Repeaters VS Single shot

[dragman]

I have had a few guns in my day customs and factory both single shot and repeaters. Here is what I just can't understand. If your going to build a gun for long range and maximum accuracy wouldn't you want the action to be as stiff as possible? I am talking about LR and ELR stuff. Your shooting at game a long way off and if you practice to any degree a single shot reload is only a touch slower than picking one up out of a magazine. So why limit your seating depth and possibly some accuracy by building a repeater VS a single shot? gun)

 

[MudRunner2005]

Considering the name of the game is first-round hits... I would think more people would be inclined to run single-shots.

But I think most people just want to look tacticool and be ready for the zombocalypse with their .408 Cheytachs with 20rd mags...

 

[HARPERC]

I think it's a matter of terminology to a degree. In a "pure" LRH or ELR rifle I think no magazine is needed.

I understand single shots can be used at any range, but I think when most of us speak of, of "long range" its a general purpose rifle of better quality, to extend the ranges usually shot.

Most of us start with what we have, and that usually has a magazine.

A magazine for me is just a handy place to keep a couple of rounds, but a velcro cartridge holder on the butt stock serves as well.

If I get that far (pun intended) my next one will be from scratch as a single shot.

 

[Bigeclipse]

I have had a few guns in my day customs and factory both single shot and repeaters. Here is what I just can't understand. If your going to build a gun for long range and maximum accuracy wouldn't you want the action to be as stiff as possible? I am talking about LR and ELR stuff. Your shooting at game a long way off and if you practice to any degree a single shot reload is only a touch slower than picking one up out of a magazine. So why limit your seating depth and possibly some accuracy by building a repeater VS a single shot? gun)

I am by means not an extended long range shooter but id think one large advantage is keeping your eye on target while cycling the bolt. If you have to fumble with trying to put a cartridge in the chamber, you will likely have to take your head off your stock to see what's going on. Now of course practice makes perfect. If you keep your rounds in a carrier on your stock and practice with taking a round out of the holder and putting it in your chamber over and over, then I see no reason for needing the mag.

 

[Canadian Bushman]

By repeater do you mean a bolt action with a magazine or a semi auto?

 

[dragman]

bolt action with a magazine:
IMHO, it limit's bullet selection and seating depths and isn't as stiff. And I can see no benefits to shooting one VS a solid single shot.

 

[dkhunt14]

I build all my longrange guns on single shot actions. If you want to hang heavy long 30 inch plus barrels you need all the support you can get. Plus you have more bedding area and can run the freebore and bullet out where you need it without worrying about fitting a mag. When I build an extreme longrange hunting gun I use a 1.450 diameter straight barrel at 36 inches long. I glue the barrel in a barrel block. This really stiffens it up and takes all the stress off the action. Look at the thread pictures of my hunting rig on page 2 of this forum and you will see what I mean. Matt

 

[Canadian Bushman]

Ill say this. As far as stiffness goes, i dont think the effects are large. I have not done any experience testing this specifically but i would think unless you are attempting to approach the ragged edge of a rifles ability this would be a determining factor.

I will say that having a magazine doesnt always limit a cartridge from using all available seating depth.

In my experience the throat usually determines bullet section.

That being said if i had to choose between using optimal seating depth/bullet or a magazine i would choose seating depth everytime. I am in no way against single loading.

 

[dkhunt14]

That depends on what action you are comparing. If you compare a Remy with their big cutout on top and the way the cutout goes over the top and a custom where most bridge over the top there is a big difference in stiffness. When you hang long 30 inch 1.250 barrels on an action there is a lot more stress on an action then you realize. Ten years ago there were a lot of REM actions in the 17 pound class in 1000 yard BR. Now Bat and a few other customs dominate the game. They plain down outshoot the other ones. Our barrels are typically 1.250 straight for 5 inches and taper to round an inch at 30 inches. There is enough difference that it showed on paper at the end of the year. Matt

