By Dave Workman
Editor-in-Chief
Today’s little foray into the world of revolvers takes us immediately to the subject of Ruger single-actions, primarily because my email Inbox produced a bulletin from the Ruger Newsroom mentioning right up front the very popular Super Wrangler, a handsome model which has a solid footing among handgunners.
I willingly acknowledge a kind of love affair with Ruger single-actions. I, uh, have accumulated more than one over the years, and it is only my bank account and maybe a principled hostility to gun control laws adopted in Washington state over the past few years which discourage even more “hogleg investments.”
The Super Wrangler is convertible from .22 Long Rifle to .22 Magnum with a switch of cylinders. This is not a new concept with Ruger, since the legendary Single Six convertible has offered this capability for decades. The Super Wrangler features a cylinder frame made from alloy steel, finished in silver Cerakote, a 5.5-inch cold hammer-forged barrel, adjustable rear sight, checkered synthetic grips, Ruger’s reliable transfer bar mechanism and loading gate interlock, and much more.
Truth be told, if I was going to buy a new .22-caliber six-shooter, I would opt for the Single Six, and this is not to disparage the Super Wrangler one tiny bit.
The Single Six has a 6 ½-inch cold hammer-forged barrel, a blued finish, the same adjustable rear sight, checkered hard rubber grips, and the same rifling: six lands and grooves on a 1:14 inch twist.
I would install the .22 Magnum cylinder and leave it, as the cartridge has always just impressed the hell out of me. Besides, I have a Ruger MKIV semi-auto in .22 Long Rifle, and it has already proven itself as a grouse killer extraordinaire. It was a test gun I got from Ruger some years ago, and—whaddaya know?—I liked it so much I bought it. (Yeah, that was probably the plan to begin with, but actually shooting this pistol in the field cemented the scheme. The MKIV is just plain superb in all aspects, and I’ve already told people to keep their grubby little hands off!)
Back to Ruger single-actions.
I’ve reported in this space before how my first .41 Magnum wheelgun was a Ruger Blackhawk with the 6 ½-inch barrel. That sixgun has notches for two bucks, one a coastal blacktail and the other a mule deer, and it has served me for something like four decades without so much as a hiccup. It is deadly accurate when launching 210- or 220-grain jacketed bullets powered by H110, 2400 or—more recently—Accurate #9 powder. In bear country, you couldn’t really worry about being under-gunned, and I would not be shy about using it on an elk, if the need arises.
My other Blackhawk of the same caliber has the shorter 4 5/8-inch barrel, the same adjustable rear sight, rugged frame, reliable action and is equally accurate.
A pair of New Vaqueros in .45 Colt are also in there somewhere, along with a Single Six in .32 H&R Magnum, with the slightly shorter grip frame.
Frankly, all of these wheelguns have more than one thing in common, but above all, they are just plain tough and reliable. Would I part with any of them? Right, about as quickly as I’d vote for another Joe Biden term.
Still, the Super Wrangler is an attention-getter. The finish is nicely done, the pricetag certainly has poked me in the wallet more than once, and I’ve read nothing but favorable reviews from pals on social media. The ability to install a .22 WMR-caliber cylinder definitely appeals to me.
I’m not quite sure why the gang at Ruger keeps trying to entice me. It can’t possibly be because I’m cute, and a “rich gunwriter.” I have it! They’re testing my resolve. Gotta be it.
All things being equal, however, I’d still opt for the Single Six convertible. Back when I was a much younger fellow, this was the rimfire wheelgun which got my juices flowing.
You know how it is. There are just some things in life you never quite grow out of.
