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Alexander Wolfe talked about single shot shotguns awhile back that hit their weak points pretty hard. I chimed into the comments section. The substantive issues addressed there will be touched on at least in a general sense. My opinions have not really changed but I am writing from a different angle.
As to the pro’s and con’s of the single shot shotgun.
Diversity: As I speak about single shot shotguns generically some are of course better than others. A good used Remington/ Winchester/ Stevens or Savage is a work of art. On the other extreme some no name guns are total junk. Smack in the middle is H&R. They basically made the same shotgun from the late 19th century to the mid 1980′s when the company folded. After a short period the name was purchased and Marlin/ Remington/ Freedom Group bought the name then continued making basically the same gun. I am not saying all the parts are compatible but the general design was the same. As to H&R I would say they made a whole lot of guns, many if not most of which are probably still being used today.
Reliability: Alexander Wolfe’s experience is not totally unique. These guns can and do break. Certainly some do not work or have broken but for any example of a gun that gets fired twice and breaks there is one that has been bagging deer and squirrels for a family over 2 generations. Don’t know if that is entirely a case of different models or some individual lemon’s or a combination of both I cannot say.
It is worth submitting that sort of like Mosin Nagants it is somewhat reasonable to consider these guns semi disposable. They are priced in a way that a spare or 3 is not out of the question.
Repairability: On the plus side given few moving parts, which are generally pretty sturdy, these guns do not break a lot. However if your gun fails to work for whatever reason the odds of fixing it in the field are not great. These are not AR’s or Glocks.
Diversity: Couldn’t think of a better word but swapping shells will let you hunt doves, squirrels, deer and bears with the same gun. A decent selection of ammo makes this a very capable game gathering weapon.
Firepower: This is the sad face. You’ve got folks packing muzzle loaders and bow’s outgunned but anybody with a gun that holds more than 2 shots has a significant advantage over your SS. That being said. Awhile back I saw this video of Clint Smith shooting a SS 12 gauge at steel.
Again I think a single shot shotgun is not anywhere close to the ideal home/ camp/ shtf defense weapon but that does not mean they are totally useless. If it is the tool at hand with some practice a person could make a reasonable accounting for their self in many realistic defensive situations.
When we talk about the use for emergency guns or SHTF guns we can mean a lot of different things. Obviously this weapon has some real limitations in a defensive role. I would not choose or suggest it for such. On the other hand if you wanted a tool to gather game that is another discussion. The 12 gauge alone offers a ton of options for ammo. Throw in sub caliber adapters and it really opens the field for opportunities. For a fairly reasonable price a person could stash a SS shotgun with a few boxes of different type of shotgun ammo, an adapter and a brick of .22lr. That along with some tools and staple foods would be a heck of a survival cache. The sort of thing that for $400-500 you could stick 20 yards strait magnetic north of the huge rock by a handy location and forget about, till you need it. Also I think as a general woods gun or wilderness walk out gun there is a lot of potential. It is in these roles I think the SS can excel.
Thoughts?
Onto the ‘bleg’ portion:
1) Does anybody solder? Preferably ‘silver’ though I am not informed enough to say other methods would be a no go.
2) Is anybody pretty handy with a welder? I think ‘TIG’ is the right way to go but am not sure.
3) Does anybody happens to have a 12 gauge barrel for an H&R Topper they would be willing to part with?
Thanks in advance