Single Sixes and Steel XR3's

[Aggie01]

I think the perfect place for the XR3 is on a Single Six.

I have been accumulating spare NM steel XR3's for a while, and have finally gotten around to outfitting all of my Single Sixes with one.
Final fitting is not done on any but one, and it still hasn't been refinished. Not my best picture, but this morning all three of the Old Models were in various parts boxes. I had a local machinist knock out a batch of adapters for me and have spent the afternoon/night fitting and tweaking. Kinda fired up. I have owned the top left for at least two years and this is the first time it has had a gripframe or action on it.
Top Left: OM - 4.625", wearing Ruger takeoff ivory polymer ( it wasn't born with that barrel length)
Middle Left: OM - adjustable sight 5.5: Ruger takeoff ivory polymer
Bottom Left: OM - 5.5", wearing NC Ordance rosewood
Top Right: 32 Mag - 4.625" - born a bisley, and everything but the frame swapped out for Vaquerito parts. Wearing C Schultz stabilized buckeye burl (material provided by yours truly - and finished to be provided by yours truly sometime this summer).
Middle Right: 32 mag, 5.5" , wearing C Schultz American Holly
Bottom Right: 5.5" Convertable prewarning NM, wearing grips I picked up on this forum with no pedigree.

 

[Hondo44]

Aggie,

I agree 100%! Nice collection! I have more versions of the single sixes than any other single caliber of Rugers.

For years, I outfitted my old model post 1962 single sixes and all my super single sixes (which are all post war 1962) with XR3 alloy grip frames. Immediately upon introduction of the new model XR3 steel grip frames in 2005, I switched to them for my NM and OM singles sixes. I used either my adapters and a few Clements adapter triggers for the old models. Also outfit all with steel ejector rod housings and steel rear sights on models that have them.

Those that formerly had internal locks, I replaced the locks with the Bearcat mainspring mounting bracket, which will bridge the larger gap.

Homemade Adapter:

Like this Super Single Six made into a flat top; Clements Bisley style trigger:

Single Six snubby with a Birdshead:

But I liked this .32 Mag Vaquerito steel short grip frame better:

And XR3-RED size steel grip frames on my old and new model Blackhawks; using NM grip frames or Old Army old model grip frames. 357 converted to 38-40 WCF:

 

[Bob Wright]

Hondo44:

That Super Single Six made into a flat top is about the handsomest Single Six I'd had the pleasure of viewing. Frame is nickeled?

Bob Wright

 

[Hondo44]

Hi Bob,

Thx very much, it's truly my favorite and was a very fun project that started with a $200 "boat anchor".

The frame is just polished out steel. Want to get it CCH but haven't been able to let go of it long enough!

I picked up this old boat anchor for $200 to rescue and also make some modifications that I wouldn't do to a nice one in good conscience. It's a 1967 vintage 3 screw Super single six that came out of Florida and was apparently a coup de gras gun on a fishing boat. But the action was original and mechanically sound. These Rugers are truly almost indestructible.

My objective:
Make a .22 all steel flat top with matching proportion to my OM Flat top 357 to 44 conversion. I never liked the fact that a 4 5/8" barrel on a single six frame does not have as good proportion as a 4 5/8" barrel on the mid frame or balance as well in the hand. This one ended up 4 1/8"

Modifications:
Cut the barrel: mathematically 4 7/16" is equal to the proportion of the mid frame with a 4 5/8". But that would be a cut right thru the ERH screw. So I resorted to 4 1/8".
Also pulled the barrel and turned it ¼ turn so the rollmark is on the side to match the OM FT. This had two more advantages: it keeps the relocated front sight from covering the rollmark and it allowed me to clean up the course machine tool marks on the front face of the frame so typical on OM Rugers. That in turn allowed the extra ¼ turn of the barrel.
Install the NM single six ramp style front sight which with its shorter base improved proportion.
Turn down a steel ERH to match the barrel length.
Adapt NM steel XR3 size grip frame with by-passed lock using a Bearcat mainspring seat to bridge the lock gap and install a Dave Clements adapter wide Bisley trigger. Super SSs weren't made until after the original Colt size XR3 grip frame was eliminated but the XR3s feel perfect on the small frame.
Adapt a NM Bisley hammer by silver soldering on the 3 notches cut from the OM hammer and filing off the nose for the transfer bar. But I have since put the Bisley hammer in another old model project and went back to the standard hammer. But I just obtained and installed a custom hammer with SBH wide spur and that's the best for me.
Flatten the top strap and install an original Ruger steel rear Micro sight.
File out all dings, rust pits and polish the steel frame.

About 3/4 done:

Left side finished:

OM FT 357 converted to 44 Spl. Steel Ruger Old A rmy XR3-RED grip frame still in the white:

 

[Bob Wright]

Hondo44:

Brother! You are a man after my own heart!

Thank you so much for that detailed reconstruction!

Bob Wright

 

[varminter22]

Ohh, I REALLY like these!

Single Six snubby with a Birdshead:

.32 Mag Vaquerito steel short grip frame:

The .32 (above) - converted from a .22 ???

Very nice.

 

[Hondo44]

varminter22,

Thank you.

That one is still a 22. Just the short grip is from the single six .32 mag.

But I converted this other Old Model .22 to center fire and to .32 H&R Mag/.327 Fed Mag:
I've since made a .327 Stainless NM (Ruger didn't make the adjustable sighted single six .32 in stainless, except the 8 shot Blackhawk) the same way, from a NM .22 Stainless.

