Single-shot

This article is about firearms. For other uses, seeSingle Shot (disambiguation).

Shiloh Sharps Model 1874 Hartford in.50-90 Sharps

Infirearmdesigns, the termsingle-shotrefers to guns that can hold only a single round ofammunitioninside and thus must be reloaded manually after every shot. Compared to multi-shotrepeating firearms( "repeaters" ), single-shot designs have no moving parts other than thetrigger,hammer/firing pinorfrizzen,and therefore do not need a sizablereceiverbehind thebarrelto accommodate a movingaction,making them far less complex and more robust thanrevolversormagazine/belt-fed firearms, but also with much slowerrates of fire.

Thehistory of firearmsbegan withmuzzleloadingsingle-shot firearms such as thehand cannonandarquebus,thenmulti-barreleddesigns such as thederringerappeared, and eventually many centuries passed beforebreechloadingrepeating firearms became commonplace. Although largely disappeared from military usage due to insufficientfirepower,single-shot firearms are still produced by many manufacturers in both muzzleloading andcartridge-firing varieties, fromzip gunsand ultra-concealablepocket pistolsto the highest-qualityhuntingandmatchrifles.

History

Pre-cartridge era

See also:History of firearms

The vast majority of firearms before the introduction ofmetallic cartridgesfrom the 1860s onwards, were single-shotmuzzleloaders.However, multi-barrel,breechloading,revolving, and other multi-shot firearms had been experimented with for centuries. Notable pre-cartridge era single-shot firearms includedmatchlock,wheellock,snaplock,doglock,miquelet lock,flintlock,andpercussion capfirearms. Muzzleloaders included theBrown Bess,CharlevilleandSpringfield Model 1861muskets, theKentuckyandMississippirifles, and theduelling pistol.There were also early breech-loading single-shot rifles such as theHall,Ferguson,andSharps.

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 offiling out(or latermilling out) 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. 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, theUnited Statesstandardized on theSpringfield Model 1866rifle and.50-70cartridge, chambered in trapdoor conversions ofrifled musketsthat had been used in theAmerican Civil War.The trapdoor mechanism continued usage in 1873 with the adoption of theSpringfield Model 1873rifle and.45-70cartridge. The Springfield Model 1873 rifle stayed in service until 1892 when it was replaced by theKrag–Jørgensenbolt-action rifle from 1892 until 1903.

Another muzzleloader conversion similar in concept to the Allin action was the BritishSnider–Enfield,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 thePeabody action.Martini–Henryswere the standard British rifles of the late Victorian era, andMartini–Enfieldconversions continued in second-line service until the Second World War.

Single-shot rifles were the preferred tools of big-game hunters in the late 19th century. The buffalo hunters of the American West used Sharps, Remington, and Springfield single-shots; ivory andtrophy huntersin 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.45-70on up to the enormous.50-140 Sharpsand.500 Express;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 atCreedmoor, Long Islandin 1872. From about 1872 until the U.S. entry intoWorld War Iin 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 byBullard,Stevens,Remington,Maynard,Ballard, Farrow, andWinchester.Calibers used by some of these rifles during matches ranged from the.25-20 Winchester,.32-40 Winchester,.33 Winchester,.35 Winchester,.38-55 Winchester,.40-50 Winchester,.40-70 Winchester,.44-105 Winchester, etc. for over 600 yd (550 m) 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 yd (180 m) 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 yd (180 m), 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,John Moses Browningpatented arguably the greatest single-shot rifle ever produced: after Browning sold his design to theWinchester Repeating Arms Companyit was brought out as theWinchester Model 1885Rifle. Although fewer than 200,000 Model 1885 Single Shots were built, they remained in production from 1885 to 1920.

Remington,Sharps,andBrowningall made single-shot rifles using different actions, such as therolling blockandfalling block.These rifles were originally chambered in largeblack-powdercartridges, such as the.50-110 Winchester,and were used for hunting large game, oftenbison.Later production rifles would be in popularsmokeless powdercartridges, such as the.30-40 Krag.

Single-shot rifles co-existed for some time with thelever-actionrifle, but they began to fade out of manufacture with the advent of reliablebolt-actionrifles.

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-shotderringers,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.22 Long Rifleand came with adjustableiron sightsand grips designed for target shooting. These models were discontinued in 1939.

Shotguns

Single-barrel shotguns have always been popular as an inexpensive alternative todouble-barreled shotguns.They are almost alwaysbreak-opendesigns, like the double-barreled designs, but far less expensive since they do not require the precise aligning ofparallelbarrels. Single-barrel shotguns are also lighter, which can be an advantage if they are carried hunting, though it does mean they have more feltrecoil.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. TheAllin actionmade by Springfield Arsenal in the US hinged forward; theSnider–Enfieldused 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-productionSpringfield Model 1873,which was the principal longarm of theIndian Warsand was still in service with some units in theSpanish–American War.

