Just One Gun

[Banjoman]

No, this is not another ‘if your house was on fire, which gun would you save’ thread. This is more observation and rambling than anything else.

I’ve had this thought bouncing around in my head (and there’s plenty of room in there for it to bounce) for a while now. That is, to concentrate on shooting just one muzzleloader in order to become more proficient with it. Like some other shooters I have different styles of muzzleloaders with different barrel lengths, different stock shapes, different sights, different calibers, different weights, etc. All of these differences make a difference in how accurately you shoot.

One thing that got me thinking about this was my career with Uncle Sam. For the majority of that time I carried one type of weapon. Same thing, all the time and to this day I can still disassemble and assemble one in the dark with my eyes closed. Always shot expert with it too. I became intimately familiar with that type of gun.

I also saw over on ALR a post where a member said that we nowadays have too many guns and therefore aren’t as proficient with them as we could be. They talked about folks from back in the day probably had just one muzzleloader that wasn’t as good as what we have today. But because their lives depended on it, they became familiar with that one guns intricacies and quirks and became excellent shots with them. I paraphrased but you can go read it.

So, here’s the thought I’ve been entertaining. I plan to shoot just one muzzleloader for several months just to see if my accuracy improves and I believe it will. The gun I have chosen is a Traditions .50 caliber, percussion, Kentucky rifle.

Why this gun when I have more expensive guns? First, this gun fits me better than the others. I can close my eyes, shoulder the gun, open my eyes and the sights are lined up with my eyes. The weight and length of the gun feel right to me. It’s also an accurate gun.

So there it is. We’ll see how it goes. Comments welcomed.

 

[Robin101]

I also think you will improve your accuracy and a consistancy of accuracy.
I have helped out guys with Traditions guns and whatever else I find fault with, they always seem to have excellent barrels capable of very good accuracy.
Robin

 

[Phil Coffins]

The best shot I ever knew with rifle or pistol didn’t seem to care what you handed him. He would shoulder and shoot iron sights or scope and hit the mark.

 

[wiscoaster]

I definitely have too many guns to be proficient at any one of them, but I'd suggest you need more than "just one" because of differences in manuals of arms, ignition, sight pictures, target range, etc. If limiting to BP ML I think you need at least one each of: cap and ball revolver, flintlock pistol, flintlock rifle, percussion rifle, flintlock fowler. That's five already.

 

[Banjoman]

I definitely have too many guns to be proficient at any one of them, but I'd suggest you need more than "just one" because of differences in manuals of arms, ignition, sight pictures, target range, etc. If limiting to BP ML I think you need at least one each of: cap and ball revolver, flintlock pistol, flintlock rifle, percussion rifle, flintlock fowler. That's five already.

Yeah, I have all those, but that’s not the point. My goal is to shoot just one that I like for a period of time (several months) to see if and how much my accuracy improves.

I have some that just don’t fit me or have sights or some other features I don’t like. I just don’t care to shoot these much and would let them go if I ran into someone wanting them.

Thanks for the input though.

 

[longcruise]

I think this depends on how much you shoot. If you dedicate several months to shooting just one but hit the range only twice...... ??

OTOH, If you are shooting three guns over that same period but shoot all three once a week.....??

My first eight years of shooting ml I had only one gun and shot it very well. Now I have multiple guns and shoot them all occasionally but still shoot "that ONE" better than any. I don't think it's due to frequency of shooting though. It's just a good shooter that fits me very well.

Looking forward to reading about your experience.

 

[wiscoaster]

I guess I'm just a person that likes variety. I'd rather be "competent" with many different guns rather than "superior" with just one. I'd be bored stiff shooting just one, frankly.

 

[ronaldrothb49]

My first rifle was a CVA Mountain Rifle kit when they first came out, Bought the first one I saw. Good rifle off the bench but it just didn't fit me so I never could get good offhand with it always in the middle of the pack. Bought books on how to make rifles saved up and started buying parts to make one that fit me. Got a Douglas .40 cal. and a precarved stock and built it with the LOP to fit with 1/4" cast off, by pure luck the balance point was just slightly in front of where I held it which made it a little nose heavy which I found I loved. It wasn't pretty but shortly after I got a load worked up I started winning matches. Used that rifle for everything for several years, offhand, light bench, cross stick, over the log. primitive, etc. Shot somewhere most every weekend and usually practiced once or twice a week. Even after I built my first light bench rifle it still got used a lot. When first started shooting it was using a .390 ball and .010 patch, When I finally retired it the accuracy was falling off with .400 ball and .015 patch. I won more matches with that rifle than any other I have ever owned.
Usually I have only shot 2 rifles at any given time. One for light bench and cross sticks and one for offhand. Sometimes when I built and switched to a new rifle I would go back to the older one because I shot better with it.

 

[yellowhammer]

"...My goal is to shoot just one that I like for a period of time (several months) to see if and how much my accuracy improves..."

