Ruger Single six questions

[cracked butt]

My wife wants me to buy her an air pistol for her birthday coming up in 2 weeks. She wants this for pest control as we have rabbits eating up our garden. We live in a semirural location at the edge of a town and the backyard consists of a creek backup up by woods and a cornfield, and the shots will be downhill into the ground, so its fairly safe to shoot off the back patio, but we do have neighbors so some discretion is necessary.

We've been popping pests (rabbits and woodchucks) with a bolt action .22 shooting CB caps, as its quite a bit more powerful than alot of airrifles and quieter also. I'm also having a hard time locating a decent air pistol that has enough power for rabbits- its seems that most of the really well made pistols are low velocity target guns.

Now for my line of thinking: would a revolver shooting CB caps be quieter than a high powered air pistol shooting pellets?

Is it safe to shoot CB cpas in a revolver such as a Single Six?

I'm leaning towards a Single Six because its the revolver I learned on when I was a kid, and I saw one in a shop today that seemed to have smaller grips than what I remember that should fit my wife's hands pretty well. The only thing I'm concerned about is the sights- a notch in the rear of the frame and a front blade- not sure if the front blade is driftable for adjustment.

They also had another model I think it was called a 'Super Single Six' which looked the the gun I grew up with- bigger grips, longer barrel, and adjustable sights. Maybe I'll have to take her to the shop to see which one she likes if at all.

 

[cracked butt]

Oh yeah, I forget to mention, my wife real thinks she is hot stuff with a handgun, and this is the reason she wants a pistol of sorts instead of using the rifle so I think its time for her to own her first gun.

 

[tulsamal]

You can shoot any kind of .22's in a revolver. But point of impact is going to vary. So a fixed sight gun wouldn't be a good idea. For what you want, you need adjustable sights.

The gripframes are the same. You could buy thin grips for it.

Gregg

 

[Old Fuff]

I suspect the smaller gun you looked at might have been a Ruger Super Bearcat, which is smaller then the Single Six and has fixed non-adjustable sights.

Both are fine revolvers, and shooting C.B. Caps would pose no problem as long as you kept the chambers clean. Of the two, the Super Single Six might be a better choice because it has adjustable sights. But the heavier weight and bigger grip might turn your wife off.

Before you make a decision you might look at small-frame .22 revolvers made by S&W and Taurus. These usually have adjustable sights, and either come with, or can be fitted with smaller handles.

 

[P95Carry]

Cracked ... the latest Single Six would IMO be ideal .. adjustable sights .. and comes with .22WMR cylinder. I normally like big grips but - the Single Six and the small grips is still a treat to shoot. If there is a downside it's the classic S/A thing ... loading gate and time taken to load, reload etc.

I'd doubt your spouse would find it other than a pleasure to shoot - and cheap entertainment at that!

 

[cracked butt]

Oh, yes that's a pretty gun. The only downside, is that the single six I remember as a kid didn't have the entire owners manual and an admonition from DiFi on the side of it. Oh well times change.

 

[P95Carry]

the single six I remember as a kid didn't have the entire owners manual

That Cracked - is the biggest PITA with any modern Rugers ... applies to all - well revo's. My P series are thankfully relatively free of the ''manual on the tube''!

Ignore that if you can - and they are great guns.

 

[Joey2]

Firing CB, either shorts or longs, through a revolver does not lesson the noise.

I have fired 100's of CB through my Ruger Single-Six. The noise is still there.

Now, use a bolt rifle with CB's and you will have no noise.

The gases escaping out the cylinder causes the noise.

 

[Sunray]

"...my wife real thinks she is hot stuff with a handgun..." You and your lady will have to do some range time no matter what you buy. Just don't be surprised if she is better than you are. Don't get angry either. Women are inherently better shots than men are.
"...Oh well times change..." You're right. There are all kinds of manuals on-line now. Here's a couple sites.
http://www.biggerhammer.net/manuals/
http://stevespages.com/page7b.htm

 

[cracked butt]

I've taking her shooting a few times this year, and she does shoot suprisingly well with my beretta 92. I would really like her to have a gun that she can call her own though.

 

[Thirties]

If you want quiet shooting in your back yard/garden, I suggest a tube magazine rifle such as the Browning BL-22, and CB shorts. Forget about a semi auto for this type of ammo.The Aquila Super Colibri is even quieter ammo, but not really enough for a rabbit (red sqirrels and blue jays).

The other big advantages of the rifle, especially a handy rifle such as the BL-22, is that you can be much more accurate with it, and the magazine will hold 18 Colibris or 22 CB shorts.

There is no way to have a revolver shoot a quiet round. Look at the gun sideways to understand this.

 

[Sistema1927]

I shoot the Aguila Colibris (not the Super Colibri, but the plain Colibri which is primer powered only) out of a Single-Six, with no problems. I often throw a soda can out in front of me, and then make it dance around out to about 20 yards, and can hit it each time. However, the Colibri fired out of the revolver may penetrate one side of the can, but sometimes just dents it.

Firing the same round out of my 1906 Winchester gives the same accuracy, but the round penetrates both sides of the can. Thus, I would think that the carbine would be a better choice for pest control. In the Winchester, the round is so quiet that the loudest noise is that of the hammer falling.

 

[Blue Line]

the single six is just 22 and the super single six has the extra 22 mag cylinder. I have both but never shoot the mags cylinder much.
Either are great guns!

also you may want to check out the ruger Mark I or Mark II semi autos. you can stil shoot the cb's one at a time in them.

 

[NavajoNPaleFace]

Gawd, I hope the fools from PETA don't tune in here to read about how we are deciding the demise of furry critters.

They'll be staging a love-in on the lawn of cracked butt and his wife! LOL

I've fired the CB caps in both of my Sixes and my Henry Golden Boy without any problematic issues at all.

In fact, the CB is surprisingly accurate and more so out of the long barreled rifle.

But, I think the noise is somewhat less in the revolvers than common .22LR ammo.

The CBs come with a loud 'snap' but certainly not a bang and it's a sound that I think the neighbors, IF they even hear it from a distance, would likely dismiss it as not a gunshot. Perhaps.

 

[Tom C.]

Either the Ruger Single Six, preferably with adjustable sights, or the Bearcat, would work for what you are planning. Just don’t expect the revolvers to be as quiet as the rifle.
A long barreled rifle, with CB longs to aid feeding, is really quiet. I also use .22 LR HP subsonic loads for indoor practice. Several companies make them. Fired in a 25†barreled CZ 452D, the impact of the bullet in the trap makes more noise than the discharge of the round.

 

[cracked butt]

I took a close look at a Bearcat today and am really impressed with it. In the display case it looks like a toy, but it felt like a really well made solid gun after handling. Suprisingly enough, the small frame and grip seemed to work well even in my big mongoloid hands. I might go back and buy it tomorow.

Q:is $330 a fair price for a new Bearcat?

 

[Majic]

Before you buy the Bearcat take your wife to see it. Remember it's suppose to be her gun so she should have the final say in the matter. You shouldn't buy what you like for someone else. They should be the one choosing.