Single Shots: How I got started
I grew up shooting an old Winchester single shot bolt action 22, but my first deer rifle was a Browning BAR in 30-06. I literally wore that BAR out and after several decades the spring got weak and it started having trouble going into battery.
Several times I pulled the trigger on a deer only to have it go "CLICK" because the bolt wasn't all the way down. It took a while to get into the habit of slamming the charging handle down every time I loaded the chamber. But several times I missed on the first shot and in the heat of the moment forgot to slam it home, then getting that dreaded "CLICK" on the second shot.
Well, when I started reloading, I got a lot more accurate, and was able to put together a long string of one shot kills over several decades of deer hunting. I jokingly called my BAR a "Single Shot Automatic" because it was for all intents and purposes a single shot.
One day the thought occurred to me that I would be better off with a REAL single shot rifle! That way I would never be surprised by a jam.
Oh, I played around with bolt actions and lever guns for a few years, but I finally bit the bullet and got a Browning Highwall in 30-06. I haven't hunted with anything but single shots since then!
That eventually led to getting a smaller single shot - an Encore pistol in 454 Casull. And of course I needed an Encore pistol chambered in a rifle cartridge. So I have a 15" 6.8 SPC barrel (damned accurate too). If you can call it a pistol LOL. More like a rifle without a buttstock.
So that's how I got here. A long and winding route that took decades....
