But a 400-grain bullet would make the .405 Win. something else again, even if you could only get 1800 FPS out of it!

The .338 Win. would be a better choice for all-round use in North America, and it does not really have a bad recoil. It is effective at much longer ranges than a .405 Winchester. Most any scope will handle the recoil of the .338.

If you want a bruiser, don't overlook the .416 Rigby! Ruger No. 1's are made in this caliber. I am hording an unused Leupold 2.5X Compact with post reticle to put on myNo. 1 .416 Rigby when I get it. I have an old Leupold M8 3X with post & crosshair on a CZ 550 in .416 Rigby, and it works very well! This .416 has a VAIS muzzle brake which makes it's recoil feel as light as a .30/'06 - this is a BIG advantage when shooting it off a bench! The VAIS is not objectionably bad noise-wise, but it is a good idea to wear ear protection whenever you use ANY muzzle brake.

Good luck, and let us know what you decided to do!

RE: Single shot rifles
 

For anybody that cares, cuz i know you're all on the edge of your seats waiting to see what i ended up doing, i got a synthetic handi-rifle .45/70 and im looking at a nikon buckmaster3-9x40 as i hear that its a good scope for the money.

I talked it over with my girlfriend(argued) and we came toa compromise(she won) after i suggested(begged for) the cheaper alternative to a No1.

...She wears the pants in our house... and i like her to take them off on a regular bases...so she wins a lot. ;)