Simple Life?

[Georgian]

Hey yall. I just wanted to get a post up on what draws yall to single-shot rifles/rimfires in general. I have pump-action, lever-action, semi-automatic, bolt-action, and a single-shot. Depending on the mood I'm in I like one more than the other, but one thing that really draws me to the single-shot I guess is its nostalgia and novelty, besides being simple and inexpensive. It just harkens back to another era, where life was a whole lot simpler. Sometimes I wish life could be as simple as it used to be back when, but fact is its gettin more complicated every day. I guess what I'm saying is that something such as a single-shot rifle just simplifys life a bit.... Anyways, yall chime in and give yall's POV.

[Georgian]

So either nobody actually likes the NEF/H&R Single-shots, or no one feels like posting, lol.

[ozarkhillbilly49]

georgian don't know about anybodt else but i have been a fan of one boomers all my life.i have owned winchester hiwall's,lowwalls. peabody-martini's and one ballard 44 and a half.also had one browning reproduction hiwall.today i own nef because that's all i can afford! i just got to shoot my 22 mag. the other day. it shot right with anyother single shot i have ever owned.wish i had some of the rifles back that i have had thru the years!!for the money a fellar just can't beat these little old h&r's dang it!im hooked on 'em!!! if my arthric hips and legs tumble me over on a nef rifle and ruin it i will cry but i will also be able to replace it!! these rifles are hard to beat for the money!!!!! you take care now! have fun shooting!!!!

[db22]

Hey Georgian -- Good to "hear" a Southern voice up here in the cold North. My pedigree is pure Dixie, but I live in Wisconsin, land of plentiful public hunting land but sadly bland food. One of my co-workers is from Mississippi, and it's a pure pleasure to hear her talk. Anyway --

Yes, simplicity and nostalgia. My very first firearm was a single-shot .410, and I love shooting my Pardner shotgun just to snap it open and smell the burned smokeless curling up from the chamber. Another aspect is light weight: when I moved up here years ago, I started hunting grouse. They exceed quail in the hard-to-hit category. You have to be really fast getting the gun to your shoulder, and since I can't afford a fine double, I always hunted with an 870 fitted with a skeet barrel. Needless to say, I missed a lot of birds. My Pardner is well over a pound lighter and fits even better than the Remington. Plus, I'm a lefty, and NEF guns are essentially ambidextrous. They're also modular -- all stocks fit all frames, most center-fire barrels can be fitted to a rifle frame, and even a shotgun frame offers a lot of versatility -- my Pardner is in the shop being fitted with a muzzleloader barrel right now.

If you look in the gun and outdoor magazines these days, you'll see how obsessed we all have become with gizmos and thingums that add complications to our sport. Going "back" to single-shot guns is a good way to thumb our noses at the outdoor yuppies who can't be seen without a two-thousand-dollar rifle. Plus, NEFs are made in this country (sad to say, NEF does import their repeaters from China). Another good reason to buy a single-shot.

So -- single-shots appeal for a lot of reasons. This is a good thread -- I hope some others come up with comments.

[LEO]

I get a lot of pleasure out of hunting with and shooting single shots.  I have a bunch of different single shots some old some new.  I am currently haveing a barrel modified for my NEF to turkey hunt/preadator hunt with, I am having it cut to 18.5 and fitted for screw in choke tubes a lot of people would say it is foolish to spend 75 dollars on this for a 75 dollar gun.  Well it is my money and I think when this project is finished I will have the perfect gun for me and that is what matters. The single shots are dependable, durable, user friendly and safe.  Most are light to carry, quick to the shoulder and hit where they look.  They do harken back to times of old in a way when hunting was for food or relaxation and not a gear race.  To a time when hunters took their time and made their shot count becasue they needed the food and ammunition was hard to come by.  There is a lot of satisfaction in raising up a single shot 22 with open sights and taking aim at a squirrels head and making the shot or knowing that if you miss that deer it will be gone before you can load another round.  As someone else pointed out they make the near perfect grouse gun, especially if you open the choke a little because unlike quail hunting you are usually going to get only one decent shot at a grouse.  Most people who shoot more than once at a grouse, shoot once at the bird and once at where the bird went.  I have semi autos, pumps, bolt actions, lever actions, and doubles, but most of my hunting is done with a single shot of one form or another and I take my fair share of game so I really don't think I am disadvantaged by the single shot as many would have you to believe, in fact as I have stated it may actually be an advantage because it makes me pay closer attention to my shot.  In fact anymore about the only time I hunt with a repeater is when I am crow hunting because of the multiple shots presented at a time and when I am doe hunting, once again because where I hunt you can take multiple does at a time.

