doublegunshop.com - home Forums General Discussion Classic & Custom Single Barreled Sporting Rifles @ doublegunshop.com Single shot actions

My personnel choice overall is the Fraser side lever actions. I can find no significant negatives with them.
I also like the Ballards for looks and handling.
The Hepburns have many attributes but in the area of nice flowing lines pretty much fail in that arena.

All of my comments are purely my thoughts and opinions

Of course, most people, almost as a reflex, put their hammer to half cock before lowering the block of a falling block, so there is that. Not necessary with a Winchester, but it won't break your gun like it will a Ballard. In heat of the moment over a half-dead moose, I can imagine doing that. I didn't however, so my Ballard was just fine, but it has happened to many.

Cocking on closing is the norm for so many guns, all the multishooter lever guns that I'm aware of, for instance. Winchester among them. Many a break action shotgun and all pump guns have the same feature. Add bolt rifles to that list also. I suppose there are a few that find that a problem, "but not sure that says much for the owner/shooter of a gun?"

No, Winchester did not drop that feature, they made a few that came up at halfcock for special order for those "not smart enough" to deal with a whole cock. In the field, but especially in a match, that cock on closing is sure darn nice. And speedy too if the clock comes into play.

Winchesters also lack the lovely "permanent disablement feature" that a Ballard can have if and when the clamshell block screw backs out a turn or two. There is a least one or two such infamous guns hanging on barroom walls around the West. I am sure you have heard of them.

The Winchester 1885 was going to be pretty much the death sentence for the Marlin Ballard, if only they had hung on that long. Lots of good reasons for that. But everyone is entitled to their own favorite, and in my opinion, the Singleshot was and is still the best singleshot rifle in the world. Frasers are darn nice though, as are many others, including Ballards. Nothing wrong with being second place once in a while.

As for the recalcitrant cartridge, I'll leave that to your imagination. I have no doubt you know exactly what I mean.

I like Fraser action but the extraction is very weak.

I'm biased though, a Gibbs guy through and through with a weak spot for the Holland Woodward action.

This is a late sporting action and will shortly become a .303 British. I lucked out on several aspects when acquiring this action, over all very good condition with just some minor issues needing attention. The real stroke of luck was having an original sporter stocked Gibbs in (only 4 serial numbers earlier) the shop at the same time to take a stock pattern from. Both rifles will be chronicled here as they progress.

I have no idea what a "recalcitrant cartridge" is? So can't even address that.
Louis L Hepburn was a consummate shooter, and especially a long range shooter, having been a member of the first US Creedmoor team. And after his time shooting longrange he immediately set to building a better single shot action to improve upon the Rolling Blocks that half the US team shot at Creedmoor. The Hepburn is a shooter's gun, designed to be strong, and most efficient for the shooter to use. It's side lever was designed specifically to make shooting easier for the shooter, and it most certainly does.
As for stuck cartridges, I've owned single shot rifles for decades in every configuration and maker and to date never had a cartridge that was stuck in any of them that opening the lever, (even a Hepburn lever) wouldn't pop it free. And the extractor on a Hepburn has a snapping motion more like an ejector, so when you open a Hepburn it's likely the case will eject, so you wont be fumbling to draw a empty out, you'll be grabbing a loaded round to chamber.
A Hepburn is much easier to maintain your position, even when you eject the case and insert a loaded round because you have no under lever requiring clearance. Now if you're shooting offhand that's not as much of an issue, but just swinging your thumb away from the top tang and swiping the side lever down is certainly less movement, and much faster than opening up
any under lever. I bet I can unload and reload my Hepburn faster than you do your High Wall, and likely have another shot off before the High Wall shooter has chambered a round.
When hunting, that's a real plus if a 2nd shot is needed.

