Dave McCracken
Moderator In Memoriam
The latter part of the 19th Century saw tremendous strides in firearms development. Breechloading arms met many needs and were developed to many price points from bare bones utility guns to fine art that shot.
For every high grade Parker, Fox and LC Smith made, a wagon load of economical single shots went out to wherever a good, reliable shotgun was needed.
While only one shot seems picayune to us of many repeaters, often one shot was enough to protect the chicken house, protect life or get dinner.
Some of these has names like Long Tom, White Powder Wonder, Long Range, etc. Sold for as little as a couple dollars new,often in conjunction with shells sold singly, they did a yeoman job for many of our ancestors.
Most have fallen by the wayside in the 150 years since the end of The Uncivil War. However, Harrington & Richardson, which had started making cheap revolvers, turned a break action single shot shotgun into their bread and butter gun for decades.
It was and is made in all gauges,and in 410,9mm rimfire,and other odd chamberings. The design was hell for stout, and it took real abuse or years of neglect to make one not work.
And somewhere along the line, the little H&R single became a multiple barreled shoulder arm. Rifle barrels made to fit the soft iron action turned out to batter the action excessively, so a stronger rifle action was developed with harder steel. Barrels have been offered from 22LR to 45-70 and the rifle action can be fitted with shotgun barrels to this day. The opposite may not be true.
These turn up in odd places. A friend saw and handled one in Kuwait recently.Others turned up in the news when Mexican rebels in Chiapas got organized in the 1990s.TV news featured peasants toting rusty H&Rs and opposing the government forces.
These also turn up in a lot of our personal memories. The first shotgun I used was a 16 gauge H&R given to my Father by his Grandfather around 1928. It fed the family during the Depression and functioned well until a relative neglected it in the 70s.
There was also a Huntsman muzzle loader, the first in line ML made in the US. It worked well but got traded off when I decided I liked side hammer MLs better.
An H&R rifle in 30-30 was a groundhog assassin with a 4X Leopold on top and served for deer.
And now Son has a 12 gauge NEF he learned to shoot with. It's now at a friend's for his kids to learn on.
BTW, New England Firearms took over the H&R line a couple decades back. They reworked the action from a top lever to a stronger and less expensive push button and have expanded the line of available gauges and calibers.
For a utility grade shotgun, the little single has a lot going for it besides price. Durable as a crowbar, it's rarely we hear of any that need a smith's attention.
The simple MOA means that it's a good trainer and the transfer bar action means it's reasonably drop safe. Its popularity has lots of aftermarket parts bobbing up from plastic stocks to scope mounts to heat shields.
NOTE: Anyone that can run a single fast enough to need a heat shield, please contact me....
As for downsides.,...
Triggers oft are heavier than the weapon itself. Son's NEF is 5 lbs, 9 oz and the trigger's 6 lbs. Working on these is not easy, the maker puts in the action pins with a very large hydraulic press.
Since these run quite light, kick with anything bigger than 28 gauge is hard. While Son's is chambered for 3" magnums, it's doubtful it will ever see any. Light loads for light guns.
And the 16 gauge that started all this for me killed in front and crippled in back. My very first gun related purchase was a slip on pad. The old 1 1/8 oz Western goose loads gave me nosebleeds sometimes.
The solo round is not as much of a drawback as one may think. In large part it encourages care in shooting. Also, many of us know how to shoot, hit the lever or button, let the barrel weight open the action and eject the shell while one slips another in. Practice early in life lasts a long time.
These are unbeatable when it comes to days where we carry much and shoot little.
They are perfect for Fall days when slipping through some hardwoods eyeing the canopy is our activity of choice.
They are good for loaning out, good for borrowing and good for those times when the small children in all of us get out to play.
And, they are the minimal shotgun. Nothing can be take away and still have a shotgun.
That's part of the charm....
For every high grade Parker, Fox and LC Smith made, a wagon load of economical single shots went out to wherever a good, reliable shotgun was needed.
While only one shot seems picayune to us of many repeaters, often one shot was enough to protect the chicken house, protect life or get dinner.
Some of these has names like Long Tom, White Powder Wonder, Long Range, etc. Sold for as little as a couple dollars new,often in conjunction with shells sold singly, they did a yeoman job for many of our ancestors.
Most have fallen by the wayside in the 150 years since the end of The Uncivil War. However, Harrington & Richardson, which had started making cheap revolvers, turned a break action single shot shotgun into their bread and butter gun for decades.
It was and is made in all gauges,and in 410,9mm rimfire,and other odd chamberings. The design was hell for stout, and it took real abuse or years of neglect to make one not work.
And somewhere along the line, the little H&R single became a multiple barreled shoulder arm. Rifle barrels made to fit the soft iron action turned out to batter the action excessively, so a stronger rifle action was developed with harder steel. Barrels have been offered from 22LR to 45-70 and the rifle action can be fitted with shotgun barrels to this day. The opposite may not be true.
These turn up in odd places. A friend saw and handled one in Kuwait recently.Others turned up in the news when Mexican rebels in Chiapas got organized in the 1990s.TV news featured peasants toting rusty H&Rs and opposing the government forces.
These also turn up in a lot of our personal memories. The first shotgun I used was a 16 gauge H&R given to my Father by his Grandfather around 1928. It fed the family during the Depression and functioned well until a relative neglected it in the 70s.
There was also a Huntsman muzzle loader, the first in line ML made in the US. It worked well but got traded off when I decided I liked side hammer MLs better.
An H&R rifle in 30-30 was a groundhog assassin with a 4X Leopold on top and served for deer.
And now Son has a 12 gauge NEF he learned to shoot with. It's now at a friend's for his kids to learn on.
BTW, New England Firearms took over the H&R line a couple decades back. They reworked the action from a top lever to a stronger and less expensive push button and have expanded the line of available gauges and calibers.
For a utility grade shotgun, the little single has a lot going for it besides price. Durable as a crowbar, it's rarely we hear of any that need a smith's attention.
The simple MOA means that it's a good trainer and the transfer bar action means it's reasonably drop safe. Its popularity has lots of aftermarket parts bobbing up from plastic stocks to scope mounts to heat shields.
NOTE: Anyone that can run a single fast enough to need a heat shield, please contact me....
As for downsides.,...
Triggers oft are heavier than the weapon itself. Son's NEF is 5 lbs, 9 oz and the trigger's 6 lbs. Working on these is not easy, the maker puts in the action pins with a very large hydraulic press.
Since these run quite light, kick with anything bigger than 28 gauge is hard. While Son's is chambered for 3" magnums, it's doubtful it will ever see any. Light loads for light guns.
And the 16 gauge that started all this for me killed in front and crippled in back. My very first gun related purchase was a slip on pad. The old 1 1/8 oz Western goose loads gave me nosebleeds sometimes.
The solo round is not as much of a drawback as one may think. In large part it encourages care in shooting. Also, many of us know how to shoot, hit the lever or button, let the barrel weight open the action and eject the shell while one slips another in. Practice early in life lasts a long time.
These are unbeatable when it comes to days where we carry much and shoot little.
They are perfect for Fall days when slipping through some hardwoods eyeing the canopy is our activity of choice.
They are good for loaning out, good for borrowing and good for those times when the small children in all of us get out to play.
And, they are the minimal shotgun. Nothing can be take away and still have a shotgun.
That's part of the charm....
Anyway he sold it to his little brother, my youngest. Now this youngster, like me, is carrying if he's got his pants on. I have teased him about the little H&R. His words are," I'll never part with that little gun, Dad; you carried it afield for too many years. It's gonna rest in my vault now." Thanks for the stroll down memory lane. P.T.
