My most recent firearm purchase is a Ruger Single Six that I got at a steep discount because it was "missing" the magnum cylinder. Turns out that this Single Six was in the batch that never had one. It is my first single action revolver and it is a nice gun and shoots very well, but is loading with the loading gate and ejector supposed to be that slow (compared to ejecting and loading a Model 686) or does practice make perfect? Any tricks beyond practice to speeding up the process or am I up against mechanical limitation? Thank you in advance.

The Single Six makes it a real challenge to go through more than two bricks a day. My best advice; just slow down and enjoy yourself.

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Dave Brown
SWCA #3279

I have a single six with 6.5 inch barrel. Very accurate with 40 gr. mini mag. Unloading one round at a time and then reloading one at a time just makes ammo and shooting it last longer = more fun. I got out of a hurry years ago.

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Just a shooter

Yeah, it's slow and methodical.... but all those Swiss Watch loud mechanical clicks when slowly cocking the hammer makes it all worthwhile.

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triggers dog-pile egomaniacs

They're a perfect gun to let your kids or friends use when you're supplying the ammo

Caused me to take pause and shoot Pawpaw's old 70' model.
It's been kept in this old S&W holster since day one.( it'll never have the transfer bar while in my possession)

A distant relative recently sent me this old photo of him. I'm gonna run some lr and wmr in his memory for the Fourth!

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triggers dog-pile egomaniacs

Gratuitous picture

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weren't the single six just .22LR and the convertible six the ones with the extra magnum cylinder?

The first handgun that I purchased, with money earned from mowing yards, was a Ruger single/convertible six with the magnum cylinder. I could only afford one box of .22 magnums ever two months.

I learned to shoot a handgun with that Ruger and learned to appreciate swing out cylinders on S&W and Colt revolvers. Semi autos were "over the top!"

For Christmas, my junior year of HS, I received a Colt Huntsman. The Ruger was traded away but, I still have the Colt along with its original box, paper work and warranty card. I wonder if I should send in the warrant card to see if I get a response? Probably not!

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To answer your question...it will never be as fast as ejecting and loading your model 686. And yes, if you do it enough times, muscle memory will make things much easier, but it will never be as fast as loading a double-action.

That being said, the Ruger Single Six is a great gun and a perfect gun for just "woods walking." I gave my 3-screw, .22 LR only, to my daughter when she "left the nest." I missed the gun so much that I went out and bought another. This one has the magnum cylinder. Again...these are great guns, no matter how long it takes to load them. Enjoy yours.

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Pack light and cinch tight.

Very nice!!

You need an Indian Head Penny to go with the silver....

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triggers dog-pile egomaniacs

I suspect there are a lot of shooters and even gun shop owners who think that all Single Sixes were convertible models. I bought this one a couple years ago from a gun shop owner at a local gun show. It was marked as a Single Six with a the tag stating ".22 WMR, missing .22 LR cylinder" and priced at $125.

I noted it was a new model, where .22 WMR would be in an un-fluted cylinder and figured he was mistaken. Sure it enough it was a .22 LR cylinder.



As an aside, unless things have changed in the last few years, Ruger will provide and fit a second cylinder for you when they are making a new run of that particular model of revolver. The only limitation is that it has to be something that they produced as a standard model. But even that's flexible when it comes to barrel length. For example, if you have a 7 1/2" Blackhawk in .45 Colt, they'll fit a second cylinder in .45 ACP, even though (I don't think) they ever sold a 7 1/2" .45 Colt / .45 ACP Convertible model.

Consequently, provided its a new model with the .224" bore, Ruger will fit it with a .22 WMR cylinder. Cost a few years ago was $125.

They are beautiful guns, enjoy! Happy 4th!

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In my opinion, the "old model" Super Single Six Convertible was the best of the lot. The new models are slower to reload, because indexing the chambers for ejection has to be eyeballed. With the old models, you just advance the cylinder manually until it clicks, turn the cylinder back a bit until it stops, and activate the ejector rod. This can be done amazingly fast, as there is no need to fiddle around trying to align a chamber for ejection. The "Super" models had adjustable sights, while the standard Single Sixes did not.

Not all Single Sixes were convertibles. Those that were had the extra cylinder provided, and it was fitted at the factory, its box marked with the last 3 digits of the gun's serial number.

With these, you could shoot .22 short, .22 long, .22 LR, and .22 WMR.

Here's mine, purchased many years ago and still a fun gun to shoot!