Other trapdoor actions include the rare ConfederateTarpley carbine,the AustrianWanzl,the BelgianAlbini-Braendlin rifleandTerssenconversion (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 RussianBerdan Type I.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:Break action

Perhaps the most common type of single-shot action, usually found in shotguns, small pistols, and black-powder "elephant" guns, a break action connects the barrel assembly to the breechblock with a hinge. When a locking latch is released, the barrel assembly pivots away from the receiver, opening the breech and sometimes on higher quality firearms, partially extracting the spent cartridge.

Rolling block actions

Main article:Rolling block

In a rolling block action, the breechblock takes the form of a part-cylinder, with a pivot pin through its axis. The operator rotates or "rolls" the block to open and close the breech; it is a simple, rugged and reliable design. Rolling blocks are most often associated with firearms made byRemingtonin the later 19th century; in the Remington action the hammer serves to lock the breech closed at the moment of firing, and the block, in turn, prevents the hammer from falling with the breech open. An interesting variation of the rolling block was the AustrianM1867 Werndl–Holub,in which the pivot pin was parallel to the barrel and the block rotated sideways.

Dropping block actions

These are actions wherein the breechblock lowers or "drops" into the receiver to open the breech, usually actuated by an underlever. There are two principal types of dropping block: the tilting or pivoting block and the falling or sliding block.

Tilting block actions

In a tilting or pivoting block action, the breechblock is hinged at the rear (in contrast withtilting bolt,which is not hinged). When the lever is operated, the block tilts down and forward, exposing the chamber. The best-known pivoting block designs are the Peabody, the Peabody–Martini, andBallardactions.

The original Peabody rifles, manufactured by the Providence Tool Company, used a manually cocked side-hammer. Swiss gunsmith Friedrich Martini devised an action that resembled the Peabody but incorporated a hammerless striker cocked by the operating lever with the same motion that pivoted the block. The 1871Martini–Henrywhich replaced the "trapdoor" Snider–Enfield was the standard British Army rifle of the later Victorian era, and the Martini was also a popular action for civilian rifles.

Charles H. Ballard's self-cocking tilting-block action was produced by theMarlin Firearms Companyfrom 1875 and earned a superlative reputation among long-range "Creedmoor" target shooters. Surviving Marlin Ballards are today highly prized by collectors, especially those mounted in the elaborate Swiss-styleSchützenstocks of the day.

Falling block actions

Main article:Falling block action

In a falling or sliding block action the block does not pivot but rather slides vertically in a slot milled into the receiver. Falling blocks are among the strongest small-arm actions ever produced, and are also used in heavy artillery. Well-known falling block designs include theSharps riflesand carbines, theBrowning/Winchester Single Shot,theFarquharson rifle,and the modernRuger No. 1.

Bolt-actions

Main article:Bolt-action

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-cartridgePrussian needle gunof 1841. France countered in 1866 with its superiorChassepot rifle,also a paper-cartridge bolt-action. The first metallic-cartridge bolt-actions in general military service were theBerdan Type IIintroduced by Russia in 1870, theMauser Model 1871,and a modified Chassepot, theGras rifleof 1874; all these were single-shots.

Today most top-level smallbore match rifles are single-shot bolt-actions.

Single-shot bolt-actions in.22 caliber were also widely manufactured as inexpensive "boys' guns" in the earlier 20th century; and there have been a few single-shot bolt-action shotguns, usually in.410 bore.

Other single-shot actions

• TheFerguson rifle:British Major Patrick Ferguson designed his rifle, considered to be the first military breechloader, in the 1770s. A plug-shaped breechblock was screw-threaded so that rotating the handle underneath would lower and raise it for loading with ball and powder; the flintlock action still required conventional priming.
• TheHall rifle:The United States' first breechloading cavalry carbine, the Hall was introduced in 1819. The lever tipped the breechblock including the chamber upwards and back, allowing it to be loaded with powder and ball without the inconvenience of loading and ramming from the muzzle. Originally flintlocks, Halls later were made as or converted to percussion locks.
• TheKammerlader:A crank-operated Norwegian firearm produced around the time of the Prussian Needle-gun. Originally used a paper cartridge. Later many were converted to rimfire.
• TheBurnside carbine:Invented by future-generalAmbrose Burnsidein 1857, this percussion-cap carbine became the third-most common cavalry breechloader in the Civil War after the Sharps and Spencer. Essentially a modification of the Hall concept, the Burnside featured a unique conical cartridge with a crushable hollow front rim, designed to seal the breech on closing.
• TheRising breech carbine:An unusual action produced by Bilharz, Hall and Co. for the southernConfederacy,the rising breech's underlever caused the breechblock including the chamber to slide vertically above the line of the barrel, the reverse of a falling-block; the chamber was loaded from the front with a paper cartridge.
• The Morse Carbine:Its action is similar to the Hall rifle but the shape of its chamber is different.
• Winchester Model 55:An unconventional hybrid of a single-shot and asemi-automatic,this.22-caliber rifle ejected the fired case and recocked itself like a conventionalblowback-operatedself-loader, but it lacked amagazineand had to be manually reloaded for each shot.
• "'Screw Barrel Actions'":

The OSS stinger pen pistol and several other clandestine pen guns, as well as homemade zip guns often made using plumbing parts, and cane guns used for both defense and poaching use a screw thread to attach the chambered barrel to a receiver with some sort of breech and firing pin. The user unscrews the barrel from the receiver to expose the chamber to load a cartridge. The RN50.50 BMG single-shot rifle uses a similar screwthread breech cap to allow an otherwise simple break-action to contain a.50 BMGcartridge.

