Ruger Single Six - What does it do that my K22 Outdoorsman cannot do?

[gwpercle]

Shooting an old school single action revolver is like driving a 4 on the floor manual transmission , 1960's muscle car with a nice big 8 cylinder motor !
It may not be practical , but it sure is FUN.
Gary

 

[oddshooter]

You answered your own question when you came to the Smith & Wesson forum.

Several here gave unbiased reviews with details, but the majority are SW shooters and fans. No surprise. Try the Ruger forum and see how the responses go. It's the exact same responses, just reversed.



It's the nature of the beast. In all of us.


Prescut

 

[arjay]

I owned one long ago and sold it after a few years.I thought the Ruger Mark series and my K-22 cm were far more accurate

 

[Drm50]

The Rugers are probably the finest SA pistols ever produced,even
counting Colts. The Single-6 is a fine revolver( 3screw) but is not
a target gun as is a 17 or 18. The K22 used as a field pistol is
just as versatile as a S-6. It will shoot any ammo the Ruger will.
The only disadvantage is weight, which isn't much. When I go in
the woods I'm carrying a k22, the same one I've carried since
1964. I will put up with the weight it's a good trade off for the
accuracy of the K22. You can't take them with you so you might
as well enjoy them while you can. My K22 has some blue wear
and a few minor scratches but I have taken good care of it. From
1975 to 1992 I carried this gun almost daily and put a box of shells through it weekly ( at least)

 

[L Pete]

I don't know why, but there's a whole lotta' hate in the thread for the New Model Single-Sixes. My new one I bought last year shoots absolutely "lights out", after a little stoning on the trigger and hammer. It shoots better than my Ruger Mk IV Target. I'm very happy with mine, and consider it the perfect packin' .22. Plus,.....the price was right......

 

[otis24]

Growing up, I was all about single action revolvers. As I got older, practicality and utility won out. I now love DA revolvers. I purchased a Single Six with .22 mag cylinder. It was a pain to load. If you have a K22, keep it and invest your funds into something else you would rather have unless you can get one dirt cheap. I sold my Single Six several years ago. I would love to have a DA .22, Ruger or Smith!

 

[JGR_LV]

Got both, like both, but very different guns

I've got a Ruger New Model Single-Six that I bought in the mid-Seventies and a barn find (long story) 1947-vintage K-22. Clearly the K-22 is the more valuable of the two. The Ruger came with the .22 Mag extra cylinder, so clearly it will do something the K-22 can't, at least not without spending a fortune to have somebody hand-fit a Mod. 18 cylinder to it, incidentally bubba-smithing a classic S&W. Not going there, especially as I doubt I've actually put a full box of magnums through the Ruger in the 40-plus years I've owned it.
I don't really understand the 3-screw snobs in the Ruger crowd, except perhaps purely from the collector value standpoint. Being able to safely carry only five rounds in a six-shooter is a definite minus for a field gun, in my view. The one-way cylinder rotation is a nuisance, and I've cussed mine from time to time. Eventually it may bother me enough to make me order the Power Custom free-spin pawl, or maybe the entire half-cock hammer/trigger kit, and spend the time to fit it, but so far I just swear at it and live with it.
My one real gripe with the Ruger is that the cylinder bores have sufficient rough machining marks in the chamber throat area that soft, unplated bullets of some brands leave lead behind, so much that after a couple dozen rounds it becomes nearly impossible to get a new round in the chamber. A gunsmith friend tells me that's not uncommon with the brand, and he's suggested very careful polishing to cure the problem. I'll probably do that before I spring for the after-market lockwork.

 

[Cardboard_killer]

My experience with a single-10 was okay. I was surprised at the weight. I don't think my k22 was much (if at all) heavier. What made me sell it was the inability to load reasonably quickly. With ten chambers, if you moved the cylinder a little too far, you couldn't load, and you have to move the cylinder in one direction all the way around to try again. I think there are kits to allow you to move the cylinder in both directions, but I don't want to spend another $120 on a $450 gun, and then hand fit it myself.

