[industrious95]

Hi. I'm going to purchase my first handgun. I'm just looking to target shoot and I want a revolver, not a pistol. Also, I want something "gentle" in the hope I can get my wife to try it. (Of course if she does, I'll need to buy more guns so we can shoot together :lol: )

My local dealer's got a Single Six 22LR/22MAG that he'll give me for $250. It's got Hogue grips, which he tells me is a good add-on. No case, manual or warranty although it does have the original cardboard box. The blue finish on the gun looks clean, no obvious wear. It has the transfer bar installed, although I don't know if that was original or it was sent in for their retrofitting. The MAG cylinder is stainless, (or as the dealer says 'shined up') while the 22LR cylinder is blued, which from my reading on this site may indicate a mismatch.

I'm not looking for a 22 magnum. If I want to hunt or have a self defense gun, I wouldn't get a .22. For that particular gun, the main motivation is its availability and its price.

Does this sound like a "good deal?" Does anyone understand the Ruger Warranty? In the manual it says "check your state statues." No luck in doing that in NJ.

I checked several gun shops in the area and none of them have used Single Six's. Is that an indication that it's a good collector gun and nobody wants to sell them, or just that there don't happen to be any in the market right now?

Finally is the adjustable sight on the Single Six a "must have" feature?

Thanks for taking the time to read my question and answer.

 

[claybird]

Welcome to the site. Normally I would say this sounds like a decent price. BUT use caution. The Hogue grips, are they fancy wood or the rubber type? Hogue rubber grips are only
$12.-$15 and not really necessary on 22 . The wood grips
work better on a single action. As for the shiney magnum
cylinder. Be careful. Personally if it were me I would pass
on the deal and look elsewhere before buying. The extra cylinder should have the last 3 digets of the serial number engraved on the front side of the cylinder. If not it has
been an add on.
If you hav a friend that is familiar with Ruger handguns or
any other handguns ,take him along to take a good look at it.
As far as the single six for a first gun ,it's fine. I have a stainless Single six and Blackhawk 357/9mm convertable Both
very good guns . Just can't beat a Ruger.

 

[industrious95]

Re: re: First handgun: Single Six?

The extra cylinder should have the last 3 digets of the serial number engraved on the front side of the cylinder. If not it has
been an add on.

Thanks for your response, Claybird. Yes, it was the rubber Hoage grips. They made the gun feel very "hefty", but I was thinking of buying the wooden grips from Ruger, I think they look so much nicer.

If you can clarify for me, are you saying the 22LR and 22MAG cylinders will both have their own serial numbers, and the last 3 digits of their S/N's should match the last 3 digits of the gun's serial number?

I was excited about buying the gun until I thought about the extra cylinder having a different finish then the gun and I realized it might have been pieced together from assorted parts. Now I'm thinking about saving up my money for another month and just buying a new gun so I know exactly what I'm getting. Why spend $250 on a potential problem when $400 will get me a good gun that can last a lifetime? Over the next 30 years, that $150 is inconsequential.

Thanks again.

 

[Milly]

My father in law has a newer Ruger Single-six. It's blued and has the factory grips. It also has the extra cylinder for swapping between .22LR and .22Mag. Both of his are the same color as the gun. He hasn't had a chance to shoot it yet so I can't say if he likes it or not.

 

[claybird]

industrious95,
OK , Both cylinders should be marked the same . That is with
the last 3 numbers of the guns serial number. Hope this helps.
As for the grips,I use the Houge ruber grips on my S&W 357,however the grip angle is different than the Ruger single action guns. I have found that the single action center fire
guns tend to sort of rock in you hand when fired . This action seemd to soften the recoil and the wood grip helps there.
I hope this is clear to you. Any way ,Bill Ruger didn't seem to think we needed rubber grips on his single action guns so I will agree with him.
A ruger will last well into the Grandkids era.
PS Smooth black plastic grips look sharp on the stainless
guns.

 

[industrious95]

Hi Claybird, thanks again for your clarification.

I downloaded the Single Six manual and saw the illustration showing the S/N's, so I'm clear on that. I'm going back at lunch time to check if both cylinders are matched to the gun, and also to check if the S/N on the gun matches the box.

From several Ruger Forums, the lowest price I saw for a single six with only one Cylinder and no box was $180, and I'm seeing the cylinders for $50. I'd hate to pass on a good gun just because I have cold feet. It's not like there's a lot of things to go wrong with a single six revolver, right? I've checked four local shops and this is the only used Single six I've seen - I don't want to wait four months for someone to have the same gun for $20 less, think of all the shooting time I'll miss.

