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I know I'm getting this wrong, but I think it's something like Saroka? The new New Zealand Farquharson? Has anyone actually seen and handled one? At approximately $15K, not an inexpensive offering! Are they worth the price? Mike Wilderness is my cathedral, and hunting is my prayer. | ||
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Im too much of a traditionalist to have warmed up to them. A farky they are not. I have seen them, they look well made. What it is worth is up to the guy spending the money, but for me the mechanics of it are something I just can not get past. | |||
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A friend of Glenn Soroka's and I have been PM'ing. I have the history of the project, and I am pleased to know the background. I am in the process of deleting any negative references to him or his gorgeous Farquharson replica. Rich | |||
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Thanks, but I already have one. I found their website. It's Soroka. Soroka Rifle Co. This seems like a great rifle. Mike Wilderness is my cathedral, and hunting is my prayer. | |||
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Basically same basic price as a Hagn... BTW Mike have you seen the .500 A2 single shot on their website? Has MRLEXMA written all over it! On the plains of hesitation lie the bleached bones of ten thousand, who on the dawn of victory lay down their weary heads resting, and there resting, died. If you can talk with crowds and keep your virtue, Or walk with Kings - nor lose the common touch... Yours is the Earth and everything that's in it, And - which is more - you'll be a Man, my son! - Rudyard Kipling Life grows grim without senseless indulgence. | |||
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Someone needs to tell the guys making that rifle that 17-4 PH is about the worst galling material on the planet. I would not have it for a breech block under any circumstances..... | |||
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bwana, I checked that Hagn singe shot out. What a brute! I do like it, but I'll stick with my repeater for DG. I've had to use those extra rounds in a hurry too many times to trust to a single shot for DG! I like the Hagn, but the Soroka has the Gibbs-Farquharson look and style, which I prefer. I expect it has the right feel, too, but have never seen or handled one. Hence my question in this thread. SR4759, isn't galling only a problem when certain metals bear repeatedly upon like? I wouldn't think that it would be a problem here. Mike Wilderness is my cathedral, and hunting is my prayer. | |||
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17-4 is one of those metals that sticks to about any other metal. | |||
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I saw them at the Reno SCI show and they were very nicely put together. From what I remember they handled and pointed very well. Dont remember the falling block being sticky, in fact everything seemed very smooth in operation. Really nice rifle if you like English styled falling blocks. | |||
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Both lovely, but how do they shoot? | |||
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Both Soroka & Hagn are lovely,but how do they shoot? | |||
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I have 2 BR receivers that are out of 17/4 with many thousands of rounds through them. They may gall, but not yet. Butch | |||
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In the May June issue of Sporting Classics Ron Spomer reviews the Soroka 07 and reports that he got sub half inch groups with Barnes 180 TTSX factory ammo straight off the bat, so it seems they shoot okay. | |||
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I have three Hall f actions made with that material and have never have had any galling problem one is a 308 palma, one will be 338x74r Keith and the last one in 300 H&H. RNB | |||
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Shown here is the prototype Soroka Farquharson, chambered for the 300 Win Mag. I had the rifle for a couple weeks to test. Also shown is a typical target from a range session with the rifle. As can be seen, it was very accurate. TT   | |||
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PS: I was impressed enough to order one in 300 H&H. It arrived at my dealers today, but I won't be able to pick it up until later in the week. I'll post photos when I have it and have the time to photograph it. TT | |||
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I am a New Zealand gunsmith (41 years in the trade) and have had the opportunity to examine a Soroka Farquharson in detail over a week. I am pleased to report that the rifle was extremely well made, of first-class materials, and of an improved internal design without sacrificing the classic lines of the Farquharson action. This rifle had fired about 60 rounds in .300 H&H and the action was silky smooth with no hint of galling at any stage. The quality of the metal work and the close fitting are fully in keeping with the finest English gunmaking traditions, while the extractor and short-stroke striker are fully up to the requirements of modern cartridges. The rifle I examined was beautifully colour case-hardened with well executed English scroll engraving, and the barrel and quarter rib with satin rust blued. The stocks were in the traditional oil-finished English style, crisply checkered, neatly inletted, and of the finest grade walnut. All in all, I was very impressed with the design and quality which compared more than favourably with the products of current English makers like Purdey and H&H. If any readers have pertinent questions I will be happy to reply through these pages. | |||
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I notice there is no posting for how well the Hagen shoots. Why? | |||
