Speedy Reloading of the Single Shot Shotgun
Something I like in the role of general purpose hiking and camping gun is the single shot, break open shotgun. It is light, which is very important if you are hiking a long way. It is not expensive, which is a plus: trail guns get knocked about, rained on and so forth. It takes down into two pieces, so you can store it out of sight in a backpack, should that seem prudent. It is versatile because you can fire many different types of shells. Carry some birdshot loads for small game and for snakes, and some buckshot or slugs in case you need to strike a heavier blow. This gun has everything to recommend it except for one thing: It is, after all, a single shot. To get the most out of this sort of gun you need to be able to fire a second shot quickly. There are several methods for doing this. Here is the one that works best for me. (The directions are for a right handed shooter.) Use "snap cap" dummy cartridges to practice with and work on performing the motions smoothly--speed ...