I do have my eye on a Single Seven .327 mag.
Kind of like a modern .32/20, but able to shoot other kinds of .32 ammo as well.
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I do have my eye on a Single Seven .327 mag.
Kind of like a modern .32/20, but able to shoot other kinds of .32 ammo as well.
Sure. Open the gate, hold gun in left hand on its left side, using left hand to turn cylinder, butt of gun held in the solar plexus at an angle, use right trigger finger the sharply hit ejector rod, each chamber in turn. Empty shells go out under the left arm, in 45 cal, they go about 3-4 feet out at about 7-8:00. When semi-practiced up, it takes about 2 or 3 seconds to clear the brass. For 22s, id usually carry them 50 or so at a time in the back right pocket for plinking. Grab some, and load. You get where you can get the correct amount quite often. For centerfire, having 6 in a pocket with the bullets going the correct direction to load when pulled out helps, feeding them into the chambers as you turn the cylinder with the left hand. Loading from a cartridge belt, pull 2 at a time, about all I can manipulate well at a time. Cartridge loops on the front help if expecting to reload. Many old pictures show people wearing belts that way. Its slower than operating a DA revolver without speed loaders or strips, but not as much slower as most say. If I can get shooting more again Ill see if I can time 12 rounds fired.Quote:
Originally Posted by Sidheshooter
To reload 2 or whatever less than full, I find it simpler to kick them all out, reload however many time allows, then you can see the rims (on centerfire SAs) to get indexed for firing correctly (clockwise rotation). Trying to kick 2 out and reload them leaves you less than certain where they are. Some may be able to count clicks of the cylinder, i cant always. Seeing the rims helps a lot if not a full reload.
In the past I cursed the new model Rugers not indexing like the old models, many people over turn the cylinder and miss the chamber. It doesnt bother me any more, I tend to get on the ejector rod in 22s a bit early, if it drags on the cylinder face a little then slams into the chamber, thats ok. I feed shells in as the cylinder turns, they drop in and the cylinder cant go past the click. Holding the cylinder in position with the left hand as turning it also helps to keep from overturning past the click and chamber alignment. I hear later guns have the hand changed and can freewheel. Its not a difficult modification on older guns, but I havent felt the need myself.
Checkering the ejector rod button improves usability. The tiny rod end Ruger uses is a pain in the behind. The older Colts had a large round head or a crescent head later. i have aftermarket examples of both and like them both. Both are much easier and faster to use than the tiny Ruger factory button. Colts also had an angled slot in the ejector housing to allow the rod head to come out to allow better access to the ejector rod head. I have one or two aftermarket housings with the angled or cam cut slots. Colt missed the boat by stopping the slot in the housing before it gave best ejector stroke though. I modify centerfire Ruger ejector springs (22 LR rimfires are OK) to give longer ejection stroke, the factory spring stacks up solid before it should. Clip 7 coils from the spring, stretch it, assemble and pull then let it snap back by itself several times and it frees up and works smoothly, put the cut end at the back. I also shorten the factory Ruger base pin, besides being ugly they interfere with ejector stroke. The aftermarket or Colt/Uberti ejector rods are longer than the factory Rugers, and can give a little longer stroke to help kick empties out. They need to be cut to allow the cylinder to be removed, but end up slightly longer than the factory rods. Mine give a 1/4" or slightly more stroke than factory. Its enough I rarely if ever get cases hanging up when reloading when the rod is used like you hate the cases in the gun. Goobering around with the rod and poor technique trying to keep the cases from getting dirty is what gives SAs the reputation for being dreadfully slow to reload. Its painful to watch most people reload them. I cringe.
Theres probably other ways of doing it quickly. Im open to suggestions (based on experience, not guessing or theory) but none Ive tried or seen explained seemed to hold up as actually faster and less prone to fumbling.
Improved ejector rod heads,
Attachment 42017
Lengthened ejector stroke
Attachment 42018
@Malamute, great post, thanks. That all makes complete sense. We are pretty much on the same page, only you’re a lot further in than I am. I appreciate the input.
