Author Topic: How Accuracte is Your Ruger Single Six? (Read 20039 times)

mangulator · « **Reply #30 on:** August 10, 2007, 10:17:19 AM »

I just bought a used Ruger single-six and I find the accuracy to be okay. I shot some Remington 22 hollow points but I need to try some other brands to really find out how accurate the gun can shoot. But for a camp gun and and occasional cottontail rabbit I like the single six!

gooser · « **Reply #31 on:** August 20, 2007, 01:47:11 PM »

I had one back in the 80's that I bought new. It didn't group very well at all. Maybe 2 1/2 to 3" at 25yds. I had better groups however with the Magnum ammo, about 1 1/2 to 2" at the same range. I sold it and bought a mark II with a bull barrel and am glad I did.

Bergoobob · « **Reply #32 on:** December 24, 2007, 11:45:04 PM »

My 1985 vintage Single six with 5-1/2 inch barrel will shoot nice round 1 to 1-1/2 inch groups at 25 yards......Wolff springs made a lot of difference........I've shot crows out to 50 yards with this gun....I did have to send it back to the factory when I first got it. It would group several shots close and then there would be a few fliers that would open the group up t 3 inches or more. I noticed a loos spot in the barrel right where the barrel entered the frame. This pistol would also lead one side of the forcing cone bad.......Ruger replaced the barrel free of charge and it has shot excellent since then........................Bob

six_gunz · « **Reply #33 on:** December 25, 2007, 01:10:53 AM »

Try CCI mini mags, I shoot the best groups from my single six using them.

six_gunz · « **Reply #34 on:** December 25, 2007, 01:14:36 AM »

Quote from: Bergoobob on December 24, 2007, 11:45:04 PM

My 1985 vintage Single six with 5-1/2 inch barrel will shoot nice round 1 to 1-1/2 inch groups at 25 yards......Wolff springs made a lot of difference........I've shot crows out to 50 yards with this gun....Bob

Wow, you must have real good eyes to shoot a crow at 50 yards with a single six using iron sights?

Cossack2 · « **Reply #35 on:** January 03, 2008, 01:57:36 AM »

Seems no one has mentioned that 22 RF and 22 WMR use different caliber bullets. It's not surprising that they both won't shoot well out of the same barrel since they are sized to to fit the mag. Mine shot OKl using the mag cylinder l but the 22 was horrid. Only accurate guns are interesting so it now belongs to someone who thinks it looks good.

STUMPJMPR · « **Reply #36 on:** January 03, 2008, 02:25:00 AM »

I never grouped it but i could consistently shoot bottle caps on coke bottles at 10-15 yards.....

Tom C. · « **Reply #37 on:** January 03, 2008, 04:29:48 PM »

In Sept. I finally got pissed with the casual accuracy of my Single Six and sent it back to the factory. I had it rebarreled with a 6 ½” barrel and they provided new cylinders. I just got it back. With cold weather and range closures due to deer season, I haven’t shot it much yet, but it seems to be much better. The chamber throats are still pretty big, but at 7 to 10 yds. it actually prints descent groups without the flyers. I haven’t tried the mag cylinder yet.

jk3006 · « **Reply #38 on:** January 03, 2008, 11:02:36 PM »

I recently bought a blued 6.5 inch Bisley. Lucky me, it shoots the cheap bulk Federals at 1.5 or better at 25 yards. Velocity was around 1,050, so only 200 f/s loss verses the 10-22. Since shooting it those first few sessions I gave it to my local 'smith to have it worked on. He shortened and recrowned the barrel to 4 5/8 so that it would match my 4 5/8 .45 ss Bisley black hawk. I have a Bowen rough country rear sight for it, as well as a Wolf 40 oz. trigger spring. I'm also going to rebuild that front sight myself. Bottom line is it should be a sweet shootin' 6-shooter by the time I'm done.
It'll be cheap practice instead of shooting the .45 all the time. Oh, and the barrel cylinder gap is almost nill. I couldn't believe it!

