Wrangler, first impressions

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PapaG

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Picked up a new Ruger Wrangler this morning. I've been wanting to see what they did to produce a single action .22 and sell it for less than a third of the price of a Single Six.
Out of the box I noticed several things. Matte CeraKote finish other than on the cylinder, hammer and trigger. Mould line all around the grip frame. Heavy, creepy trigger which I mostly remedied the standard way. Fixed sights. Heavy hammer pull which might lighten up over time. Feels solid, locks up tight, no shake or rattles. Gap in front of the grips.
My biggest concern is there is no crown on the barrel. Muzzle is just faced off flat. Potential for damage there. Grip feels much like my Colt New Frontier .22.
Nice weight to it. I see lots of ways they saved money but overall it seems much more solid and tight than its intended competition, the Heritage Rough Rider.
My Super Single Six has been one of my most accurate .22 revolvers with the exception of my 617. I even scoped it for a while and shot a few squirrels.
Next, in the coming days, a side by side shootout with a dozen kinds of ammo. I don't expect match accuracy but hope it can do 2" @ 25 yards. I'll let you know. BTW, this is the black version.
 
My biggest concern is there is no crown on the barrel
the crown on my bearcat was way crooked. it shot much better after I recut the crown. yours may shoot well from the get-go. my single six and blackhawks have shot well from the start.

luck,

murf
 
I love my Wrangler not as accurate as I had hoped but could be on my end. Or crappy ammo. It locks up like a bank vault. Things smooth out with use. It serves it's purpose something to teach kids new shooters.
 
I'm not going to crap on the Wrangler because I haven't even seen one much less handle or shoot one.

I will say that for $100 my HRR is exceptional. That's to say its exceptional for a $100 SA revolver.

I'm really interested how an extra $100 can make a dirt cheap SA revolver that much more "exceptional".
 
I'm not going to crap on the Wrangler because I haven't even seen one much less handle or shoot one.

I will say that for $100 my HRR is exceptional. That's to say its exceptional for a $100 SA revolver.

I'm really interested how an extra $100 can make a dirt cheap SA revolver that much more "exceptional".

My sentiments exactly.
You took the words right out of my mouth.
 
My brother brought one to elk camp last week. He said it was shooting tiny little groups at ten yards. Picked it up at a Cabela's for $180. Salesman told him they get them in 8 at a time and usually last about an hour before they are all gone.

Didn't shoot it, but my brother handed it to me to inspect and fondle. Opened the loading gate, spun the cylinder to verify unloaded, then closed the gate and cocked it. Felt nice and solid. Lowered the hammer with my thumb, tried to pull the hammer back to half-cock and my brother remarked that it didn't have that option.

Went to thumb it back to full-cock again and it wouldn't go; got stuck about 3/4 of the way back. Tried again and it wouldn't go. Handed it back to my brother and told him I broke his gun.

He tried to cock it a couple of times and had the same issue. Upon closer examination, the transfer bar is raised over the firing pin when the hammer is pulled back. For some reason, his was was hitting the firing pin on the way up. He messed with it and got the transfer bar to go up as expected. Dry-fired it a couple of times and couldn't replicate the issue.

Not a bad little pistol for the price, despite the odd malfunction. I may pick one up if I move back to Idaho.
 
I am still waiting for my lgs to get one in. TreyV is the Wrangler ok to dry fire?

Yes!

http://ruger-docs.s3.amazonaws.com/_manuals/wrangler-B8k6d3rHb.pdf

DRY-FIRING: Going through the actions of cocking, aiming, and pulling the trigger of an unloaded firearm is known as “Dry Firing.” It can be useful to learn the “feel” of your revolver. Be certain the revolver is unloaded and that the firearm is pointing in a safe direction even when practicing by dry-firing. The RUGER® WRANGLER™ can be dry-fired without damage to the firing pin or other components.
 
Thanks, I only asked because I didn’t know any 22 could be dry fired without possibly doing damage.

It depends on the revolver. Most S&W 22 revolvers can be safely dry fired, despite what you may hear, because there is enough relief in the cylinder around the rim so that the firing pin will not actually contact the cylinder.

I cannot speak for the Wrangler as I do not have one, but my Single Sixes all have enough relief around the rims that the firing pin will not actually contact the cylinder.
 
He tried to cock it a couple of times and had the same issue. Upon closer examination, the transfer bar is raised over the firing pin when the hammer is pulled back. For some reason, his was was hitting the firing pin on the way up. He messed with it and got the transfer bar to go up as expected. Dry-fired it a couple of times and couldn't replicate the issue.

Sticky transfer bar. That should go away permanently with a little use I would think.
 
Finally got it to the range. Fifteen yards, off a sandbag, CCI Minimag hp, eleven of twelve inside 2 1/2" plus one I pulled low. I'm happy. Next trip, compare with Super Single Six and a Colt New Frontier Scout with a few brands of ammo. And, to check out the other Wrangler I picked up for childbride.
 
