ot-ruger single six

[pokey]

so i went to the gun show last week, and accidentally bought a ruger single six.
it shoots 22 lr pretty well, but i have a question. when i looked up the serial #
the list showed it's number as a 22 mag only model. it's an old 3 screw, do any of
you kids have any idea what a lr would do in a mag cylinder? the frame only says
22 , no lr or mag. may be someone switched out the cylider? the serial is 6 digits
starting with an 8.any ideas? all guesses welcome.

[20cows]

Several years ago I bought a three screw single-six at a gun show. I thought it was a 22 lr until I shot it. Accuracy was not terrible but it sure did swell the cases. Though the cylinder had no markings on it, it is a 22 mag. One could still find such things on eBay at the time and I had another cylinder in 22 lr shortly.

Both cylinders drop right in and shoot great (when fed the right caliber!) with no fitting or fuss. The chamber of the mag is too big for lr cases and a split case is likely, I was lucky.

I probably prefer to shoot the mag cylinder, but it's a lot cheaper to use the other one.

You got a keeper either way.

[C. Cash]

There were 22 Mag. only versions...sounds like what you have, and should be very collectable. My Dad had one and it was his pride and joy.

[pokey]

shot it a bunch [10 cylinders full or so], no split cases.
so probly a lr cylinder?

[20cows]

If you put a 22 lr in it and there is rattle room, it's not a good fit. The mag chamber is enough larger you should be able to tell. Do you have any other 22s to compare chambers with?

If you don't, and aren't sure, invest in one box of mag ammo. If they will fit in the chamber, then it's definately NOT a LR.

[GEOFF]

I'd sure say so Pokey.

My single six firing LR in the Mag cylinder, you can EASILY tell something is wrong right away. Sure sounds like you have the LR cylinder.

My thoughts any way!

Geoff

[Wind]

Pokey - All the Single Sixes I've seen came with two cylinders and only said ".22 caliber" on the frame. Prolly more of a barrel designation. The cylinders were either .22 Long Rifle or .22 Magnum. Neither of these were marked with any caliber markings. The surest way to tell, see if a .22 Magnum will fit in your cylinder. My pistol shoots the Long Rifles well, but really likes the Mags. If yours turns out to be a Long rifle cylinder, and you want a Mag cylinder, I have one someone thoughtfully scratched an "M" on, so he would know which was which. I'd make you a good deal on it. Hope this helps. Watch yer top knot. Wind

[Hobie]

You have to be more careful. Such accidents can be prevented. I'm glad to hear you came out of it so well! Let us know which it is and if you want to get a .22 WRFM cylinder for it.

[Pete44ru]

Ruger made single-cylinder .22 WRM-only Single Sixes, starting shortly after the cartridge was introduced in 1959.
The left side frame is the only one marked .22 WRM instead of the normal .22 Long Rifle marking - and (IIRC) all were issued with 6 1/2" barrels.

A phone call to Ruger Cust Service, with the serial number will tell you in what config that gun was made/shipped.

So many .22 WRM Single-Six owners sent their revolvers back to have .22 LR cylinders fitted, that Ruger dropped the WRM-only model after 1961, to introduce the dual-cylinder Single-Six Convertibles about 1963, which were marked as .22 LR, with a WRM extra cyl.

There are other ways to tell if an OM cylinder is WRM or LR - like a firing pin groove around the rear face of one but not the other, an etched or stamped serial number on the extra cyl, which cyl has the serial nr, etc. - but the most reliable is cartridge fitment.

If your SS shoots well with LR shells, i.e. no split fired casings, etc - then the cylinder is most likely a LR cylinder.
How/why it in a WRM-only revolver is another story.

It could be that some early buyer found WRM shooting too expensive, installed a LR cylinder and disposed of the WRM cylinder.

If so, a WRM cylinder can/should be purchased for it, from WIND, sleezebay, or on the RugerForum - they're about $50.

.