 

[Canadian Bushman]

That depends on what action you are comparing. If you compare a Remy with their big cutout on top and the way the cutout goes over the top and a custom where most bridge over the top there is a big difference in stiffness. When you hang long 30 inch 1.250 barrels on an action there is a lot more stress on an action then you realize. Ten years ago there were a lot of REM actions in the 17 pound class in 1000 yard BR. Now Bat and a few other customs dominate the game. They plain down outshoot the other ones. Our barrels are typically 1.250 straight for 5 inches and taper to round an inch at 30 inches. There is enough difference that it showed on paper at the end of the year. Matt

I agree that the type of action plays a large role as well as well as the contour and length of the barrel.

I made the mistake of assuming the type of barrel would be a pretty typical contour of long range hunting.

I do however have a 6br with a 30" krieger mtu contour that is 1.25 for the first 5" and straight tapers to .9" at the muzzle. This barrel screwed onto a rem short action and this rifle is a consistent .25-.5moa shooter.
If this were a 338 RUM it may struggle a bit more.

At the same time there are other qualities to an action that aid in accuracy that people like bat have gotten down to a science.

Not trying to de-rail a thread or start an argument. Just trying to offer an opinion on the size of the impact the rigidity of an action that is given up for a mag well.

 

[nosualc]

My last big game hunt was for alaskan moose. I shot a B&C moose 3 times @ 350 yards in about 7-8 seconds. I was using a single shot. My buddy shot his moose at a similar distance 3 times with a single shot.

My buddy the year before shot 3 wolves one day and 2 the next at ranges from 100 to 600 yards. He was using the same single shot.

Neither one of us felt handicapped in any way by the lack of a magazine. That said, we have both shot competitively with single shots for years, so we both have a fair amount of relatively applicable practice.

This is not to say a repeater can't be accurate, or that we would had less success with a repeater. I think the need for, or perceived speed of a "repeater" is vastly over-rated.

-nosualc

 

[Canadian Bushman]

My last big game hunt was for alaskan moose. I shot a B&C moose 3 times @ 350 yards in about 7-8 seconds. I was using a single shot. My buddy shot his moose at a similar distance 3 times with a single shot.

My buddy the year before shot 3 wolves one day and 2 the next at ranges from 100 to 600 yards. He was using the same single shot.

Neither one of us felt handicapped in any way by the lack of a magazine. That said, we have both shot competitively with single shots for years, so we both have a fair amount of relatively applicable practice.

This is not to say a repeater can't be accurate, or that we would had less success with a repeater. I think the need for, or perceived speed of a "repeater" is vastly over-rated.

-nosualc

Especially if you include the time it takes to reload a mag.

 

[WildRose]

Especially if you include the time it takes to reload a mag.

If you can't get it done without reloading a magazine you never should have taken the first shot to begin with.

On a dedicated LR rig a single shot makes sense for the reasons stated above but for most of us we're shooting an all around rifle because of all of the possible shorter range shots so for us a single shot makes less sense.

I am however reminded of a time many years ago my dad and I were trying to put down an antelope someone else had wounded with him shooting a Rem 700bdl and me shooting my Ruger number one.

The animal was on the run and I was able to get two solid hits that put it down in the same amount of time it took him to fire four misses.

 

[Canadian Bushman]

If you can't get it done without reloading a magazine you never should have taken the first shot to begin with.

On a dedicated LR rig a single shot makes sense for the reasons stated above but for most of us we're shooting an all around rifle because of all of the possible shorter range shots so for us a single shot makes less sense.

I am however reminded of a time many years ago my dad and I were trying to put down an antelope someone else had wounded with him shooting a Rem 700bdl and me shooting my Ruger number one.

The animal was on the run and I was able to get two solid hits that put it down in the same amount of time it took him to fire four misses.

I dont know, i do lots of shooting where i know im gonna shoot more than once. However there are few occasions i put the rounds in the mag.