It's real. Case in point my old grandmother. Born, lived and died on the same property way back in the woods. PawPaw died early and left her alone on the family farm too young, but she was a tough cookie. She had an ancient Winchester 22 bolt action single shot, and got VERY proficient with it, mainly on the varmints and feral things that try to tear up or eat or destroy anything you try to have when you live out in the woods. She could do eyeball shots on hummingbirds. As a young boy I was EXTREMELY impressed.

I remember one time distinctly sitting on her front porch with her. She was snapping beans and spitting snuff and we were enjoying life (I'm tearing up writing this I miss her so). Then a ruckus started and one of my uncle's hound dogs came right through the yard chasing one of her pet guineas and killed it right in front of us and ran off. She said calmly "Stanley, go get my rifle and a long rifle shell out of the the cupboard"; which I promptly did. Well, here he came again chasing one at full gallop, and she drew a running bead and "POW" dropped him like a sack of hammers on the spot with a head shot, and muttered "son of a bi___". That woman was Annie Oakley personified. Practice does make perfect.

 

[Banjoman]

I’ll also add that some guns have a butt stock shape and width that is just plumb annoying to me. When shooting these guns I seem to fidget more with that than concentrating on making a good shot. Guns with a crescent shaped butt fit me better.

 

[Banjoman]

It's real. Case in point my old grandmother. Born, lived and died on the same property way back in the woods. PawPaw died early and left her alone on the family farm too young, but she was a tough cookie. She had an ancient Winchester 22 bolt action single shot, and got VERY proficient with it, mainly on the varmints and feral things that try to tear up or eat or destroy anything you try to have when you live out in the woods. She could do eyeball shots on hummingbirds. As a young boy I was EXTREMELY impressed.

I remember one time distinctly sitting on her front porch with her. She was snapping beans and spitting snuff and we were enjoying life (I'm tearing up writing this I miss her so). Then a ruckus started and one of my uncle's hound dogs came right through the yard chasing one of her pet guineas and killed it right in front of us and ran off. She said calmly "Stanley, go get my rifle and a long rifle shell out of the the cupboard"; which I promptly did. Well, here he came again chasing one at full gallop, and she drew a running bead and "POW" dropped him like a sack of hammers on the spot with a head shot, and muttered "son of a bi___"...... That woman was Annie Oakley personified. Practice does make perfect.

I have a story very similar to that one. Thanks!

 

[Banjoman]

I think this depends on how much you shoot. If you dedicate several months to shooting just one but hit the range only twice...... ??

OTOH, If you are shooting three guns over that same period but shoot all three once a week.....??

My first eight years of shooting ml I had only one gun and shot it very well. Now I have multiple guns and shoot them all occasionally but still shoot "that ONE" better than any. I don't think it's due to frequency of shooting though. It's just a good shooter that fits me very well.

Looking forward to reading about your experience.

Yep. I do shoot often so I know it will make a difference. It’s gonna be a fun test.

 

[reddogge]

I have observed that if you are a good shot with a rifle, shotgun, or pistol you will be able to be a good shot with almost any rifle, shotgun, or pistol you put in your hands. Some guys are good shots and some guys are horrible shots. I know this is very true for archery.

 

[Brokennock]

No, this is not another ‘if your house was on fire, which gun would you save’ thread. This is more observation and rambling than anything else.

I’ve had this thought bouncing around in my head (and there’s plenty of room in there for it to bounce) for a while now. That is, to concentrate on shooting just one muzzleloader in order to become more proficient with it. Like some other shooters I have different styles of muzzleloaders with different barrel lengths, different stock shapes, different sights, different calibers, different weights, etc. All of these differences make a difference in how accurately you shoot.

One thing that got me thinking about this was my career with Uncle Sam. For the majority of that time I carried one type of weapon. Same thing, all the time and to this day I can still disassemble and assemble one in the dark with my eyes closed. Always shot expert with it too. I became intimately familiar with that type of gun.

I also saw over on ALR a post where a member said that we nowadays have too many guns and therefore aren’t as proficient with them as we could be. They talked about folks from back in the day probably had just one muzzleloader that wasn’t as good as what we have today. But because their lives depended on it, they became familiar with that one guns intricacies and quirks and became excellent shots with them. I paraphrased but you can go read it.

So, here’s the thought I’ve been entertaining. I plan to shoot just one muzzleloader for several months just to see if my accuracy improves and I believe it will. The gun I have chosen is a Traditions .50 caliber, percussion, Kentucky rifle.

Why this gun when I have more expensive guns? First, this gun fits me better than the others. I can close my eyes, shoulder the gun, open my eyes and the sights are lined up with my eyes. The weight and length of the gun feel right to me. It’s also an accurate gun.

So there it is. We’ll see how it goes. Comments welcomed.