[3006bluffhunter]

I'm a left hander also! I own lots of semi autos......rugers ,remingtons,! That way it don't matter what side the bolt is on.....I remember when I started hunting with a 742 woods master and my brothers new when i would start shooting.....They would say 4 quick shots and the 5 shot was my kill shot....They asked if i counted them as I shot!Well now i'm 25 years older use single shots for most of my hunting.....2006 season 2 shots 2 deer......It settles you in to take your time and get good shot placement! Its not like the clip is full and i have 4 more shots to hose them down!!Even right handed bolt guns I buy and use them like single shots!!!!!People look at me funny at a gun show when i pull up a right hand bolt gun and lay down the cash....To me its a single shot! I have to bring it off my shoulder to cycle the bolt!Bottom line Single shots are fun and they put the meat on the table! Dale

[tallyho]

Georgian,
Thanks for y'alls question. 

It got me thinkin' (something I try to avoid as much as possible except in emergencies). 

My answer would be to reclaim some of "the simple life". I started out as a kid with single shots, as did most of us I suppose. When I got older and had after school, and summer jobs, I started buying repeaters - and parked or sold the one shooters. After years of hunting it finally occurred to me that whatever ended up in the freezer pretty much always fell to the first shot, or didn't fall at all. Statistically speaking the first shot was the shot most l likely to put the critter on the ground... so...

What LEO said about grouse "Most people who shoot more than once at a grouse, shoot once at the bird and once at where the bird went." - that can be said about most anything I have hunted.   

When I stumbled upon an old Topper with 30/30 and 20 ga some years ago I started packing it because it was light, it was simple and I loved the way, when opened, it went 'click' and flung the empties over my shoulder. (Didn't like that so much when I started reloading.) If you want to read the complete tale see: http://www.handiholic.com/Stories.html

It has gotten to the point where I don't even have a repeating centerfire rifle any more (other than Cowboy guns) and hunting from now, until I hunt no longer, will be with a single shot, and most likely a Handi. Somehow it just seems proper for me to hunt this way. Can't explain much beyond that.

When I had kids,I determined to start them on the 'simple life' too. They each have their own Sportster now.

Having 'Re: Simple Life?' as the question, and "Simple Life" for me as the answer makes a nice complet circle. Nothing in my life can be much simpler than a single shot rifle.

Thanks for the thread.

Cheers
Kerry

[Georgian]

I'm only 19 (20 in April), but for some odd reason I've always felt I was born after my time....I was taught old-time values, morals, etc. Being raised in the south probably had somethin to do with it....but I just hate the way everything is so complex in today's society. And more and more people are looking for ways to basically simplify their lives....I'd definitely say I'm in that category. In everything, I always want the simplest of things....I dont buy stuff thats complex and fancy, cause its just more hassel on me to learn how to use the contraption and to actually get it to work under stress. I aint got a whole lot of life experience here on this earth, but I sure as heck wish I could turn back the time clock by a few...lol.

[ozarkhillbilly49]

keep that philosphy georgian!!! it may cost you some relationships with women but you will be happier in the end!!!! at age 19 and thinking like this you are in for an intresting and enjoyable life!!!take care!! have fun!!!!

[db22]

Well, Georgian -- sounds like several others here agree with you. I am surprised to note your young years, but pleased that there are young people with your values. You're plainly savvy to some 21st-century things -- here we all are, meeting on the internet, talking about our returns to simplicity via several paths. We all compromise with these things, take some from our past and use some from the present. I'm glad you're with us on this -- stay in touch!

