why i like the ruger single-six

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1894c

why i like the ruger single-six

Post by 1894c »

The Ruger Single-Six is my favorite .22-cal handgun --

I have owned at least two J-frames in .22cal. One S&W 617, one Model 17, one Ruger Standard MKII, one Ruger Standard MKIII (stainless), one Ruger Mark IV Lite, two Charter Arms (3" and 2" bbl.), one Taurus (mistake), one Walther P22 (another mistake) and one Beretta 21a (couldn't see the front sight). All of them moved down the road for one reason or another -- although I gave a friend back east my S&W Model 17 with a 6" barrel when I moved.

For the last three months I have been shooting a Ruger Single-Six Convertible (22LR/22MAG) with a 4.62" barrel (see stock photos). A couple of years back I owned a 5.5" Old Model version (1958) that had no bluing, but proved to be a good shooter. I bought it at my LE Agencies auction for $75.00, but gave it to another good friend three years ago. Owning that 1958 OM Single-Six taught me that I liked the balance of the aluminum grip frame over the stainless.

At the end of the day I really like shooting the Single-Six (put 250 rounds through it today). I know its slow to load--unload (my buddies always remind me of this fact), I know it's not a cowboy thing for me, I'm an urban kid--I just like the feel, the weight, the extra .22mag cylinder, and the way it shoots. I think everyone should own one... :)
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Last edited by 1894c on Sat Jan 04, 2020 1:27 pm, edited 1 time in total.
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Re: why i like the ruger single-six

Post by piller »

I like the Ruger Single Six also. Everyone should own a .22 revolver that fits them. Accuracy and how it fits my hand are the two biggest concerns for me, and reliability is right up there. Of course, a well made .22 lr/.22 mag revolver is going to be reliable.
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Re: why i like the ruger single-six

Post by wm »

Nothing beats a good 22, a brick of ammo, and a unhurried day of shooting.

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Re: why i like the ruger single-six

Post by mikld »

One of my first handguns was a Single Six with 22 lr and 22 Mag. cylinders (1966). Very accurate and the longest shot with a handgun was about 70-75 yards. We were in the high desert outside LA and I was sitting on the side of a small ravine and saw a jack rabbit sitting on the opposite side of the ravine. First shot was a bit right, next shot nailed him. I don't think it was a fluke, but with the 22 Mag cylinder the gun was very accurate
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Re: why i like the ruger single-six

Post by Old Savage »

I have a couple Single Sixes but have to go with my K22 I have had for more than 50 years.

I have had three Single Sixes in 32 Mag that I really like.
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Re: why i like the ruger single-six

Post by Rusty »

My son had one once that had a Bisley grip. THAT one was a shooter.
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Re: why i like the ruger single-six

Post by Jay Bird »

I wholeheartedly agree......nobody make a more robust .22 single action....the early ones, before Ruger came out with the convertibles, tend to be more accurate as Ruger used wider groove diameters on the convertibles and all of their Single Sixes since the early sixties. I have an old model made in '72 that goes around with me on my daily chores outside and is BEAT.....use it for drilling holes and shooting things that need to be shot.

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Re: why i like the ruger single-six

Post by Booger Bill »

My first good handgun was a convertible single six I bought new in 1961 or 1962. It was a 6 1/2". I shot it more than any one or several of my six guns since. Unfortunately it was stolen out of my house in 1969. I got to the point I could throw a bottle in the air, draw and shoot it (at the village dump) regularly. I was able to replace it with about a 1958 new 5 1/2" single six I found in about 1995 still unfired. Here it is along with a almost new .32 H&R single six I also found. Both are fine guns. I also own a Lipsey special 5 1/2" Ruger I am showing.
https://i.postimg.cc/kXSyScf0/top-ruger ... -R-mag.jpg
https://i.postimg.cc/B6Z7wvHt/Ruger-44- ... -23413.jpg
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Re: why i like the ruger single-six

Post by 765x53 »

My first Single Six was a 6 1/2" .32 magnum. I add a Bowen rear sight and a Story steel ejector housing and bull's eye ejector rod which gave it a little more muzzle heft and a better sight picture.
I didn't think I needed a .22 until, I found a Bisley for a price I couldn't refuse. A heftier revolver needed a heftier cartridge so, I bought a Story .22 magnum cylinder. That turned out to be a well spent $100.
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Re: why i like the ruger single-six

Post by JimT »

If you haven't read it ...

