Editing Single-shot (section)

==History==
===Pre-cartridge era===
{{see also|History of firearms}}
The vast majority of firearms before the introduction of [[metallic cartridge]]s from the 1860s onwards were single-shot [[muzzleloader]]s . However, multi-barrel, [[breechloading]], revolving, and other multi-shot firearms had been experimented with for centuries. Notable pre-cartridge era single-shot firearms included [[matchlock]], [[wheellock]], [[snaplock]], [[doglock]], [[miquelet lock]], [[flintlock]], and [[percussion cap]] firearms. Muzzleloaders included the [[Brown Bess]], [[Charleville musket|Charleville]] and [[Springfield Model 1861]] muskets, the [[long rifle|Kentucky]] and [[M1841 Mississippi rifle|Mississippi]] rifles, and the [[duelling pistol]]. There were also early breech-loading single-shot rifles, such as those manufactured by [[Hall rifle|Hall]], [[Ferguson rifle|Ferguson]], and [[Sharps rifle|Sharps]].

===Cartridge era===
====Rifles====
Almost all of the early cartridge-fed rifles were single-shot designs, taking advantage of the strength and simplicity of single-shot actions. A good example is the "trapdoor" or Allin action used in early cartridge conversions of 1863 Springfield muzzleloading rifles. The conversion consisted of [[File (tool)|filing out]] (or later [[milling machine|milling out]]) the rear of the barrel, and attaching a folding bolt, the "trapdoor", that flipped up and forwards to allow the cartridge to be loaded in the breech. Once loaded, the bolt was closed and latched in place, holding the round securely in place. The bolt contained a firing pin that used the existing percussion hammer, so no changes were required to the lock. After firing, the act of opening the bolt would partially extract the fired case from the chamber, allowing it to be removed. In 1866, the [[United States]] standardized on the [[Springfield Model 1866]] rifle and [[.50-70]] cartridge, chambered in trapdoor conversions of [[rifled musket]]s that had been used in the [[American Civil War]]. The trapdoor mechanism continued usage in 1873 with the adoption of the [[Springfield Model 1873]] rifle and [[.45-70]] cartridge. The Springfield Model 1873 rifle stayed in service until 1892 when it was replaced by the [[Krag–Jørgensen]] bolt-action rifle from 1892 until 1903.

Another muzzleloader conversion similar in concept to the Allin action was the British [[Snider–Enfield]], also introduced in 1866, which hinged to the side rather than forward. Unlike the US Army, which kept its trapdoors for decades, the British soon moved beyond the Snider to the more sophisticated dropping-block Martini action derived from the [[Peabody action]]. [[Martini–Henry]]s were the standard British rifles of the late Victorian era, and [[Martini–Enfield]] conversions continued in second-line service until the Second World War.

Single-shot rifles were the preferred tools of big-game hunters in the late 19th century. The buffalo hunters of the American West used Sharps, Remington, and Springfield single-shots; ivory and [[trophy hunter]]s in Africa and Asia used Martini and break-action "express rifles" and "elephant guns." These rifles were designed for very large black-powder cartridges, from military-issue [[.45-70]] on up to the enormous [[.50-140 Sharps]] and [[.500 Black Powder Express|.500 Express]]; early repeating actions were not capable of handling rounds of this power and physical size. The single-shot big-game rifle would only be displaced by bolt-action repeaters firing high-velocity smokeless-powder cartridges in the early 20th century.

