single six accuracy

[KahrT40]

have seen where several have asked about this. Yesterday at the range I had two Rugers--a MKIII "Hunter" with the 6"+ barrel and a new single six "Hunter" with the 7 1/2" barrel. Red dot on the MKIII and a Bushnell 2-6x scope on the SS. On the 50 yard range, the MKIII was throwing 20 rounds into a 1/2 dollar size hole while the SS was working me to keep them in a 4" circle. It may just be me, I haven't shot a revolver in years and the single action was a first also. Needless to say tho, I didn"t come home very happy with the revolver. There were three brands of ammo used and I got about the same results with the magnum cylinder. Today the SS was doing about what the mK did yesterday only I was on the 15 yd range. Somebody tell me this is going to get better!!

 

[contender]

Welcome to the Forum!
As a firearm instructor, and a frequent shooter of Rugers, (all types,) I can say it could EASILY be your style of shooting. Without seeing you shoot, and watching for changes etc, it would be hard to diagnose what's going on.
That said, most Ruger 22 semi's seem to shoot a bit tighter than the SA's in general. Yet, both are usually capable of excellent accuracy as well.
To answer your question,,, yes, it CAN get better. I will suggest a possible class or 2 with a good instructor versed in those types of firearms.

 

[VAdoublegunner]

I am constantly amazed at the accuracy possible with my MarkII 678GC. Quarter sized groups are the norm at 50 yards, with Winchester Dynapoints, and occasionally better than that on a good day. I have yet to see any revolver match the Ruger autos, even my Performance Center customized S&W 17-8 which has only been able to deliver around 1.25" groups at best. However, a good revolver should be able to turn in decent performance, with consideration of the ammo peculiarities inherent in 22s. I have looked at the Single-Six Hunter often and thought about trying one. I would hope they do better than that. Perhaps the bore of your new Hunter is slightly rough. Maybe a little JB Bore Paste and a few bulk packs to settle it in will help. That worked for me on a bad T/C contender carbine barrel once.

 

[Onty]

Shooting any handgun could be challenging. I know a number of folks that are excellent with DA revolvers and not so with SA ones, and vice versa. The only way to test accuracy is to slap handgun into Ransom rest. Some experienced shooters claim that they could better accuracy form sandbags than Ransom rest. Very small number could do that but for us ordinary mortals, Ransom rest is still ultimate testing machine.

 

[DMZ]

Shooting any handgun could be challenging. I know a number of folks that are excellent with DA revolvers and not so with SA ones, and vice versa. The only way to test accuracy is to slap handgun into Ransom rest. Some experienced shooters claim that they could better accuracy form sandbags than Ransom rest. Very small number could do that but for us ordinary mortals, Ransom rest is still ultimate testing machine.

Correct. A Ransom rest will test the precision of the gun, accuracy is a function of the shooter.

I have a standard Mark II and a 5 1/2" Single Six and have always shot better with the Mk II. I attribute this to the heavy hammer fall and trigger of the SS. That and the fact the the bore of the Single Six is .224" where is is .223" on the MK II. Small things when taken individually, but all together they add up to make the Single Six inherently less accurate than the MK II or III.

 

[KahrT40]

Thanks for the replys--I was thinking I'd leave the autos at home for a few trips and just concentrate on the Single Six.

 

[offhand]

Paco's Kelly's acu'rzr will bump up your ammo to .224. Nice tool, i bought one but i am not good enough to tell the difference in accuracy.

 

[LRB]

I once scoped a Mark I bull barrel, 8X Burris, and at fifty yards bench rest, literally covered a five shot group with a dime.

 

[TBxd]

If shootin' june bugs outta trees is yer thing, yer right to get the auto: personally, i'd still rather have the single six.

 

[LRB]

TBxd, so would I for general use, but I do appreciate real accuracy on occasion.

 

[EBellville]

From what I have read recently, a Single six bore is .224" whereas the .22 LR gets best accuracy from a .222" bore. The Single Six being offered with the interchangable cylinder has to have the .224" bore for the Magnum rounds and is thus less accurate than a dedicated .22LR pistol. It is NOT safe to shoot .22LR in a Magnum Cylinder. The .22 Magnum has a thicker case, and thus the chamber is loose with a >22 LR and being longer, the chamber will be damaged shooting .22 LR.

How accurate can the magnum setup be? To tell the truth, I dont know. I am presently mounting a scope base on My 9.5" barrel Single Six with a 2-7 EER scope for "short range" prairie dogs. The cartridge mages a world of difference, but my best source tells me Remington poly Tip 33 grain will shoot 2" all day long at 100 yards. Not being a human Ransom Rest, my results might be different.

 

[flatgate]

I think a Ruger MK-III will outshoot a Freedom Arms revolver in .22 LR :shock:

Sometimes it takes a lot of experimentation before one "discovers" his Single-Six's favorite brand.

Paco's accurizer has helped me get better results out of my 20+ year old stainless KNR-6.

flatgate

 

[Jeff Hoover]

Here's a coupla groups fired at 25 yds., using Federal Walmart bulk. Old vs. New single- six .

 

[jpickar]

I have had several single sixes and several Mark I & II's.

It seem to me that the Ruger semi auto pistols shoot tighter groups than any single six I ever had. I still have a single six and two MK-II's. One is a Competition Target that is scoped along with my single six. The MK-II wins everytime.

My son had a single six that shot so bad he never used it. I ran across a MK-II 678 stainless and he talked me into a trade and now he shoots his new MK-II 22 pistol all the time.

John

 

[DMZ]

I have had several single sixes and several Mark I & II's.

It seem to me that the Ruger semi auto pistols shoot tighter groups than any single six I ever had. I still have a single six and two MK-II's. One is a Competition Target that is scoped along with my single six. The MK-II wins everytime.

My son had a single six that shot so bad he never used it. I ran across a MK-II 678 stainless and he talked me into a trade and now he shoots his new MK-II 22 pistol all the time.

John

I have a MK II that could always shoot better groups than my Single Six, and it had a shorter barrel.

I too thought I had a bad Single Six. I could never get it to shoot a nice group, and I tried all kinds of ammo in it. I found that I took it out less and less, and finally sold it.

 

[StonewallRuger]

I haven't had any problems in accuracy out of my SS Hunter.

 

[Larry from Bend]

I've done 90% of my .22 shooting with a S&W double action revolver (model 17) or a S&W semi-auto (model 41).

I hadn't owned a SS for 30+ years when I again bought one about 4 years ago. It didn't group NEARLY as well as my Smiths. I kept trying to do better with it (stubborn). After a long while groups started to tighten up and now it groups about as well as my model 17 @ 25 yards.

My problem had been that loooong single action hammer fall. Better (and longer) follow-through on my part made all the difference. It IS different than shooting a double action or a semi-auto. I'd say keep after it, concentrate on your follow-through, and you'll eventually get good results.

If you think the SS is a challenge, wait 'til you try a BearCat.

 

[DMZ]

If you think the SS is a challenge, wait 'til you try a BearCat.

One of the reasons I dumped my SS was that my Bearcat was significantly more accurate. I will never let loose of it.

 

[Yosemite Sam]

My Bisley Single Six is astoundingly accurate. OTOH, I ended up selling a 22/45 a couple of years ago and replacing it with a Buckmark Hunter.

Funny thing, I was just shooting a bunch of rimfire yesterday and enjoying the heck out of it. Unfortunately, the ammo my guns really likes costs more (.10/round) than it costs me to reload .45 Colt!

-- Sam