Ruger Wrangler(s) Experience

I had one of the first ones to come into this area. No complaints on fit and finish, but it keyholed right off the bat. I recut the crown, did the poor boy trigger job, and replaced the grips with a pair of wood ones. It shot as well as could be expected for what it was, but my single six shoots much better and so the wrangler went to a new home. The fella that got it seems to like it quite a bit, but it's his trap line gun and nothing else. I have a tendency to recommend them over the hrr only because of the silly safety on the heritage. Otherwise, save your money and buy a single six you can pass to your grand kids!

Mac
 
American Finn said:
@Tenncvol I'm sorry to hear about your problems; I have a Wrangler that my son shoots and it seems to be accurate and reliable; haven't had any issues with at all.

I commented on another forum about a Charter Arms quality issue; it just seems to me that nobody really cares anymore about building a quality product. I thought the firearms industry would be a bastion of pride and sound worksmanship but it appears that is no longer the case. Maybe I'm wrong (and correct me if I am) but I don't remember firearms of years past having the issues that they seem to have today. You would think it would be the opposite with all of the precision machining and metallurgical technology we have today.
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Not all CNC machines are equal in being repeatable with what they machine, not all workers are equal in what work they produce, and management is all equally interested in one thing and that's the bottom line. The industry figured out years ago that you can make more money by making a lower quality product because most people don't shoot the guns they buy, especially the cheap ones. The few that do shoot them in volume that have an issue and know there's an issue and want it fixed comprises I would estimate about 5% of owners.

Even if a company takes a different approach that pushes quality on the workers, there's no guarantee the workers care beyond doing the minimum for a paycheck. You may have old school thinking that those workers should be let go, but in today's world there is no guarantee that a replacement can be found that has the required skill and knowledge to run a machine and make good parts.

Not that it matters if they know what they're doing and focus on quality and change worn cutting tools frequently or measure and make adjustments because that takes time and I know the shift managers watch the output numbers like a hawk and if they see someone is off by a few pieces because they make said changes to keep parts in spec the managers would rather have more bad parts than fewer good parts that or they want the workers to do magic and make good parts in the same amounts as they do bad parts.

So, what's the takeaway? If you're compelled to buy a new production firearm, especially a revolver, these days, ask people about the specific model, look into its history, how long they've been produced, and how the company making them has been doing recently.

Taurus has been delivering good quality and good prices lately, while Charter is in the sewer, and Ruger/S&W are overpriced for what you get out of box. Management at Taurus has been hammering quality as a focus for at least a decade now and it took a multi-million dollar plant in Georgia to make it happen. Ruger and S&W are coasting on their brand to sell product.
 
defjon said:
Hears to hoping that we see an increased interest in quality control across the board. I think there are a litany of issues contributing to this, and I won't derail by going into all of that.

If these issues continue folks will stop buying. Not worth the headache and hassle. Already we are seeing quarterly sales drop among many manufacturers. Maybe that is not the worst thing. Sometimes a company, just like all of us, need to take a step back and reevaluate.

It wouldn't hurt for quotas to go down and QC be placed front and center. Just this man's opinion.
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The only reason the sales are dropping is because people are running out of money because the country is dealing with high inflation and is in a recession that the media has refused to acknowledge exists and instead keeps talking about how a recession is "expected soon" as that's what financial CEO's are predicting.

Stagflation has a heck of a way of reducing consumer demand.

So, it's not quality issues that's causing the general public to step back because the reality is the most of the general gun buying public doesn't shoot the guns they buy. Gun owners who read and post on gun forums are not regular people, we're abnormal people whose hobby is guns.

Last time we had a slowdown I wasn't following the industry like I do today, so I have no idea if there was much of a focus on improving quality or if there were widespread QC issues in the mid 00s among the major manufacturers (Smith, Ruger, Beretta, Sig) but we all know of the issues Taurus, Remington, Marlin were having. I do know that the result of the Great Recession and Great Obama and all the mass shootings was dropping lines to focus on demand for the most popular semi autos.

This is largely why .327 almost died.

IDK what a period of stagflation is going to do to the industry, we're not dealing with a major threat of legislative action like we were after Sandy Hook and what came was largely at state level in Democrat majority states. The Bruen case and SCOTUS are slowly unwinding those laws, so there is no panic this go round, the last panic was 2020.

I do think a reset of sorts will help more to do with availability, not so much quality.
 