Ramjet · « **Reply #39 on:** January 24, 2008, 11:33:11 AM »

I agree Ruger's quality (on all their products ) is suspect . However , I have sent 2 Black Hawks back and they made them right . This is a pain but in the end I got two good guns . Ruger has always built the products I want but their quality issues have kept me from buying them .I would love an accurate Ranch Rifle and the 77/22 Hornet .Quality sells but marketing at Ruger does not get it .By the way my Single Six is very good and I would recommend them to anybody.

Mack in N.C. · « **Reply #40 on:** January 26, 2008, 02:42:38 PM »

mine definatly shoots 22 mag ammo better than lr.......cci 22 mag solid 1-1 1/2 inch at 25......lr not as good......so i usually carry mine with the 22 mag cylinder..mack

deerhunter · « **Reply #41 on:** January 28, 2008, 03:44:35 AM »

I have a blue 5.5inch model. The only thing I have done to it was put a set of pachmyer presentation grips on it. The best .22 LR groups I get at 25 yards are about 2 ro 2.5 inches. I get 1 inch groups when I shoot the magnum cylinder with Federal 50 grain HP magnum rounds. All the other magnum rounds shoot the same or worse than the long rifle rounds.

But, still, a 2 or 3 inch group at 25 yards is ok for a field pistol. That will kill a rabbit, or bounce a tin can. And I like to pick off football sized rocks in the backstop at 100 yards with mine. I dont hit them all the time, but I always come close. thats a lot of fun.

When i want to drill bullseyes, I shoot my S&W41 or my TC contender. But they get boring fast. The single six blasting away at cans, or rocks, is a lot more fun.

Actually, at my range in summer, we get these large grasshoppers that hop and walk across the sandpit that our range is made up of. These guys are about 2 inches long, and abut a half inch thick. Out tto 20 yards its we just shoot them. When we miss, we see the sand kick up where we missed. Other ties the grasshopper just dissapears. You can shoot the single six at these all day till your thumb is raw its so much fun.

nilescoyote · « **Reply #42 on:** February 07, 2008, 09:34:37 PM »

Quote from: gooser on August 20, 2007, 01:47:11 PM

I had one back in the 80's that I bought new. It didn't group very well at all. Maybe 2 1/2 to 3" at 25yds. I had better groups however with the Magnum ammo, about 1 1/2 to 2" at the same range. I sold it and bought a mark II with a bull barrel and am glad I did.

Same here. The mk2 cut my group size in half or better, compared to the single six.

J.I.M. · « **Reply #43 on:** February 16, 2008, 05:24:36 PM »

I have the 6-1/4" (or 6-1/2"?) barrel model that I bought about 8 years ago. It has the extra magnum cylinder.
Accurate? Very. My brother and I were at the range one day shooting at clay pigeons at 100 yards from a sandbag rest. We couldn't miss. Odd thing is that this gun has a very creepy trigger. I also do not like the tiny grips. I'm hoping to find some full size grips for my XL hands. I e-mailed Herrett Stocks about a month ago but got no reply. Does anyone else make full size grips to fit the single-six?

grendel · « **Reply #44 on:** September 21, 2008, 07:33:12 PM »

Offhand 50 yards two handed grip I can hit an 8" gong 50-60% of the time. I have always figured that the other 40-50% of the time was my fault.

Grendel

DCRthe3rd · « **Reply #45 on:** September 21, 2008, 07:43:19 PM »

I have a super single , does that count? I believe I have a lemon , at 1st it shot awful with 22lr maybe 6 inch at 25yds and the 22mag cylinder was worse , how worse you ask , maybe 3 rds on a piece of notebook paper at 25yds , no resemblance of a group.I know it's supposed to be the other way around but for me it is not.
The gun was returned to ruger after many yrs , when it came back , it now at best does 3 inches at 25yds with the 22lr cylinder and now all 6 rds from the 22mag cylinder will be "somewhere" on notebook paper at 25yds. No explanation was offered by ruger and I am just living with it. Certainly not the gun I was hoping for but everyone else always raves about theirs and you guys are the 1st ppl I ever seen say anything bad to be frank , I feel at home.

