Lightweight takedown single shot rifle - any market for it?

[Newtosavage]

Well, the guy suggesting the high dollar Germans meets your reqs, but you’d better be willing to put out for it like a more “typical” custom.

Right. So why, with all the guns that are on the market now - easily more than ever in history - has someone not seen a reason to produce an affordable single shot lightweight takedown rifle?

From what I can tell, backcountry hunting is increasing in popularity, and a lot of the guys doing it aren't going to shell out for a $3000 custom single shot. But they certainly would add a $700 takedown rifle to their list if it was reasonably accurate, didn't require tools to assemble, and could fit in a typical multi-day pack.

 

[Newtosavage]

I have a couple TC Encore frames and several barrels. I put one together for a buddy to carry in his pack on his snowmobile lion hunting with hounds. Short 18” barrel and a folding Choate stock. It’s not light but it works great for him. You could get a 20-22” standard rifle contour barrel and easily build a rifle that comes apart with 2 screws and a hinge pin that weighs probably in the 7# range scoped. My .300 win mag setup with a 24” heavy contour barrel and the bigger thumb hole stock weighs about 9 pounds. Easy to shave weight though and not difficult at all to break down.

Seems to me that a controlled-torque thumb screw, or a screw that used a built-in torque wrench hidden in the stock, would be simple enough. That way you could reassemble the rifle and know you have the same torque setting every time. For the CVA Hunter rifles, there is only one screw to take them down.

 

[Newtosavage]

A stainless version of the Henry single shot with a synthetic stock would fit the bill. Single hinge pin takedown. Forend does not come off. Stainless and synthetic would get the weight of that rifle down close to 6 lbs. most likely.

 

[SEtoNWHunter]

I bought this same pistol, put a NIkon 2.5x8 BDC pistol scope on it and saw the farrowtech grip and will be buying one in the next week or so, trying to do just what you described. My goal with it is to bring along on bird hunts for coyotes, or archery hunts for elk when you might see a bear -when archery elk and rifle bear coincide.

I'd never shot a pistol/pistol scope combo before and it's hard to hold on target unless you're lying prone and have everything lying on a backpack. Once all solidly rested on a backpack lying prone, the pistol is crazy accurate with the BDC scope. Was smacking "minute of kill zone" rocks easily at 300 yards. Very impressive.

The farrowtech grip and pistol brace will be the key to making it a complete package, I think.

I'd love to see a picture of it and weight once you get it put together... After this thread, I went looking for one of the pistols and they seem to be out of stock everywhere. Wonder if CVA will produce anymore.

 

[Wapiti1]

The simple answer is that you can't make a high power rifle lighter as a single shot than you can a repeater. And a single shot ends up being similarly complex to manufacture. Single shots have a smaller customer base as well.

The best are either European, like Merkel, Blaser and Kreiger, or very custom like Martin Hagn or a reworked Ruger #1.

The TC Encore is the best bet for a lower budget version. It's easy to turn down an Encore barrel to shave off weight and you can hollow out the stock easily.

TC used to make the Aristocrat, which I sold and kick myself for doing. Great platform, but it just didn't sell. That rifle came in under 6 lbs with some barrel options. Very accurate, and well made.

Jeremy

 

[Mt Al]

I'd love to see a picture of it and weight once you get it put together... After this thread, I went looking for one of the pistols and they seem to be out of stock everywhere. Wonder if CVA will produce anymore.

Will do. The pistol isn't light, but makes shooting it less painful for sure. Ordered the grip that can hold the pistol brace today.

 

[Mt Al]

The simple answer is that you can't make a high power rifle lighter as a single shot than you can a repeater. And a single shot ends up being similarly complex to manufacture. Single shots have a smaller customer base as well.

The best are either European, like Merkel, Blaser and Kreiger, or very custom like Martin Hagn or a reworked Ruger #1.

The TC Encore is the best bet for a lower budget version. It's easy to turn down an Encore barrel to shave off weight and you can hollow out the stock easily.

TC used to make the Aristocrat, which I sold and kick myself for doing. Great platform, but it just didn't sell. That rifle came in under 6 lbs with some barrel options. Very accurate, and well made.

Jeremy

That does make sense. There has to be a way to eject the cartridge, hold it in place, house the firing pin, enough beef to keep the whole thang from blowing apart when the powder is burning. Very good point.

