The best single shot shotgun is...

[deepvalley]

I have been toying with the idea of getting another single shot shotgun and was wondering what you guys would recommend. I am looking for a general useage gun with decent reach, with or without interchangable chokes, and value for my dollar. I figured you all would have plenty of ideas and I want all the advise I can get!

[publius]

I think the H&R is the only way to go. Proven, completely reliable design. I've got a couple of .410's. Recoil is the drawback. The 12 gauges also double as fence post drivers. The 10's are a masochist's dream.:eek:

[johnwilliamson062]

The H/R as far as pure function is the ticket IMO. If you get a rifle you can fit it with shotgun barrels, but not the opposite.

If you are looking for something with a bit more form, Beretta made a few folding shotguns a while back that show up on gunbroker occasionally in the $200+ range. They fold entirely at the break so the barrel will touch the stock, and in many cases the stock has a notch cut for the barrel to enter.
fs-1, fs-2, fs-3, 412, 413 are the models.
Italian folder is also a good search term.

The H/R and italian folders have the same basic problem though, they are LIGHT. You can add weight to the stock, but that sort of defeats the purpose. If yo want "range" I assume you mean thumper loads. You won't want to fire many of either out of these, although I have used them to hunt squirrel and pheasant with the Remington Nitro pheasant loads. Those aren't the hottest loads available, but I usually use them for tie breakers in trap shoots from 50+, so they also aren't light.

[pabuckslayer08]

H&R for the money
T/C Pro Hunter for the best

[PawPaw]

Best single shot shotgun?

That's a hard one.

Browning BT99
Ithaca Perazzi
Ljutic Single Barrel Trap.

For general field work, the H&R is hard to beat.

[oneounceload]

PawPaw - don't forget the Silver Seitz and Kolar..................

[bigghoss]

I don't have any H&R shotguns but I have 2 of the rifles and wouldn't hesitate to get one of the shotguns if I wanted a single.

[Crosshair]

johnwilliamson062

If you are looking for something with a bit more form, Beretta made a few folding shotguns a while back that show up on gunbroker occasionally in the $200+ range. They fold entirely at the break so the barrel will touch the stock, and in many cases the stock has a notch cut for the barrel to enter.

Do you have any information as to getting barrels for these guns? I have tried to contact Investarm, but they do not respond. I have a 20 gauge model and would like to investigate getting a 12 gauge barrel, as they supposedly use the same size receiver, like the H&R.

The H/R and italian folders have the same basic problem though, they are LIGHT.

Imagine them as AOW's :eek: Shoot one of these regularly and you get to look down on the pansies that shoot 500 S&W.:cool:

http://gra.midco.net/5937/GunPhotos/MotelGunAOW1.JPG

[MrDontPlay]

I got my dad an H&R for Christmas for $79 and we've been having lots of fun with it. It's got a screw in choke I believe it's a pardoner

[Bones]

BT 99

Remington Model 870 WM

Remington Model 1100

[publius]

Bones, I think that you will find after a short physical survey that the 870 and 1100 are repeaters.

[zippy13]

I'm happy with my Beretta 682X in it's single barrel configuration.

[Drummer101]

Is this one any good?

http://www.budsgunshop.com/catalog/product_info.php/cPath/64/products_id/14178

[pabuckslayer08]

The spartan should be a good gun. If Im thinking right today its made by remington. It would make a good clay gun for singles. If you want to go for looks and sporting it would be a good buy but if you want a all around one I just cant let the T/C slip by

[a7mmnut]

What are you planning on using it for? I have several, some old, some not-all shooters. My favorite is a Stevens 94 "Long Tom" with 3" chamber and 36" full choke barrel. Since I was 13, it's won many hams, turkeys, and quite a few $$$. A close second is my grandad's Ithaca 66 lever break. I have Iver Johnsons in every gauge except 20. I have a Hunter Arms, a Savage, a Winchester 37, and a couple of foreign brands. I'd just as soon buy a used shotgun from a gun show if it was going to be a single shot. The new guns from Rossi and H&R are fun, but just no match in choke or feel for these old guys. Choosing a gun is a very personal thing to me, no matter its configuration.