djw · « **Reply #46 on:** September 23, 2008, 01:57:13 AM »

Quote from: J.I.M. on February 16, 2008, 05:24:36 PM

I also do not like the tiny grips. I'm hoping to find some full size grips for my XL hands. I e-mailed Herrett Stocks about a month ago but got no reply. Does anyone else make full size grips to fit the single-six?

I don't know if I'm stating the obvious here, but the single six has the same grip frame as the Blackhawk, so any grips that you see listed for the BH will also fit. Hogue makes finger groove grips, both in wood and in rubber.
HTH.
Don

zoned10x · « **Reply #47 on:** September 23, 2008, 05:05:01 AM »

Quote from: jk3006 on January 03, 2008, 11:02:36 PM

I recently bought a blued 6.5 inch Bisley. Lucky me, it shoots the cheap bulk Federals at 1.5 or better at 25 yards..... and the barrel cylinder gap is almost nill.

There is a big difference in group size between my 6.5" Super Single Six and 6.5" 22 Bisley. Offhand at the fifty foot indoor range, 50 rounds from the Bisley will punch a clean hole about the size of a tennis ball. Not match quality, but good enough. The Single Six would pepper a six inch circle. I was told that the bore is .002 larger on the Single Six than the Bisley to accommodate magnums. If true, that might explain the accuracy variation.

djw · « **Reply #48 on:** September 23, 2008, 05:37:58 AM »

Quote from: zoned10x on September 23, 2008, 05:05:01 AM

... I was told that the bore is .002 larger on the Single Six than the Bisley to accommodate magnums. If true, that might explain the accuracy variation.

I had "heard" the same thing, but that doesn't explain the previous poster's larger so-called groups using the magnum cylinder. I had also heard that there can be measurable variation between the six chambers on a cylinder; if one or more chambers or throats is tight, the bullet would be squeezed down and undersized for the bore, ruining your shot consistency. This seems to make more sense. Perhaps the way to test this hypothesis would be to measure the chambers, or fire groups using one chamber at a time, and see if there is a noticeable difference.

Doesn't solve the problem, but at least identifies it.

Don

zoned10x · « **Reply #49 on:** September 23, 2008, 06:17:58 AM »

Quote from: Racer X on April 01, 2007, 06:31:12 AM

...I consider this level of accuracy mediocre...

It might be worth presenting the problem to the Ruger Forum.
http://tinyurl.com/68fdcw

Keith L · « **Reply #50 on:** September 23, 2008, 12:06:12 PM »

My single six groups with the Magnum cylinder are at least twice as large as the LR groups. If I use one of the jacketed bullets it is even larger. Since the difference is so great I rarely shoot the magnum cylinder.

While it is not a tack driver with either one, the LR cylinder is fine for general plinking and small game hunting at close range.

RD2 · « **Reply #51 on:** September 27, 2008, 04:46:47 PM »

The forcing cone on my new Single Six leaded up so bad I could not get my bore snake through it. After cleaning it and polishing the forcing cone I will try different ammo (copper plated) on my next trip to the range. I expected better from Ruger....

Ladobe · « **Reply #52 on:** September 27, 2008, 08:12:11 PM »

Not as accurate as the Colt New Frontier Buntline I had (early 70's), or the OM Bearcat or OM Super Bearcat. But then one of the Bearcats has been in my back pocket more often than not in the outdoors for about 37 (SBC) to 44 (BC) years, so they shoot where I point them.

rbergum95 · « **Reply #53 on:** September 28, 2008, 09:32:03 AM »

i can do honest 1 - 1.5 inches at 25 yards with the magnum cylinder loaded with hornady 30 gr v-maxes. with the long rifle cylinder the best i have done is 2.5-3 inches with winchester x-pert .22 bulk ammo.

