Ruger Single Six opinions

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Special_K

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Recently I have had an urge for the need of a .22 pistol. Looking around on Ruger's website I found the convertible Ruger Single Six. The old school looks and action really brings me to the design but I would love to hear what other people think of it.


-K
 
I have the blued 4-5/8" Convertible. It is a great little gun with a wonderful balance and nostalgic looks. It's very tight and well built. I mostly shoot .22WMR through it, because .22LR is just a lot more fun out of my Ruger MKIII. Plus, I like the looks of the unfluted .22WMR cylinder better.

Also, I think the WMR is a tiny bit more accurate out of my Single Six than LR. I've heard this about most convertible revolvers (.357/9mm, .45LC/.45ACP, etc.). The slightly larger diameter of the bullet and shorter jump to the forcing cone of the bigger cartridges means tighter tolerances and therefore better accuracy.

I originally bought the Single Six as my "kit gun". A rimfire revolver that I could pack away into a hiking rig or camping box for survival/plinking purposes. But it mostly sits in my safe and fulfills my "cowboy" category. It has also become my "beginner's gun", that I use to teach a new shooter the basics.
 
I love mine, too. It's a stainless convertible and shoots well with both .22LR and .22WMR. Paco Kelly has a little device that can make .22LR a little more accurate (though I suspect one can use a couple of soft whacks with a mallet to enlarge the bullets enough to increase accuracy).

I bought an RG single action pistol back when I was in school and it was great fun to shoot. I missed it so much that I bought the Ruger, and have never regretted it.
 
And now for an alternative view...

I had a stainless Ruger convertible once, but sold it years ago. Life's short enough without having to spend your time loading and unloading .22LR cartridges/brass from a single action revolver... A double action revolver and/or a semiauto is just as accurate (if not more so), and they're much less time consuming to load/unload.
 
I have a new blued Ruger Single Six with 4 5/8 Bbl. and adj. sights. It is my favorite 22 shooter and trail gun as it is light and handy and with the 22 WMR cyl. it packs a decent punch, and its quite accurate. Great little kit gun.
I have gotten pretty good at loading or unloading single action style fairly quickly and once you get used to it, its easy to do. Not as easy as a swing out cyl. of course, but not bad. I think it is a very nice looking piece as well. Durable, reliable, versatile and nice fit and finish.
 
Life's short enough without having to spend your time loading and unloading .22LR cartridges/brass from a single action revolver... A double action revolver and/or a semiauto is just as accurate (if not more so), and they're much less time consuming to load/unload.
Click to expand...

I agree. That's why every serious shooter should have at least 1 semi-auto .22 pistol, and 1 .22 revolver, whether double-action or single. I'd much rather shoot my MKIII semi-auto all day long at the range, but I'd much rather pack my Single Six along on a long hiking or camping trip. Handgun designs don't get much more rugged in the outdoors than a Ruger single-action revolver.

And the versatility of shooting 5 different types of ammo reliably with just 2 cylinders (.22 Short, .22 Long, .22 LR, .22 WMR, and .22 shotshells) gives the convertible single-action revolver an edge that a semi-auto just can't offer.
 
IMHO, life's too short to NOT spend many, many, many, many hours accumulating, fondling, modifying, customizing, toting, coon-fingering, admiring, hunting and loafing in the woods with, shooting and doting on as many single action revolvers as possible. A Single Six is a good place to start. ;)
 
Mine isn't a convertible but it sure shoots good. I've had it for a while, it's has a 5 1/2" barrel and was made in 1958. It's still a tack driver. Buy it, shoot it often, and when your done your grandkids will enjoy it.
 
5 1/2inch blued one here. One of the house favorites. Never a hitch glitch or bobble. So what if it takes time to reload,...I don't intend to use it for a gunfight,...but would if it were all I had. Great plinker and hunter.
 
I sold mine to finance a S&W 617 for my dad, I still regret it six years later. I highly recommend the Single Six, mine was as accurate as I could hold it.

These days I havew a S&W Model 18 to play with, but I would still like a Single Six!
 
I have a stainless 5 1/2" and I think it's a great revolver. I read someplace that the barrel is bored out to accept the 22 mag bullet so the 22 LR bullet needs to obturate (upset) more to fill the bore. However, I've never had any accuracy problems. What is nice about the single six is that the 22LR cylinder accepts all kinds of 22 ammo that a 22 LR semi-auto may or may not cycle properly. I've used 22 shorts, bird shot, subsonic, hypersonic and everything in-between. The 22 Mag cylinder is a bonus also accepting many different "loadings". The single-six also accepts after market sights. In my book, it is a must have gun.
 
When I came home from Viet Nam the first purchase I made other than food was my Ruger single six convertable. I have owned that little pistol for 40 years now and I have carried it with me all over the US and half the world. (Quit my job and went sailing) I now have three of them. My original blue or at least used to be, my 6.5" barrel stag gripped stainless and most recent acquisition my blue 6" Bisley. You can't go wrong.
 
The Single Six is a very good revolver, but it can be improved with Wolfe's spring set. I've had mine for over 40 years. I don't mind the somewhat slower loading/reloading at all.
 
I use this to hunt with the 22wmr cyl. I'm in a CA no lead hunting area and use the CCI TNT Green 30gr non-lead ammo. It chrono's about 1450fps and is more accurate than I am.

Dad bought this gun new in 1984.

Single6.jpg
 
Far too many love them for the quality and accuracy to be in doubt. But for me it's the reloading issue.

For me .22 is a round that begs to be shot a lot. And to unload and reload a .22 SAA style gun many, many times during a range session is just too much for me to face up to. Give me a hand ejector style such as my S&W 17. Or the Hi Standard Double 9 with the 9 shots per cylinder that are quickly unloaded in one jab and presents an open faced cylinder that can be reloaded two rounds at a time easily and occasionally three rounds if they pick up from the pile in my fingers the right way.

I don't mind my SA revolvers in center fire but for .22 I like to get back to business faster than the SA design allows.
 
I'll chime in too with a recommendation of the Single Six. I bought well used (1966 vintage) convertible for $175 about two years ago. It didn't come with the extra cylinder but had the transfer bar safety installed. I'm glad I bought it.

I'm pretty much a S&W revolver guy, but, I have to say the Single Six is an excellent choice too. I use mine in handgun training classes. It's as accurate and fun to shoot as any of my other 22's for general plinking and target use.

Matt
 
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