FAMILY GUN ...

http://leverguns.com/articles/taylor/family_gun.htm
1894c

Re: why i like the ruger single-six

Post by 1894c »

JimT wrote: Sat Jan 04, 2020 3:01 pm If you haven't read it ...

FAMILY GUN ...
http://leverguns.com/articles/taylor/family_gun.htm
JimT -- I have read that story of yours before, it's a great read... just read it again, thank you. You just can't go wrong with a Single-Six. I worked with an old guy (my first job when I was 17) that owned only one handgun. He had a convertible Single-Six (5.5" barrel), he used the .22-mag cylinder for home defense and used the .22-cal cylinder for hunting--that was my first exposure to the Single-Six and why I have always owned one.
Last edited by 1894c on Tue Jan 07, 2020 6:02 pm, edited 2 times in total.
1894c

Re: why i like the ruger single-six

Post by 1894c »

Sixgun Sr wrote: Sat Jan 04, 2020 12:03 pm Image
SIX -- very nice, ok, those two are great examples of why I like the Single-6, thanks for sharing... :)
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Re: why i like the ruger single-six

Post by Pitchy »

That Six has the stuff alright 8)
When i was a kid i had a High Standard Longhorn nine that was a lot of fun, now i have a Single Six convertible in the safe that`s like new but don`t shoot it much.
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Re: why i like the ruger single-six

Post by Chuck 100 yd »

Yes , great little shooters. I own several.
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Re: why i like the ruger single-six

Post by Beaker »

My Single Six SS will be the last gun I will ever part with.
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Re: why i like the ruger single-six

Post by RIHMFIRE »

nothing like a good ole single six and a big brother to keep it company! :wink:
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Re: why i like the ruger single-six

Post by 2ndovc »

I've had a couple of them. One was terribly inaccurate and the other I just couldn't warm up to. The first pistol I ever bought was a '59 vintage S&W K17 and the best shooting .22 I've ever had. It's as accurate as my dad's Colt Match Target. Still have that one and a couple of Ruger MKIIs that I really like to plink with.
Happy to hear you got one that shoots well. I love Ruger revolvers, just haven't had any luck with their .22s.

jb 8)
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Re: why i like the ruger single-six

Post by AJMD429 »

My 'first gun' would probably be a Stevens 22 LR bolt action I got at age 5 when my dad died and we had to defend the garden against groundhogs. Around age 12 my 24 year old brother gifted me a Ruger 10/22.

But in my teens I earned enough lawn-mowing money to convince my mom to buy me a succession of firearms:

1. A centerfire rifle - the Ruger M-77V in 6mm seemed to be the 'one-gun' for the Midwest.

2. A handgun in 22 LR - the choice, being a Ruger-addict, was a Mark-I vs a Single-Six ('convertible' of course)....the reloading of rimfire being a non-issue vs the 6mm Rem, meant 'why worry if the spent casings fly out', so I settled for the cheaper (and easier to shoot, more accurate) Mk-I pistol.

3. Later on, a big-bore handgun was obviously needed, so my high school graduation gift from Mom was a Ruger Super Blackhawk 44 Magnum.... 8)
(...and 10 years later a dear friend would gift me a Ruger Redhawk 44 Magnum when I graduated Medical School... 8) 8) 8) ...)

4. Heading off to college (Pharmacy School) my mom bought me a Marlin 1894 in 44 Mag, so I had two new 22 LR's - a 10/22 and a Mk-I, and two 44 Mags - a Marlin 1894 and a Ruger Super Blackhawk. My 'other' gun was a Ruger M-77V 6mm Rem, so being an OCD type, I had to find a 'pair' for the M-77 ... I thought about a Contender pistol in 6mm Rem but couldn't find one, so lusted for a Contender in 25-35 instead.