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Bobcatbob, I can only speak for myself but I've never shot a Hagn rifle so cannot speak from experience. Besides, I thought this thread was on the Soroka Farquharson, with which I do have some experience, hence my reply. I will say that I've known Martin Hagn for probably forty years now, and I'd expect that his rifles will shoot very well indeed. TT | |||
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Bobcatbob, I thought this thread was about the Soroka. You might start one on the Hagn and find out. Butch | |||
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What a great looking rifle!! Thanks for sharing. DRSS | |||
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That, is a matter of personal taste and fine guns are to suit the person(s) commissioning them and not to meet some arbitrary "standard" set by anyone else. The Hagn-sctioned rifles now made by Martini Gunmakers, are simply far beyond any Merkel of postwar vintage I have seen and are among the finest firearms I have ever held in my hands. This Soroka rifle certainly looks like "the real deal" and is something I would love to have and hunt with chambered in .300Super Flanged, old bean. | |||
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Hmmm isnt that a bit like saying that a Ford F 350 should be more expensive than an Aston Martin because its longer and has bigger wheels. There is no comparison in the build quality of those on your list and a Hagn or Soroka. Handcrafted V's factory crafted- the comparison is absurd isn't it? | |||
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I'd start culling...  DRSS | |||
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The value of high end single shot rifles will vary greatly. That said, I saw a rare one traded this weekend for 25K. The man who owned that one has 2 more that are worth more than that. High end British singles are a market unto themselves. Watch them long enough and this truth will become evident. Steve | |||
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A late friend of mine had a superb collection of British SS rifles, many fine doubles, combos, drillings and various repeaters. I got one of the five P-64 Alaskans I have had from him, this in .338WM. He actually hunted, all over BC and some other regions of Canada, with a Rigby SS rifle and he shot a whack of BIG game, so equipped. Another oldtimer I knew shot a .375H&H Flanged and spent a couple of decades, often alone all winter in the "Lardeau" country of the West Kootenays of BC and he shot a lot of big animals, including several Grizzlies with his singleshot. This area is just north of the "Idaho Panhandle" and I was born and raised there, I am quite familiar with hunting rifles. The other comments are simply personal opinion, some prefer double rifles and others singles and I prefer Brno 21/22, ZG and early ZKKs to either. As to elegance, I would choose a Westley upland "Droplock" or David Mckay Brown round action shotgun, but, here again, it is all in the eye of the beholder. Even the legendary E.K.,a friend of the first gentleman I mention above, stated that the singleshots were perfectly suited to hunting BIG game and, the old boy was also an Idahoan, IIRC! | |||
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Yep, This forum is about hunting rifles and not safe queens. When I hunted the Rockies for Elk and Mulie a double wouldnt have been an ideal choice. The Elk was shot at 600 yrds and the mulie at 375yrds, a bit of a stretch for a double. Both with a single shot from a single shot. I had an old Jeffrey's single shot but sold it because it was a bit large for caliber and was worn and clunky. Without wanting to start a war with the traditionalists- all the old Gibbs, Jeffreys and Westley Richards I have seen have felt old, loose and clunky. Perhaps I have just been unlucky in the 10 or so I have seen. But then maybe its a bit like comparing an E Type with an XK 8. The E Type is an aging elegant classic but loose and clunky, the XK 8 new, tight and reliable. Having said that I did ask quite a few of the top smiths at the ACGG show if they would build me a rifle on an old english falling block rifle action in a modern caliber and they all said no 'cos they wouldn't trust them with high pressure modern ammunition. And cos they were old and clunky So the choices seem to be an old original English action in an old original low pressure caliber or a Soroka or Hagn or a Ruger (for those that think that single shots should cost less that $2000 cos they dont have 2 barrels or a magazine, grin) in any caliber you want. That seems to be the lay of the land without wearing any rose coloured spectacles.... | |||
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You can send me all those clunky old Gibbs sporters.....I can find something to do with them. | |||
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siberia, Have you inspected Bailey Bradshaw's falling block? http://bradshawgunandrifle.com...rson_single_shot.php Butch | |||
