Single Six with a fluted .22 mag cylinder question

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Professor Frink

Bearcat
Joined
Mar 26, 2008
Messages
7
Gents,

Firstly, my knowledge of Ruger firearms tends to be slim, any help would be appreciated.

I just acquired a nice Single Six from one of the auction sites. I've always wanted one and got this one delivered for $260. But there is a problem...

The SN is 65-51XXX, and it is a pre-warning revolver. It has a fluted cylinder that is unexpectedly a .22 mag and is etched with the last three numbers of the serial number. No .22 long rifle cylinder was included. It was marketed as a .22 long rifle which is what I wanted. The seller has a good return policy and I know they would take it back.

I'm strongly considering returning it and continuing the search for one with the .22 long rifle cylinder. I know I can buy a .22 LR cylinder, but they look fairly expensive, need to be fitted, and based on the research, it might be difficult to find one to fit my single six.

My question is there any extra value on this thing based on the .22 magnum cylinder that would make it worth me selling it, or is it just best to return it?

I'm also tempted to keep it, but I know I'll rarely shoot it due to the chambering. Any insight would be appreciated.
 
Joined
Feb 20, 2008
Messages
1,522
Location
NW Ohio
For about $75-100 you can get a LR cylinder. You are in the gun for $360 or less. Doesn't sound like a bad deal to me. If it is not what you want, then by all means return it.
 
Joined
Dec 11, 2002
Messages
8,966
Location
Ohio , U.S.A.
yessir, sounds like someone "added" an earlier 22 mag cylinder, ( or the "parts bin" theory?) easy enough to do, get them "swapped" around, by that late in production, the mag cylinder should have been a "marked" .22 Magnum, and NO flutes would be my bet.....still you got the gun for a very , very good priced "delivered"....not that hard or costly to find a 22 LR cylinder, just make sure you get one that is the same overall length as the cylinder that is in the gun, that "works" now.......though technically you'd still have a gun with two "changed" cylinders, anyone could have 'remarked' the serial numbers in the spare cylinder, I've been doing it for years in our shops, folks have had TWO "fluted" cylinders in many guns for a long time...........got "confusing to some, and Ruger made the changeover to easily tell the difference.......
you'll be just fine, and the choice is YOURS.............good luck
 

Nanchulla

Bearcat
Joined
Jan 24, 2015
Messages
55
Mine is 64-58049, and it has the fluted magnum cylinder, which I prefer. Mine is a stainless Bicentennial, so the cylinder is correct, which I knew since I bought it brand new at Monkey Wards. I think You should have 2 cylinders with a non-fluted Magnum cylinder. I think I'd send it back, and get a complete gun for a few hundred more. A Single-Six is a gun to be proud of.
 

street

Hunter
Joined
Jan 10, 2008
Messages
2,456
Location
Vinton, VA
Nanchulla said:
Mine is 64-58049, and it has the fluted magnum cylinder, which I prefer. Mine is a stainless Bicentennial, so the cylinder is correct, which I knew since I bought it brand new at Monkey Wards.

The Stainless Bicentennial Super Single-Six came both ways, Fluted and non-fluted magnum cylinders. The fluted magnum cylinder, which you have, Started around serial number 64-33846 and ran up to serial number 64-69381. Somewhere around that serial number Ruger starting shipping the Stainless Super Single-Six with a non-fluted magnum cylinder. For the "blue" Bicentennial Super Single-Sixes they all had the non-fluted magnum cylinders.
 

Nanchulla

Bearcat
Joined
Jan 24, 2015
Messages
55
I really like the looks of the fluted. It just makes it look like an old Colt, which Bill Ruger intended. If Bill was still working in '76, I don't blame him for switching over to the more obvious Magnum cylinder. However, I think that the BILLBOARD is a travesty. All three of my Rugers do not have the BILLBOARD, and if I had been forced to buy a Ruger with the BILLBOARD, I would have just bought a NOS pistol. If Bill was around then, (which I hope that He wasn't) it must have been the lawyers for the shareholders who pushed that monstrosity onto an otherwise beautiful lines of firearms. If anyone reading this has one, do You ever get used to it? If it was me taking the pistol out of the case, it would bother me every time that I took it out.
 

dakota1911

Buckeye
Joined
Mar 26, 2009
Messages
1,021
I bought a 77 new in 77 in SS and it had the fluted .22 cyl. and the not fluted .22 Mag cyl.
 

chet15

Hawkeye
Joined
Jan 22, 2001
Messages
5,993
Location
Dawson, Iowa
Professor Frink said:
Gents,

Firstly, my knowledge of Ruger firearms tends to be slim, any help would be appreciated.

I just acquired a nice Single Six from one of the auction sites. I've always wanted one and got this one delivered for $260. But there is a problem...

The SN is 65-51XXX, and it is a pre-warning revolver. It has a fluted cylinder that is unexpectedly a .22 mag and is etched with the last three numbers of the serial number. No .22 long rifle cylinder was included. It was marketed as a .22 long rifle which is what I wanted. The seller has a good return policy and I know they would take it back.

I'm strongly considering returning it and continuing the search for one with the .22 long rifle cylinder. I know I can buy a .22 LR cylinder, but they look fairly expensive, need to be fitted, and based on the research, it might be difficult to find one to fit my single six.

My question is there any extra value on this thing based on the .22 magnum cylinder that would make it worth me selling it, or is it just best to return it?

I'm also tempted to keep it, but I know I'll rarely shoot it due to the chambering. Any insight would be appreciated.

Just an idea, but you might double check that cylinder to be sure it isn't chambered every other hole for .22 Mag. and the other holes for .22 LR. That has been known to happen.
I'm just throwing that out there because Ruger changed their cylinders on the blue guns about 64-20000 and on their stainless guns at about 64-70000.
Chad
 

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