-7-

[nate45]

The Winchester Model 37 is the best single shot shotgun I own.

On this point there can be no debate.

[James H]

The only single shot I've fired is my Winchester 37 12ga. No issues, and took a few grouse with it. The only time I used it was my first two seasons when I was 12 and 13. Kicks like a mule though, especially for a 100 pound kid or whatever I weighed at the time!!

[idek]

I've got two H&Rs (both 20 gauges), a Pardner and a Topper Deluxe Classic. I like them both but they feel very different from one another. The Pardner is about 6 lbs. and is my gun of choice on hunts that are more about walking than shooting. The Topper is over 7 lbs. and more muzzle heavy. Not as nice to carry, but it feels nicer when shooting.

The Topper Classic Deluxe would be way I'd go if I wanted a 12 gauge single, because it's got a more heft than most and has a decent recoil pad. It also has a vent rib and interchangeable chokes, which a lot of inexpensive singles do not.

For me, the Parder shoots about 60/40 above/below point of aim. The Topper shoots 50/50.

[Bones]

Bones, I think that you will find after a short physical survey that the 870 and 1100 are repeaters.

As a ATA shooter, I only fire one round at a time :) , and the 870 & 1100 have never had a round in their mags.

[seansean1444]

H&R

[dieselguy]

I gotta say H&R gets my vote, especially for the money. I've got one that has been passed around the family for 20+ plus years and have never had a problem, except for its been beat around ALOT. But they do kick. I used It for my first couple years deer hunting with 3'' 00 buck, and my shoulder was glad when I got my 1100. Actaully the first time I shot the H&R was with the 3" 00 buck, and I almost got knocked over.

[johnbt]

Winchester 37 would be my choice.

I only have a .410, but an uncle has a bunch of them. No 28 though.

[seansean1444]

browning bt 99

[zippy13]

Anyone have experience with a Thompson/Center shotgun? I realize they are a lot more money than an H&R, but less than the dedicated trap "single shot" guns that have been mentioned.

[Mallard76]

Can't beat a Winchester 37, pleanty of used ones out there.

[deepvalley]

Thanks guys, I took your advise into consideration and am now looking for either an H&R or a Winchester 37. I appreciate your help and will follow up with my choice and, if I can get my camera to work, pics of my future BOOM-STICK!!!

[nate45]

Either one will serve you well.

A word of advise/caution: Single shot shotguns recoil forcefully. As in they kick the daylights out of you. Start with 2 3/4in shells and make a conscious effort to pull it in tight to your shoulder. I've seen large men in pain after firing 3 in shells in an old Topper I once had. Do I feel bad about shooting a low base in it and then handing it to them with a 3 in magnum? No :D

[LilHog]

I recently purchase a new H&R topper jr 20ga, it's a very fine shotgun. My wife and I have shot it several time at the range and we both love it. it shoots a very nice tight pattern and the recoil is very managable with a slip on limbsaver. I would highly recommend it to anyone looking for a great single shot.

[BigJimP]

and noone mentioned either .....
the Browning BT-100 or
the Krieghoff KX-5 ....

you guys are way off base .../ I'm offended ....

[oneounceload]

Jim, you mentioned good ones, I mentioned Ljutic and Seitz...........it seems these folks equate single shot with some cheap beginner gun.....oh well.............we try

[BigJimP]

and we will keep trying my friend ... :D

[LynnTX]

I have a Winchester 37A. It is not as nice as the mod. 37, but it is still a nice gun and is light weight. Worth a look in case you see one listed. Mine is in 12 ga. but there are others ga.'s available. Good luck.

