It was on the afternoon of the last day of our hunt that we finally spotted a buck--one with an atypically wide spread. The bad news was that he was loping away from us, going uphill at an angle.

"Take him" said John, "It's the only shot you're going to get."

At that point, the antelope was more than 200 yards away, and increasing his distance every second. But John was right; I would never get another shot.

With no time to hit the prone position or otherwise obtain a steady rest in that flat, open country, I fired offhand, holding so far above the buck's back that I was actually using a cumulus cloud for reference. Because of the distance, there was a slight pause after the crack of the shot until I heard the distinctive, reassuring "thwack" of the bullet hitting home. The antelope dropped in his tracks, his back broken.

John was awestruck. "I guess you were just waiting for him to get into range," he finally said. Later, we confirmed the distance; it was 285 yards.

Not all of my single-shots are chambered for 19th century cartridges. When Browning came out with its Model B78, an updated replica of John M. Browning's original High Wall but chambered in .30-06 (among other modern calibers), I had to have one.

Here at last was a single-shot capable of handling one of today's most versatile rounds and capable of taking everything from varmints to brown bear. The fact that, with the exception of the .45-70, the B78 did not come with sights meant I would have to outfit this single-shot with a scope.

I opted for the Leupold Vari-X 2.5-8X, a choice that served me well on a 350-yard kill on an antelope during the Landers One Shot Hunt. Unfortunately, my second shot was the only one that connected, which meant I did not get one of the coveted spire-pointed trophies and was subjected to the ribbing of the winning team.

After passing up several elk because they were out of range, the author bagged this fine bull in the Bridger-Teton Wilderness Area with a .54 Gemmer Sharps.

Although the B78 was discontinued in 1982, it was reintroduced in 1985 as the Model 1885 High Wall, and even though no longer cataloged, new guns can still occasionally be found on dealer's shelves and on the internet.

Another upgraded 19th century Browning single-shot that captured both my attention and my wallet was the Model 1885 Low Wall Traditional Hunter. Built on Winchester's original low wall design, which featured a smaller action and slightly shallower receiver, this handy half-round, half-octagon 24-inch barreled rifle was made only from 1998 to 2001.

It was chambered to .44 Mag., among other calibers, and I snatched up the first one I found. Well-proportioned and lightweight, it makes a perfect brush gun--as long as you are not pursuing anything larger than wild boar. And it is devastating on coyotes when they can be called to within fairly close range.

My most recent infatuation with the single-shot rifle is the Ruger No. 1. Although Ruger's updated version of the older Farquharson falling-block action has been around since 1966, it was not until 2004 that the heavyweight No. 1H Tropical Rifle was chambered for the .405 Win., an African safari favorite of Theodore Roosevelt.

I have hunted with the Winchester Model 1895 in .405 caliber--with both my original and the current Winchester reissue--and it has proven to be an effective big game rig. But a single-shot rifle gives a whole new dimension to this 100-year-old cartridge. For one thing, it is noticeably more accurate in the Ruger single-shot than it is in the Winchester 95--grouping an inch to two inches better. Pressures and muzzle velocities are also slightly improved, especially with Hornady's new spire-point loadings.

I have yet to hunt with my new Ruger No. 1 .405; as I write this, it is being outfitted with a three-leaf express sight by New England Custom Gun Service Ltd., after which the receiver will be enhanced with some decorative scrollwork from Baron Technology. A little too much expense for a big game rifle that fires only one shot? I don't think so. After all, with the proper combination of rifle and cartridge, one shot is all you'll ever need.