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Ruger Wrangler


Dusty Morningwood

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What is the good, the bad and the ugly on these? Saw where you need to keep the cylinder pin pushed all the way in or it won't cock.  Think I can remember that.  But as a handy .22 to carry in the woods, maybe with snake shot, any opinions from owners?  

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3 minutes ago, Dusty Morningwood said:

Saw where you need to keep the cylinder pin pushed all the way in or it won't cock. 

All Ruger Single Actions are that way.

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39 minutes ago, Goody, SASS #26190 said:

All Ruger Single Actions are that way.

Seems I read that these move frward easier than say a Single Six.  But that seems like an easy fix.

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Do not dry fire without dummy in cylinder. It will dent rim and not allow rounds to properly set. 

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13 minutes ago, Major Bill said:

Do not dry fire without dummy in cylinder. It will dent rim and not allow rounds to properly set. 

Yep! Rimfire 101.

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I’ve got a wrangler and a single six.   The wrangler has a free spin cylinder, which takes a bit to get used to, but mechanically it’s close to a single six.   I like it.  It also accepts the springs from Blackhawks and Vaqueros making spring  changes easy. 

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I have a Single Six, but for what I need a .22 for, it is really too nice a gun. I think the Wrangler will fit the bill and if I lose it in a swamp, I won't cry. Too much.

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I bought one shot about 20 rounds and sold it! Stiffer than all get out! I know I could have replaced the springs but I didn't want to waste my time on that POS! Just MHO!

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I'm still getting to know mine.  Negatives: Springs are definitely stiff.  Loading gate is very stiff to open.  I don;t like the free-spinning cylinder (you might not mind it though).  Positives: aftermarket springs, grips, etc seem to be available.  I like the feel.  Accuracy seems acceptable for close range shooting.  (I don't think I'll be shooting squirrels out of tall trees with it.)

 

I plan to carry it in woods on walks and firewood gathering duties.

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Shirttail bought two of them. Takes about 20 minutes and a set of 16# springs to go from clunky to very nice. Took the mill marks off of the backs of the cylinders around the chamber holes and cleaned the factory oil out of the gun. Replaced it with Lucas #2 red grease. As far as getting dirty quickly, they do, but NO quicker than a new single six I have. I think a little polishing of the chambers would take care of that. Nice guns. The last Winter Range we had we used them for kids to come and shoot to try Cowboy shooting, they ran 1000's of rounds through them and had a grip frame screw loosen up in one of them. That was about the only problem encountered. I'm tempted to buy a pair also even though I have a pair of Single Sixes.

kR

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Springs made a world of difference on mine.

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Poor quality for $200 six guns. Hammer springs so stiff my wife had great difficulty cocking them. Replaced with 17# springs. Loading gate is very small and everyone complains about how difficult they are to open. Almost impossible for our 10 year old granddaughters. Took them totally apart and improved that problem and replaced the heavy trigger spring with a lighter one. Getting a lot of misfires because the top of the hammer was hitting the frame before the transfer bar so took them apart again and removed material from top of the hammers. That worked but another big problem from the beginning is that the with the loading gate open the cylinders can’t spin freely because the back of the cylinders rub on the frame and loading gate ( rubbing so heavy they have removed the finish on both the back of the cylinders and frame / loading gate). Need to remove metal from the rear of the cylinders so they can freely spin. I would suggest different 22 six guns if your aren’t a “kitchen table gunsmith.”  Definitely overpriced at $200 each. Better off spending more money and  getting the Ruger Bearcats for teaching the little grandchildren to shoot. I like my Chiappa 1873 22’s much better, full size and fit my holsters much better and much better quality Sixgun’s. Just remove the hammer spring and “hour glassed” it a little for a smoother hammer pull. 

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2 hours ago, Imis Twohofon,SASS # 46646 said:

I found that mine dirtyed up pretty quickly. Enough to be able to cause a problem by about the 3-4 stage. could be a problem in the woods.