[Georgian]

Well, I was always the "nice guy" in HS, or so said the womenfolk....but it never gets ya nowhere in life. But this past year I've come a pretty long ways personally....being in college is an awesome experience, teaches you how to effectively communicate, to be a free thinker and think for yourself instead of accepting every single thing you're told as the gospel. I go by the Bible blose as I can, and treat others the way I wanna be treated. My sig says it all....I'll graduate college this coming summer and hopefully get employed with a local police department. Yeah, I've just never understand why everyone wants to over-complicate life when they dont have to. Its just more stress and worry on you. I mean I vouch for simplicity in all things....sometimes even my ideas on some things are complicated and have to revise myself, but hey, work in progress, lol.

[Sourdough]

I have over 40 long guns in my vaults, my wife had somewhere in the teens, and so does my son.  I've got Semi-autos, pumps, levers, bolts, and single shots.  75% of the time I am carrying a single shot.  The rest I am carrying a pump.  I like the NEFs because they are vertually indistructiable.  I carry them on the handlebars of my snow machine, 4-wheeler, and motorcycle.  They take a beating.  Plus I have only needed a second shot once in 50 years of hunting.  So why carry the extra weight.  Most of my shooting is done at long ranges anyway so it's not like I am in a hurry.

[LEO]

Georgian, I too am suprised by your attidtude at your age.  I t is refreshing to see that there are still young people out there who have not been totally corrupeted by "societies norms".  I have been part of the thin blue line for almost 23 years.  It has been a rewarding, aggravating, frustrated, blessing, trip.  I wish you well in your career and hope you enjoy it as much as I have.  I still enjoy going to work.  Hold the course because there are many who will tell you that morals and values are outdated and that there is no such thing as absolute right and wrong and that all people are basically good it is just there values are different from yours.  As you venture into your law enforcement career you will find that there are a lot of sick, depraved, and evil people walking around that have no morals and values.  It is the men and women of the thin blue line that must keep these folks from the decent folks so that some of the decent folks can continue to believe that everyone is basically good.  You will be cussed and fussed at most of the time until they are the one that needs an officer then you can't drive fast enough or be rough enough with the bad guy.  But remember always go to work with the intention of coming home at the end of the shift at all costs and that no matter what happens you still have to be able to look at yourself in the mirror in the morning so don't sacrafice your values.  Also find yourself a place where you can get away from it all and enjoy the simple life that you talk about otherwise the hustle and bustle of the job can overwhelm you, it takes some gettng used to because an accountant is only and accountant at work as is a banker or whatever, a police officer is a police officer 24/7/365 so you have to have a "safe harbor" where you can let your guard down so to speak.  For me it is the simple life you talk about, family time, roaming the woods, fishing and the camps I share with my friends who as you will find out are mostly law enfrocement officers, but try hard to develop friends who aren't cops also because that will give you another outlet.  But it is kind of entertaining to see the expression on a group of punks faces when they come to a camp and start causing problems when they learn that everyone there is not only armed but also the police, it has only happened a couple of times but it is amusing.  Finally it takes a special kind of woman to be a police officers lady, a lot of them will think it is cool at first, but after several missed dates because of work, having to leave in the middle of a date because of a call out, the peculiarities of an officer (if you don't already, it wont be long until you will not sit with your back to the door and preferably in a corner where you can see the whole room) the constantly being armed etc. it takes its toll.  I know this is kind of a stretch from single shot rifles but it is all related to the simple life you discussed.  Good luck and let us know how things go.

[Georgian]

10-4 LEO. Yeah, thats one of the big reasons why I'm majoring in Criminal Justice and going into law enforcement. You aint gonna get rich doin it, but that aint the point. I mean I want to make money, and make a decent living, but that aint what its all about. Its about integrity, reliability, trust, etc. and the fact that when you are called to a scene that you are sent there to make things right. Like you mentioned, your post is on that thin, blue line, to hold at all costs from all of the people who want to cross it. I've always loved the military, and wanted to join up, but I believe that law enforcement is a more fitting role for me....Hopefully I can get on with a good department and get posted with a decent FTO. But I'm looking forward to it.

