Classic single shot day

[BrokenolMarine]

In my younger years, I'd shoot anything... I shot a custom 50 cal before the barretts were around. It was NOT pleasant but I shot it. Once. Built by a custom gunsmith in Hawaii, who specialised in ultra lightweight foam injected fiberglass stocks for Mountain Rifles. Everything HE built had some recoil. He shipped a lot of custom stocks to the Mountain states for Big Game hunters.

These days, after surgery on both shoulders due to my career(s)... I don't have any need/desire to shoot heavy recoiling calibers.
But, I have to say that BOTH of those rifles are beautiful. I have always loved the look of the Ruger design. Some of them have amazing wood in the stocks.



And... Nice shooting, your off days beat my ON days for long guns....

[North Country Gal]

Thanks, Marine. I'm still in good enough shape to keep shooting the heavy stuff, but just a matter of time before shooting those guns is over for me, too. Guess I'm trying to keep shooting the heavy kickers while I still can.

And I do love the Ruger single shots, too. Yeah, they have some quirks, but they are so typical Ruger as far as being overbuilt and super dependable once you get them tuned in, ya gotta love 'em. I also appreciate the faster lock time compared to traditional falling block single shots with exposed hammers. The No.1 B and V series are monstrously heavy guns and best snot from a rest, but some of the A and S series guns are wonderful to carry and point. My favorite to carry and point, though, is the full stock "I" (International) series, but very, very hard to find used. Almost never see one. Closest thing is the No. 3. That's why I bought it.

[fortyshooter]

A big BRAVO for shooting those FTX 325 loads NCG!!!!! I have shot those in my 1895 Marlin which is not a heavy rifle and they give me a headache sometimes. Looks like a very good shooter with the "mild" 45-70 ammo. I have more 405 gr. ammo loaded with 13 gr. Unique than the other hot stuff.

[220]

Recoil with the 45/70 can be mild to wild.
With +P and handloads at the top end of the range with heavier projectiles it is significantly more than 30/06 and more than even the heaviest field loads in a 12ga.
With loads duplicating the original loadings and safe in trapdoor rifles it is similar to 30/06.
Drop the projectile weight back to around 300gr and velocity around 1300fps and it is similar to 30/30, you can spend all day shooting off a bench or plinking and not really notice it.
Black powder loads are different again, while recoil can still be significant to me it feels like a big gentle push not the slap or punch you get from most bigger rifles.

I dont like recoil but really enjoy the challenge of shooting bigger rifles well. The satisfaction when you are rewarded with a lovely cloverleaf group from the 45/70 or sub 1" group from a 375H&H at 100y is much more than with most rifles. It is hard work to continually do everything right and gently squeeze the trigger when you know you are going to be thumped. When I am shooting full house loads through any of my big stuff off a bench I limit myself to 20 shots max in a day. Any more than that and I find I just dont have the mental strength to do it well and I will start flinching and jerking the trigger.

[North Country Gal]

Good points. Same experience for me on being careful not to shoot too many rounds of the big stuff so as not to get tired and develop a flinch, not to mention getting smacked hard by getting sloppy with my hold. Agree completely about the satisfaction that comes from getting a good group from the hard kickers.

[Luv the lever]

Nice shooting! I have friends that won't touch those Hornady Lever 45-70 rounds. Big guys! Impressive.

[BrokenolMarine]

Thanks, Marine. I'm still in good enough shape to keep shooting the heavy stuff, but just a matter of time before shooting those guns is over for me, too. Guess I'm trying to keep shooting the heavy kickers while I still can.

And I do love the Ruger single shots, too. Yeah, they have some quirks, but they are so typical Ruger as far as being overbuilt and super dependable once you get them tuned in, ya gotta love 'em. I also appreciate the faster lock time compared to traditional falling block single shots with exposed hammers. The No.1 B and V series are monstrously heavy guns and best snot from a rest, but some of the A and S series guns are wonderful to carry and point. My favorite to carry and point, though, is the full stock "I" (International) series, but very, very hard to find used. Almost never see one. Closest thing is the No. 3. That's why I bought it.

I don't know much about the Ruger Rifles other than owning a couple back in the 70s and early 80s. I had a nice GB Model Mini 14, and a very accurate Bolt Action Scoped 22-250. Both got sold or traded as my duty stations and needs changed. Or needs changed as my duty stations changed. With Ammo availability and my physical ability both changing these days, my Bucket List of firearms for my collection has dwindled down to just a few... the Ruger #1 has been on the list for a long time. I have wanted that one in 223/556 with the heavy barrel if i could find it for a long time. The Colt Gold Cup National Match in 45ACP is still on the list. Stainless is preferred. Sheesh...

I am not out scouring the shops for these guns. I'll come across them or I won't. I found the Birdshead 357... by sheer luck.
I dropped the M1A and the M1 Garand because of Ammo.
And I dropped the Single Action Colt because the prices have just gotten too high....

I actually planned to buy a Henry 45-70... but ammo and recoil took that off the list.

Again, beautiful Single shots...

Another thing I always point out with single shots...
You shoot, take the gun down and check the target, admire your shot, or grumble and make your adjustments. You eject the spent case and reload, settle back in and get your sight picture and sqeeeeeeze off the shot and .... take the gun down and check the target. Repeat.
A lot slower than any repeater... you can milk an afternoon from a box of ammo.

When teaching, it's easier to keep the students shooting slower. I love the single shots. All my kids started with a single shot rifle and with a Ruger semi-auto loaded with ONE round at a time.

[North Country Gal]

You definitely have the single shot gene, same as me. I'll keep an eye out for a No. 1 in 223 with a heavy barrel. That would be the No.1 V, though the No. 1 B is still plenty heavy for bench work. I had a 1B in 243 that was very accurate, but all I could use it for was bench shooting because of the weight and even then it was too much to deal with for my liking. Ended up selling it because I wanted something more versatile that I could use away from the bench. My No.3 sure qualifies in that way.

[Sir Henry]

I just read your post about putting the red dot on it. When I read it I thought you had made a range report so I searched this post out. It’s nice to know the full story.

https://henryrifleforums.com/viewtopic.php?f=32&t=15237

[North Country Gal]

Thanks, Gene. That Skinner dovetail red dot mount has been a life saver for me on several rifles over the years that had no option for a scope or red dot to be mounted. There are so many great vintage rifles out there, but let;'s face it, the sights on some of them are pretty bad.