Single shot shotgun knowledge

[blobface]

Not quite sure where to put this thread, but due to my obsession with the APS airsoft rounds, I'd quite like to make a single shot shotgun using those rounds, but my knowledge on them is really limited.

 

If Glock is to the 9mm, 1911 is to the .45, Remington 870 / Mossberg 590 is to the pump 12ga, what is the equivalent model for the single shot (I presume break action) 12ga shotgun that is the most common where I should base the build on? I'm trying to avoid the ridiculously expensive engraved stuff people in suede vests use, but something more along the line of something you might see in a random hunter's hut. 

 

Thanks.

[hitmanNo2]

Probably the Winchester Model 37/A?  They were made in pretty massive numbers.  Also the one used in The Evil Dead.

[shmook]

I've been shooting since I was little, and I've only ever seen one single barrel shotgun when out. No idea what it was, but it was a breech loader.

 

They aren't common!

[hitmanNo2]

They've always seemed an American thing to me.

[shmook]

I'm an idiot.

 

Completely forgot my dad used to have a single barrelled shotgun!

 

It was an anschutz bolt action, a .410

[renegadecow]

The reason there's no single ubiquitous single shot shotgun is because despite just about every manufacturer coming up with their own, none of them really overshadowed each other due to being superior in some way so none really outsold any other significantly unless a particular brand just simply died out.

For the UK I'd guess the Greener GP12 would be the most common being a domestic product.

https://m.youtube.com/watch?feature=youtu.be&v=pijt-rB8g0o

[shmook]

^aaaand... That's the breech loader I was on about!

[blobface]

Thanks guys, all useful info, I probably will avoid the GP12 just because how much more complicated it'd be to make compared to the Winchester Model 37, and that it's suppose to send empty shells flying which isn't ideal with APS, think I'll go in the direction of the Winchester, cheers! 

[ED-SKaR]

These three would get my vote.

 

1 thompson center arms contender

2 Greener police shotgun

3 some post apoc pipe gun.

[renegadecow]

Gimme 48 hours. I think I can whip up some non convoluted, strikerless way to make that Greener.

[Skarclaw]

The most generic single barrel is probably a webley & scott or a baikal... have a look on guntrader will give you some ideas. Personally I'd go for a sawn off (for practicality) or for a hushpower like this: http://abgunsmiths.co.uk/pedretti-hushpower-12-gauge-used.html

[blobface]

Nice! Baikal's looks like a good one. Will look into that. 

[Cesare]

Ha ha ha Blob

 

This is a great project / as always

 

I think I am going to make a bit heavier post than normal with lots of pics

 

The single barreled breechloaded shotgun has miraculously survived the last 140 years.

In the begining there were many lefaucheux system (pinfire) hunting shotguns and they remained popular in europe but not in USA.

 

Even though it is in many ways obsolete it still has a few advantages.

Since the mechanism is extremely simple it is very cheap to produce and there are very few things that could break.

Therefore it is also very reliable and there is of course also a bit of a one shot mentality for some.

Since it is so simple it is also a great first time shooter shotgun.

 

Are you planning to make a modern gun or more old style?

The hinge framed hammer shotgun is still the most popular version even though there are many hammerless models.

Some of the earliest ones were converted rifles such as the ZULU shotgun .12ga shotguns. They were Converted from European percussion muskets and were very cheap models sold into the early 1900's.

The WW Greener Martini Henry .14ga shotgun were made intended for police in the british colonies.

 

The smokeless powder cartridge centerfire system version of the single barreled shotgun made its entry around the turn of the century.

It was mainly a hunter / farmers gun. Many were made in .410ga for fighting pesticide.

There were mainly 2 companies that dominated the market; Harrington & Richardson and the other was Stevens J. (later merged with Savage)

One very popular version was the Handy-Gun which was more of a pistol.

It remained popular until a ban on shortbarreled shotguns came about in Roaring 30s.

In the early days you could also buy a full auto Tommy gun in any farmers Hardware store.

The most popular way to procure them was however by mailorder at large companies selling them under diffrent Brand names.

Such as Sears Roebuck - JC Higgins & Montgomery Ward.

 

See images in link

 

http://imgur.com/a/biSfr

 

But as I understood it your looking for a modern hunting gun that could be found in a hunting lodge somewhere?

Therefore we should focus on postwar models.

The top 6 single barreled post war shotguns would be:

 

1) Stevens M94 ca 934 000 guns were made 1929 until 1984 sold by  J.C. Higgins as the Model 101.1

So existed very long and would arguably perhaps be the winner

 

 

Stevens M94 Series K .12-76ga Break-Action Shotgun 28 inch barrel

Stevens M94 Series H .12ga Break Action Single Shot Shotgun 30 inch barrel

 

Here are several variants showing some other models by Stevens

among them are

Stevens M9478 .10-89 gauge magnum 36 inch barrel made 1978-1986

Dreadnaught .12-70ga 32 inch barrel a pre-model made 1911-1936

SB model 12

M94

M94C

SB model 410

 

2) Winchester M37 ca 1million guns were made from 1936 until 1963

M37 sold a lot of and could be found anywhere

 

Winchester Model 37 12ga

 

 

 

Winchester Model 37 16ga

 

 

3) Harrington & Richardson Topper & Pardner introduced 1943 with M48 (or 1930's counting pre-models) and manufactured until 1986 (or actucally still being produced se below)

in 1987 the line was takien over by NEF New England Firearms and re-named the Pardner which made them until 2008.