 

[wwb]

I wouldn't get my shorts in a knot over not getting a magnum cylinder.... I have a 3-screw Super single Six Convertible that I bought when I was young (and that was a long time ago). I bought a box of .22 Mags, shot about half of them, decided "Yup, it works.", and I believe that was the last time the magnum cylinder was ever in that gun. I gave the left-over half box of shells to a friend who had a .22 Mag rifle and didn't have the option of shooting .22LR.

I'll bet a poll of Single Six Convertible owners would show that to be very common. Way back when, you could buy cheap .38 Spl, .357 Mag, or .45 ACP for not a heck of a lot more than .22 mags; even today, they aren't all that much more.

 

[industrious95]

Re: re: First handgun: Single Six?

I wouldn't get my shorts in a knot over not getting a magnum cylinder....

Thanks for the encouragement, wwb. After I get the gun, I'll take some photos and upload them.

 

[uglydog]

I've mentioned before that I have the Single Six in stainless with both cylinders and I think it would be nice having a readily identifiable means of telling which cylinder is on the gun with a quick glance. I wish I would have thought of this a couple of weeks ago, before I sent in my 45 Colt Vaquero to have a 45 ACP cylinder installed.
Looking around over the weekend, the price for this gun does not seem to be a bad one; the extra cylinder sounds to be an add on but even then one would probably not pay too much less for a Single Six with just a 22LR cylinder. If this is a gun you want, I would suggest getting it as they are not getting cheaper and it seems there are few guns available and with the hassle getting a permit, you may find the "perfect" gun only after your permit expires. As you point out, there is a value to being able to shoot now rather than at some nebulous time in the future.

 

[industrious95]

Uglydog, You convinced me. I'm went this afternoon to pick it up. Hope I'm not making a mistake :lol:

The shop threw in a box of .22LR and .22WMR, which was a nice touch on his part, even though we all know the stuff's not exactly expensive. I'm satisfied with the price & package he gave me. I'm planning on cleaning it up real good tonight and taking it out to the range on Saturday.

 

[Milly]

Hope you enjoy it!

 

[Beretta Guy]

You just can't beat a Single Six.

 

[Roadkill Bill]

You'll have a great time with the Single Six. I wouldn't worry about the .22 mag cylinder. I have always felt it was a useless caliber. Ammo for it costs as much as cheap .38 Specials, and not nearly as much fun, or effective, as .38s. After you shoot the free ones your dealer gave you, you can "retire" the mag cylinder and just enjoy the cheap .22LRs.

Later you can get a .357 Blackhawk and shoot .38s and .357s!

 

[dboyd351]

Since several of you don't think the Magnum cylinder is worht having, do you want to sell yours?
I lost mine and do want one.

 

[wwb]

Re: re: First handgun: Single Six?

Since several of you don't think the Magnum cylinder is worht having, do you want to sell yours?
I lost mine and do want one.

The cylinders need to be fitted and timed to the particular revolver they are going to be used in.

You can take any old mag cylinder, drop it into any old revolver (as long as you match new model parts to a new model or old model parts to an old model) and it will almost certainly work..... but the individual chambers probably won't align perfectly with the barrel, and the accuracy will be lousy. You will get uneven erosion on the forcing cone, eventually resulting in poor accuracy with the LR cylinder as well. If the misalignment is bad enough, it may also spit bullet shavings out of the barrel to cylinder gap.

There is a device called a "range rod" that is used to gauge cylinder alignment.... if you get a cylinder, check the alignment (or have it checked). If you get lucky, you can shoot it and enjoy it..... if it needs work, you'll find that it will cost nearly as much as you paid for the gun.

 

[dboyd351]

What I was asking is whether anyone wanted to sell a magnum cylinder.

 

[wwb]

Re: re: First handgun: Single Six?

What I was asking is whether anyone wanted to sell a magnum cylinder.

Yes.... and what I was telling you is that it's not a good idea to buy a cylinder that wasn't factory matched to the revolver - - that's why they engrave the last 3 digits of the SN on the face of the cylinders.

The cylinder will almost certainly need to be fitted. The odds against scoring a "drop in" fit are astronomical. A typical gunsmith charge for fitting a cylinder is about $200. It ain't worth it.

 

[Virginian]

Actually, I have seen extra cylinders fit fine in 5 out of six cases. And, if it doesn't fit, you can sell it and try again. The only real variable is the length and cylinder to barrel gap. The timing should be checked, but the dimensions determining that on a Ruger are done by CNC machining, so I wouldn't be too worried.