One answer may be a bolt action that takes an AR stock, add the folder to make it compact, turn the barrel down in diameter and length, throw it in a pack and call it good. There was, and must still be, an article on an uber light rifle in 358 Win by the dudes who run this site.

 

[Reburn]

Check out west texas ordance website. Specifically their switchlug video. Its considerably more then $7xx but you can use a masterpiece arms chassis with a folding stock with a switch lug barrel that will easily break down and fit inside a pack. If you built 1 rem 700 footprint action you could have it in a manners stock or equal for regular hunting and then switch it into a chassis for that particular kind of hunt or where breaking it down is important.

This is kinda what I have been doing. 2 very expensive customs with a couple stock and barrel options instead of building 5 guns. One is a tikka switch lug for short and medium action calibers and one defiant long action. This combo will cover me for many years and caliber options. If I want another caliber to play with I just call the rifle builder and say spin me up a barrel of this caliber, throated for brand x and whatever grain and screw it on. Torque wrenches and spin on barrels are a beautiful thing.

There are so many ways to skin this cat when, quite frankly, you go custom and are prepared to spend the cash.

SWITCHLUG – West Texas Ordnance, Inc. | Custom Rifles & Accessories

 

[Reburn]

That does make sense. There has to be a way to eject the cartridge, hold it in place, house the firing pin, enough beef to keep the whole thang from blowing apart when the powder is burning. Very good point.

One answer may be a bolt action that takes an AR stock, add the folder to make it compact, turn the barrel down in diameter and length, throw it in a pack and call it good. There was, and must still be, an article on an uber light rifle in 358 Win by the dudes who run this site.

Sounds like your looking for this article. Luke moffat and his uber light https://www.rokslide.com/forums/threads/uberlight-kimber-rifle-build-by-luke-moffat.83993/

 

[Newtosavage]

The simple answer is that you can't make a high power rifle lighter as a single shot than you can a repeater. And a single shot ends up being similarly complex to manufacture. Single shots have a smaller customer base as well.

The best are either European, like Merkel, Blaser and Kreiger, or very custom like Martin Hagn or a reworked Ruger #1.

The TC Encore is the best bet for a lower budget version. It's easy to turn down an Encore barrel to shave off weight and you can hollow out the stock easily.

TC used to make the Aristocrat, which I sold and kick myself for doing. Great platform, but it just didn't sell. That rifle came in under 6 lbs with some barrel options. Very accurate, and well made.

Jeremy

Did you read my last post above yours? A Henry single shot is listed at 7 lbs. with a wood stock, in blued steel. Make that stainless and a synthetic stock, and you're already down to 6.5 lbs. or maybe less.

 

[Reburn]

Did you read my last post above yours? A Henry single shot is listed at 7 lbs. with a wood stock, in blued steel. Make that stainless and a synthetic stock, and you're already down to 6.5 lbs. or maybe less.

None of these particular rounds would be considered "High Power" Which is the current offering on chambers.
223 Rem/5.56, .243 Win, .308 Win, .44 Mag/Spl, .45-70 Gov't, .30-30, .357 Mag/.38 Spl

I like my henry rifles but straight up I'm not convinced on their accuracy potential from 300 to 600 yards. Inside 200 most of those will work fine though.

Pretty sure wapiti is speaking more on rounds that you would normally see for taking what is considered large game. 300 win mag +. Some thing that holland and holland would make.

 

[SEtoNWHunter]

Not a single shot but super short with a folder.

TFB Review: Remington 700CP - A Pistol Remington 700 -

Nicholas C got his hands on the Remington 700CP bolt action pistol. This one is chambered in .300BLK. Is a short 10.5" pistol model 700 a gimmick or potentially a pocket sniper?

www.thefirearmblog.com

 

[Newtosavage]

None of these particular rounds would be considered "High Power" Which is the current offering on chambers.
223 Rem/5.56, .243 Win, .308 Win, .44 Mag/Spl, .45-70 Gov't, .30-30, .357 Mag/.38 Spl

I like my henry rifles but straight up I'm not convinced on their accuracy potential from 300 to 600 yards. Inside 200 most of those will work fine though.

Pretty sure wapiti is speaking more on rounds that you would normally see for taking what is considered large game. 300 win mag +. Some thing that holland and holland would make.

How on earth did we get into .300 Win Mags?

