Some plinking with a classic

[North Country Gal]

Been a bit rainy and drizzly these past few days, so instead of a range trip, I've been just stepping outside on the deck for some 25 yard plinking down to the bullet traps and spinners in the yard.

This morning I just had to get my fix to shoot one of my Winchester 1885 Low Walls, so I grabbed the 22 LR version. One thing about these 1885 Low Walls is that I can only go so long without shooting one. Just that kind of gun. With its long 24" barrel, CCI Quiets really are quiet. Make more noise when they hit steel than the actual shot.


One of the little extras with these Rimfire Hunter versions is the ejector. Just drop the lever and empties are ejected for you, no need to pry them out. Really helps with tiny 22 rounds.


Not much of a challenge shooting at only 25 yards, but loading, shooting and working the action on one of these classic single shots has a rhythm all its own. The urge to shoot just one more and then just one more goes on and on. Plinking at its best.

[Sir Henry]

You sure own some nice rimfires Joanie.

[BrokenolMarine]

I liked my single shots. It slows everything down, it's more about the shooting, you can work on all the aspects and the ammo sure lasts longer. . I passed them down to the kids and grandkids.

[North Country Gal]

Thanks, guys.

I've always had a fascination with single shots of all kinds. There's just something about boiling it all down to just that one shot for both the gun and the shooter that appeals to me. It also helps that I used 22 LR single shots for so much of my hunting, back in the day, and never missed having a repeat follow up shot. Some of my favorite 22 single shots back then included a Winchester 67 (the one I used the most), a Remington 510, an Ithaca 49 Saddlegun (should not have been so accurate, but it was) and an old Savage 24 22LR over 410. The Savage, of course, was technically not a single shot, having two barrels, but we used it as one, depending on what hunting we were doing. The 410 barrel was great for shooting rats down at the corn silo. Later came the Contenders and much later, the Encores, both of which I still shoot.

And, yes, Bill and I are now very fortunate to have some of these high end single shots, not to mention other types of 22s. We still enjoy shooting centerfire, but more and more it's the rimfires, now. Hard to call it plinking when you're shooting centerfire rifle ammo that costs over a buck a shot, these days.

[HenryFan]

There is something about a single-shot rifle that exists but is a bit hard to quantify.

Since I never learned to pull a bow, I bought a Henry single-shot rifle in .30-30 Winchester a couple of years back to make deer hunting a bit more sporting. That said, I never shot twice at a deer in my many years of hunting so maybe it was not all that sporting but I have convinced myself that it is. Don't confuse me with facts.

In any event, I have become quite fond of the rifle. Quality construction, simplicity, ease of use, good wood, good bluing and other factors. And an "old timey" factor?

That Henry single-shot rifle is what brought me to this forum.

[North Country Gal]

I've been planning to add a Henry single shot to our collection for some time, but not many around here. Still looking.

[HenryFan]

I never found one locally and ordered from an online vendor and had it shipped to a local FFL holder.

I would rather have had the chance to look at it before buying but I came out OK, particularly price wise. Can't recall what I paid at the time but I seem to recall it was competitive.

[Ernie]

That is a beautiful rifle. I always liked single shots. Slows you down and makes each shot count.

[fortyshooter]

Wow that is a quality 22 LR shooter you have!

[North Country Gal]

Thanks, guys. You have to pay the price for that kind of quality, of course. These Winchester/Miroku 1885s are not cheap.

One of the reasons I am willing to pay such a price is that these Winchester/Miroku Hunters, though, is that the Hunter series is made for carrying. Centerfire or rimfire, they have 24" tapered octagon barrels, so weight is a very manageable 7 1/2 pounds. They handle and point, nicely, for my offhand work, too.

Compare that to other 1885 reproductions and all of those are 30" round barrels and the lightest you'll find is still well over 9 pounds, some well over 10 pounds. I just can't deal with guns that heavy and large, anymore. Absolutely no way I could use such guns for offhand work. Quigley, I am not. The other issue is finding any falling block single shot in rimfire. Not many out there.