Single Six shoots high

[B Squared]

I brought home my first Ruger from the gun show last week - a New Model Single Six. 6 1/2" barrel, adjustable rear sights, Pachmayr Presentation grips (I think I would have preferred the original grips), looks from the SN (65-979xx) like it was made in '78 or '79. Seems to be in good condition (pics below). No box or anything, and it only has the .22 LR cylinder, but since that's what I was looking for, I'm not too disappointed not to have the .22 Magnum. I think I did ok for $275. I've been shooting mainly 9mm and .38 spl, and wanted something that would be fun to shoot but not cost as much for ammo. As best I can tell the last three digits of the SN are on the end of the cylinder so at least I think it is the original .22 LR cylinder, but it's kind of hard to tell; it looks like the numbers are just scratched on or maybe put on with one of those electric tools.
Here's my question: when I took it to the range, it was consistently high-right. I shot groups from 25' and 50' offhand and then 75' from a rest. I was able to bring it center in two clicks of the windage adjustment, but I ran out of adjustment on elevation (rear sight all the way down) and it was still shooting about 4 inches high. The manual says to use a 6-o'clock sight picture, but holding that low seems like too much.
Any suggestions? Is that a normal hold for this gun?

Thanks,
B Squared

 

[Bruce H.]

From the pictures it looks like your rear sight is adjusted so that it is pretty high. Are you sure that you adjusted it all the way down? Try turning the elevation screw in the opposite direction.

 

[flatgate]

A taller front sight can do wonders. (I agree with Bruce H., your rear sight is cranked Way Up!) Ruger sells them. Get a front sight for a .32 mag. Single-Six with the 4-5/8" barrel.

flatgate

My rear sight is fully "down" and I have the tall front sight.

 

[B Squared]

From the pictures it looks like your rear sight is adjusted so that it is pretty high.

Bruce H. and Flatgate - you're right, after running it to the end of adjustment, I thought I should "start over" and returned it to the middle of the adjustment range, but I haven't been able to get back to the range to try it again. (We've had a long stretch of lousy weather.)

Thanks for the suggestion and info on the taller front sight - that would help!

B Squared

 

[btrumanj]

I could be wrong but as high as the rear sight is elevated it looks like you probably have enough adjustment to bring it down enough to solve your problem

 

[WIL TERRY]

And it surely does look to me like someone trimmed the front sight, which , of course raises the POI.
When I've ran acrossed an SSS that shot too high with the rear sight on the bottom I put on a new front sight from a RUGER MKII 5 1/2" bull barrel 22 pistol...[ RIGHT FLATGATE ??!! ] That might be why they're screw attached, huh ??

 

[flatgate]

Ahh, yup, 'ol Wil, how right you are!

flatgate

 

[B Squared]

btrumanj said:

I could be wrong but as high as the rear sight is elevated it looks like you probably have enough adjustment to bring it down enough to solve your problem.

Thanks, btrumanj - I mentioned in my earlier post that I moved the elevation adjustment back to the middle of the range before taking the pics. When shooting, it was screwed all the way down.

Wil Terry said:

And it surely does look to me like someone trimmed the front sight

Where would they trim it off of, Wil? Looking at the sight on my gun, it appears to have the same profile as the picture in Flatgate's post above, and in other photos of SS that I can find. (Ramp with serrations up to a slight flat on the top) and it appears to be blued on top, not shiny like it was filed. Because the bottom of where it attaches to the barrel is rounded, it seems like it would be mighty tough to trim it there.

Thanks for the suggestion on the Mk II front sight. Flatgate also suggested one for a .32 mag SS. What is the height of the "tall" site, Flatgate? The one on my SS is 10.5 mm, measuring from the top center of the barrel in front of the site to the flat.

Thanks,

B Squared

 

[omalon]

The manual says to use a 6-o'clock sight picture, but holding that low seems like too much.
Any suggestions? Is that a normal hold for this gun?

May seem like too much, but the six o-clock works.......

 

[B Squared]

Thanks omalon.

I was looking at Flatgate's picture again, and my "all the way down" didn't look as low as his "all the way down."

I took a look under the rear sight with a good light in case any crud had got under it, and it didn't look right so I removed the sight. The front spring was badly deformed - kind of bent sideways and crushed - and was preventing the sight from going down all the way. Looked like it probably hadn't been retained in the bottom keeper spot when it was assembled and got crushed when the adjusting screw got cranked down.

I'll probably reassemble it with just the rear spring until I can get a replacement, and see how it shoots with it really "all the way down" before making any other changes.

Thanks to all for the suggestions.

B Squared