The All-American Single Shot Shotgun

Long the mainstay of country folk in America, the single shot shotgun has been a proven performer for generations.

- Jim Dickson

Extremely light and lively in the hands, it is easy to hit with and is most often seen with a full choke barrel to reach distant game birds or squirrels needed for the dinner table.

We look on the hunter with a single shot rifle as a highly skilled person who knows how to make his first shot count. Same for the shotgunner with a single shot. Since most Americans tend to try to aim a shotgun like a rifle instead of pointing it – how a shotgun should be used – the comparison is extremely accurate.

It’s no accident that many early single shot shotguns were made on a Sharps or Remington rolling block rifle action. Many old muskets were converted into “Zulu” shotguns by the addition of a Snider breech. (The Zulu name stuck because many were sold to Zulu tribesmen in Africa.) Back then men were used to single shot muzzleloaders and transitioning to single shot breechloading rifles and shotguns came naturally.

Most single shot shotguns were outside hammer, break open design. They were simple, rugged, long-lived, dependable shotguns often sold at the local hardware or feed store, affordable for almost anyone. Folks didn’t have much money back then. I remember one family up on Moccasin Creek that only came to town once a year. They grew or made everything else they needed. Just because these guns were economical don’t let anyone tell you they could not perform.