[MSP Ret]

Hi Georgian, your above post has been gnawing at me, in particular the following statement, "I've always loved the military, and wanted to join up, but I believe that law enforcement is a more fitting role for me...."  I feel I must reply and hopefully help you out with your desired career path. I am much older than you and have already done much of what you aspire to. If you would not dismiss the military so easily you might find it would help out your hoped for career in Law Enforcement a great deal. If I could plan your life I would advise to first get  the colege degree you are working on, then enlist in the Military and with that degree hopefully put your time in as an officer. Then pursue a career in Law Enforcement upon discharge. I know this might seem like a long and tedious route for you to follow but believe me that time is but a drop in the bucket of your life. Both Coillege and the Military background will serve you well. Law Enforcement by nature follows para-military design and as a former FTO and then FTO Supervisor I have seen that on the whole new recruits with past military expierence were much better off. Please consider all or even part of my suggestion, none of it will hurt and all of it will help. A degree in Criminal Justice followed by a hitch in the service will set you up well for a successful Law Enforcement career. Not a necessity, but definitely an advantage. Best of luck, carry on....<><....

[ironglow]

Georgian;
   I also like my singles..always did. There is something exhilerating about hunting with a single shot. You know that each shot must count..no spray & pray.
  As I draw down on that groundhog with my NEF .17 HMR...I know it is just one chance..if I miss the 'chuck gets to live another day..kinda puts the "sport" back into the sport..

  Then too there is a certain beauty in simplicity..like the naturally pretty girl that doesn't NEED all the paint..teasing, picking and padding to look really good...she's just naturally pretty !

   So it is with a single shot rifle. I deal in fine cutlery as a sideline to my blacksmithing..a natural thing since it is important to " know steel" in both pursuits.
  I have multi-bladed knives, some stockmen and congress models go up to 5 blades. Then look at the Swiss Army knives...maybe 10 blades and sundry other gadgets including magnifying glasses, can opener, screw drivers , scissors,wire strippers, micro chips and even altimiters..then there are commemoratives, secret locks, fantasy etc...and I stock some of all the above.
    Yet, there are often times when I get,  or forge for myself, a simple straight knife..no folding, gadgets, trick locks or anything else...just a sweet handling, neatly designed, well balanced ,perfect for the job intended single blade knife ( e.g. Nessmuk, Buffalo skinner etc) that is so perfectly designed and executed that it is simply beautiful to behold...and use of course.

  Then there is the handi in the Handi-rifle  light...no  loading chamber, compact...a 24" barrel still makes a relatively short rifle..I always liked those features but now, on the back side of 70, I can appreciate these factors even more..
   
    That is how I look at ss rifles.

 
                   Now, for the military & police:

   Both are honorable jobs that build comraderie among a group of folks that never seem to get the credit they deserve.
 
    As MSP said, don't dismiss the military so easily.
 
    My grandson is, as I have often mentioned here a Spec Ops Marine and has served in Al Anbar prov Iraq. As with all Spec Ops he is a multi-tasker, even though his MOS uis "Armorer" (civilian= gunsmith). Besides being a .50 cal gunner on a Humvee, he kept busy kicking/killing terrorists out of towns along the Euphrates. He is also his unit's designated sniper.
 He had high school level criminal justice before he went in  and plans on going into that field when he gets back from his soon coming 2nd Iraq deployment.
 
    You would be interested to see what and how many state police depts are interested in interviewing him when he is available (end of this year).
   
    Since he is already interested in SWAT work...he already has training and EXPERIENCE well beyond what most depts get and he has PROVEN that he is cool under fire.
  Then too, a vet, especially a combat vet gets preference for hire in civil service, and often further formal schooling at their expense...and his military time goes toward his retirement..

   Something to think about !

[Georgian]

I am still considering the military as an option, if I happen to find that I dont like the law enforcement field. I feel whether I go into one or the other that I could fit in like one of those "round pegs". I understand and know that most, if not all PD's are para-military organizations, and State Police are even more so. But at the current point and time I just want to try this career field out first. If I sign a contract in any branch, my butt is basically kissed goodbye until my stint is over. That is the thing that draws me to law enforcement; I may have to sign a contract to work with a department, but I wont get sent over to another country or get stationed thousands of miles away from home. I would serve in a heart beat if called upon, but at the moment I just dont want to make that big of a choice, tie myself down for 2-4 years at minimum, and maybe turn out not liking my branch of service.

