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Today I'd like to talk about something that is often overlooked in SASS. As you can probably guess from the picture, I am talking about the single shot shotgun. I started shooting with a single shot and I sometimes wish I still had it with me at certain shoots.
When people talk about SASS, and the equipment we use, they never seem to remember this trusty old gem. People will say: "You can use a side by side, a model 97 pump or clone, or a model 87 lever or clone". I have never heard a single person remember to add the single shot to that list. In fact I am almost certain there are a lot of people who don't even realize that a single shot shotgun is even SASS legal, or more importantly (at least in my mind), that a single shot shotgun used in SASS is allowed to have an EJECTOR. You read that correctly, an ejector, not just an extractor.
At my very first shoot I used my single shot, because out of the 2 SASS legal shotguns I owned (the other being a model 87) it was the one I was most comfortable with. I also did something I don't think very many people do before getting into SASS....I read the rules. Front to back, word for word, multiple times. After shooting my very first stage at my very first match ever, I was approached by a seasoned SASS veteran who said: "That little shotgun will work for these local matches but if you go most other places you won't be allowed to use it."
" Why?" I asked. "Single shots are legal." I replied
"Well it would be legal if you disabled the ejector, or found one with just an extractor, which isn"t very easy." He replied.
"Actually they are perfectly legal and specifically listed in the SASS shooters hand book as one of three types of shotguns that ARE allowed to have ejectors. The model 97, the model 87, and this." I said hefting my little single shot a bit. "In truth, the only type of shotgun that is SASS legal that CAN'T have ejectors is the side by side double barrel shotgun."
I went on to use my single for most of my first season. I switched to a double for a bit and just couldn't get the feel for it. I now shoot a model 97 and am practicing with my model 87 and plan to use the latter for next season.
Tonight however i was thinking. (I do that a lot at 3am.) WHY did I stop using my single? Well the first reason is the simplest. I stopped using that one because it is the very first shotgun i ever owned. I used it to shoot trap for years, even managed to shoot doubles trap with it in my youth (ahhh....to be that young and fast again...) I put it aside because we SASS shooters are VERY hard on our tools. I love that gun and didn't want to break it, or beat it anymore than it already was. I put it aside and moved on.
I thought about it some more. Was there any other reason? Not a single one i can think of. Now i know some people would say: "Why would you WANT to use a single? They are slow. You can shoot much faster with a double or a 97." Can you? Without question the double is the KING of stages with only 2 knockdowns... and there are a lot of clubs who cater to the double. but once you go beyond 2 shots....well there is plenty of proof out there that a 97 or a well tuned 87 can out strip a double. It is ALSO my personal experience that i can shoot a 97 faster than a double. Now all of that being said its all about PRACTICE. If all you have ever used is a double you may be very VERY fast with it, same for a 97.
Now. It is again my personal experience that with just a little practice you can run a single shot DARN NEAR as fast if not faster than a 97....i'll wait till the laughter dies down..... Now observe, it is virtually the same motions to run a single shot as it is to run a 97. The main difference being instead of dropping a shell into the ejection port of the 97, you still have to insert a shell straight into the tiny hole of the chamber on a single. The motion of pumping the 97 forward is matched by the closing of the breach on a single AND cocking the lever at the same time. Just a touch of practice and its one fluid motion. now the triggers have been pulled and the target is falling. With the 97, you would then pump the fore end backwards ejecting the spent shell, drop another into the ejection port by whichever method you prefer and repeat. The single is virtually identical, but instead of working the pump, you are hitting the breach release with your thumb, the barrel falls on its own, the spent shell ejects on its own, insert another shell into the chamber by whatever method you prefer and repeat.
The main reason i think most people use a double is that you get 2 shots quite rapidly....but that is AFTER you load it, which with practice can be very quick. Now comes the part of using a double that slows it down. In order to reload the double, you pretty much HAVE to remove it from your shoulder. It is the only shotgun we use in SASS that needs to come off your shoulder to reload because it is the only shotgun we use in SASS that can't have EJECTORS. Step back in the single shot. Yes you only get 1 shot per load BUT it never has to leave your shoulder. One shot slows you down a touch, but remove all the shell shuck shuffle stuff and you gain that time back plus a little bit.
If you find yourself at a match that DOESN'T cater to doubles, and they are out there (Shenango being one of them), do yourself a favor and really pay attention to how much time is eaten by shucking and reloading that double. I am willing to bet that with just a touch of practice you could run the forgotten old single shot a smidgeon faster and have a hoot doing it. Heck the laughter from spotters and onlookers as the empties pop over your shoulder is worth it alone.
With that i will call it a night. Please let me know what you think of this post. Want more of my rambling? Less? Just drop me a line with thoughts and ideas.
Till then, Keep your socks dry and your whistle wet.
Veddy Badman