Ruger Single Six accurate?

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woodperson

Single-Sixer
Joined
Sep 27, 2004
Messages
494
Location
Knoxville, TN
I think I need a single action .22 LR. I do not want a Wrangler. I am looking at the Single Six convertibles. I have read that they are not accurate with .22 LR. Is that so? If so, what are the choices for a reasonably accurate single action in .22 LR.
 
Back in the '80's I benched my '75 Super Single Six with only 3 brands of ammo. At 25 yards the results were:

WW Super X Power Points--1.84"

CCI Mini Mags--1.97"

Remington Golden Bullets--2.6"

That's with me shooting it; I'm sure it was capable of better. Also, back then I considered the WW Power Points to be premium regular ammo. Don't know about now.

I can't speak for the newer ones. I'd buy one from '79 or earlier, preferably an Old Model. They're the ones with the anodized grip frames, but that's just me.
 
My 6 1/2" barreled Single Six is accurate 'enough'. Every gun will be different. No guarantees.... (I won't own a Wrangler either).

Following (.22LR) I shot off-hand at 15Ys, second at 10Y leaning against a post. Good enough for me. Obviously benched would be much tighter. This is with bulk federals plated.
 

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If you truly want better accuracy,, look for an Old Model Single-Six with a serial number UNDER 150000. The bore diameter is slightly smaller and was cut for just .22 LR. Once the .22 magnum came out, and it's slightly larger,, Ruger increased the bore diameter by .002 to allow the use of both calibers safely.

But with that,, what do you consider "reasonably accurate?"

Even with the larger bore size of the post 150000 guns,, many are quite accurate enough for most applications. I've taken many squirrels with head shots using one.
 
I shot silhouette using a single 6 convertible with a 9.5 inch barrel. I shot some groups at 50 yards and it did pretty well. I later picked up a Dan Wesson 22 that was a little more accurate and finally a Freedom Arms silhouette pistol which is very accurate.

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I once thought they weren't accurate at all, & my bud outshot me a good bit, with my own pistol.

I went to work with the Single Six. Seems it might be harder to shoot than some formats, but not inaccurate across the board. The hammer fall is long & hits heavy, so good follow thru after the trigger break is necessary. Now, the guns aren't match grade but learning the best way to handle them, at least in my case, will have them plenty accurate for most task.
 
Mine is as accurate any of my other .22LR revolvers. Does it match my Mark II 678 Gov't model? No.
 
Some of mine are more accurate than others and also depends on ammo. 22LR is pretty fickle.
I shoot a lot of 22mag and have found Hornady vmax to be generally the most accurate for me.
 
I think I need a single action .22 LR. I do not want a Wrangler. I am looking at the Single Six convertibles. I have read that they are not accurate with .22 LR. Is that so? If so, what are the choices for a reasonably accurate single action in .22 LR.
If it has a .22 magnum cylinder with it, try the accuracy with that cylinder/mag ammo. I think you'll find that the accuracy is better with.22 mag. If your wanting better accuracy with LR ammo you'll need to get a non convertible to 22 mag gun. My scoped single six was a tack driver with the mag ammo/cyl, but not so much with LR ammo/cyl.
 
Why I asked: No experience or familiarity with these guns. Sorta want one. Was looking through the Gunbroker adds for within my state thinking I might be able to go pick one up. This was in the description of one that was fairly cheap.

"Long Rifle cylinder is Not Included but available from Prescott, AZ. The Convertible Single Six is Not accurate anyway with Long Rifle ammunition."

Yes, it sounds like a dealer trying to sell what he has. I bet if he actually had both cylinders the same gun would be "incredibly accurate with both cylinders".

My .357/9mm certainly shoots good enough with both cylinders.

My problem is that I do not really need another gun and might rather have a .32 of some sort single action that I can reload for. So I am in decision limbo. Sorta a normal state of affairs for me.
 
My 1955 Single Six with a 5 1/2" barrel is a tack driver. Serial 17099. I haven't shot my 1959 with the 9 1/2" barrel much due to the wet weather- but the one time I took it out it was also extremely accurate. Serial 141569. Both are before the 150000 barrel change. I do have one New Model Convertible with a 6 1/2" barrel- it is very accurate too but those two early ones can definitely shoot better than I can…
 

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