In ‘Green Hills of Africa,’ Ernest Hemingway wrote, “I remembered the old saying of the Indian in camp, “One shot, meat. Two shots, maybe.”” Holding out for a perfect shot is a lesson that’s been passed down through generations of hunters and sharpshooters, and nowhere is this age-old wisdom more applicable than when fielding a single shot rifle.
From the earliest breechloaders to modern classics like the Ruger No. 1, the single shot rifle has served as a reliable companion for hunters and target shooters. Most of the single shot rifles featured below are offered in Rock Island Auction Company’s October 4 -6 Sporting & Collector Auction in Bedford, Texas, and you can click on the images to learn more about each model.
Early Single Shot Rifles
Until the mid-19th century, most firearms were single shot muzzleloaders. The invention of rifling offered greater accuracy and range compared to smoothbore barrels, and specialized models like America’s Kentucky rifle earned a reputation as proficient hunting tools as well as a specialized weapon that could be employed by marksmen on the battlefield.
The introduction of the percussion cap improved reliability and modestly increased loading speed, though the single shot rifle truly came into its own with the innovation of the breechloading action. Gunmakers had experimented with breechloaders for centuries, but advances in metallurgy and manufacturing techniques laid the groundwork for some truly revolutionary designs, including the Sharps falling block.
Sharps Single Shot Rifles
Christian Sharps’ 1848 patent employed a “sliding breech-pin” (breechblock) riding the frame. By pressing the lever down and forward, the breechblock lowered to allow the shooter to load into the breech end of the barrel. When the lever was pulled backward and up, the breechblock moved upwards to seal the breech.
The Sharps reduced gas leakage issues that had plagued prior breechloading designs like the Hall rifle. Though initial Sharps models were designed for powder and ball, the platform proved well-suited for chambering some of the strongest metallic cartridges of the 1860s and 70s.
Produced from the Antebellum Era through the late-19th century, the various models of Sharps single shot rifles and carbines became famous for their roles in Bleeding Kansas and the Civil War. The Sharps found a welcoming home on the Western frontier and was carried by everyone from Texas Rangers to Native Americans. The Sharps Model 1874 became a particularly notable Old West firearm and gained fame in popular culture thanks to films like ‘Quigley Down Under’ and ‘True Grit.’
Single Shot Rifles Around the Globe
Numerous breechloading single shot rifle models arrived in the years following the Civil War. One of the most prolific, the U.S. Springfield Trapdoor, served as America’s primary infantry rifle for over two decades. Springfield Master Armorer Erskine S. Allin developed a cost-efficient method of converting hundreds of thousands of surplus muzzleloading rifles into breechloaders by replacing a portion of the barrel with a hinged breech block, or “trap door.”
Another famous design was the Remington Rolling Block action. Developed from the Remington “Split Breech” carbine of the Civil War, this improved action employed a breech block that would roll back when pulled. The Remington Rolling Block became the world’s most widely used single shot military breechloader of the 19th century.
Other American classic single shot rifle models included the Peabody and its rear-pivoting breechblock, the Stevens falling block, and the Ballard falling block. John Marlin and the Marlin Firearms Co. produced the Ballard in a wide range of variations.
Across the pond, the Martini-Henry, the Alexander Henry hammerless falling block, and the Gibbs-Metford-Farquharson, which served as inspiration for the Ruger No. 1, flourished in the United Kingdom. The Martini-Henry was adopted by the British Army in 1871 and remained an infantry standard for nearly two decades.
The Single Shot Rifle in America
East of the Mississippi, the single shot rifle was popular for recreational and competitive target shooting. Out West, hunting situations were often longer range and involved larger game, and the big bore single shot offered the perfect platform to take on moose, elk, bear, and bison. Professional bison hunters favored the most powerful centerfire cartridges of the era like the .45-70 Govt., .50-70 Govt., and .50-90 Sharps.
In 1879, John Moses Browning received his first firearm patent for a falling block single shot rifle, manufacturing the gun from the Browning Bros. shop in Ogden, Utah. Browning’s rifle offered an ideal hunting platform for the frontier. In 1883, Winchester’s Vice President Thomas G. Bennett purchased the design, and the classic Winchester Model 1885 rifle was born. This partnership would also lead to a Winchester lever action that could finally compete with the single shot rifle in the big game market.
Single Shot vs Lever Action Rifles
Arriving in the 1860s, the lever action rifle gained popularity in numerous roles, including law enforcement, homesteading, and as a hunting standard for small and medium game. Unfortunately, the toggle-link system employed by the Henry and early Winchester models wasn’t large enough or sturdy enough to handle the most powerful cartridges of the era.
Pistol-sized rounds like the .44 Henry RF and its .44-40 WCF successor couldn’t reliably bring down big game like the bullets chambered by big bore single shot rifles. While the Winchester Model 1876 provided a notable lever action upgrade, its .45-75 WCF and .50-95 Express cartridges were still no match for the likes of the .45-70 Govt. or the .50-90 Sharps.
The first true big game lever action rifle wouldn’t hit the scene until Marlin’s Model 1881. Five years later, Winchester would respond with the Model 1886, a John Browning design that employed dual vertically sliding locking lugs to seal the breech bolt against the chamber, similar to the single shot falling block system it would compete against.
