When I first started buying brand new firearms, rather than the swapping and trading of used guns, I was quickly attracted to the quality of Ruger firearms. The lower prices of Ruger guns as compared to Smith & Wesson and Colt firearms was also a definite factor in choosing my purchase. One of the early guns that I was particularly fond of was the Ruger New Model Single Six. Chambered for the .22 long rifle cartridge with an additional cylinder for the .22 magnum (.22WMR) cartridge, my gun came with a nine and one half inch barrel. At the time I was more interested in the accuracy of the gun than in the quick draw practice usually associated with cowboy style revolvers so I went with the longer barrel. Another factor to consider was a gun that went through ammunition somewhat slower than the semiautomatic firearms I had previously used.
From the very start I considered the Ruger to be one of my relaxing firearms, one that I carried when I was in more of a laid-back mood. In other words, the Ruger was my fun gun. I carried it for the studied, slow fire practice that let me see how I could do at longer shots, where I was more thrilled with punching a hole in a distant tin can than in cutting the x ring on a paper target. The old fashioned wooden plowshare grips along with the simple lines of the single action design took me back to the glory days of my youth, playing cowboy with my friends armed with my trusty capbuster revolver.
As the term single action implies, the Single Six was fired by first cocking the hammer, then pulling the trigger. My gun and the modern copies today had the Ruger transfer bar safety which only allowed the gun to fire if the trigger was pulled. This is accomplished by a hammer that rests on the frame of the gun and cut out so that it cannot touch the firing pin. When the trigger is pulled, the transfer bar moves up and delivers the energy of the falling hammer to the firing pin, igniting the cartridge. Old Model Ruger single actions lack this feature, but the friendly folks at Ruger will happily update older guns if you will write them at: Sturm, Ruger and Company Inc., Lacey Place, Dept KC, Southport, CT 06890.
Being somewhat frugal, it was my practice to shoot the cheaper .22 long rifle ammunition instead of the costlier .22 magnum ammunition. The exception to that rule was when I had to use .22 magnum shotshells to dispatch snakes. The long barrel on the Ruger made it a great snake killer. Now that I am older and hopefully somewhat wiser I just try to avoid snakes. In those days, any snake crossing my path was going to die or get out of Dodge pronto, whichever came first pardner. The Duke would have been proud.
Ruger .22 single actions are now available in stainless steel as well as blue steel with a variety of barrel lengths and adjustable rear sights. While not inexpensive they are of good quality and will last for many years with reasonable care. I had hoped to pass my own revolver down to one of my children someday but unfortunately a burglar relieved me of it several years ago. If in the course of your browsing for firearms you should come across a Ruger New Model Single Six that bears serial number 66-30162 please contact me. I’d like to get it back.
Information for this article was obtained at: http://www.ruger.com/products/newModelSingleSixConvertible/features.html