After the advent of high-powered repeating rifles, single-shot rifles were primarily used for target shooting matches, with the first official match shooting event, opening at [[Long Island|Creedmoor, Long Island]] in 1872. From about 1872 until the U.S. entry into [[World War I]] in 1917, target shooting with single-shot rifles was nearly as popular in America as golf is today. During that golden age of match shooting, the most popular target rifles were made by [[Bullard (rifle)|Bullard]], [[Stevens Arms|Stevens]], [[Remington Arms|Remington]], [[Edward Maynard|Maynard]], Ballard, Farrow, and [[Winchester Repeating Arms Company|Winchester]]. Calibers used by some of these rifles during matches ranged from the [[.25-20 Winchester]], [[.32-40 Winchester]], [[.33 Winchester]], [[.35 Winchester]], [[.38-55 Winchester]], .40-50 Winchester, .40-70 Winchester, .44-105 Winchester, etc. for over {{convert|600|yd|m|abbr=on}} shooting at Creedmoor. However, two calibers maintained consistency throughout their tenure during the single-shot era: the .32-40 and the .38-55 calibers. The minimum standard in the beginning of the sport had been {{convert|200|yd|m|abbr=on}} firing from the standing position (off-hand position). No rifle scopes, no bench rests, no prone (lying down on the front) positions, but shooting, as famed rifle barrel maker, ''Harry Melville Pope'' (1861–1950), once stated, "standing on his hind legs and shooting like a man."<ref>Kelver/Roberts</ref> The .32-40 and .38-55 were able to buck the wind better at {{convert|200|yd|m|abbr=on}}, and not wear the rifleman out by heavy recoil, all while sustaining great accuracy. In the end, though, it was the .32-40 single-shot rifle that became the dean of match shooters, as the recoil from the .38-55 took its toll after hundreds of rounds had been fired during a match.

In 1878, [[John Moses Browning]] patented arguably the greatest single-shot rifle ever produced: after Browning sold his design to the [[Winchester Repeating Arms Company]] it was brought out as the [[Winchester Model 1885]] Rifle. Although fewer than 200,000 Model 1885 Single Shots were built, they remained in production from 1885 to 1920.

[[Remington Arms|Remington]], [[Sharps Rifle Manufacturing Company|Sharps]], and [[Browning Arms Company|Browning]] all made single-shot rifles using different actions, such as the [[rolling block]] and [[Falling block action|falling block]]. These rifles were originally chambered in large [[Black powder|black-powder]] cartridges, such as the [[.50-110 Winchester]], and were used for hunting large game, often [[bison]]. Later production rifles would be in popular [[smokeless powder]] cartridges, such as the [[.30-40 Krag]].

Single-shot rifles co-existed for some time with the [[lever-action]] rifle, but they began to fade out of manufacture with the advent of reliable [[bolt-action]] rifles.

====Pistols====
The handgun began as a single-shot weapon in China in the 14th century. In its many versions, it remained a muzzle-loaded weapon until the advent of the metallic cartridge in the first third of the 18th century.  Such single-shot cartridge-firing pistols were short-lived, as revolver technology evolved rapidly, and cartridge conversions existed for the common models of cap and ball revolvers.  Two forms of single-shot pistol, however, remained:  single-shot [[derringer]]s, and target pistols, which were essentially single-shot rifle actions cut down to pistol size.  The Remington Rolling Block is perhaps the most well-known of these.  As the era of single-shot rifles faded, so did these early single-shot pistols.

In 1907, J. Stevens Arms, a maker of inexpensive break-open single-shot rifles in pistol calibers, started making pistol versions of their rifles.  This pistol was chambered in [[.22 Long Rifle]] and came with adjustable [[iron sight]]s and grips designed for target shooting.  These models were discontinued in 1939.

====Shotguns====
Single-barrel shotguns have always been popular as an inexpensive alternative to [[double-barreled shotgun]]s. They are almost always [[break-open]] designs, like the double-barreled designs, but far less expensive since they do not require the precise aligning of [[Parallel (geometry)|parallel]] barrels. Single-barrel shotguns are also lighter, which can be an advantage if they are carried hunting, though it does mean they have more felt [[recoil]].  They are not widely used in shotgun sports, as most events require the ability to quickly fire two successive shots.

The single-barrel shotgun is often referred to as a "kitchen door gun" or a "farm gun" due to its low cost as a self-defense weapon.