[Hammer1]

.

Guess if we looked hard enough we could find a medieval wheel lock Unsingle...

But when did the Unsingle first start showing up on American trap ranges ?

Who was the first manufacturer and the first shooter to be strongly associated with it ?

When did it become dominant ?

.

 

[Rick Barker]

In the early 70's is when I first saw it.

I believe it was on a Browning and Ray Stafford is the one I believe was credited for it'.

 

[shot410ga]

Ray Stafford was the first I saw, with a Remington 3200 Unsingle. There may have been some Brownings also, but, I only remember the Remington's being popular. He cut the top barrel off. ERGO: The Ungun.... Soon it became a pretty good business to whack the top barrel off the 3200. Maybe, there were others that tried it before Stafford. But, I never saw or heard of one. The first production Ungun I remember was the Beretta 680. I bought one, made the 27 with it, and later gave it to my son. Who still has it.

 

[RFGA2]

Ray Stafford was the first one I saw at the Grand in the Mid-70s. I believe he was also still wearing the Smoky the Bear Hat as well, but not sure.

When I went to work for Mossberg, we brought out the Hi Rib single barrel as an inexpensive way to test the Hi Rib concept without cutting up your Browning or Perazzi. At the time, a Simmons rib would have cost you more than the whole Mossberg. Outdoor Sports HQ had the Mossbergs at the Grand for Something like $249.00 or 299.00 during the Grand and sold everyone they had. I think we only made less than a 1000.

I think Ray broke pretty much every singles target that year.

Bob Gibson
Charlotte, NC

Democrats remember to Vote on November 8th.

 

[Jawhawker]

The first I saw was Rays Browning. Shortly after his, Simmons started periodically producing them. I and a friend had them made for Comp 1' s in the 70's.

 

[grntitan]

It's a shame it didn't catch on.

 

[grntitan]

Great pic.

 

[BigM-Perazzi]

Why's he looking at you, Matt!

 

[Ed Y]

What about the one that K shot which was a K32 with big holes cut through the top barrel. Sorry, no pictures

Ed Yanchok

 

[grntitan]

BigM,

I didn't do it, I swear.

 

[LDAdd]

FWIW...

Daro Handy picked up on this concept very early with a Browning Superposed converted to an unsingle...not many people wanted to cut off the top barrel of one of those guns. Not too long after he started with his high-rib 1100's and still uses them,,except for a couple of years with a Perazzi O/U for all events, then went back to 1100's and that paid off for him.

Larry

 

[halfmile]

Stan Baker did the first on on a 3200 AFIK. It might have been on a Model 32. He did quite a few and they weren't cheap.

The first manufactured one I saw was a Perazzi, Grand Italian I think. John Orre owned it for a while.

I tried a couple, including a Winchester Diamond grade, and just never had any magic.

HM

 

[ljutic73]

I entertained the idea of having Baker or Simmons make me an unsingle barrel for my Superposed ST-100 but after finding out what all the parts to build another attached forend would cost from Bowning, it would have been at least as expensive as the whole gun was back in 1980...$3750.

Ron Burr

 

[country gentleman]

Yall dont forger about the Rottweil 72
First unsingle I ever saw with Adjustable Rib POI. Way ahead of its time. Great gun. Todd

 

[Hap MecTweaks]

I just asked Ray this question about an hour ago, his was the first, based on a Browning Broadway. Simmons did the work for him and he shot it for about three years. He had a company in Canada build the remainder he had built and sold. He said Perazzi's venture came along much later in the form of the MT-6.

Hap

 

[Beretta687EELL]

Nick Stamos from Ontario, Canada, according to the story I was told is true, got a M-32 from the Kreighoff booth at the Grand, cut the top barrel off and fabricated a rib. I guess it caused quite an uproar. Bill Malcolm

 

[ljutic73]

Any shooter from Montana that shot pre-1995 may remember Dale Stroetman and his unsingle Remington 32. Dale told me he had it built by Moneymaker in the 50's. He had dropped the forend and broke a piece off the end and glued it back together with white epoxy. He told me that was the only colour it came in back then. Wish I had a pic of him and the gun.

Ron Burr

 

[chipdaddy]

Ya, I'm pretty sure Dale had the first unsingle.

 

[shot410ga]

This keeps going we'll find out John Browning built one in 1906. Which he probably did....