While impressive firearms, both the Marlin Model 1881 and Winchester Model 1886 were significantly more expensive than single shot rifles, and the latter continued to dominate America’s hunting market for years to come. Single shot rifles were also generally more accurate than lever actions when firing at long range, and with fewer working parts, they were reliable and comparatively simple to maintain.
Sharps rifle advertisements highlight these advantages, touting the platform’s durability, simplicity, ease of cleaning and upkeep, accuracy, and safety, qualities that applied to many of the popular single shot rifles of the era.
The Single Shot Schuetzen
The single shot rifle flourished as a target shooting standard in the United States thanks to the popularity of Schuetzen clubs and festivals. Schuetzen-style shooting events date back over four hundred years and were brought to America by Germanic immigrants. The sport became immensely popular in the 1890s, with Schuezten parks and shooting clubs springing up across America.
Schuetzen rifles were often heavily customized to their owner, though antique and curio examples designed for American competitions shared a number of common traits like heavy barrels, curved or hooked buttplates, set triggers, intricate trigger guards, and palm rests.
The January 1929 issue of ‘American Rifleman’ described the Schuetzen events as follows: “The principal outdoor range is 200 yards. The sights are free; anything, including telescopes, are permitted. So far only one position is allowed in tournaments—the one in which you stand up and shoot like a man.”
Single Shot vs Bolt Action Rifles
Many single shot rifle designs made a smooth transition to the smokeless powder cartridges hitting the market in the late 1890s, since their actions were often sturdy enough to accommodate the increased pressure. In Europe, the bolt action repeater began to supplant the single shot in the military arena, and America would follow in 1892 with the Krag-Jorgensten.
While bolt action rifles like the Model 1903 gained a steady following in the United States, the platform’s popularity skyrocketed after WW1 thanks to an abundance of cheap surplus rifles. New designs like the Winchester Model 70 offered a bolt action repeater that could be chambered in nearly any game cartridge imaginable, including rounds capable of tackling the largest North American game from a distance.
After WW2, the availably of bolt action repeaters surged and the platform became more affordable than ever, further narrowing the cost advantage single shot rifles had previously enjoyed.
The bolt action platform had started as a single shot system. Most any bolt action can be converted to a single shot firearm by excluding the magazine. Bolt action single shots were produced as military training rifles, and models like the Winchester Model 02 were offered for target and varmint shooting. Many modern bolt action single shot options are available today, ranging from the diminutive .22 Cricket to the mighty AR-50 in .50 BMG.
Modern Single Shot Rifles
Throughout the 20th century, single shot rifles in smaller calibers, mainly .22 Long Rifle, remained popular guns. The break action single shot became a common truck gun, varmint rifle, and an affordable, safe option for young shooters. Today, this sturdy action can be found in the T/C Contender series, the H&R Handi-Rifle, and the Rossi Wizard.
One of the most famous post-WW2 single shot rifles, the Ruger No. 1, was released in 1967. Based on the Farquharson falling-block action from the 1870s, Bill Ruger’s design moved the hammer and spring inside the receiver. Compact, balanced, and accurate, the Ruger No. 1 can chamber dozens of cartridges suited to any purpose, with sleek, elegant lines that make it a joy to field.
Single shot rifles like the Ruger No. 1 offer a classic hunting experience, where success hinges on careful stalking, timing, and marksmanship. In some areas, single shots can open the door to additional opportunities as well. In recent years, Midwestern states like Ohio, Indiana, and Michigan, which had previously restricted deer hunting to bows, shotguns, muzzleloaders, and handguns, began to allow single shot rifles and select straight wall centerfire cartridges. In January 2023, Illinois joined their ranks.
In terms of single shot target shooting, many American Schuetzen clubs were closed in the wake of WW1 anti-German hysteria. The sport has since seen a steady resurgence in popularity, along with a number of other recent shooting events centered around the single shot rifle.
Organized in 1985, The Black Powder Cartridge Rifle Silhouette (BPCRS) competition uses original and reproduction pre-1896 single shot rifles that shoot cartridges loaded with black powder or Pyrodex. No scopes are permitted.
Another example, the Quigley Buffalo Rifle Match, is an annual competition that employs “long range rifle competition using original or replica period firearms from the glory days of buffalo hide trade.” This event is billed as ‘The largest rifle shooting event in Eastern Montana since the Custer Massacre.’
The single shot rifle continues to flourish in benchrest shooting competitions as well. In 2001, the World Benchrest Shooting Federation (WBSF) was founded, and the sport has enjoyed popularity around the globe. In a contest where victory is decided by the thinnest of margins, benchrest shooters often turn to customizable bolt action single shot rifles with synthetic stocks like the example below.
Sing Shot Rifles for Sale
For hunters and target shooters, the single shot rifle provides an accurate, affordable, easy-to-upkeep platform that can be chambered in nearly every cartridge available. Whether a greenhorn or a seasoned marksman, single shots promise a unique challenge and a traditional shooting experience. Antique and curio single shots tend to hold up well and can often still be fielded confidently, and high-end examples of the genre make valuable additions to any arms collection.
Subscribe to the weekly Rock Island Auction newsletter to receive new gun blogs and gun videos that take a closer look at some of the most famous single action rifle models. From antique icons like the American Long Rifle, the Brown Bess, the Hawken, the Mississippi rifle, the Springfield Model 1861, and the Whitworth, classics like the Winchester 1885, Stevens 22, and Savage Model 24, to heavy hitting monsters like the 14.5 JDJ and the .950 JDJ, we cover the single shot rifle in all its glory.