I'm talking about conventional .308/'06/.270 class. Heck, CVA put out a stainless single shot in .35 Whelen that would be plenty for anything but big bears. But it's a tad heavy and requires tools (screwdriver) to take it down.

I don't think it's too much to ask for a simple takedown stainless/synthetic single shot that runs .308/'06 class ammo and holds 1" - 1.5" accuracy. A guy could fill a lot of freezers with that.

 

[bitbckt]

I’m happy with my Whelen on big bears. ;-)

 

[Dinger]

I was looking at my daughter's CVA Hunter single shot (.243) the other day and it got me wondering why someone isn't producing a lightweight takedown hunting rifle for backcountry hunters. Her CVA isn't exactly light, but that's mostly because it has a pretty heavy barrel contour. It takes down with one screw and can be stored in a standard backpack with ease.

I can see a company making a similar rifle with a lighter barrel contour, and a thumb screw takedown system that has a torque limiter like a torque wrench so that you use the same amount of torque on the forend every time you re-assemble the rifle. The scope would stay with the barrel, like it does on my daughter's CVA. Heck, you could even have storage for extra shells or cleaning gear in the hollow stock.

Being able to stuff it in a backpack would be pretty nice for a lot of situations, and let's be honest, it's the first shot that really matters. If you have a shell carrier somewhere handy, getting a second shot off with a break-action single shot isn't that much slower than a bolt action.

So why doesn't this rifle exist? I can think of at least one situation where I would only be allowed to carry a weapon in my pack through some public land to get to another type of public land where I can actually hunt. I've already checked the regs. and called the office, and they said no problem, so long as the weapon stays in the pack on the way through their property. Right now, if I did that I would have to take my daughter's CVA Hunter .243.

The rifle does exist....well at least it does for me. I went through a bunch of customs and off the shelf lightweights (Kimber Ascent etc) before I settled on my K95 as my #1 deer and backpacking rifle.

It can be taken down and assembled in seconds without tools (like a shotgun), has a tip off scope that holds a perfect zero and is more accurate than I am. K95's have a reputation for 0.5moa out of the box..... no smithing and no stuffing around. Mine is chambered in 8x57R....which I like to think of as the thinking man's 30-06 (you can get them in an array of chamberings). Bare weight sans scope it is 5lb 13oz and I have slapped a rather porky 1lb plus scope on mine. There are expensive but in the long run it cost a lot less than what I've thrown at gunsmiths playing around with custom bolt guns. The cool things is you can buy multiple barrels and run a 243 and 30-06. I'm probably going to buy a moderate 6.5mm (6.5x57R or the swede) shortly in readiness for my son when he is grown enough to take a deer himself.

Here it is pictured below wrapped up for a water crossing and long hike in. It is often broken down and stuffed into my pack. I have a hard travel case that is only as long as the barrel which makes it a joy to fly with compared to standard long arm cases.

 

[Megalodon]

Why single shot? Why not an AR-10? Friend of mine has one in 6.5cm that is right at 7lbs scoped. Breaks down super easy, and more than one shot.

 

[Jackelope]

Seems to me that a controlled-torque thumb screw, or a screw that used a built-in torque wrench hidden in the stock, would be simple enough. That way you could reassemble the rifle and know you have the same torque setting every time. For the CVA Hunter rifles, there is only one screw to take them down.

All the screws do on the encores is hold the fore grip onto the barrel. You don’t really need to worry about torque. I never have and mine all shoot pretty consistently. Some guys get deep into it and add hanger bar system but I never saw the benefit in those.

 

[Newtosavage]

Very nice!

Why single shot? Why not an AR-10? Friend of mine has one in 6.5cm that is right at 7lbs scoped. Breaks down super easy, and more than one shot.

breaks down super easy without tools and holds zero?

 

[Megalodon]

Very nice!

breaks down super easy without tools and holds zero?

2 push pins to separate the upper and lower. Scope is fixed to upper receiver so no change in zero.

 

[Wapiti1]

Did you read my last post above yours? A Henry single shot is listed at 7 lbs. with a wood stock, in blued steel. Make that stainless and a synthetic stock, and you're already down to 6.5 lbs. or maybe less.

Yes, I read your post. My point is simply that there isn't a market for an ultralight single shot due to there being no advantage over a repeater. If you could make it lighter, or give it some additional advantage, then yes, it would have appeal.

Jeremy