I have two Uberties now, as well as a Colt Frontier Scout. Obviously they are not as robust as the Ruger was, but I don't abuse my guns do not carry 22 SAs, except to the range. And they look so much better than the Ruger, even the colt as it's nickel plated.

What I would like to try is a Bearcat. That looks like a superior trail 22 over the single-#. Or I could stick with my m63. Still looking for a m34 at a good price.

 

[silversnake]

What I would like to try is a Bearcat. That looks like a superior trail 22 over the single-#. Or I could stick with my m63. Still looking for a m34 at a good price.

If you get a Bearcat, I like the version with adjustable sights. I found the thin blade front sight on the fixed-sight Bearcat almost unusable, particularly on the stainless guns. If you already have a 63 though that sounds like the better trail gun in my opinion.

 

[Buford57]

Ruger Single Six - What does it do that my K22 Outdoorsman cannot do? Absolutely nothing.

I disagree: depreciate.

 

[JGR_LV]

Not that much depreciation, really.

I think I paid around $120 for my S-S back in the 70's. I haven't checked what that would be in 2017 dollars, but I expect I could get what I paid for out of it, and I've had at least that much fun with it over the decades. I haven't compared the weight to the K-22, either. I can tell you, though, that my 6" 5-screw K-22 is almost exactly 2 ounces heavier than my 4-screw 6" K-38. The .38 is the "heavy barrel' model, the same as the one that Torsten Ullman set a world record with back in 1954.

 

[Mainsail]

K22 Pros:
faster reloads

Single Six Cons:
slow reloads

Thoughts?

I don't understand why reload speed is a factor in a .22 unless you plan to carry it for self protection.

Going way back to 1983ish I was a young airman stationed at Travis AFB in CA. One day it occurred to me that I was an adult, and if I wanted to buy a gun I could go buy a gun; so I did! I picked up a Marlin Model 60 and put a 3-9 scope on top. We used to shoot that rifle a lot, but walking out 80 yards or so to reset targets meant I spent more time walking than shooting. Even shooting the jackrabbits out at the old sewage treatment ruins in Vaccaville wasn't much of a challenge with the scope.

I then purchased a Ruger New Model Super Single Six (what a name!) with the two cylinders. This provided three advantages; it offered more challenge, I could shoot closer range, and it forced me to slow down. Now a $11 brick of .22 would last two or more outings.

I say get it and shoot both. There's a lot of good to be said for practicing with a double action trigger, especially if your EDC or home protection gun is a revolver. But the Ruger is a lot of fun to shoot and helps you focus on aiming and trigger technique.

I still have that Single Six too; and it still goes to the range with me. I like it for teaching new shooters sight alignment and keeps them from just blowing through a box of ammo in 15 minutes.

 

[BAM-BAM]

I don't understand why reload speed is a factor in a .22 unless you plan to carry it for self protection.

30+ years ago when I had mine; it was one of only two handguns I owned... and accompanied me on on many a walk in Penn's Woods....... one day I saw a small pack of dogs chasing a deer...... and realized I needed a bigger and faster to reload gun.

The 4" model 10 became a 2 1/2" Model 19 and the Single Six became a Dan Wesson.......... which later became a Model 18.

 

[oddshooter]

I shoot my 22's a lot faster than my 38/357, 44 mag, and 45 colt. The centerfires have more recoil and a minute or so is welcome when shooting all day, for several days. Not so the 22.

If my 22 lr SAA requires me to push on the ejector rod everytime; I get tired of that pretty quick, two cylinders. After I find the guns favorite 22 manufacturer, I then polish any sticky cylinder until the brass falls out by itself.

But the way to put a lot of rounds down range is the swing out cylinder. I keep a can at my left on the ground, so I can push the ejector rod and get all the brass captured. I started out by grabbing two rounds with 3 fingers and a thumb. Within a day I was inserting 2 at a time easily. Within a week, I was inserting 3 at a time. Then just keep practicing.
Instead of emptying and reloading time, you have shooting time.

I bought an auto-loader for my Ruger Mark II magazines that took the work and time right out of that task as well.

I try to teach folks to take Pride in their reloading technique. Fumbling around is not impressive.

 

[TTSH]

If you have to justify a single action, you probably won't like them. I love mine.

