What do yall think of this Single Six

[CraigC]

A shooter wouldn't want the transfer bar conversion either. Imagine taking a fairly smooth action with a trigger in the neighborhood of 3lbs, dropping a handful of sand into the action adding about nine inches of creep and fourteen pounds of letoff.

The XR3 grip frame was the original grip frame Ruger installed on Single Sixes and Blackhawks from 1953-1962. It was a dead ringer for the Colt SAA/Navy grip profile. Folks complained about their knuckles getting banged up and Ruger responded in 1959 with the Super Blackhawk "dragoon" grip frame and the XR3-RED in 1963. The XR3-RED was simply an XR3 with more room behind the triggerguard. I'm sure many shooters wouldn't notice but a sixgun junkie like myself notices a significant difference in handling. I simply find the original XR3 to be much more comfortable in shooting, plus it handles and balances better. IMHO, the XR3-RED gives the front end too much leverage against the wrist. So I'm doomed to retrofit a take-off XR3 grip frame to every Old Model I procure, which costs anywhere from $75 to $150. Here's my favorite Single Six, retrofitted and stocked in fancy claro walnut by CLC.

 

[forindooruseonly]

A shooter wouldn't want the transfer bar conversion either. Imagine taking a fairly smooth action with a trigger in the neighborhood of 3lbs, dropping a handful of sand into the action adding about nine inches of creep and fourteen pounds of letoff.

Ha, I didn't realize it did that to the trigger. I haven't shot a converted old model, just a friends new model and while I'm not a fan (for a variety of reasons), I didn't think the trigger was all that bad. I assumed a converted old model would be the same.

 

[CajunBass]

An installed transfer bar on an Old Model is a downgrade, not an upgrade.

I don't know. I've got one of each. The unconverted one stays in the safe. The converted one rides in a holster when I'm bumming around in the woods.



I wouldn't buy another converted one, but that's because I'd be looking "collector" not shooter.

 

[forindooruseonly]

The converted one rides in a holster when I'm bumming around in the woods.

Hey Cajun, does your converted single six suffer the way CraigC described above? I understand it's hyperbole, but is the trigger noticeably worse?

Imagine taking a fairly smooth action with a trigger in the neighborhood of 3lbs, dropping a handful of sand into the action adding about nine inches of creep and fourteen pounds of letoff.

 

[alienbogey]

The description was hyperbole, but an unconverted Old Model trigger is clearly superior to a New Model.

Years ago a buddy and I did an Old Model versus New Model trigger comparison. These were with Blackhawks (rather than SS's) and they were identical other than the triggers, my Old Model and his New. One guy would close his eyes, the other would hand him one or the other, and there was no way to tell which you were holding prior to dry firing it. We did this over and over, and we each could easily tell the difference, every time, with the Old Model obviously lighter, crisper, and shorter.

The good thing was that it was a blind test with consistent results, the bad was that my buddy became bummed about his New Model, which he had been happy with until the comparison with the unconverted Old Model.

Converting an Old Model to the transfer bar system lowers its value to a collector and lowers its shootability to a shooter. Yes, it enables you to carry the 6th chamber loaded, but if that's important to you and the degraded trigger isn't, then simply buy a New Model rather than butcher an Old.

JMNSHO

 

[CajunBass]

Hey Cajun, does your converted single six suffer the way CraigC described above? I understand it's hyperbole, but is the trigger noticeably worse?

Yea, the trigger isn't as good on the converted one as on the unconverted, but it isn't so bad you can't use it. To me, it's just different. Others feel differently, obviously.

 

[JohnBT]

"with a trigger in the neighborhood of 3lbs"

Over the years I've wondered what the average pull was on an old model. My 1972 convertible came with a 2-pound trigger. When I eventually bought a Lyman digital gauge, the pull turned out to be 2# and 7/10ths of an ounce.

I wouldn't sell it for the prices mentioned.

I keep meaning to send it in for the conversion.