Mine is decent. It's a $200 gun so I don't expect too much.
It's not terribly accurate, it's not very refined, it has some casting imperfections, and the finish shows wear quickly.
It does go bang upon command, loads and unloads without issue, and can hit a soda can at 5 yards.
That's about all I was expecting and it performed as expected
 
It is a Ruger, they are cheap. Your comment that the customer service lady was not surprised shows you they they know it but will not do anything about it.
 
I think TTv2 has nailed it. I have 4 recently purchased .22lr’s and 3 have been returned to the mothership for repair. I am awaiting full replacement of a Diamondback sidekick as I speak. My year old Wrangler has 1500 rounds fired and for now is fun,reliable, and accurate. It was returned to Ruger after 2 months.
 
My Wrangler experience has been "so far, so good". Everything works as it should, the loading gate is not stiff in the slightest, and no keyholing. Did manage to find a set of faux ivory grips, that while they involved a certain amount of hand fitting, they turned out really nice. The holster (Azula cross draw) is courtesy of one of my daughters for Christmas! The holster fits the Wrangler like a glove and the leather work is first rate!
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Took mine out for the 1st time on Friday and had a great time. It shot very well for what it is with no issues, even with junky Goldens. Ruger Wrangler 221229 555.jpg


So sad, and so true.
WestKentucky said:
Quality techs just don’t fit the modern production plan. People called quality techs do, but they serve only the role of checking boxes to keep manufacturing certifications and whatnot, and cater to major customers complaints
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A lot of the stuff I own, I own that particular version of the commodity (say, a vehicle, gun, tool, audio component, appliance, piece of furniture, etc.), because I appreciate the quality and how the item is built. Any item (a gun, for example) that routinely needs to be questioned, "Did you get a good one, or a bad one?" is something that I'm not likely to be owning unless I consider it from the outset to be a throw-away item that I don't expect to gain any satisfaction in owning or using. With regard to guns and other hobby stuff, if I can't afford something that excites me quality and workmanship wise, I'll do without it, and will probably be happier without it.

Most of the guns I own are from the 1950s through the mid-1980s. Almost all of the rest were built later, but were still built like they were back in the 1950s through the 1970s or so. All that said, I do wish a brand new production DWX would fit within my budget. :)
 
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Tenncvol said:
Last year I purchased a Ruger Wrangler 22LR pistol just to have fun with it at the range. I realized it would not be a high precision pistol at the low price point. It was inconsistent, and often would shoot as expected given the simple sights and my skills. However, there were some real bad flyers that I could not blame on my shooting. Closer inspection revealed the holes in the paper were oblong, not round. I think the term is "keyholing". The Ruger customer service lady was not surprised and arranged for it to be returned for repair. I received notice that it could not be repaired and was offered a replacement which I accepted.

The replacement Wrangler made a bad first impression as cartridges had to be firmly pushed into three of the cylinder chambers. After shooting, empties would not come out of the chambers except by removing the cylinder and using a punch and mallet to force them out. I rigged up a way to polish the inside of the chambers and solved that problem. Once I was able to shoot it again - guess what. It keyholed worse than its predecessor. I put it back in its new box and traded for it boxes of Mini-mags. Consider yourself lucky if you got a good Wangler.
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I bought one. I probably fired 300 rounds through it. It did fine most of the time but yes some keyholing. Another thing. Two of the cylinder holes the cartridges had to be pushed strongly in, and it took a lot of force to get them out.
After a year I got bored of it and sold it.
 
I6turbo said:
A lot of the stuff I own, I own that particular version of the commodity (say, a vehicle, gun, tool, audio component, appliance, piece of furniture, etc.), because I appreciate the quality and how the item is built. Any item (a gun, for example) that routinely needs to be questioned, "Did you get a good one, or a bad one?" is something that I'm not likely to be owning unless I consider it from the outset to be a throw-away item that I don't expect to gain any satisfaction in owning or using. With regard to guns and other hobby stuff, if I can't afford something that excites me quality and workmanship wise, I'll do without it and will be happier without it.

Most of the guns I own are from the 1950s through the mid-1980s. Almost all of the rest were built later, but were still built like they were back in the 1950s through the 1970s or so. All that said, I do wish a brand new production DWX would fit within my budget. :)
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I find the single action 22 "cowboy" gun just great fun. I have a real cheapo holster and will go play "quick draw McGraw" when I have an itch to shoot. Do you know how long it takes to go through a box of 50 at the rate of beep....bang....ting. A long time and it is real fun. If you want to get real crazy and really "BURN" that ammo, beep.....bang bang.....ting ting. It is really a fun thing to do.