[DRT300]

h&r for the money
TC encore best if money don't matter. IMO

[jaguarxk120]

The h&r the sks of shotguns:rolleyes:

[Mike Armstrong]

Whatever you get, if it's bigger than a 20, budget some $$$ (not many) for a slip-on recoil pad. Single shot shotguns KICK, especially with magnum or slug loads. And hang on tight; any movement during recoil is liable to ding you. (I speak as one with a small silver scar in the thumb/index finger web of my right hand from the opening lever of a Stevens 94 12 guage that I was just in too much of a hurry to take hold of correctly).

If you are hunting in heavy cover, you'll find that most shotguns become single shots--you only get one shot per flushed bird or scampering cottontail. So why not just use a single shot: light, cheap, reliable. Did I mention light? Cheap?

My favorite single is the Savage 220 hammerless; next is the Win 37. Unless you need one NOW, shop around. The older guns are much better finished than guns made now at anything like a comparable price.

[oneounceload]

Single shot shotguns KICK,

That only holds true for the cheap H&R types that never seem to fit anyone

This one:

http://www.ljuticgun.com/adj_mono.htm, as seen here, does not

http://www.ljuticgun.com/images/mono_adj.jpg

[Jim Watson]

I always though it would be fun to go after a second hand single barrelled trap gun with cutting tools and get the weight down three or four pounds for hunting.

From an old Gun Digest
Author: "Wouldn't it be nice to have a light hammerless single with a vent rib and a little engraving?"
Gun manufacturer: "Yes, and I might be able to sell 50 of them total."

[BigJimP]

Yes OneOunce,

but you can't use that Ljutic as a "boat paddle" either ...or at least I wouldn't ...

The Ljutic mono gun is a fine gun / although I do not own one ...and I'd rather have the Krieghoff KX-5 ....than the Ljutic ....but my old Browning BT-100 suits me very well .../when I want to shoot a single barrel.

65974
65975
65976

not as impressive as a KX-5 or the Ljutic Mono gun ...but I'd have to practice more if I was carrying that Ljutic or a Krieghoff around ..and dress better ...and lose weight ....

[jaguarxk120]

OneOunce will the Ithaca 4E fit in with the better single shot shotguns?

[Mike Armstrong]

Jim Watson, if you REALLY want to have a light hammerless gun with a ventilated rib and a little engraving, I know where there is a decent Savage 220 12 guage that you could start on. Add a Simmons rib and find a decent engraver and you're in business. Of course all that fancying up will make the factory walnut look a little shabby, so she'll need a new stock. And choke tubes....and a high polish blue job. HMMM. Maybe that Ljutic isn't so far out after all!

[oneounceload]

OneOunce will the Ithaca 4E fit in with the better single shot shotguns?

You bet, even those made by Perazzi for them will work nicely.......;)

[Jim Watson]

Yes, Mike, I know about the Savage 220.
What I REALLY admired was the 219/220 combo with rifle and shot barrels.
But I am not a hunter to really appreciate nice light guns.

[dgludwig]

If it were me, I'd be shopping for a used Iver Johnson "Champion" in good shape. Of course, if you were me you'd understand that I still have sentimental feelings for the first shotgun I ever fired as a boy, sixty years or so ago. :o

[kismet]

My own, personal, Customized Upland Bird Gun…made to my specifications.


Hah. I should just leave the story at that, sounding like a six-figure Holland and Holland collector's gun, doesn't it?

However, in the interests of full disclosure, the shotgun started life quite a few years ago as a Winchester Model 370, 12 gauge, full choke, 30 inch-barreled single-shot. The 370 is a lower grade version of the Model 37, I believe.

I've had the gun a few years and, since it duplicates my Hercules single 12 gauge, I kept on looking at it as a possible candidate for a pheasant gun I've always wanted. Since I had some very good pointing dogs...Button and then Young Bert, the not-right dog, I usually had a chance to get closer to the bird before it flushed. With a full choke, especially, and even with a modified one, I would have to wait a bit for many birds to get up and away before shooting. If I'd hit them with a tight pattern closer, I would have done too much damage, and really, I'm pretty much a meat hunter. It would defeat the whole purpose of being there.