John

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- Cogito, ergo armatus sum -

When my wife moved here from Chicago, and found out she could buy a gun she couldn't wait. As she looked around the store, I just let her look. I was mildly surprised when she picked a Ruger Single-Six, 50th anniversary. "It looks like a cowboy gun."

Turned out to be a good choice. She loved that. The magnun cylinder is still in the box, and has never been used so missing it wouldn't bother me any. I'm not even sure she knows it's there.



Here she is shooting it at Clark Brothers Guns in Opal, Virginia.

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John 3:16 .

"It is my first single action revolver..."

Now wait a minute!!! You claim to be a Texan AND a gun guy and you have never owned a single action revolver!!!!!

SHAME, SHAME, SHAME!!!

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John 3:16
WAR EAGLE!

Here's mine. I think it dates to about 1968. As a side note to a previous post, I bought a 7 1/2" Ruger Blackhawk with a 45 Colt cylinder and 45 acp cylinder in 1973, traded it for a Smith 66 in 1983. Never looked back and no remorse! Date of manufacture chart for Ruger Single-Six 22 W.M.R. from Rimfire Central.

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My 45 Colt / 45 ACP Blackhawk convertible has a 7 1/2" barrel and it was made in 1976. Bought new for $141. It has the "200th year of American Liberty" roll stamped on the top of the barrel.

(PS - that was the year I quit competitive shooting and sold my S&W Model 41 to buy the Ruger. Not a smart move, but at least i still have the BH.)

Mine is a 1976 Colorado Centennial / US Bicentennial edition. Bought it at Cabela's (gun library, estate gun), but every spring was trash. The guys there had no clue. After a couple of hours on the phone with CS & the gunsmith at Ruger, they just sent me a complete set of everything spring-related. I had a couple of days "training" on the pistol, but it is perfect now.

It is a lot easier if you wear a cowboy hat, boots, and spurs with jingle bobs.

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"from my cold dead hands" C.H.

My single Six was made before they went to the transfer bar and came with both cylinders'
A word of warning: If you send your old Single Six to Ruger for repair without a transfer bar they will automatically convert it and NOT return the original parts.
Jim

SA Revolvers are what they are . Fun , accurate, strong, reliable, durable, natural pointing, and fun .

Diligent practice and muscle memory will shave a few % off your reloading time, but it will be several times slower than a swing out cylinder DA with a speedloader .

As far as I know , Ruger made .22lr or Convertable . Earlier this decade picked up a stainless New Model w/ WMR cylinder only . But the LGS in question sold it as a Convertable, but when the widow bundled the guns to sell , she couldn't find the .22lr cylinder . Fast foreward about 2yr , and I'm at a not quite LGS ( nice guy independent entrepreneur, just that he's 2 plus hrs from me ) doing a different transaction . I look into his glass cabinet of " Misc Stuff " and spot somthing .

I ask " is that a stainless New Model Single Six Cylinder ? " . But he got it in trade as part of a bulging box of gun parts, and had no idea . But if I wanted to take a chance on it, I could have it for $25 .

It was .22lr . Tried it in the gun, and got lucky . Timing and headspace perfect , b/c gap medium .

The lr cylinder has long been separated from pawpaws pistol.... I'm not writing it off as lost but I did have to replace the original.... hence the pinto look. Spotted the stainless cylinder tucked away in some junk at the lgs..... bought it for $20 on a chance and it fits fine. Ruger manufacturing pride back then musta had them holding tight tolerances. That Pinto cylinder works like it was fitted to the pistol.

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triggers dog-pile egomaniacs

I've owned several Single Sixes over the years, but I'm down to just this beater now.



It was a police evidence gun and I got it dirt cheap. It has an LR cylinder in it.



I don't know what was going on with the muzzle. It cleaned up and the gun shoots fine.



It is a fun range gun. The loading and unloading process makes ammo last a while. The Ruger Single Six is an American classic - everybody should own one!

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Rule of law, not a man.

I have an old model single six 22 magnum from 1959. The original plastic grips were faded pretty bad so I dyed them. Also I got a set of elk stags from bigmtnman on here.







I love the way the elk grips fit my hand

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-Matt

Afraid so. I had only semi-automatics until I bought a nice Highway Patrolman Model 28 for $400. Then I started buying more DA revolvers. Loading gates looked like a pain, and to an extent they are, but the Single Six is a good gun. I won't need one of those Heritage Single actions now. If it is any conciliation, I moved from Ohio decades ago.

I'm a transplant Texan, so the lack of a single six was hereditary..