There is validity to your premise.
But also as someone pointed out, it will depend on how much you shoot (and dry fire) in the chosen period of time.
I know from my work with unmentionable pistols, that when my job situation changed and I did not have to shoot multiple different style/type/brand/model pistols anymore, and just focused on the one I'd always felt most comfortable with,,, my shooting improved radically, and, I didn't need to practice as much. If I took some time off, by choice or by circumstance, I didn't feel I'd lost much. Can I shoot any pistol well do to my previous experiences and training? Yes. But, I may have to practice more to maintain my standards,,, but that one model,,, it's like going home
I also think the better a shooter can get doing what you propose with a gun that is a little more difficult to shoot well,,,, maybe it isn't the best fit, or the trigger is usable but not the greatest,,, and they get good with it,,, when they pick up something that is really good, sweet trigger, good sights, fits them well and points naturally,,,, they shoot even better than they ever expected they could.

Please keep us advised as to your progress.

 

[Rudyard]

My first rifle was a CVA Mountain Rifle kit when they first came out, Bought the first one I saw. Good rifle off the bench but it just didn't fit me so I never could get good offhand with it always in the middle of the pack. Bought books on how to make rifles saved up and started buying parts to make one that fit me. Got a Douglas .40 cal. and a precarved stock and built it with the LOP to fit with 1/4" cast off, by pure luck the balance point was just slightly in front of where I held it which made it a little nose heavy which I found I loved. It wasn't pretty but shortly after I got a load worked up I started winning matches. Used that rifle for everything for several years, offhand, light bench, cross stick, over the log. primitive, etc. Shot somewhere most every weekend and usually practiced once or twice a week. Even after I built my first light bench rifle it still got used a lot. When first started shooting it was using a .390 ball and .010 patch, When I finally retired it the accuracy was falling off with .400 ball and .015 patch. I won more matches with that rifle than any other I have ever owned.
Usually I have only shot 2 rifles at any given time. One for light bench and cross sticks and one for offhand. Sometimes when I built and switched to a new rifle I would go back to the older one because I shot better with it.

The old adage rings true"
Beware of the man with one gun he just might know how to use it "
the more in your battery you have the more you get confusion even if you note every variable of load weather ,light, range ,ect ect ectera . The one gun man has none of that to confuse him.
Rudyard's take on that matter

 

[Banjoman]

The old adage rings true"
Beware of the man with one gun he just might know how to use it "
the more in your battery you have the more you get confusion even if you note every variable of load weather ,light, range ,ect ect ectera . The one gun man has none of that to confuse him.
Rudyard's take on that matter

Exactly!!

 

[Old Oak]

In my experience, I believe that the muscle memory related to stance, posture and movement I developed in 10 years of competitive archery tournaments has transferred somewhat to my muzzle loader shooting. In changing to different rifles, I find that if I shoot just one for several months,I become more aware of its' balance, drift and general handling characteristics and my shooting will improve on that rifle. When I change rifles, accuracy drops. This does not compare to the amount of change that I see when going to a rifle that fits me properly.

 

[Banjoman]

Went to the range today to establish a baseline for this test. First shot was a fouling shot off the paper. Shots 2-6 were at 75 yards.

Went back to 35 yards for shots 7-9 to confirm point of aim vs point of impact. And then @ 100 yards for shots 10 - 14. Got a little work to do at 100 yards.

After the session, I thought of a couple things that would help tighten the 100 yard group. First of all I was using an antler measure and it’s hard to get a consistent charge each time due to sometimes the powder being level or sometimes heaped up a little at the top of the measure. Next time, I will use a brass adjustable measure with the swing around funnel which should help keep the loads more consistent.

I will also try bumping the charge up a little. This load is good to go out to 50 yards and even acceptable at 75. But at 100 yards it could be better.

 

[Sooty Scot]

Back in my high school days, a friend and I were wandering around the back roads and small villages of northern Vt. We stopped at a country store for sodas and spotted an old Winchester, sticking out of a barrel in the corner. I forget how much it was, probably $10-15 or so, maybe less.

What I remember clearly is that he had it - and I didn't. I don't recall which model (but pre'94) it was but it recall it as a .32-40. He carried and shot that rifle all summer. Later, when we were plinking in a back field, he outshot me, using empty .22 boxes, end on, on top of a fence rail, he shredded my self respect by hitting every one, while I missed a few - with the borrowed Remington bull barreled .22, which I used on the high school rifle team (and with which I earned MVP for the year.)

Yeah, shooting off hand with that muzzle-heavy gun did put me at a slight disadvantage but, as has often been observed here, watch out for the man who has only one gun.

 

[hanshi]

I have an older flint longrifle I've use for most of my hunting over the years and for most target practice. It's a .45 and fits me so well I've killed several moving deer with a snap shots. I especially treasure this little Lancaster .45 but also have another rifle that may fit me even better. All my rifles have an lop of 13" which I do fine with unless I'm wearing a too-bulky coat. But the .50 I have has an lop of 12.5" and fits well even with lots of heavy clothes on. These two are special even though the .50 has never hunted.