Also, as the years go by, I've found I most often hit the bird with my first shot, and when I'm shooting a second barrel, it is frequently an exercise in futility--not always, but often. As much as I love my side-by-side AYA 20 gauge ( improved cylinder and modified barrels,) even that gets heavier as the days (and years) pass. Later in the season, I usually carry a single shot for weight, and figuring if I don't hit with one shot, well...that's fair. I had my chance. When jump-shooting ducks, often more than one bird goes up at a time, so then the double barrel makes sense to me, but with pheasants, less so.

OK, with that preamble out of the way, I took the 370 to a legendary gunsmith. He's a local guy who has Parker collectible shotguns shipped to him from across the continental U.S. for rehabbing, such is his skill level. He's an older man, a congenial guy, and with skills on many levels: fabricating parts, sculpting stocks, checkering, and general arms knowledge.

I wanted the 370 single cut down to 25 inches and threaded to take different chokes. I brought an improved cylinder choke with me. Mossberg, Winchester, and some other manufacturers use the same thread pattern for their screw-in chokes. I later got a modified choke for it, which I keep in the stock under the recoil pad. I've never had a shotgun with changeable chokes; mine are all older, more traditional hunting guns. I was seeking a light, fast-handling, more open choked single shot for my remaining pheasant years. Of course, the gun was worth less than the modest cost of the modifications, but this was an itch I'd wanted to scratch for quite a few years.

The result was wonderful. The gun isn't prettier, even with the home-refinishing I did to the much-abused wood, but it comes up fast, tracks well, and opens its pattern nicely to cover my misjudgments in selecting the exact flight track of the birds.

Of the twelve birds I got last year, eight of them were with the Model 370. I'm shooting 2 ¾ inch, number 5 shot shells. With the wider pattern and somewhat heavier shot than I formerly used, if even a few pellets hit the bird, it will come down. If I am spot-on, there is less pattern density to ruin meat.

The biggest problem I've had this year is that Wisconsin only allows a hunter to have four birds in possession--in total, including at home in the freezer, so I've been giving birds away--a new problem for me. I wish that processed and frozen birds could be exempt from that quota, since I would store and consume pheasants well into the Spring. I think the two-a-day limit is fine, but wish a hunter could be allowed to preserve his game into the future.

A customized shot gun need not be expensive, and can be a delight.


I’m loving it. It might be a worthy consideration for you, don’t you think?

(Recoil pad is from a cracked plastic rifle stock. With a single, hunting, recoil is really a non-issue. It is only repeated shooting that it comes into play.)

[51.50]

I like the Ithaca lever action single in 20 gauge.

[bamaranger]

Another vote for a Win 37. When Winchesters were Winchesters. Semi-hammerless, made right here from US steel and homegrown walnut, an icon.

[g.willikers]

The solution to the heavy recoil of a typically light weight single shot 12 gauge is learning to shoot it from the hip.
No kidding.
One of the regulars at our local range usually brings a cheapie Chinese version to play with.
It's surprisingly reliable and accurate, but nasty as can be.
But it didn't take long for most of us to be able to hit hand thrown clays with it, shooting from the hip.
As long as the birds didn't get too far away.
Great fun, too.
Try it sometime.

[Gunplummer]

I still have 2 single shots. An H&R 12 Gage and a Stevens 20 Gage. It is all I need. When I was younger I could not wait until I could buy a pump. A few hunts in the thick stuff and I was done with it and back to my single shot. No matter how much you shorten the barrel, you can not shorten the receiver. I consider singles the best in close cover. The H&R was made in the 30's. It was given to me and had a broken stock. A couple of winter nights in the old mans garage and I made an oak stock from a piece of split firewood. The stock is still on it. I used to take it along on the trapline during deer season and carried some slugs with me. If I caught something I pulled the barrel and used the chamber end as a club. I am serious. The older H&Rs had thicker barrels. Years later I cut it down and silver soldered a scope base right on the barrel (Try that with a new barrel). I shot quite a few deer with it when I lived in a shotgun area for a while. I planned on doing the same with the 20 Gage, but never had the time. As for the photo of the single with the vented rib, where would I go with it? Bruce Jenner has not invited me to and clay shoots lately.