Modern single-shots

Although non-cartridge single-shot firearms are still made in hobbyist contexts (for example, replicas of antique guns), this discussion focuses on newer designs employing cartridges.

Pistols

The modern era of single-shot firearms is most visible in the realm of pistols. Remington introduced the single-shot bolt-actionXP-100pistol in 1963, which heralded the era of high-performance, high-velocity pistols. The.221 Fireballcartridge lived up to its name by reaching velocities of 2700 ft/s (823 m/s) from a 10.5 "(26.7 cm) barrel. Essentially a shortened.222 Remington,the compact.221 Fireball delivered accuracy exceeding many rifles, out to ranges unheard of for other handguns.

Even bigger than the XP-100, the 1967 introduction of theThompson Center ArmsContenderpistol changed handgun sports forever. The Contender was a break-open design that allowed barrels to be changed by the shooter in minutes. Available in calibers from.22 Long Rifleup to.45-70,and in barrel lengths of 8, 10, and 14 inches (20, 25, and 35.5 cm), the Contender could, in the right hands, handle any type of game, and delivered rifle-like accuracy to match the XP-100.

Many other manufacturers make single-shot pistols, most based on the bolt-action rifle, with barrels generally ranging from 10 to 15 inches (25 to 38 cm). Single-shots dominate handgunmetallic silhouetteshooting, and single-shots are the most common handguns used for hunting.

Single-shot pistols have sometimes found popularity amonginsurgents,resistance fighters, andstreet gangs.The mass-produced, low-costLiberator pistolofWorld War II,which was manufactured and distributed by U.S. forces toAlliedresistance forces andguerrillafighters as anassassinationpistol, is the most common example of a mass-produced single-shot pistol. More than a million units were produced and distributed freely and many remain in private hands.A few varieties ofzip gunscould also be considered single-shot pistols. In recent years theseimprovised firearmshave become more common in the hands of criminals and insurgents, especially when manufactured firearms are difficult to acquire.

Rifles

Ruger

Ruger No. 1 single-shot rifle with custom.243 barrel

In 1966,Sturm, Rugerintroduced their first true rifle,Ruger No. 1,which uses afalling-block actionand is available in a wide selection of calibers from.22 Hornetto.458 Winchester Magnum.The No. 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 rifle

The majority of rifles made byCooperare 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 availablethrough 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 their12 gaugebreak-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 theMarlin Firearmsfamily. 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 legendaryModel 1885 Single Shot Rifle,under theirLimited Seriescategory. The modern calibers of.17 were 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 theTraditionalHunterLimited SeriesModel 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,.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

Sharps rifleswere 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 filmQuigley Down Underthat featured a Sharps Model 1874 rifle. The popularity ofCowboy action shootinghas also affected the availability of single-shot rifles, with many replicas of the oldblack-powderrifles, particularly theSharps,now being available.

Barrett M99

TheBarrett M99is 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

TheDenel NTW-20is 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 for20×82mm Mauser,14.5×114mm,and20×110mm Hispano-Suizaround. 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 ofSteyr HS.50is a single-shot bolt-action sniper rifle. It is chambered in.50 BMG (or.460 Steyr) and can reach ranges from 1500 to 2500 meters.

See also

• Multiple-barrel firearm
• H & R Firearms
• Rolling block
• Ruger No. 1
• Sharps Rifle
• Thompson Center Arms
• Martini–Henry
• Martini Cadet
• Semi-automatic firearm
• Repeating firearm

References

• 1. Kelver, Gerald O: Schuetzen Rifles, History and Loadings. 1998. 3rd Edition, Pioneer Press.
• 2. Kelver, Gerald O: MAJOR Ned H. Roberts and The Schuetzen Rifle. 1998. 3rd Edition, Pioneer Press.
• 3. Campbell, John: The Winchester Single Shot. 1998.ISBN0-917218-68-X
• 4. McLerran, Wayne (2014).Browning Model 1885 Black Powder Cartridge Rifle - 3rd Edition: A Reference Manual for the Shooter, Collector & Gunsmith.TexasMac Publishing.ISBN978-0-9893702-5-7,418 pages.

External links

• Chuck Hawk's articles onthe Ruger #1,the Harrington & Richardson 1871 Single Shot Rifles,New England Firearms Single Shot Rifles,andThe Winchester / Browning Model 1885 High Wall Rifle.