Ruger Single Six Ammo Mystery

[Scooter1942]

Last week I stumbled upon a 1998 production new old stock 5.5" stainless single six convertible and couldn't walk away. I promptly bought some 22 Mag, CCI Maxi-Mag 40 gr Target and Hornady 30 gr V-max. I grabbed some 40 gr. 22LR Aguila from my stash and headed to the range after cleaning the revolver and installing some Wilson springs.

First cylinder of 22 Mag CCI was one ragged hole from 7 yards off-hand. Then the next three cylinders shot more like a shot gun, patterning at nearly 6" from only 7 yards! I switched to the Hornady V-Max and put two cylinders inside of an inch. Switched back to the CCI and groups were horrible. Can't even call them groups.

So, I switched over to the 22LR expecting a decrease in accuracy since that seems to be typical for Single-Six's. Turns out, one ragged hole with several cylinders of 22LR!

So I'm confused..why would the CCI go from being insanely accurate in the first six rounds to downright disappointing from that point forward? All the while, other ammo seemed to do fine, thus eliminating any suspected issues with the barrel. And while ammo can be inconsistent, I'm baffled by why the CCI would be awesome for 6 and then crap after that?

One other piece of evidence. I measured the diameter of both...the CCI measured .224 and the Hornady measured .2185.

Thoughts?

 

[diyj98]

Perhaps because shooting offhand isn't as reliable as a solid rest so that one ragged hole was a bit of luck? When I want to check the accuracy of a handgun and/or particular loads, I shoot them off a sandbagged rest to take some of the shooter error out of the equation. I'd also back off to at least 50 feet if not 25 yards for accuracy testing.

 

[gunzo]

Sounds like your shooting & the guns ability is confirmed so I would just try another box of the CCI. Could be your gun just doesn't like it & the one good group was a fluke.
Pull a 30 Vmax out of the case & measure the dia. further toward the base if your not doing that. Thinking that's where you'll see a greater dia. as .218" wouldn't likely be acceptable.

Keep us posted & welcome to the forum.

 

[contender]

I have been giving this thread some thought.

I'll start by saying that 7 yds is a very short distance (in my opinion) to try & measure the accuracy of any handgun. I generally start at 25 yds. That allows any oddities to show up a bit easier.
And for accuracy,, I use a rest, and work at making sure I do everything right. That way,, if the gun or the ammo has an issue it'll be more obvious.
I say this because shooting offhand,, standing,, is the least accurate method of shooting. And something people may not realize is it takes consistency in grip, stance, trigger control, sight alignment, follow through etc to truly get the best accuracy.

Now,, before you take offense Scooter1942,, I'm NOT saying you did anything wrong! I'm pointing out why accuracy with anything can be affected by the way people shoot.

If I had that gun, and the exact same ammo you were using,, I'd try a repeat of the accuracy test. BUT,, I would do so by using a rest, and being very, very careful in making sure I was as consistent as possible. And at 25 yds,, if you shoot a "pattern" instead of a tight group,, I'd be carefully studying the target to see if I had any tumbling, or other things that may point to WHY I had a pattern.
Next,, I would also have another good shooter do an accuracy test WITHOUT telling them what I was doing or why. No pre-conceived notions of what to expect. Long ago,, I had a .45 Colt Vaquero that in my hands, shot a good tight group,, but low & left. I tried several things,, but got similar results. I took it to a good friend,, whom I know is a top handgunner. He fired a one ragged hole group from about 20 yds,, low & left. Once I knew it was the gun, and not my loads or me,, I knew which direction to go with the gun. He's STILL trying to get me to let him own that Vaquero. But I made a few corrections,, and that gun is still here AND shoots to point of aim.

My point is,, do more testing.

It could easily be that one batch or box of ammo, or it may be something else. The quest for accuracy can be a fickle "woman" to chase. And often,, just like women,, hard to figure out.

 

[Scooter1942]

Contender...no offense taken. I learned a long time ago in my military competitive marksmanship days, that varied perspectives and coaches who can watch what you are or are not doing are all valuable data points, that if leveraged appropriately, will lead to success on the range. All good suggestions on your part.

There's no question, I need to start eliminating variables...starting with myself...so shooting from a rest is next. I've also purchased three more boxes of ammo from different manufacturers and bullet weights. I've cleaned and inspected bores and cylinders and see no issues there. Admittedly, I'm not one to shoot from a rest since I come from the "train like you fight" school of shooting. And, I know from experience that I am able to shoot 1-1.5" X-ring all day long from an offhand position with other 22 pistols from 7 yards and often but not always at 15 yards. That's why I was so shocked to see this go from a tack driver, to a shotgun, to a tack driver and back.

And you're right...this revolver is being quirky like the women in my life...and she has me guessing!

 

[contender]

Test things & keep us posted.