Sixguns, Slugs and Such

The holidays are over, spring has sprung, and it’s time to blow the dust off our guns and get outside for some shooting. There’s no better way to ease into your shooting activities than by pulling out some bulk 22 Long Rifle (LR) rimfire ammunition, a favorite shooter, or two, to re-acclimate yourself to shooting basics. Shooting .22’s is a fun and economical way of relieving our itchy trigger fingers. 

When pulling out your favorite old shooter, take time to admire it, remembering all the good times you’ve had together. After giving it a good wipe down, check your sights, be they irons, scope or the red dot variety. For me, one of my favorite guns to start the ceremonial process is the first Ruger Old Model Single-Six I bought from my local gun shop over  35+ years ago. 

It was my first three-screw Ruger, and it was well below $200. Boy, do I miss those days! I was happy, as it was in excellent condition, with a 6.5-inch barrel and a dovetailed rear sight, making it windage adjustable.

Bill Ruger surprised everyone when he introduced the Single-Six model series after the success of the Ruger 22 LR rimfire standard model, introduced in 1949. Colt stopped making its iconic SAA, and the gun industry had all but written off single-action sixguns. But Bill Ruger did what he was famous for and brought out his 22 LR rimfire single action in 1953, knowing there were plenty of single-action shooters still out there who’d appreciate a thumb-cocker 22 LR rimfire.

Of course, Ruger was right. His first model was the Flat Gate Single Six, produced from 1953 to 1957. The flat gate had a nail groove to assist in opening the loading gate, but was replaced by traditional, rounded loading gates for easier opening. In 1962, Ruger began producing the convertible Model 22 Single-Six with a 22 Winchester Magnum Rimfire (WMR) cylinder for greater versatility. Also, the grip frame was changed to the slightly larger XR3-RED design.

The Super Single-Six was released in 1964, having an adjustable rear sight for both windage and elevation.

The New Model Single-Six was released in 1973 with transfer bar safety, allowing 6 rounds to be carried safely in the gun. The Ruger Single-Six has been chambered in 17 HMR as well as 32 H&R and 327 Federal in the Single-Seven series.

My personal three-screw Single-Six is a convertible model, having beautiful walnut stocks. It’s quite the shooter, too. Being my first Single-Six automatically gives it a special place in my heart. I loved it so much that several other Old Model and New Model Single-Six revolvers have followed me home over the years. What’s not to like? Most single sixes are rugged, accurate shooters and are perfect trail, kit, or home guns. 

With the sun pushing the chill of winter away, nothing is better than a casual day at the range. The chronograph and calipers are left at home, as this session is for a pure shooting pleasure experience. Bulk packs of .22 ammunition, a sixgun, along with a companion rifle, maybe a bottle of water and peanut butter sandwich are all that’s needed for a day on the range. 

Shooting .22’s transforms us back to the carefree days of riding bikes, our dog following close behind, as we went to the gravel pit for a day of plinking. You’d shoot to your heart’s content, without a care in the world. Shooting in this manner is good for the soul, each shot sending a tiny bit of stress out the barrel with each shot. If everyone had a stash of .22-caliber sixguns or rifles, the world would be a better place, and there would be less need for therapists, as shooting is the best therapy in the world.

Shooting the old Single-Six lets you practice sight alignment and sight picture, trigger press and the simple mechanical manipulation of loading cartridges and unloading spent brass with the ejector rod. The Single-Six is the best finger widget for maintaining hand dexterity.   

This next gun is a truly fun gun. For as old and traditional as my three-screw Single-Six is, this one looks like something out of a sci-fi movie with its futuristic boldness. It’s Ruger’s lightweight carbon fiber barrel 10-22. When picking up the gun, it almost levitates under its own power; it’s so light. 

Ruger partnered up with Magpul for the lightweight MOE X-22 stock. The finish on the pistol grip is Magpul’s own TSP texture coating, and it feels great in the hand. The stock also has M-LOK slots on the bottom for any accessories you wish to add.

For outfitting your 10-22, there’s no need to look further than Skinner Sights. I set up my own carbon fiber 10-22 using Andy Larsson’s excellent red dot sight (RDS) for a compact, lightweight sighting system. It mounts easily on the one-piece factory-installed aluminum scope rail. At just 3.8 ounces, you barely know it’s there. The 2 MOA dot is perfect for .22-caliber rimfire distances for plinking, varmint control or target shooting. I also used one of Skinner Sights’ biothane slings for ease of carry and a Skinner Sights nylon zippered rifle case is just what the doctor ordered for carrying my rifle to the range from my truck. 

The cold hammer-forged barrel is tensioned in a carbon-fiber sleeve and has a 1⁄2-inch diameter with 28 threads per inch (TPI) threaded muzzle for any aftermarket accessories and is fitted with a thread protector. The total weight of the rifle is a measly 3.5 pounds. Barrel length is 16.1 inches, with a 1:16 twist, and the length of pull is 13.5 inches.

The BX-Trigger has a light, crisp 2.5- to 3-pound trigger pull. The extended competition-style magazine release is fast, curving around the trigger guard bottom for convenient access.  

I really lucked out mounting the Skinner Sights RDS. Once mounted, no adjustments were needed. The sight was perfectly zeroed when shooting at 25 yards. Shooting with a red dot sight is fast, fun and easy on the eyes. 

In my opinion, .22-caliber rimfires are a gateway drug to the shooting world. The low/no recoil is perfect for introducing young kids into the shooting ranks, old codgers with arthritic hands who still enjoy shooting, or rehabilitating anyone who has developed a flinch from shooting fire-breathing magnum loads and needs to get back to the basics of accuracy. It’s also handy for those wanting to escape life’s daily doldrums.

I like setting up a variety of targets during these relaxed sessions. Smaller stick-on targets are used, as well as the small, round target marker stickers that come with most targets. The day is yours to shoot as slow or as fast as you like. Try out different shooting techniques, grip styles or stances. The main thing is to just have fun!