[eastbank]

i bought H&R deluxe 12ga mag with a walnut checkered stock, vent rib and choke tubes at a close out for 129.00 out the door. its very light and kicks like hell with 3" mags, with standard 2-2/4" field loads its not bad and a joy to carry. eastbank.

[B.L.E.]

Single shot shotguns KICK,

That has nothing to do with being a single shot and everything to do with being too light and being poorly fitted.

I can shoot 200 trap birds with my 8.3 pound Browning BT99 trap gun without a bruised shoulder or cheek.

If you plan to do any form of clay bird shooting, where you shoot the gun 100+ times in a row, weigh the gun you plan to buy, it it weighs less than 7.5 to 8 pounds, put it back on the rack and buy something else.

Those 5-6 pound guns are good for hunting, where you carry the gun all day but only get off a couple of shots.

[B.L.E.]

Single shot shotguns KICK,

That has nothing to do with being a single shot and everything to do with being too light and being poorly fitted.

I can shoot 200 trap birds with my 8.3 pound Browning BT99 trap gun without a bruised shoulder or cheek.

If you plan to do any form of clay bird shooting, where you shoot the gun 100+ times in a row, weigh the gun you plan to buy, it it weighs less than 7.5 to 8 pounds, put it back on the rack and buy something else.

Those 5-6 pound guns are good for hunting, where you carry the gun all day but only get off a couple of shots.

Guns that are a joy to carry tend to be murder to shoot, and vice versa.

[JERRYS.]

get an old westernfield or copy thereof. they made them in 20 and 12 ga. theyre bolt action two shot magazine fed with poly chokes. you can find them for $150 or less.

[FITASC]

Guns that are a joy to carry tend to be murder to shoot, and vice versa.

Exactly! And another reason that field guns make poor targets guns and vice versa

[darkgael]

Hey....fellas....the OP stated that he was/is looking for "a general usage" gun.
While I appreciate the BT-99, the Krieghof, the Ljutic and the rest of those beautiful (and expensive) guns....they are not "general usage" shotguns.
When I am trudging the ups and downs of the PA uplands, i carry a six pound gun, not a nine pound gun. I have shot ATA trap with a Savage 220.....reloads help but I still would not want to shoot 100 or 200. I would, even less, want to carry my BT-99 on a grouse hunt.
Pete

[FITASC]

If I am up and down the uplands, I'm not carrying a 12 at all, but a 6-6.25# 20. It will handle anything in the uplands. That makes it a general usage gun. Those H&R guns are not worth the pain and suffering and poor performance.

[kismet]

My personal experience (and ONLY my personal experience) is that my misses are most often not the shotgun's fault.

Your mileage may differ.

:)

Have good holidays.

[dgludwig]

QUOTE: Hey....fellas....the OP stated that he was/is looking for "a general usage" gun.

The op hasn't responded to his thread for the past six years. My guess is that he's already made his choice.

[kismet]

Yeah, OP may have satisfied his curiosity, but other folks like to discuss the singles.

It's all good.

[Skeets]

J.C. Stevens .410-.12.ga

[T. O'Heir]

Your money or mine? Your's it'd be a Perazzi. Think 5 figures. My money? It'd be a Cooey for $100Cdn.

[Glenn Kelley]

T O'Hier ,
The Cooey 84 /840 were sold in the US as Winchester 37A and 370 .
The Winchester 37 had one advantage over the Cooey in that the hammer and latch were reversed so that you don't have to reach over the latch to thumb the hammer .
My turkey gun has been an 840 shortened to 28" and tubed with a Limbsaver pad added .

The quandary is that an Ithaca 37 weighs 2 shells more .

Glenn

[JWT]

For the money I'll take a BT-99. Trap only. Certainly not for hunting with no safety.

[B.L.E.]

No safety, no problem, just carry it broken open 'til you need to shoot, the way you shoot at the trap field.