There's just something special about SA revolvers. I have a 5 inch Single Six .22LR that I love, but I just picked up a 10-shot, 3.5 inch barrel Uberti-made Cimarron Model P Jr. .22 LR that's an equal joy to shoot. My Ruger New Vaquero Montado .357 magnum is my favorite backcountry carry SA revolver. Modern revolvers modeled after old school classics simply rock for many of us.

I've owned several Single Six's over the years but don't currently have one. I did buy an adjustable sight Ruger Bearcat for a plinking and trapping gun.

I picked up a SS shopkeeper bearcat 22. Useless, but looks sharp.

I’d say you’ve shot a lot of autoloaders in the past. What’s the rush? Slowdown and enjoy the process.

I wouldn’t trade my Rugers. My stainless convertible cost me $189 new, that’s how long Ive had it. I also have a beautiful original low SN Bearcat that I bought in the 70’s and have a new one with adjustable sights. I really love the heritage behind single action revolvers. They were designed in a time when we transitioned from single shot percussion pistols and cap and ball revolvers. In that time the single action metallic cartridge revolver was lightning fast to load and unload vs cap and ball revolvers.

Just slow down and enjoy the process. It’ll make you a better marksman.

SA Revolvers are about Enjoying your shooting , not a race to see how fast you can mag dump your way through a brick of ammo .

My 3 screw Convertable spends most of its time with the LR cylinder, my SS NM most of the time with the WMR . But that randomly worked out that way, and could just as easily flip flop . Also have a 1963 Bearcat, that had been with the original owner 1963- 2018 ( I knew them , he passed away , she sold a few of the guns to our mutual FFL friend, then she passed about two months later ). Came with 1963 Buchiemer holster, 1963 synthetic MOP grips, and 1963 engraving of her name on the butt . I don't feel too bad, because the engraving is what made it affordable for me . Trying to decide between black fingernail polish, and black electrical tape .

********

Ruger insists on factory fitting replacement/ additional cylinders . But my experience, and the cumulative experience of the people on the Ruger collector fora , is that 80% of cylinders will drop in to 80% of the relevant frames .

[quote[/quote]

Ruger Single Six Date Codes

storyman has pointed out the WMR models have a seperate date code chart.......Good Catch!

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triggers dog-pile egomaniacs

The single six does force you to slow down. It can be unsettling at first but it grows on you. That said, at least on my older unmodified model, thumbing the the hammer back while the loading gate is open brings the cylinder hole in line with the ejector. Doing this repeatedly with the right hand while operating the ejector with the left, does speed things up considerably.
hth

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Dave

I had a Single Six a couple years ago. I bought it from the local Gander Mountain. If I remember correctly, it dated to 1956. It didn't have a magnum cylinder and had been back to Ruger for the update. I got it for $300.00. Local price trends at the time were $300 for a .22LR only and $400 for one with a .22 Magnum cylinder included.

I had it for a bit but decided to let it go because it didn't have a magnum cylinder. I sold it to the son of a friend of mine for the $300 I paid for it.



Fast forward a few months and I got a phone call from the store when they were going out of business.
"Hi, this is Brian with Gander Mountain.... Our records show you bought a Ruger Single Six..... We are cleaning out the vault and found a bag of hardware and an extra cylinder......."

Yup, they found the magnum cylinder and all of the original lockwork out of the gun. It seems that the store had taken the gun in on trade in original condition and they had sent it in for the update before putting it out for sale. Somehow, everything got separated from the gun when they sold it.

So, I sold the gun because it didn't have a magnum cylinder, only to get the magnum cylinder given to me months later.
I still haven't replaced it and still lack a single-action .22. Maybe it's time to start looking for a replacement - a 4" barrel this time.


I did the right thing and gave the stuff to the kid that I sold the gun to. I only charged him a cup of coffee.


The gun and the "bag of hardware":

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I'm a transplanted Texan but a lifelong southerner and it took me a while to warm up to SA revolvers. 2 Ruger Bisleys in 44 Special and 45 Colt. One day I'll find a Bisley Single Six and buy it. Despite more than 35 years in Texas I can't warm up to a traditional SA grip frame.

Hate to admit it as a lifelong S&W revolver fan but if I really have to hit with a handgun at long range my 45 Colt Bisley is as close to magic in my hands as any handgun. That assumes all day to unlimber it and leisurely take aim. My 627 (No dash) is a very close second and a whole faster to get running.

I bought mine in 1969. The serial number is for a standard model but it came with the mag cylinder. I left the mag cylinder in the red bag it came in for years out in the garage and rust ruined it. But I still have part of the first box of magnum ammo I bought for it. Found out I could kill cans just fine with .22LR.

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