I think the "gold standard" is the single six. But the costs on those things are just nothing short of stupid money. There are a couple options for "budget" single actions. Heritage and the ruger. Personally just holding them side by side made the decision for me. I already had the Heritage when Ruger saw an easy buck to be made here, but I wanted a second single action so I could go full on "western gun fighter". I looked at both in the shop and went with the heritage again, but this time without the 22 mag cyl. I never used it so why buy it. The gun is to be in any day now.

They are really great fun, and the costs of 22 ammo is about as cheap "gun food" as there is.
 
Remington1911 said:
But the costs on those things are just nothing short of stupid money.
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I hadn't looked at Single Sixes in a while, and a quick GB search found none under the $400 mark, before taxes and shipping. When I bought mine in 2020, it cost me $285 shipped to my FFL; its not pretty by any means but is in excellent mechanical shape. A few weeks ago, I'd considered selling mine and getting something different; after today, I think I'll keep it!

Mac
 
At $400 minimum for a Single Six I just shake my head and look for a double action revolver around $500 that can offer me similar quality, but faster reloading and a DA/SA trigger, regardless of how heavy and meh the DA is.
 
TTv2 said:
At $400 minimum for a Single Six I just shake my head and look for a double action revolver around $500 that can offer me similar quality, but faster reloading and a DA/SA trigger, regardless of how heavy and meh the DA is.
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It took me time and money to learn that the only DA revolver I've shot that's as good as a Single Six is my K22. I think they still offer the modern version, the 617. Pretty sure they're more than $500, though.
 
TTv2 said:
At $400 minimum for a Single Six I just shake my head and look for a double action revolver around $500 that can offer me similar quality, but faster reloading and a DA/SA trigger, regardless of how heavy and meh the DA is.
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This falls into the "something about" grouping.

You all know the deal, there is just something about a single action, there is something about a lever action, there is something about a bolt action........on and on......followed by the usual, you get it or you don't.

If I would have made the statement, it would have ended with a, I just shake my head and bought a Heritage for 4X less.
 
I guess the question I can't escape is why? Why are all you gun guys buying cheap, poor quality firearms? I just don't understand the attraction. No, I don't think everyone should buy a Korth, But when universally it is acknowledged that a given model is of marginal quality with hit or miss...hitting, what is the attraction? I'd bet everyone responding to this thread owns a .22 revolver that is more accurate, of better quality and came at a higher tariff, and is more satisfying to shoot. I have a SS, a 617 and a MKII. A witchdoctor couldn't conjure up any interest in a Wrangler in me.
 
MacAR said:
I hadn't looked at Single Sixes in a while, and a quick GB search found none under the $400 mark, before taxes and shipping. When I bought mine in 2020, it cost me $285 shipped to my FFL; its not pretty by any means but is in excellent mechanical shape. A few weeks ago, I'd considered selling mine and getting something different; after today, I think I'll keep it!

Mac
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2 days ago I picked up a 6.5 inch SS convertible at an LGS for $279.00.
No deal cutting as I'm not a regular there. That was the price on the hang tag.
It dates to 1977.
The deals are out there if you are able to wait for them.
On another note, my SS 32 mag showed up today. I shall not tell what I paid for that one, least ye all call me insane.
 
JumboJVT said:
I guess the question I can't escape is why? Why are all you gun guys buying cheap, poor quality firearms? I just don't understand the attraction. No, I don't think everyone should buy a Korth, But when universally it is acknowledged that a given model is of marginal quality with hit or miss...hitting, what is the attraction? I'd bet everyone responding to this thread owns a .22 revolver that is more accurate, of better quality and came at a higher tariff, and is more satisfying to shoot. I have a SS, a 617 and a MKII. A witchdoctor couldn't conjure up any interest in a Wrangler in me.
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It's good to have a working usable beater. Especially so in a 22lr. It's great for teaching new shooters. A few scuffs or dings, who cares. Good working gun. Good camping gun. Multiple uses for an accurate 22 single action with good customer support and great affordable wood grips/leather holsters on ruger.com

I feel for the folks with issues, but you'll see that on any model regardless of initial cost. If you buy a 200 dollar wrangler, the odds are in your favor that you'll get a good one. I would prefer dealing with ruger over taurus (heritage) if an issue did arise. Worth an extra couple bucks to me.
 
I would be leery of most anything built after 2019.

The shutdown, restart, finding, training, keeping employees has every business in a quandary.

More $$$$, but search for a pre-owned Single Six. You will be much happier.
My buddy picked one up, last month, at gun show for $300. It is not new, not purty, but functions perfectly. Good chooters are out there.
 
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