Its just the result of messing with them a long time and slowly thinking that theres got to be better ways of doing some things. The reloads thing was mostly youthful impatience at wanting to keep shooting, but I came to realize it was a handy thing to know or do, so stopped trying to keep the brass from falling on the ground on centerfires and make it a habit all the time to kick it as far out of the gun as I could.
There may be aftermarket base pins that are shorter and look better, I had access to a drill press when I first started shortening them. At first it was for looks, the Ruger New Model base pins are clunky and ugly looking. They serve a purpose, but I hadnt lost a base pin from taking it out and was willing to give up the captive feature, then realized it helped ejection. The clipped spring was the next step.
A Single Six convertible is near the top of the "guns I don't really need but I'm going to buy anyway when I sell some more books" list. I don't own one, but I've shot three or four. I appreciate all the thoughts about bore size in the convertible guns, but every example I've fired with the .22 LR cylinder in place has been more than accurate enough for ethical small game hunting (which I define as "shooting rabbits in the head") and fun plinking at ranges I would define at "beyond reasonable." I've smoked clay pigeons with one at 100 yards using CCI ammo before.
I think it's a tempest in a teapot, unless you're going to shoot bulls eye matches.
@Lester Polfus, I think you hit the nail on the head.
My long-gone Single Six never seemed like it lacked any mechanical accuracy; I was challenged by the fixed stainless steel sights and by my lack of existing handgun experience. I can totally agree with its suitability for small game hunting and general plinking.
The idea of screwing a match .22 LR barrel into a Single frame is excites my gun nerd thoughts and desire for projects, and not because I think it's anything truly necessary. I'd do the same thing to a S&W double action.
Rather than modifying a Single Six, if you want a match-accurate 22lr revolver, a Freedom Arms Model 84 22lr Silhouette gun is the way to go. Although barrel quality is important, cylinder alignment is more so and that is the weak link with Ruger revolvers compared to the line-bored Freedom Arms guns.
"I think it's a tempest in a teapot, unless you're going to shoot bulls eye matches."
Heh. I shot bullseye for a couple of years with a Single Six - it was the only handgun I had. In the first match I scored 350/900 or something like that, and a couple of seasons later was up to 720 or so - which isn't leading the pack, but was ahead of some people with much fancier guns. Another competitor felt sorry for me and sold me a Model 41 with a dot on it for a song(I was at the age where presbyopia was kicking in). My scores jumped up to 780 or so, so who says you can't buy points :-). But that's a pretty small difference going from one of the worst bullseye guns to one of the best, not to mention irons to a dot.
IMHE the problem with a Single Six shooting bullseye, maybe unless you're a High Master, isn't the mechanical accuracy, it's having to cock it during rapid fire. If you cock with the shooting thumb you mess up your grip between shots, if you cock with your non-shooting hand you mess up your stance. The mechanical accuracy is in the noise (although, it's possible I just had a better than average Single Six).
This is a long winded way of saying that I agree that the bore size issue is more theoretical than practical.
It's a fun gun to shoot. I always feel like I should be wearing a cowboy hat.
Ive kept using the "wrong" hold over time because it helped cock SAs easily. Left hand with trigger finger on front of trigger guard, left thumb in the hollow between the first and second joints of the right thumb. It helps keep the angle of the wrist in a favorable location rather than the left trigger finger under the trigger guard as is common recently. I use the same grip on everything, Between that and biscuits, I guess Ill get kilt on the streets over it. :D
It works decently on plate shoots (ones of 6 plates or less and no reloads), my time with the 45 Ruger was about identical to my times with the Smith 19.
I like my convertable Single Six, but it gets scant range time compared to my M17. A Single Seven would probably become my new OC "yard gun." Something about a "modern .32/20" just feels right for an outdoor carry piece in non-dangerous game territory.Quote:
Originally Posted by Joe in PNG