Spoon find in dad's stuff

[HardDrive]

I won't bore you with a long story, but back in the 70s, my father bought a Ruger Single Six .22 for coon hunting. I grew up in very rural circumstances when I was young. 2AM on a warm Michigan night, the challenge of hitting a ball of fur 80ft up in tree moving in the wind while a gaggle of coon hounds howled was considered sport.

I opened a drawer in my dad's fly fishing cabinet today, and spotted the box below. I recalled immediately what it was. The Ruger came with this .22 WMR (Winchester Magnum) cylinder. I doubt it was used more than a few times, before being put away.

A) Interesting caliber that actually did serve a purpose.

B) Fun finding an object that I have probably not touched in 40+ years in excellent condition.

C) Note the other conversion options! Interesting stuff.

[jyl]

Do you still have the revolver?

My dad bought the same revolver when I was little. I have the Single-Six with the 22LR cylinder but the 22WMR cylinder has disappeared.

[HardDrive]

Originally Posted by jyl

Do you still have the revolver?

My dad bought the same revolver when I was little. I have the Single-Six with the 22LR cylinder but the 22WMR cylinder has disappeared.

I do! Vintage leather holster that has clearly been in the woods as well. Would post photo, but it's in a safe deposit box.

[Jim Bremner]

I have a son that would like to own it if you want to part with it. Let me know

[shadowjack1]

Originally Posted by jyl

Do you still have the revolver?

My dad bought the same revolver when I was little. I have the Single-Six with the 22LR cylinder but the 22WMR cylinder has disappeared.

Ruger will fit a new cylinder.

[ben parrish]

Have the same gun and magnum cylinder from my dad. The cylinder drops right in and is matched for that gun...keep it together. The older single six does not have the transfer bar safety to keep the gun”safe” from accidental fire if dropped...DO NOT ADD THIS “UPGRADE”!!! The gun is perfectly safe and it is not needed. If you ever sell, I would be a buyer.

[911 Rod]

How can you use the cylinder and not have the barrel to match?

[jyl]

Originally Posted by 911 Rod

How can you use the cylinder and not have the barrel to match?

Same bullet diameter for 22LR and 22WMR.

[HardDrive]

Originally Posted by 911 Rod

How can you use the cylinder and not have the barrel to match?

Bullet size is the same, but the .22 WMR had a longer, thicker case, so higher pressures could be achieved. I'm guessing that most .22 barrels are massively overbuilt for the job of delivering .22 LR, so the higher pressures are not an issue.

Perhaps Higgins can chime in on that one.

[Jeff Higgins]

Interestingly, SAAMI maximum pressures are the same for both .22 LR and .22 WMR. Ammo for both are typically loaded in the 20,000-24,000 PSI range. Bullets for the .22 LR are nominally .223" dia, where the .22 WMR is a bit bigger at .224" dia. Not a big deal at all with the soft lead bullets with which these are loaded.

When I bought my Single Six as a 21st birthday present to myself, I opted for the one without the additional cylinder. Don't get me wrong, it's really cool to have one, but its practical application is rather dubious. The .22 WMR really doesn't offer much more velocity than "high velocity" .22 LR rounds from a short revolver length barrel. It needs a rifle barrel to really stretch its legs. All it really does is triple or quadruple the cost of shooting it, while making a good deal more noise as well. Still awesome that you found it, though, and can re-acquaint it with its revolver.

[911 Rod]

Originally Posted by jyl

Same bullet diameter for 22LR and 22WMR.

Ah. I was looking at the 357 on the box.

[Rick Lee]

My dad won a stainless Single Six raffle or door prize when I was a little kid. It must have been around 1976 or 1977 because it had a bicentennial stamp on the barrel. It also came with the extra magnum cylinder. I grew up on the gun, but eventually sold it for decent money at a gun show when Dad and I decided we just had no use for it anymore and it was going to sit in the safe.

[vash]

cool story.

i am not familiar with the piece. does it have that cowboy style (pistol)grip? i cannot google it from work or the black suits will show up and lead me to the door.

[tabs]

Friend of mine of 30 years passed in may of 19 at 81 of congestive heart failure. It was his time. After his death his wife called and asked if I wanted any of his spoons. I bought his 2nd gen Colt SA Nickle 4.75 in B, she threw in his 1959 Single Six in 22 WMR and and whole bunch of ammo which included 2 bricks of Remington Match tgt 22 lr..which is collectible at $50 a box.

[Jim Bremner]

These pistols are way overbuilt. My son has his Grandfather's 1959 and I don't think Gramps ever sent it in for the recall.

It's only a single cylinder and wouldn't mind picking up the 22WMR spare

[Jeff Higgins]

Originally Posted by vash

cool story.

i am not familiar with the piece. does it have that cowboy style (pistol)grip? i cannot google it from work or the black suits will show up and lead me to the door.

Yup, kind of a smaller version of the old Colt single action. Here's mine:



And yes, these are very sturdy little revolvers. Ruger even offers them in .32 H&R on the same size frame.

[craigster59]

I used to have a "Bearcat". That was a nice little spoon.