By Joe Berk
First, a bit of background info: I had back surgery just over a week ago. Some of you asked for updates, and I’m responding to those requests. I’m progressing well. The surgery helped enormously, and after a decade and a half of pain, I’m feeling a lot better. My endurance isn’t where it needs to be yet, but with short walks (growing longer each day), I’m getting there.
So where’s this story going? I don’t mind sharing that before the surgery, I was apprehensive. I’d heard all kinds of ominous things about back surgery. My biggest fear was that I’d be worse after the surgery than I was before, or that the surgery would make no difference. None of that came to pass. I made a good decision, my surgeon was a gifted doctor, and I’m improving every day. But in the days leading up to it, I was feeling down. So I did what I normally do to feel better: I bought a gun.
Not just any gun. It’s a Ruger Old Model Single-Six with 9 1/2-inch barrel. It had been lightly customized (the grip frame and ejector tube were polished instead of the standard anodized aluminum). The price was more than right (at a scant $395, the gun was way below what it would normally bring). Old Model 9 1/2-inch Single Sixes are not very common and they command a premium in the collector market. This one even included the optional .22 Mag cylinder. I follow several online gun forums, and when I saw the post advertising this Single Six, I pounced (it was a no-brainer for me). The online post had been up for exactly 28 minutes before I responded with “I’ll take it.” And I’m glad I did.
When the gun arrived at my local FFL, I was ecstatic. It looks even better in person than it does in these photos. That $395 price was a good thing, but boy oh boy, does California and the federal government ever screw you on the sin taxes they levy on guns. I don’t know this for a fact, but I’d be amazed if any of the hoops California makes a gun buyer jump through ever prevented a crime anywhere. Fortunately, the U.S. Supreme Court is starting to dial back some of these outrageous cash grabs and ridiculous laws (the latest being the Supreme Court decision on Hawaii’s nutty concealed carry restrictions). That effort needs to be accelerated. I’m for nationwide recognition of any state’s concealed carry permit, doing away completely with any state’s approved gun roster, and the elimination of any special taxes on gun purchases. Our state and federal governments have better things to do. But I digress. Back to the Single Six.
The story behind the Ruger Single-Six is tied to our 1950s/1960s obsession with the American West. Ruger was a new company back in the 1950s. They had already hit a home run with their .22 autoloader handgun (the Ruger Standard Model) when they decided to emulate the Colt Single Action Army in a .22 revolver, and the new Ruger sixgun has been in production ever since.
The Ruger Single Six entered the marketplace in 1953. With it, Ruger created a new market niche, and Ruger sold every one of these guns as fast as they could make them. The 9 1/2-inch version was introduced in 1959, and it appealed to collectors, target shooters, small-game hunters, and folks who just liked that it was something different. I’m in the collector/target shooter category. The Single Six you see above was manufactured in 1968. That makes it 58 years old. A youngster, in gun years.
This is not my first Single Six, and it’s not the first time we’ve written about the Ruger Single Six. My Dad owned one from the first full year of production, and it became mine when he passed. It’s the revolver you see below, and you can read about it here.
It will be a few more days before I can drive again, and I have some restrictions on lifting anything above a certain weight (don’t tell Sue, but I’m milking these restrictions for all they are worth). The bottom line is that I haven’t shot the new Single Six yet. Once I’m able to get around a little better, I’ll shoot both Single Sixes in a side-by-side comparo, maybe with a few different ammo types. Stay tuned.