I never got that Contender, but as a Mel Tappan devotee ('Survival Guns' book in the 1970's), it kept my perspective and I tried to keep to a 'basic' battery... :D

So.......40 years later......I find a used Single Six Convertible for sale.....by then I have dozens of firearms of all sorts, many far 'superior' to a mere 22 LR single-action revolver...! (I have a 22 WMR semiauto pistol, a couple Ruger Mk-2's and a suppressed Mk-3/45, many 22 LR revolvers etc...)

....but I really like the little Single-Six, and am SO glad I finally found one 40 years after choosing the Mk-I instead...! (I still like the Mk-1/2/3's also...)
Last edited by AJMD429 on Sun Jan 05, 2020 9:41 am, edited 1 time in total.
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Re: why i like the ruger single-six

Post by Larkbill »

Thanks for reminding me.

Back in my IHMSA match days I acquired a 5.5" SS which I sent off to Ruger to get a 9.5" barrel installed for rimfire revolver class. Before I sent it off I shot it enough to find out is was the most accurate revolver of any caliber that I owned. In those days (and maybe still) Ruger returned the original barrel with the gun. I need to have someone reinstall that original barrel and hope it still works as well as it did originally.

After the barrel swap I also replaced the front sight with the undercut one from my MKII Target. It gave a much clearer sight picture, bet it works with the shorter barrel too.
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Re: why i like the ruger single-six

Post by wm »

Just saw my first used Ruger Wrangler in a shop.

$300

Guy behind the counter said it is because its a first year production collectible. "Highly sought after by collectors. A bargain at that price because in a couple years it will be worth twice that much."

I guess I look like I was born yesterday.

Pawnshops around here make up for what they lack in honest bargains with copious amounts of BS from the guys behind the counter.

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Re: why i like the ruger single-six

Post by Rimfire McNutjob »

My FIL has an old flat gate that he asked me to clean while I was visiting over the holidays. For the life of me I could not get the base pin pulled forward to remove the cylinder. I don't think it's be moved since the 60's. What's the preferred method to coax it out? Vice grips with a bit of leather in the jaws?
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Re: why i like the ruger single-six

Post by vancelw »

Rimfire McNutjob wrote: Mon Jan 06, 2020 4:44 pm My FIL has an old flat gate that he asked me to clean while I was visiting over the holidays. For the life of me I could not get the base pin pulled forward to remove the cylinder. I don't think it's be moved since the 60's. What's the preferred method to coax it out? Vice grips with a bit of leather in the jaws?
Yeah, but put Kroil or something similar on it 1st and let is soak in.
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Re: why i like the ruger single-six

Post by wm »

vancelw wrote: Mon Jan 06, 2020 5:49 pm
Rimfire McNutjob wrote: Mon Jan 06, 2020 4:44 pm My FIL has an old flat gate that he asked me to clean while I was visiting over the holidays. For the life of me I could not get the base pin pulled forward to remove the cylinder. I don't think it's be moved since the 60's. What's the preferred method to coax it out? Vice grips with a bit of leather in the jaws?
Yeah, but put Kroil or something similar on it 1st and let is soak in.
+1
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Re: why i like the ruger single-six

Post by Jay Bird »

Rimfire McNutjob wrote: Mon Jan 06, 2020 4:44 pm My FIL has an old flat gate that he asked me to clean while I was visiting over the holidays. For the life of me I could not get the base pin pulled forward to remove the cylinder. I don't think it's be moved since the 60's. What's the preferred method to coax it out? Vice grips with a bit of leather in the jaws?
Make it easy on yourself.....gripping the end of the rod with a padded pair of pliers usually results in slippage and marred metal.

It's probably not rusted....maybe a hair...they were fit tight.

Get yourself a brass or aluminum rod about an 1/8" in diameter and about 4" long. Pull the hammer all the way back, and while holding in the traverse pin, tap it out from behind.

Of course, common sense should prevail. If it's good and stuck, unscrew the traverse pin, set the gun in a padded vice then go-to-town with the rod and a tap hammer.

