Since I retired, I’ve started to get into .22’s. I know they’re not the sexy Staccatos or anything high speed, but I just really enjoy shooting them. You also can’t beat the cost of shooting a .22…it’s just so much cheaper. I’ve had a couple of .22’s over the years, but have always been partial to Ruger’s. The Mark 1-4 are all excellent examples of great rimfire pistols. However, I really wanted to try something different, like a single-action six gun.
The latest batch of single-action revolvers in .22 like the Ruger Wrangler series have been fun to watch. They’re incredibly light with their alloy construction, but very traditional in style. While fun, I still wanted a revolver like this with a little more utility, and I like the heft of a steel revolver.
Along those lines, I’ve always wanted a Ruger Single-Six. They have a great mix of old school feel with the all steel single-action and modern adjustable sights and safeties. Unfortunately, they are near impossible to find here and they are prohibitively expensive – I’ve seen them anywhere from $500-$700.
Then lo and behold…Ruger launched the Super Wrangler, a .22LR and .22 WMR version of their Wrangler. It comes with two cylinders and it’s affordable, a mere fraction of what the Single-Six costs…. so I knew what my next new toy was going to be. As fate would have it, I was out looking in the local big sports store, and I stumbled on their last Super Wrangler. It was the display model, and it was on sale…how could I say no. A 10 – day waiting period later and I was a happy camper.
Once I was able, I took her out for a couple of outings and the Super Wrangler did not disappoint. Steel at 25 yards was no problem, with both .22 LR and .22 WMR. The .22 LR was satisfying enough with a “clink”. Then came the .22 Mag…a very distinctive boom and ring of the steel.
It was easy to pick up the front sight with enough light between it and the sides of the rear blade. The sight picture was clean, although black on black sights took a little getting used to. Later, I painted the front sight red to make it stand out a little better which worked wonders. Since the front sight assembly is easily removable with screws, I’m certain someone who makes front sights for the Ruger Single-Six will have some good options.
At 25 yards it was absolutely accurate enough…off hand I was making 5″ groups…not perfect but not terrible – especially since I have never owned or shot a single-action revolver before. At 7 yards it was more like 2” groups was the norm, but I could get 1” groups from a rested position.
It was actually kind of nice to slow down and do the old fashioned loading and unloading using the loading gate. I did find, however, that once you pushed the rounds into the cylinder, you need to rotate the cylinder until it indexes after you’ve closed the loading gate…otherwise you have a dead trigger. It was simple enough, but it took a couple times for me to make it an automatic part of the loading process.
I found the .22 Mag rounds definitely have more boom, but I was surprised there wasn’t a ton more recoil. There was some very satisfying flash with those little magnums in the indoor range where I was shooting.
While both the 22 LR and the 22 Mag are “22’s” they cannot use the same cylinder – like a .38 Sp. or .357 Magnum can in a .357 Magnum revolver. Ruger supplies you with two cylinders, one for each caliber. Both were nicely polished blued steel and the .22 mag cylinder is marked well enough that you won’t mistake it. A .22 magnum round will not even fit into the .22 LR cylinder holes, and the .22 LR is way too loose in the .22 Mag cylinder.
Changing out the cylinders was easy. First you open the loading gate on the right side to allow the cylinder to come out. Then, as you push in the base pin release you pull out the base pin, and the cylinder comes out the right side. Installing the other cylinder is done by doing this process in reverse.
The only knock I could give the pistol is that the hammer is pretty heavily sprung. Comparing it to other, larger single action revolvers, it was quite stiff. It’s also appears to be a MIM (metal injection molding) part, if that matters to you. If you’re MIM – averse, just know Ruger has set the standard for MIM receivers, parts, etc., and I would have zero complaints or issues with a Ruger MIM part.
A few weeks later I tried some CCI shotshells for the .22 Mag. This last year has given us a bumper crop of rattlers in most of the ranges I work / shoot at. This was admittedly one of the more utilitarian points for the Ruger. I shot it side by side with a Colt King Cobra 2” which also had snake shells.
I was surprised…the .38 shells gave me an 18-24” pattern at about 7 yards. The .22 WMF gave me a much more satisfying approx. 8” pattern. This likely was a function of the longer barrel of the Ruger, but regardless it made the point that this was a far more effective snake solution.
Overall, this was a great purchase – and one I plan to pass on to my kids as a family heirloom. This is also a great entry point for a single-action revolver. Not only can you plink with it, using the .22 Mag cylinder, it can dispatch small game / varmints without a problem if that’s your need. If you want a single-action Ruger rimfire, and don’t want to pay the big $$$ for a Single-Six…I 100% recommend the Super Wrangler.
About the Author: Brian Jensen is a retired police Lieutenant from Southern CA. A life-long shooter, he has been teaching firearms for over 27 years and has written numerous articles for various firearms publications.