how to load a single action (indexing?)

[corncob]

I don't own a single 22lr handgun and handling a Ruger Single Six today in a local shop infected me with the single action bug. I really liked the reverse indexing feature of the new Vaquero, but Ruger doesn't offer it in a 22. Does anyone know if they are planning to? I had a lot of trouble lining up the Single Six's chambers with the ejector--surely there is a "right" way to do this. Can someone tell me what it is? Also, does anyone own one with a 9-in. barrel? I am sorely temped but wonder if it is too much.

Finally, is Ruger the only game in town for similar money?

 

[P95Carry]

Not got the 9" barrel - much as I like long tubes I think that is a tad long for caliber.

I have bought but not fitted yet, free-wheel pawls for both my SBH and Single Six - must get to fitting those. I agree the loading can be a drag if you go past the exact point - and IMO not really any easy answer. I guess what I do is advance cyl slowly enough to see the next empty chamber coming up and make sure I stop when just visible. One small bit beyond is often too much!

Miss one and well - go round again is all you can do. This is in fact part of why SA's get tedious even if freewheeling like my BFR - still one at a time thru gate is slow.

Still enjoy the Single Six tho - even so.

 

[knzn]

Not sure if free wheeling pawls are in the future for the 22's but for me it's not that big of a deal. But then I got my Single six in 1975 and am used to it just the way it is. You can get used to lining things up if you don't let it bug you.

Barrel length is a personal thing. Get the length that trips your trigger.

And yes, I do believe that Ruger is the only game in town for similar money.

 

[biere]

For the price I consider ruger the best game in town.

I would have to see how the 9 inch barrel balances since a heavier grip frame might make it balance ok. But I overall want a gun for plinking around my property and like the shorter barrels since they carry better.

As for the free spin pawl, if ruger won't make one I bet the aftermarket will.

I have a super blackhawk and one thing I learned to do because I never got around to ordering the free spin pawl was to keep a finger alongside the cylinder as I turn it and this lets me feel when I need to stop turning the cylinder. It is kind of like feeling a speedloader into a double action revolver, I use my fingers to feel if things are lined up or not.

One trick someone posted about for reloading a single action is to carry the rounds in a tube and you uncork the tube and hold it in the loading gate while turning the cylinder so you can fill all six chambers faster than if you load each round by hand.

I would research cowboy action shooting to see the best way or fastest way to handle a single action. The above are just things I read and came up with on my own.

I do plan to change my blackhawk to a free spin pawl but not having that option made me pay attention to my gun when unloading it and loading it and that has allowed me to practice being careful and these days I am pretty amazed at how well I can load and unload the gun since when I first got the gun I wondered if I could get it unloaded and reloaded in a time frame measured in minutes.

I have only shot a neighbors single six a few times and I like it but his has a 5 or 6 inch barrel I think and that seems just fine to me.

 

[usp_fan]

You can convert your stock pawl into a free spin pawl in about 5 minutes. Directions can be searched up on www.rugerforum.com. I did this to a .45 bisley ruger, and honestly, I don't notice much of a difference in loading and unloading times. I do miss the clicks of the pawl and will likely go back to a stock pawl in the future.

My single six is easy to load/unload and I expect you will pick it up fast. Just practice lots and it will soon become natural.

As an example of how natural the act of loading/unloading can become...
Last week on vacation in Star Valley, WY, we were plinking with the single six up a canyon and a moose walked out. As we watched it the single six reloaded itself--what I mean to say is the loading process has become so natural now that it is easy to do without looking and without too much thought.

Have fun and shoot it alot. If you need specifics on the modification the free spin pawl, PM me.

--usp_fan

 

[corncob]

I've got one on order--with a 6.5-inch barrel. I actually talked to a woman in sales at Ruger today and she said there were no plans that she had heard about changing the Single Six.

Is a freewheeling pawl what the new Vaquero has?

 

[BluesBear]

Don't worry about it.
It's something you develop a knack for. It just takes some getting used to.
In no time at all you get a feel for just how far to rotate the cylinder and you'll seldom, if ever, miss a chamber again.

And then you'll wonder what all of the fuss was about.