Home Forums Hunting & Shooting Single Shots Mossberg SSi One

1. Has anyone seen one of these things?

2. Why would someone who is making a break action single shot go for the bottom of the market, when the top begins with the Blaser K-95 at $3,000, and goes up through the Merkel, Kreighoff, and British stalking rifles?

I have handeled a heavy barreled one in 223. It is a decent looking rig. Looks to be a good buy for the buck.

I purchased a SSi-1 from SIR Mailorder in Winnipeg last fall. I bought it mainly to get the rifled 12-gauge barrel for hunting deer but ordered a .270 WCF barrel as well. I carried the 12-gauge during last fall's season but have not fired the .270 barrel yet.

The SSi is a nice piece. The walnut stock is well shaped and well finished with a satin surface. The pistol grip has a fairly open curve, which is useful for fast handling in the bush. Each barrel comes with its own forend. The 12-gauge forend is quite hefty; the .270 forend is slim and ends with a nice schabel tip. The action is also rather stout. Mossberg was not trying to build a lightweight. The metal work is also done in a satin finish. Apart from some initial stiffness, it functioned well. I liked the brass cocking indicator and safety located on the top tang. Each barrel also comes with a Weaver style scope base, which in the case of the 12-gauge was welded to the barrel at the factory.

This rifle is a rare bargain. The whole package, including shipping and tax, cost me slightly under $700 Cdn. That is a great deal in my neck of the woods. You should also be aware that the SSi-1 appears to be out of production already, as it no longer appears on the Mossberg website. Once those is stock are sold, I guess that will be it. That is something of a puzzle, since the quality, practical functionality, and value of the gun should have made it quite popular. I am thinking that maybe I should pick up a .308 or .30-06 barrel while I still can.

It seems like Mossberg did not position the SSi-One properly in the market, and then did not give it a chance to succeed.

What a shame! We need more good single shot rifles.

They have been on the close-out rack at Gander Mountain for some time now.

The reports that I got indicated that these were not consistently as accurate as a Handi-Rifle. Word I got from dealers when the introduction of these was seriously delayed a few years back was that Mossberg was having troubles with this issue.

So why pay more for something that isn't as accurate as a rifle costing considerably less? Also, not nearly as nice as a #1 in the eyes of most folks. The rifle, apparently, didn't fit the criteria for many folks who were either seeking function or form, or both. Seems like Mossberg goofed on this one.