During late Jan. of 2008, Remington acquired the Marlin Firearms Co which previously purchased H&R with NEF & LC Smith brands during year 2000.

Now H&R are again producing both the Topper and the Pardner in diffrent configurations.

 

 

Harrington & Richardson Topper M88 .12-76ga 20 inch barrel Blued and case-hardened finish

 

 

 

Harrington & Richardson PARDNER .12-76ga 32 inch barrel choked 1-1 Wood stock

 

 

 

 

New England Firearms Pardner MOD SB1 .12ga 27.5 inch barrel blued finish with a walnut stock

 

One of the coolest offsprings is the H Koon snakecharmer

Koon Arms Snake Charmer .410ga 18 inch barrel Stainless steel & black plastic thumbhole stock

 

New England Firearms Pardner .410ga ATI Shotforce stock Tactical Forend & Bipod mfg by H&R Scoped

 

4) Beretta Monobloc hammerless made from 1960's until 2011

aka Monocanna Ripieghevole aka FS-1 M412 or Companion a huge success in europe.

Never very popular in the states but sold by J Galef New York.

pre-model made 1912-1943 was the Champion with a hammer.

Many copied by Turkish companies or Italian firms like Investarm Effebi MAVI and Salvinelli

 

Beretta Monoblock M90 .16-70ga 76cm barrel

Beretta FS-1 12gauge Single shot folding shotgun with 30 inches Full-choke barrel

Khan Arms K100 BT 12-76ga 71cm BBL Turkish Walnut Gloss Finish Stock w Extractor Ejector selective Red fiber optic sight made in Turkey

 

 

5) Baikal IZH-18 and variations aka Remington Spartan Gunworks SPR-100

I am a bit unsure but seems to have appeared around 2000 and is still manufactured

Very popular due to the low cost

 

Baikal IZH-18 Single Shot .12ga shotgun made in Russia

 

6) Savage M220 were made between 1938 and1965 total numbers unknown by me

not the most known and a bit old but definitely common enough to make the list

On a side note they also made a single shot leveraction gun the M66 that is quite cool.

 

 

Savage 220B .20ga 28 inch barrel Blued with Case colors made in USA

 

 

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A lot of copies of the most popular single barrel shotgun models are made by CBC & Rossi in Brazil.

 

Sporting guns

One could just mention the sporting guns they are generally very expensive and see little if any use beyond professional shooters.

They would be mainly these six;

 

Ithaca Flues Knickerbocker models

Beretta S682X

Browning BT-99 & BT-100

Perazzi TM I

Ljutic trap

Krieghoff KS-5 & M32

 

 

 

As a suggestion you could just search the second hand market for a stock, hammer and triggerguard and let the market decide?

Why not make a Chiappa TRIPLE THREAT?  = )

[shmook]

Now that's a hell of a post!

[MODDAN]

Just my two cents, but if you want something modern and cheap, why not try to replicate a Hatfield shotgun?

[Cesare]

That is a rebranded Turkish Huglu shotgun and probably one of the cheapest guns you could buy at Walmart. The Turks have copied most designs when it comes to shotguns. Some own designs too but mainly copies.

 

I think this is such an obscure area so anything that resembles these general designs would work in my opinion.

[IAmHated]

renegadecow, did you ever get around to drawing up an idea for an airsoft greener gp? ive been wanting to make an airsoft one for a while(i have 2 actual gp's) but couldn't come up with a decent strikerless design that would allow for the breech to drop as intended (as having a trigger that would just push the aps valve would be in the way) im curious to hear if you have any ideas 

[renegadecow]

I came up with one but it's pretty complicated that it's definitely going to need a mill for the small parts. It more or less operates like the real thing but the cam for the cocking piece is only on one side and the sear is instead part of the trigger as a counterlever on the other side. Firing pin then changed to a simple push rod linked to the trigger.

[Cesare]

For the singel barrel shotgun project; why not just use a goblin single shot as base and construct a stock and prolonged barrel?

[paranoiddroid]

I'd say the Thompson contender is probably one of the most ubiquitous as its your classic break action single shot.

 

The reason the goblin wouldn't be great is honestly... Their rubbish. The shells leak, the design of the shells (effectively the old marushin shells that airsoft surgeon cloned/redesigned iirc) means that their beyond 15-20ft, their flimsy and the shells aren't particularly drop safe from what i understand plus the only way to get decent range is to fill them with co2 which requires one hell of allot of maintenance.

 

Their great IF you get them for the american/canadian price.

 

The APS shells for the cam870 are a better design and hold more Bb's and last longer and I'm not sure their compatible with the goblin.