[oldfellow]

I grew up in the 40/50's money was tight and at times we hunted for food, single shot 22's and shotguns, dad would give me
25 rounds of 20 gauge at beginning of squirrel season (age 9) and tell me he expected 25 squirrels, usually at the end of season
I would come up with 20-22 squirrels, so the one shot one kill theory served me well. While I have progressed(?) to using automatics,
etc. I still enjoy the old single shots and believe they still served a purpose in teaching and in a much calmer way of life.

[cattleskinner]

Georgian,

I'm in the same boat as you, only about 4 years ahead of you.  I got done with my law enforcement training this past year, and got a commission on the local sheriff's dept., but   I am currently on a homeland defense mission around wash. d.c. with my army national guard unit until this coming Nov., at which point, I will hopefully find a full time job at either the s.o. that I have my commission at, or another surrounding sheriff’s office, or police dept.  The national guard might be a way that you can do the military, and law enforcement at the same time.  I’m a sergeant with the guard right now, and have 6 years of service in this month.  When people say that time flies, they are not lieing.  I will be 24 in less than a week, and it feels like I graduated high school just yesterday.  Time sneaks up on you, I got married last August, and less than a week ago my wife and I had our first child, a little boy.  I decided to do the police work after a pursuing a couple of wildlife management majors, and then realized that my dad really knew more than I gave him credit for(he retired about 2 years ago after 25 years as a policeman too).  Figured if it worked for him, it would work for me raising a family.  LEO is right about the friends, my dad had very few friends that weren’t policemen, until he retired.  However the church is a big thing with him now, he has grown much closer to everyone there(one of the old police chiefs became a minister).  He never really trusted people much farther than he could throw them, and that rubbed off on the way he raised my siblings and I, it was always “trust but verify” with my parents.  I need to get off my soapbox, and bring it back to the subject though.

I started out with a pardner 20gauge which is still the only shotgun I feel I need, and I also got an old Winchester mod. 67A(kids single shot .22 rifle) that used to be used by my grandpa for coon hunting ages ago.  I’ve used muzzleloaders for deer hunting for the past 4-5 years, which is a single shot too, I just haven’t seen the sense to change.  Sorry about the length, I would recommend looking into the guard though if you want to do both police and military at the same time.

[henry1]

Sounds like me and Georgian have alot in common! LOL! It has been a lifelong dreem for me to have a few pack mules and a horse, and to have all the essentials for me to survive comfortably, and to ride off into the sticks and forget about everything that we know nowdays. (I myself am almost 20) the only thing that i would come down for would be supplys and to see family and friends every now and then. I off course cant do that now because the girlfriend and college education. I am majoring in Wildlife Managment here at the University of Wyoming. I know, its hard to get into and ect but an old gamewarden friend of mine once told me that "its not what you know, its who you know". and when times get hard an i dont know how i will ever get through this stuff alive i think of that saying and about the 3 years I have left and thats what keeps me goin. I was raised what i like to call "oldschool" Lol! i always tell my gf that i was definatly born in the wrong era. We have BP hunted for as long as i can remember, theres nothing i like more than to look back on my childhood and remember those times with my folks and my grandad. from shooting my first grouse with an NEF .20 ga while my dad was BP hunting for deer to my first deer with a bp to every outing that i get now. theres just that longing for the woods and just an outing. like today, i procrastinated some more on a huge speech thats due on mon and two big papers due by thurs. just to get out and do some walking and shooting. we learned today that the pdogs came out of hibernation to bask in the sun, and that when snow melts from the winter it gets really gooy!!! I just love it when other people say somthing and i think that its me talking. lol. even though that we are living in this crazy world today, we are all natives (origonals of the land) at heart.
Henry.

[PartsMan]

I like the simple efficiency of a handi rifle.
Also give me an open hammer tiny plastic safety any day.
Short handy and reliable.
When I bought my 223 brother (who owns 700s and model 7s) said
"how could you ever #$%& this thing up".