why doesnt some enterprising individual in the usa or somewhere else build an affordable big single shot action ,(similar to what the ruger no1 was for the masses for people who cant afford a farquarson)for big calibres like 577/600/700 nitros there seems to be a gap here that no one is filling. the searcy action and others are very expensive and will only appeal to those with no concerns about an empty wallet

Probably the market for 577 and up is pretty limited and a manufacturer can't produce enough volume "economically". As awesome and aesthetically appealing as the Searcy Farquharson and the Hagn are, one has to admit the Ruger #1 is one helluva product for the money and still the top choice of most of the finest custom gunsmiths for a single shot.

I was wondering about that myself. I love the Ruger No. 1 with a big bore but it is pushing the limit to chamber it with anything bigger than a 510 Gibbs. Bowen and SSK both can build a 577 with a Ruger No.1 but I would perfer to have it in a bigger action. It should not be hard to build a big single action from scratch, especially with a contender like design. Well, I will see if I can start a new firearm company to produce one.

At one time State Arms, http://www.statearms.com/ make a falling block action large enough for 50 BMG. Unfortunately Klaus Horstkamp passed away in an automobile accident, however the new owner must have the tooling that was used. While I have not spoken to him, perhaps if enough people did he might make some.

In the March 2003 issue of The Accurate Rifle an article about Gary Reeder Custom Guns http://www.reedercustomguns.com/index.html mentions they have a large falling block rifle coming out 'before too long' that is large enough for 600 Nitro Express / 700 NE / and possibly 4 bore.

Just out of curiosity, what is the price of 4-bore ammo these days? Back in 1970 it was $6 per round, just for the paper and brass shotshells. I'll bet it's several times that now...and Gawd knows what for the all brass rifle rounds.

You want to have a real kicker, of the ones I'm familiar with, the worst was a little 20" barreled Rodda, marked "for ball or shot", with rifle sights. Apparently was intended as a Howda rifle, for when the tiger tries to ride the elephant with you.

Glad I'm not that young anymore...

AC

I see a picture and caption in the March-April 2003 issue of "Single Shot Rifle Journal" that says "Gotta Have A .50 BMG Single-Shot? The man to talk to is Al Story of Borchardt Rifle Co. He makes these 30 lb. monsters... and shoots them, too! Call Al at (505) 535-2923 for more information." I don't know any more about it than that but they look nice, in a big sort of way. The magazine is published by the American Single Shot Rifle Association. http://66.246.3.10/