As far as Hepburn designing the rifle to be easier to handle in a match with the side lever, not losing position, etc. just doesn't fly but if it is mentioned enough by writers and forums, then it must be true. They are all missing one big point as they are comparing today's matches with those of yesteryear.
Few people understand that during the first matches each side only used two targets. Shooters got into position, fired their shot and then got up and returned to a table where they did the wiping out and reloading. Most shot from the supine position so there is no design feature in the Hepburn that helped the shooter fire his shot. Good features where the center hung hammer and faster lock time. The lower breechblock may have aided in wiping out but it really wasn't necessary.
I've owned two Hepburns and shot them in matches where the breechblock wouldn't come down without almost having to use a mallet to open it. I have had many recalcitrant cartridges during matches that are shot with time constraints and not having enough time to wipe out. Another feature of the Hepburn that I don't like is that the rifle has a lot more movement due to torque. It's probably because of the stock design.
I don't shoot as much as Brent,but I probably average 3 long range matches a year. Now that age has crept up on me, it's more about shooting rifles that I have built than being able to do well. I have shot my best with a Borchardt and my Deeley & Edge probably because they ride the sticks so well.I have not used a highwall in LR matches but it is my go to rifle for gong matches. Great extraction and camming action.

This all coming from a recalcitrant curmudgeon sitting home and watching the shooting season go down the @#$%$#@.

P.S. A friend and shooter, unless he is having a bad day, kicks butt with his Hepburn.

Generally speaking all single shots have weaker extraction then say a Win M70 or Mauser 98. Basically, saying that it is a relative attribute compared with all the other desired feature and looks. Bolt guns are not Single shots and vice verse.
Personally my Fraser in Win 405 has never let me down, just saying.
I also like the Gibbs, just being a little more bulky then Mr. Fraser's design.


Hmmm, I can see the connection to shooting:
re�cal�ci�trant
adjective
having an obstinately uncooperative attitude toward authority or discipline.
"a class of recalcitrant fifteen-year-olds"

noun
a person (or cartridge) with an obstinately uncooperative attitude.

You can not break a Ballard hammer by opening the action in half cock!!! A Ballard hammer automatically goes into half cock upon opening the lever! But on a Ballard half cock is NOT the same position as most other makers. It is just far enough back to keep the hammer off the firing pin, and most people don't even realize it is in half cock automatically. So there's no way to put a Ballard in half cock and break a hammer. Just totally false.
Ballard rifles were one of the most popular competitive rifles of the late 1800's and early 1900's, and even when Marlin stopped producing them in 1890 they were selling extremely well. Marlin did not stop making the Ballard because of Winchester entering the market in 1885. They stopped because John Marlin was a 5% owner of the Ballard patent, and the majority of profits went to others holding the 95%. And his lever action repeating rifles were selling faster than he could build them; which gave him 100% of the profits. Simple math told him to drop the Ballard, and not a fear of competition from Winchester. There are documented letters written to gun magazines back then lamenting Marlin's choice to drop the manufacture of the Ballard rifle. And it's use and customization for many decades after it ended are good examples of how well loved it has been by shooters.
As for Hepburns, I still would choose mine over the High Wall, or my much loved Rolling Blocks. Just my preference, and opinion on the original question asked.

Harry Pope had opinions about this topic. John Campbell quotes a 1930 letter where Pope says, " That I think the Win. SS best is proved by the fact that I abandoned Ballards after shooting them for 8 years and since 1892, except for the time I was with the Stevens CO. and obliged to shoot their junk,all the fine shooting I have done for years was with the Win." He then quotes Townsend Whelen, " I consider this the strongest and most reliable rifle action ever made..." Pope of course is talking about target shooting, and Whelen about experimental cartridge development. For hunting rifles, the advantage of the HW seems clear.

"....obliged to shoot their junk,"....Harry Pope tell us how you really feel? LOL

Something makes me think that by 1930 the heyday Schuetzen style single shot shooting had past, and that Pope's approach may have been influenced by his concept of marketing? I don't think there's much doubt that by that date both he and Whelen knew the technical capabilities of the bolt action.

And, if Sam is out there, thanks much for the little engravers gallery down south on the makers forums.

LRF, Pope doesn't have any thing to say about how I feel. I'm just letting Pope speak for himself. If you have a problem with that, take it up with Pope.