There were no single shots in my whole family before I was told about GBO. One of my old "Marlin" forum buddies from Tennessee told me about this site before Marlin shut their forum completely down. Well, we Marlin guys (I was fairly new there) were totally accepted by Graybeard. I also remember a post by the Mrs. welcoming us to GBO. That made us feel pretty special to say the least. From the time I started using GBO as my 1st choice in website info for reloading ideas/SA revolver info/ and a Marlin forum, I also became interested in other forums here, especially the NEF centerfire forum because of the Marlin connection. It didn't take me long to realize that these people were very "into" single shot rifles. I'll have to give Tim most of the credit but there have been many others that created an interest for me into a rifle called the Handi.
The low upfront dollars needed to get into Handi's was not what first drew me in. It was members here talking accuracy, reliability, and the ability for everyone to do some simple "tweaking" on their own in order to get them MOA and better. Then the final factor was when I was looking at one in a gunshop where I was working part-time to help the owner and his family out. Someone actually told me I would never get that "thing" to shoot good. Well, I am one who likes a challenge but I said nothing. I walked over to the counter and told the owner I would take the new .223 Handi. He said, "They come in a bull barrel too." I put the Handi back in the rack and ordered one with a bull barrel. I came back to the forums and started reading about Swift and Mueller scopes being used on a lot of these rifles. I owned Bushnell Elites, Sightrons, etc before but never a Swift or a Mueller. I bought a Swift for my first Handi and the rest is all history.
My Handi's are accurate, reliable, and they feel balanced when handling. They pass the three most important demands I have on my firearms. I apologize for the "book" I just wrote but now you have my answer.