Bingo. We have a winner.

And for the record, my pristine perfect Ruger Single Six in box w/extra cylinder, extra grips and everything factory cost me exactly half of what the cheapest, reasonably decent, nothing special, used K-22 would have set me back.

No regrets at all on owning a Ruger single action revolver. I still hope to find the "right" used Pre-IL K-22 Masterpiece someday before I die, but for now, I'm good.

 

[BigBill]

Why compare a k22 to a single six.

How about a s&w k22 masterpiece target w/6" barrel vs a colt officers target model w/6" barrel?

 

[Wee Hooker]

I own my share of K22's. New and Old. Yet I can't imagine a classic revolver collection without at least one Single Six. ( OK, two!) The SS not better than a K22. They're just two classics that are enjoyably different.

 

[model70hunter]

As a wee lad learning to shoot pistols I used Dad's 1959 Ruger SA, 4 5/8 bbl. My lil bro learned on it also.

We each bought one when we went out into the world. Collecting or having multiple guns was not affordable to us then. Families and paying bills kept us to basics. My brother still has the 6.5" he bought. Squirrels, rabbits, frogs etc were perfect for thr SA.

I got the hots for plinking, target shooting and quicker loading. Traded mine in on a 5.5 inch bull bbl Ruger.

It was the same for all ourvguns, we each had 1 deer rifle and one shotgun that did every thing. Ducks, some quail, rabbits, squirels, Turkeys and doves.

As we gained maturity and better pay we increased our respective collections.

I had heard of K 22's but had never seen nor fired one. I found an early post ww2 one cheap in a small gun shop. It exuded quality. We did not have huge 22 ammo selection then. I bought some WIN or WW 22 lr and found a tack driver. The old gent who had sold it must have used the same ammo. No adjustments needed.

It was my 22 LR love. It and many guns were sold to pay legal fees in the child custody fight. The kids got to stay with who they wanted, which was me.

For a while it was like my early life. 1 deer rifle, 1 shotgun and a 357 pistol.

As I recouped my life and finances I fell into a pit, I had been picking up Colts. I moved to the St. Louis area and found gun shows. I ended up coming to in the bottom of that pit. Woke up chasing S& W crazy.

I found 4 or 5 K 22's and lots of other pistols nsmed Smith.

I had bought guns as an investment for retirement. I sold most of them then realized I had sold all the K 22's. I felt small brained. Right after we get settled in our retirement town a guy opens a gun shop. Shortly there after a fella traded a mid 50's K 22 in the box for a. Heritage 22 SA. I bought the Smith on the spot. It is accurate.

Back to the old Ruger of my childhood, I inherited it about 20 years ago. I taught my Wife,step kids and many neighbors and their kids first revolver shooting was with that old 3 screw.

The 1st thing I did was send it to Ruger for the transfer bar free upgrade. The owner before Dad had filed the trigger and sear to give it a hair trigger. It was no longer safe.

When we go fishing or just beating around the Ruger goes. The Smith gets the nod for hunting or varmint eradication.

Both have a place in my gun safe and in my heart. The Ruger is a time Traveling link. When I use it I remember Dad's big hands helping me learn to shoot it.

Today is father's day. Dad thanks for all you did for us. One of my grandsons stands above the rest, he will get our Ruger some day. You see I held his small hands in my big ones like you did for me.

 

[fishcreekrim]

Default Ruger Single Six - What does it do that my K22 Outdoorsman cannot do?

Resist rust and be replaced easily, these are two qualities I look for in a pickup gun. On the ranch we have pickup guns, less than perfect care and theft is a possibility. I have a 48-2 w/both lr and mag cylinder and I have a 17-3, those are not pickup guns, my pickup gun is a 4" sp101.

 

[Ranger514]

Ruger makes a fixed sight Single Six .22 LR that makes for a good alternative. I only mention it because the OP said he was thinking of getting a New Vaquero in .357 mag. Having a .22 and .357 with the same manual of arms and a fixed sight system gives you the best of both worlds IMO. I own one of each, as well as a model 63. As the saying goes, "variety is the spice of life."