I am beginning to wonder if Ruger is having problems with the design of the gun due to it’s limited availability.

You keep saying that. However there is certainly no evidence whatsoever to substantiate such a claim.
No one who has reviewed the gun, or who has purchased the gun, has reported any design problems.
And, since the design is identical to the time-proven Single Six, why would there be?
It differs only in the materials of construction, minor details, and cosmetic appearance.
And certainly if the Wrangler would not work with aluminum and ZA alloy, neither would the Rough Rider.
I am more inclined to believe that the demand is outstripping either their ability, or their inclination, to make them fast enough.
Because of the name, superior quality, and the identical-to-Single Six coil spring internal design, they are just selling like hot cakes.
In my opinion, there is just a backlog of shooters who really wanted a Single Six, but could either not afford one, or could not justify the price tag to themselves.
 
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I'm more likely to grab this thing for a woods walk than my 6 1/2" Six as it can ride in a pocket, has no sharp edges, and will cause me less grief with each scratch (oops, scar) it picks up.
 
It depends on the revolver. Most S&W 22 revolvers can be safely dry fired, despite what you may hear, because there is enough relief in the cylinder around the rim so that the firing pin will not actually contact the cylinder.

In my opinion, it really doesn't matter if the firing pin dings the chambers or not. It's about the constant impact of steel on steel.
A lot of guns will take it, but some won't. For example,Colt and Browning striker-fired pocket pistols were notorious for the firing pin tip breaking off as a result of dry firing.
When I want to practice with a lever gun or other exposed hammer gun, I wedge a small block cut from an eraser into the frame and let that absorb the impact. A piece of leather works as well.
 
It depends on the revolver. Most S&W 22 revolvers can be safely dry fired, despite what you may hear, because there is enough relief in the cylinder around the rim so that the firing pin will not actually contact the cylinder.

I cannot speak for the Wrangler as I do not have one, but my Single Sixes all have enough relief around the rims that the firing pin will not actually contact the cylinder.
Ruger states in the owner's manual that dry-firing is acceptable in the Wrangler.
 
More like high demand. They are making 5,000 of them a week.
Agreed currently they have made nearly 60,000 of them. It's the demand side of the equation more than a problem supplying them. Took me five months, but now I have all three. Have over 3000 rounds through my first one (silver) with serial number in the low 2000's. They've performed flawlessly, really no different than shooting a Single-Six. My Silver one was missing the from grip frame screw. Phone call to Ruger cured that.
 
My brother brought one to elk camp last week. He said it was shooting tiny little groups at ten yards. Picked it up at a Cabela's for $180. Salesman told him they get them in 8 at a time and usually last about an hour before they are all gone.

Didn't shoot it, but my brother handed it to me to inspect and fondle. Opened the loading gate, spun the cylinder to verify unloaded, then closed the gate and cocked it. Felt nice and solid. Lowered the hammer with my thumb, tried to pull the hammer back to half-cock and my brother remarked that it didn't have that option.

Went to thumb it back to full-cock again and it wouldn't go; got stuck about 3/4 of the way back. Tried again and it wouldn't go. Handed it back to my brother and told him I broke his gun.

He tried to cock it a couple of times and had the same issue. Upon closer examination, the transfer bar is raised over the firing pin when the hammer is pulled back. For some reason, his was was hitting the firing pin on the way up. He messed with it and got the transfer bar to go up as expected. Dry-fired it a couple of times and couldn't replicate the issue.

Not a bad little pistol for the price, despite the odd malfunction. I may pick one up if I move back to Idaho.
The symptoms you're describing usually indicate the cylinder base pin is not fully engaged.
 
i finally got a black wrangler from smga for $179, free shipping to my ffl. i happily put 150+ federal rounds through it a couple of weeks ago. big thumbs up. sticky loading gate is on purpose, it secures the free spinning cylinder that allows easier reloads.

i’ve got a heritage r.r. and ruger s.s. the wrangler slots nicely in the middle, only improvement would be 8 vice 6 shot 22lr cylinder. as much as i like shooting 22wmr out of the s.s., if i were limited to just one single action revolver or 22lr plinker it would be a wrangler above the others.
 
In my opinion, there is just a backlog of shooters who really wanted a Single Six, but could either not afford one, or could not justify the price tag to themselves.

I'm one of those people. I used to own super single six but had to sell it. I always assumed I'd replace it someday, but they are expensive and my income isn't what it used to be.

I've been considering getting an HRR and now the Wrangler for awhile now, but my firearm money is tight and I have higher purchase priorities. So the Wrangler will have to wait.

Luckily I own a S&W 63 so I can still get my 22 revolver fix!
 
I have a HRR that shoot's very well . I'm like BlueHeelerFI my firearm money is tight. I think I'll stay with my HRR and take a pass on the Ruger.
 
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