Brett · « **Reply #54 on:** October 20, 2008, 02:22:47 PM »

I just shot the mid 80's vintage SSS with 6.5" barrel that I picked up a few weeks ago today. I pretty easily shot minute of soup can at 25 paces (approx. 50ft) off hand from a standing position with the .22lr cylinder. Have not had the occasion to try out the .22mag. cylinder yet but if it shoots as good or better than the lr cylinder I'll be real happy.

Keith L · « **Reply #55 on:** October 20, 2008, 05:44:26 PM »

That seem to be an individual thing. My lr cylinder shoots groups about half the size of the magnum. For others it is the other way around. I am happy because I normally use the LR anyway. And I think Single Sixes are pure fun.

Brett · « **Reply #56 on:** October 21, 2008, 03:42:07 PM »

Quote from: Keith L on October 20, 2008, 05:44:26 PM

And I think Single Sixes are pure fun.

+1

oldandslow · « **Reply #57 on:** October 22, 2008, 04:34:52 AM »

I have no experience with the dual cylindered Single Sixes. When Ruger came out with it I couldn't understand how it could be accurate with both cartridges which have different diameter bullets and decided I didn't want one. The posts I have read here comfirm my thoughts.

I have a Single Six from the 60's made before the .22 mag came on the market and it is pretty accurate. I killed a lot of rabbits and prairie dogs with it over the years. FUN gun. I haven't shot groups from a rest with it in a long in a long time. It won't do what it used to do but it's me, not the gun. Old eyes and shaky hands take their toll. I don't like it but that's life.

I got one of the first Single Sixes in .22 mag to show up here and was really dissapointed with it. It too was accurate enough for rabbit and prairie dog work but the results of hits were discouraging. Hits that would have been kills with .22 HP's resulted in a lot of the targets running off. I sold it in disgust. As it turned out it was the ammo, not the caliber, that was at fault. When the bullets were made with lighter jackets everything changed but my Single Six was gone. I got a lot of exercise kicking myself for selling it.

jk3006 · « **Reply #58 on:** October 22, 2008, 07:00:09 PM »

Just an update: I've been shooting the 4 5/8 inch shortened barrel Bisley all summer and fall, and it shoots very well. The other day I shot a cylinder full offhand at 50 yards that went into about 5 inches. 5 of those shots went into about 3 inches. Can't complain. Cheap practice and I'm looking forward to knocking off a squirrel or two later this winter.

Quote from: jk3006 on January 03, 2008, 11:02:36 PM

I recently bought a blued 6.5 inch Bisley. Lucky me, it shoots the cheap bulk Federals at 1.5 or better at 25 yards. Velocity was around 1,050, so only 200 f/s loss verses the 10-22. Since shooting it those first few sessions I gave it to my local 'smith to have it worked on. He shortened and recrowned the barrel to 4 5/8 so that it would match my 4 5/8 .45 ss Bisley black hawk. I have a Bowen rough country rear sight for it, as well as a Wolf 40 oz. trigger spring. I'm also going to rebuild that front sight myself. Bottom line is it should be a sweet shootin' 6-shooter by the time I'm done.
It'll be cheap practice instead of shooting the .45 all the time. Oh, and the barrel cylinder gap is almost nill. I couldn't believe it!

Racer X · « **Reply #59 on:** October 24, 2008, 10:36:01 AM »

Quote from: Ruger4Me on July 24, 2007, 05:03:33 AM

I feel the gap between the cylinder and the barrel is excessive, it’s a very loose .008” but cant get the .009” all the way under.

Your barrel/cylinder gap is near or exceeding the factory specs for barrel/cylinder gap. I would definitely send it back. My Single Six won't do better than 2" at 15 yards. It has already been back to Ruger once because the barrel was turned to the left and I could not get the gun to shoot POA. I am thinking about saving my money, selling a few Rugers and buying a Freedom Arms Model 97.