This project was a two step conversion; 1st from 22 to 32 H&R Mag, and reamed to 327 Mag.
Started with a 1959 vintage 22 Mag 'only' Single Six: conversion to 32 H&R Mag with a factory barrel and cyl , cost $180. Reamer, $80. Gun, $200 some years ago. Total cost, $460. If you sell the .22 barrel and cylinder some of the cost can be recouped.

Functions perfectly, and have since sighted in the front sight for elevation, re-shaped to a quick draw ramp, serrated with a 40 LPI checkering file to math a factory sight, and blue it.

Had to enlarge the loading gate chute slightly for the larger cases.

In these two shots, you can see where I plugged and re-drilled to lower the firing pin and recoil plate for center fire.

There's a firing pin recoil plate retaining pin thru the frame under the rear sight on the left side of frame. On NMs it's right end exits in the loading trough. Open loading gate and drive it out to the left. Now you can drive out the firing pin, spring and recoil plate from the hammer channel. Make a plug .001" larger than the size of the recoil plate with a smaller diameter on the firing pin end to fill the hole in the hammer channel. Take dimensions of the hole because you're going to drill another one just like it. Replicate the retaining pin groove on the side of your plug that you'll see on the side of the recoil plate. Drive the 'plug' into the recoil plate hole aligning the retaining pin groove with the retaining pin hole thru the frame.

Now with a rod that's a snug fit in the barrel bore and a sharp point on one end, drop it into the bore pointy end first and center punch a dot on the recoil shield (breechface) at the back of the cyl window.
Pull the barrel and drill a hole the same size of the original for the rear end of the firing pin all the way thru the hammer channel. Use a Letter 'J' drill to counter bore the firing pin hole to the depth that you measured above. About a third of the plug will be drilled out as well.

Install the firing pin, then the spring and the recoil plate being careful to align the retaining pin groove with the retaining pin hole thru the frame. Reinstall the firing pin retaining pin.

On OM guns the firing pin retaining pin is located too high to retain the recoil plate in its lowered location. Just reinstall it to retain the plug. The 'J' drill provides a press fit for the recoil plate and every time a shot is fired the recoil plate is driven backwards so a retaining pin is not really needed. But for those that like a belt and suspenders too, a new retaining pin hole can be drilled thru the frame in the location of the NMs. Use the same entrance hole on the left side of the frame. Install the new pin into the newly drilled hole first and sink it below the surface of the frame. Now using the same entrance hole on the left side of the frame, install the original retaining in thru the frame.

It is true all the 'professional' conversions use a longer custom cylinder. But loaded factory cartridges are only .003-4" longer than the factory 32 H&R cylinder. And believe it or not they function perfectly by taking advantage of the barrel/cylinder gap spacing. After reaming and shooting my first five H&R Mag cylinders to .327 I've yet to experience any problems. If one reloads with heavier bullets the extra length is usually at the base of the bullet and goes in the case rather than a longer nose. Even if the nose is a bit longer, the bullets can be seated in the cases a bit deeper so they don't exceed an overall cartridge length of 1.460" or your maximum cylinder chamber length. I know it might be counterintuitive but as they say, truth can be stranger than fiction.

 

[varminter22]

Great stuff. Thanks!

 

[pennsylvaniaboy]

Could you put the single six sights on a blackhawk since they are screw mounted? Or would the sight be the wrong height?

 

[Hondo44]

Yes they are interchangeable as long as the vintage of the sight is similar. Sights from the last 20 years have a bump underneath where the pin goes thru, before that they didn't. With the bump and w/o the bump are not interchangeable.

Sight with bump:

A taller height blade is made by Ruger if you need it, with and w/o white outline.

The current rear sight with the cast in bird are all steel. The old model round front flat top Micro sights and current flat top Micro sights are all steel.

Following the old model flat top sight was the square front old model Micro sights from 1959 to about 1962 which are steel.

 

[REP1954]

I swapped this Single Six grip frame a while back and added a steel EJH. Not the most lite Single Six but sure dose point nice.

 

[pennsylvaniaboy]

I meant the front sights....I am cutting a blackhawk down and looking for a screw mount front sight.

 

[Hondo44]

Oh...you mean the super single six front sight. No, it's too low and the base is too short front to rear for the correct proportion. Buy a Blackhawk sight and a .22 sight screw. Drill a hole in the sight base, counter sink it and screw it to the barrel.

 

[Iglo73]

So, if one would mill off the frontsight base of a Blackhawk, the Williams Single Six/Ten fibre optic set would fit, both rear and front?

http://shopruger.com/Single-Six-Single-Ten-Sight-Set/productinfo/12933/

 

[Hondo44]

The rear sight, no problem.

The front sight on the Black hawk has a longer base and taller blade, but it could be done easily. Mill off the curve for the barrel on the bottom of the Williams sight so it's flat. Mill off the Blackhawk sight flat, but leave enough of the base so the combined height of the base and the Williams sight is the same overall height as the original BH sight. Screw them together. Blend the angles on the rear of the sight base.

 

[Iglo73]

You just kinna made my day in the quest for a new gun...

 

[Butch2]

Could the mystery provenance grips on the lower right gun be spalted maple? It sure looks like it to me. Thanks for posting the pics, gives the rest of us some inspiration.