I Love Single Shot Shotguns

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I have a few old H&R singles but my current favorite is this Remington Rolling Block converted into a 20 gauge shotgun after being surplussed by Sweden. It's actually the original barrel, bored out. It's date stamped 1867 on the bottom, covered by the forearm.

rolling-block-stump.jpg

I had to make a new firing pin for it because the tip of the original was broken off. It's handy to have a small lathe.

RollingBlockFiringPin.jpg

The gun shoots well with my handloads of 7/8 oz. of #5 or #7.5 shot on top of an equal volume (~63 grains) or 2Fg or 3Fg black powder, in Magtech all brass hulls. If I can develop a good round ball load that shoots close to POA, I'll take it deer hunting, too.
 
Dave Markowitz said:
urrent favorite is this Remington Rolling Block converted into a 20 gauge shotgun
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Dave thanks for posting your gun. I'd love to get be able to see it in person. Do you know any of the history behind it? How long have you owned it?
 
George P said:
Not elitist at all; What's wrong with appreciating something nicer than some low-priced object? Too many folks with wealth envy I guess.
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That's kind of a harsh statement and doesn't reflect well. There are many of us that have no reason to envy some one else's wealth and yet enjoy the simple things in life. It sure would be nice if we could just enjoy the forum and each other for their interest and preferences.
 
Cvans said:
Dave thanks for posting your gun. I'd love to get be able to see it in person. Do you know any of the history behind it? How long have you owned it?
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I bought it last year from Simpson, Ltd. They import a lot of guns from Europe, especially Sweden.

AFAIK, the basic story behind my Rolling Block is that it originated as a Remington Rolling Block military rifle in 12.7x42 rimfire, part of the 1867 contract with Sweden. After it became militarily obsolete it was sporterized. The barrel is the original one, bored out to shoot 20 gauge 2.5" shotgun shells. It actually has a little bit of choke. From what I've read, these and similar shotguns were popular in Scandanavia for moose hunting using round ball loads.

Simpson frequently carries them. A friend bought one earlier this year in 24 gauge. I've seen them listed in 12 and 16 gauge. Personally, I would not buy one in a bore larger than 20 due to the amount of metal left over after they're bored out.

Anyone buying one of these should keep in mind that they are antiques and may require some gunsmithing to get back to a functional state. As I showed above, I had to make a new firing pin from drill rod because the original was broken.

So far I've only fired mine with black powder loads. IMO it would be safe to shoot with smokeless in 2.5" cases with pressures in that range. E.g., a 20 gauge 7/8 oz. trap load in 2.5" cases should be fine in these guns.
 
I have a few singles, a rossi pair, 410 and .22; a Stevens 107 12 ga (manufactured 1916 to 1940 J. Stevens Arms Chicopee Mass) and a Russian made Baikal 12. all work now, had to make a new ejector for the stevens as I could not find one, the Baikal, was almost impossible to close due to tight tolerance, but with a little time patience and 800 grit emory cloth it is much better now. I paid less than $100 dollars for all of them.

d
 
Cvans said:
That's kind of a harsh statement and doesn't reflect well. There are many of us that have no reason to envy some one else's wealth and yet enjoy the simple things in life. It sure would be nice if we could just enjoy the forum and each other for their interest and preferences.
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No reason not to enjoy it; you seem to want to make mountains out of molehills because I do not share your love for cheap shotguns; whatever floats your boat
 
Armored farmer said:
Here's two more submissions for approval.

Not necessarily a matched pair, but a pair nonetheless.?...
Much revered in a bygone time....
4E Ithaca trapguns. Mine and my father's, now mine and my son's.
View attachment 1000177
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Very nice! I had a chance once at a gun show to buy an Ithaca trap gun. That one was made in the 60s and said "Made in Italy", so I passed not knowing that the Italian who made that gun was Perazzi.........Damn 20-20 hindsight
 
Dave Markowitz said:
I have a few old H&R singles but my current favorite is this Remington Rolling Block converted into a 20 gauge shotgun after being surplussed by Sweden. It's actually the original barrel, bored out. It's date stamped 1867 on the bottom, covered by the forearm.

View attachment 1000017

I had to make a new firing pin for it because the tip of the original was broken off. It's handy to have a small lathe.

View attachment 1000018

The gun shoots well with my handloads of 7/8 oz. of #5 or #7.5 shot on top of an equal volume (~63 grains) or 2Fg or 3Fg black powder, in Magtech all brass hulls. If I can develop a good round ball load that shoots close to POA, I'll take it deer hunting, too.
Click to expand...
Excellent diy repair
 
My Rolling Block was converted to a shotgun in Sweden, probably in the late 19th/early 20th Century.

I've bought a few guns from Simpson. They've been a pleasure to deal with.
 
I enjoy carrying and hunting with a single shot, not a fan of shooting a single shot in 12 to 20 gauge though---those light stocks kick like a government mule!
An exception is my single trap gun---a Beretta Mk2---a heavy duty pussycat.:)
 
Of all my singles, I suppose this one is my favorite and definitely the most used.
The first time I shot it was a 200bird race at Gordon Gun Club Robinson, Illinois. I broke 193x200. I missed 4 on the first trap, 3 on the second...then ran the next 150 birds.
I knew right then it was a keeper.
IMG_20210523_225208.jpg
 
tws3b2 said:
The single shot. Made for the guy that needs only one. Shotgun, rifle or whatever. Hated only by those that need more.
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Guess you never shot trap doubles, skeet doubles or report or true pairs in sporting clays, let alone Helice or pigeons..............
 
Even though they've only been to turkey shoots the past decades, I still have two single shot shotguns.

Most of the time around here, if you miss with your first shot, the game has disappeared into the underbrush before you can react even with an autoloader.
 
I thought I would give an update on the Savage 301 20ga. I recently purchased.
The more I shoot this gun the more impressed I am with it. Other than it's utilitarian looks I can't fault it. For some reason I really enjoy shooting it. The action has remained tight and smooth. So far all I've shot through it is target loads but it has functioned perfectly. I'm using a Hunters Specialties Undertaker turkey choke which is throwing very tight patterns at 30 yards. Works great for yard pests. Haven't touched my other shotguns as I'm having too much fun with this one.
 
We recently had a thread about paper hulls.

I need to retreat to the woods and get some paper hulled shells and do a little blasting.

The smell of a freshly fired paper hull is amazing, and the satisfying ejection of the single shot H&R is a lot of fun.
 
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