You will only be able to tap it out a short distance as geometry prevents your rod from going in very far. It's enough to get a better hold on it with your fingers....not pliers.----6
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Re: why i like the ruger single-six

Post by 1894c »

+1 ... what SIX said... :)
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Re: why i like the ruger single-six

Post by Rimfire McNutjob »

Sixgun Sr wrote: Mon Jan 06, 2020 6:42 pm
Rimfire McNutjob wrote: Mon Jan 06, 2020 4:44 pm My FIL has an old flat gate that he asked me to clean while I was visiting over the holidays. For the life of me I could not get the base pin pulled forward to remove the cylinder. I don't think it's be moved since the 60's. What's the preferred method to coax it out? Vice grips with a bit of leather in the jaws?
Make it easy on yourself.....gripping the end of the rod with a padded pair of pliers usually results in slippage and marred metal.

It's probably not rusted....maybe a hair...they were fit tight.

Get yourself a brass or aluminum rod about an 1/8" in diameter and about 4" long. Pull the hammer all the way back, and while holding in the traverse pin, tap it out from behind.

Of course, common sense should prevail. If it's good and stuck, unscrew the traverse pin, set the gun in a padded vice then go-to-town with the rod and a tap hammer.

You will only be able to tap it out a short distance as geometry prevents your rod from going in very far. It's enough to get a better hold on it with your fingers....not pliers.----6
darn, and I was sitting there with a brass punch in the tool box too. I didn't think to look and see that the hole went all the way through to the flat under the hammer. I'll give that a try when I'm there next. Thanks.
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Re: why i like the ruger single-six

Post by Jay Bird »

Your welcome nut job...and thanks 30-30......the old saying "necessity is the mother of invention" was what made me think working on an old first gen Colt that was truly rusted.

There is a tool for such a job that you can buy....---6
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Re: why i like the ruger single-six

Post by Ysabel Kid »

wm wrote: Sat Jan 04, 2020 10:55 am Nothing beats a good 22, a brick of ammo, and a unhurried day of shooting.

Wm
+1

I have my Single Six stoked with CCI shot shells right now, ready to go the next time I hear the darn squirrels in the attic again! :twisted:
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Re: why i like the ruger single-six

Post by Lastmohecken »

My very first .22 cal handgun was a Ruger Stainless single six. I bought it in 1975 when I was 17 years old. I remember it was in .22 long rifle only, and had a star on the bottom of the frame to indicate that it came from the factory without the .22mag cylinder. It had a 6-1/2" barrel. .22 shells were cheap, and I shot on average a brick (500 rounds) a week, most weeks, for the next couple of years or so.

I hunted with a handgun a lot, and also just plain always had it close by, most of the time. I was a farm/ranch hand during those years, while also attending college at the time. I plinked tin cans, and any other targets I could find, continuously, and also killed a lot of game and varmints with it. I wore the gun out in about 3 or 4 years or so and had to have a gunsmith rebuild it, but by that time the fine accuracy had suffered some, and I had also acquired a smith and Wesson model 17 with a 6 inch barrel by then. As good as the Ruger Single Six had been, the Smith K22 was even better. It had better sights, better trigger, and was more accurate. So, I eventually sold the old Single Six to a friend I worked with and the Smith K22 took over the duties of firing about a brick a week and I also killed a lot of game with it.

Sadly, I also wore the Smith out and had to have a gunsmith rebuild it too. I eventually sold it too to another co-worker after the best accuracy left it, but he could never shoot good enough to know the difference anyway and thought it was a wonderful handgun and still owns it today. But I needed a more accurate gun for competition shooting by then and bought a Smith and Wesson Model 41 and never looked back for many years.

I eventually bought more Ruger Single Sixes and still own a 5.5" and a 4-5/8" Stainless Single Sixes and also a blued 6.5" barreled single six. And I also owned more Smith K-22's and still own a 6" barreled K-22 but none of these guns get shot like the old ones I owned did way back then. But that first Ruger Single Six is where I really learned how to shoot a handgun at both long and short range, and accounted for untold numbers of rabbits, squirrels, snakes, varmints of all kinds, coons, possums, and several other critters.
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Re: why i like the ruger single-six

Post by AJMD429 »

I'm thinkin' anyone who can manage to wear out a Single Six has become a darned good shot in the process....!
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