[J Miller]

What Pete said, and it's easy to tell the two cylinders apart:

LR Cylinder is bored straight through, no shoulder and the magnum round will not chamber in it.
Magnum cylinder is bored like a center fire cylinder. There's a shoulder at the front.
LR ammo rattles around in these chambers and will bulge and possibly split when fired in it.

Joe

[Lastmohecken]

There were also Ruger singleactions that came from the factory with only a .22 Long Rifle cylinder. I had an early new model that came from the factory that way. I purchased it brand new in the summer of 1975. At that time, If a Ruger came from the factory with only the .22 long rifle cylinder, it had a star stamped on the bottom of the frame, in front of the trigger guard.

[AmBraCol]

Back when I was young and ignorant (as opposed to middle aged and ignorant) I picked up a German built single action in 22/22mag with both cylinders. I'd carry it with the mags in it but for plinking I'd just shuck the cartridges and replace them with LR. Never even looked at them, just shoot and shuck and reload with mags for carrying. Now I suspect they bulged somewhat, but I never had one give 'way and that sixgun went down the river some time ago so I've no way to duplicate the experiment.

Next time you take it out, look carefully at the cases. Do they swell noticeably? Do you have access to some 22 Mag ammo? If so, try slipping one into the chamber. If it fits, you've got the mag cylinder. If not, the LR. That's your easiest way of checking. My Ruger Single Six shoots great with either cylinder. At least good enough for rock busting plinking. Had fun with it a few years ago at a friends place, shooting out to about a couple hundred yards. He couldn't believe I could hit anything clear out there. He'd never tried it himself. Don't know if he broke out his own 22 sixgun to play with later or not.

This is probably redundant info for you - but DON'T carry that Old Model Ruger with six shells in the cylinder. Always make sure the hammer rests over an empty chamber. Load one shell, skip one chamber, load four, ear the hammer back and then gently lower it over the empty chamber.

[Wind]

Well boys - All this talk got me curious again, so hold my beer and watch this... I can't speak for everything Ruger has ever produced, but this is what I have and what it looks like.

In the first picture is the frame designation.

In the second picture are both cylinders. Both are counterbored. The Long Rifle has an additional groove around the perimeter. There are no other markings anywhere on either.

The third picture shows an attempt to insert a Magnum round in the Long Rifle cylinder.

The fourth picture shows the base of a Long Rifle cartridge as being sloppy in the Magnum counterbore, and would wobble on insertion into the chamber.

Hope this helps. Watch yer top knots. Wind

(click on the pictures to enlarge)

[Hobie]

Great post Wind!

[Wind]

Thanks for the kind words Hobie. It's that picture and a thousand words thing. Watching my top knot here boss. Wind

[pokey]

hey wind, those pics were just what i was looking for
my cylinder does indeed have that groove around the
perimeter and the lr s fit well so i guess that is as good
an answer as i'm likely to get , now for the mag cyl.....


thanks, best to you, pokey

[Rusty]

My son bought a .22 Bisley a while back to go with his .44. For myself I prefer the Bisley grip to the regular SA grip. He prefers the SA. At any rate, when we brought the Bisley home we found that it only had a LR cylinder in the box. I thought all were convertibles, but not so. Anyway I ended up finding a SS Mag. cylinder on an auction and bought it. It dropped right in and worked like a champ. No fuss no muss and no smithing.

I think I sold it to someone here on this board not long ago.

[Pete44ru]

Wind's SS is the normal Ruger SS Convertible config - built on the frame marked ".22 CAL", with the mag cylinder as the extra.

The .22 Mag-only SS's are marked on the sideframe: ".22RF MAG CAL" - which appears on all those particular guns, and no others.

.

[pokey]

You have to be more careful. Such accidents can be prevented. I'm glad to hear you came out of it so well! Let us know which it is and if you want to get a .22 WRFM cylinder for it.

you know how dangerous those gun shows are, eh?

[Pete44ru]

Just be glad you weren't at the Richmond VA gunshow, when 60 Minutes was filming private transactions and doing interviews.

Fasten yore seatbelts.......again.

.