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On this one, concerning use of single-shots as hunters. I must agree whole-heartedly with Dewey, who spent much of his life as a pro with the Alberta Fish & Game Dept IIRC. Anyway, for years my go-to elk rifle has been a Ruger No. 1 in 7x65-R...sort of a rimmed .280 Remington. I have killed many elk on "control" hunts under the aegis of the Oregon Fish & wildife Dept. with that rifle. On occasion I have dropped up to 4 elk crossing a trail about 15-20 feet wide as they ran across as a herd. All one shot kills, and none particularly taxing. The trail was in the woods, and I didn't have to search for any of those elk afterward. It IS possible to use a single shot quite quickly & well as a hunting rifle. Anyone who doesn't think so, simply hasn't learned how to use one for anything other than maybe match shooting. BTW, that is my ONLY rifle in which I use just factory ammo to hunt with. The heavier bullet RWS H-Mantle rounds drop elk DRT and seem to perform very much as Nosler Partitions do. I have lots of bolt action hunting rifles, but my go-to rifles are pretty much all drop-action single shots of modern make and cost me under $1,000 each, including scopes. When you get into my favourite bolt hunting rifles. I too prefer the ZKK series, but also like modern marvels such as the Steyr Pro-hunter in .376 Steyr, and my old tried and true pre-war M70, in '06 chambering. I have owned numerous Scots single shot rifles which cost in the multiple thousand dollars each, used, in the 1970s (Dan'l Frasers), and they were nice rifles. But if the purpose is just field use as hunting rifles, Ruger No.1s do just fine in hands which know how to use them. My country gal's just a moonshiner's daughter, but I love her still. | |||
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Skb- I'll keep my eyes open for some old clunkers, maybe you can make a new block and firing pin to tighten 'em up. Butch- I have only seen them on the net, not in hand. For the money they look really good value. A good friend has looked one over carefully and told me not in the same class as Soroka or Hagn, but then look at the price difference.... Thanks | |||
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Regarding the "clunky" Brit singles, one must remember that most of these actions don't really feel snug until they have a cartridge in the chamber. In fact, my Dickson, which is on a Henry patent action, doesn't have a recess for the cartridge rim. The rim actually fills the gap between the block and the rear face of the breech. Still, doesn't feel loose or clunky to me. I would think any looseness in a Farq would be in the underlever, especially when left hanging open. That can be easily addressed. | |||
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Hmmmm.......looks like I need to work harder... Bailey Bradshaw www.bradshawgunandrifle.com I'm in the gun buildin bidness, and cousin....bidness is a boomin | |||
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There is already a super high grade niche in single shot. What Bailey is seeming to do is give the best at what the average guy can afford. I have no doubt Bailey can make a jeweled masterpiece but at what price? I'd be exctatic about a field grade version and someone with means can obtain one by a reincarnated Gibs himself. 577 BME 3"500 KILL ALL 358 GREMLIN 404-375 *we band of 45-70ers* (Founder) Single Shot Shooters Society S.S.S.S. (Founder) | |||
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It seems to me that many of these comments are from shooters who want top performance for minimum dollars. In that case the H&R Topper or the Rossi Pomba would give the best performance return for the dollars spent (for a short while!). Equally, the Ruger No 1 is a strong and nice looking rifle that is not overly expensive. The Soroka Farquarson is not designed to compete with these rifles. It is designed and manufactured to be a 'no compromise' high quality rifle based around a classic styling but improved to be fully compatible with all modern cartridges. You can't compare a Ford Escort with a BMW, and you can't compare a BMW with a Rolls Royce. The Soroka is designed and built for those fortunate few people who can both appreciate and afford high quality. | |||
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Gundoc, I believe that Bailey Bradshaw's rifle fits Soroka mold. Excellent design, well thought out, and beautiful. Butch | |||
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Anyway heres a link to another forum that has some close ups of a Soroka for those that want to compare.... http://forums.nitroexpress.com...=0&page=0#Post175392 | |||
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Further back in this thread there is information on how the Soroka's shoot (pretty darn good). Your question on service and parts works both ways. We get good service from companies like Leupold but gun parts deliveries are slow due the the US 'paranoia' laws on exports. The requirements add weeks (sometime months) to deliveries of innocuous parts, and some parts we cannot get at all and have to make them. Sending sporting rifle parts from NZ to the US is not so bad. | |||
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Idaho, When I saw Glenn Soroka at the Reno show on the N.E.C.G stand (where you saw them) he told me that NECG were both the sales and repair agents for the U.S. IIRC Mark Cromwell is a member of the ACGG as a metalsmith and I know they also have a stockmaker that made the custom rifles on the same booth so I imagine they could sort out any issues that arise. There is a picture on this thread posted by Tom Turpin showing a .6" group shot with Hornady factory ammo. Ron Spomer's article in the latest Sporting Classics refers to Barnes factory ammo shooting under .5" with the Soroka rifle he had to review. So it seems that some people of note have shot them and shot them pretty well. Tom Turpin 'fessed up also in this thread he bought one after reviewing it. How bad can a rifle be if the reviewer buys one? I think if you want to question the pricing of a rifle then have a look at the H&H stand next time you are at Reno and look at one of their 98 Mausers with very plain wood that sell for around $44,000. Anyway this thread is turning into another D'arcy Echols, yes it is - no it isn't- worth it debate. Beautifully put together single shots are works of art that take a fair time to make. A lot more than a bolt action, (ask Granite Mountain). And there's plenty of those that sell for $15,000 engraved with good wood. After that, the choice is just that- a choice, non? | |||
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