 

Imis

Mine stayed pretty clean,  I’ve found that Remington Thunderbolts have a waxy coating on the bullet that will gum up even the single six quickly.  Federal Bulk Box, CCI,  run okay, and some Winchesters are at the max Od on the case...  

 

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Some added information.  The first one I had had an awful loading gate, and the casting broke at the pawl.  Ruger took it back and sent me a whole new one that was 100% better.  No issues on the gate, and with 17# Wolff springs and a lighter trigger spring it’s a good shooter.  
From what I’m reading though it sounds like Wranglers are hit and Miss.   

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I have a detailed article I am working on for the Chronicle.  Took about 200 photos.  But this thread and one a few weeks ago has prompted me to put a short test on the wire.  The gun can be tuned to be super slick and I will go over how to do that in the article.  One problem is the sloppy fit between the base pin and base pin latch.  I handled several in a local store that got in a bunch of them a few weeks ago.  One I inspected would not cock.  About two minutes of inspection and the problem was discovered.  Here is a test for those buying them.  Push the base pin all the way to the rear.  Point the gun at the ground and slowly cock the hammer and watch the transfer bar.  It should go over the firing pin as shown in the first photo.  Now pull the base pin all the way forward and point the gun at the ground and slowly cock it.  (If you point the gun in the air gravity will hold the transfer bar back.)  If the transfer bar goes under the firing pin as shown in photo 2 the gun won't fully cock and I would reject the gun.  This is not an easy fix.  The problem is shown in photo 3.  The base pin latch either sits too low in the frame or does not travel far enough to the right.  The base pin has a circular groove in it.  The latch is round.  The further apart the groove and the latch are from each other the more play in the base pin.  All of the guns I inspected had quite a bit of play in the base pin.  I gave several the quickie test and picked one that passed.  When I started working on the gun there was another unexpected problem with the T Bar.  I'll go over that in the article.

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I just ordered two of these yesterday to have at the range for beginners.  When they arrive, I will try this experiment with them.  I will also be awaiting your follow-up article with baited breath.

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Looking forward to that article Larsen, Thanks.

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I love Rugers, but I don't understand the fascination with this revolver that has so many reported problems out of the box.  I won't buy any other firearm that requires work to be done on it out of the box before it can be considered to be reliable.  I won't be buying a Ruger Wrangler for that reason.  It's not even pretty.  The last Heritage Arms revolver I saw looked better and was cheaper.

 

Ruger can do better.  I'll wait until they do.

 

Just my .02 cents worth.

 

Angus

 

 

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30 minutes ago, Black Angus McPherson said:

I love Rugers, but I don't understand the fascination with this revolver that has so many reported problems out of the box.  I won't buy any other firearm that requires work to be done on it out of the box before it can be considered to be reliable.  I won't be buying a Ruger Wrangler for that reason.  It's not even pretty.  The last Heritage Arms revolver I saw looked better and was cheaper.

 

Ruger can do better.  I'll wait until they do.

 

Just my .02 cents worth.

 

Angus

 

 

But you know after we do the things Larsen is working on, they will be excellent little Rugers !

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1 hour ago, Black Angus McPherson said:

I love Rugers, but I don't understand the fascination with this revolver that has so many reported problems out of the box.  I won't buy any other firearm that requires work to be done on it out of the box before it can be considered to be reliable.  I won't be buying a Ruger Wrangler for that reason.  It's not even pretty.  The last Heritage Arms revolver I saw looked better and was cheaper.

 

Ruger can do better.  I'll wait until they do.

 

Just my .02 cents worth.

 

Angus

 

 

Here is a good side by side comparison.

 

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1 minute ago, Dusty Morningwood said:

Here is a good side by side comparison.

 

OK.  Wrong video.  Here is the correct one.

 

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I shot two Heritage arms this weekend at a .22 rimfire challenge shoot i attended. They were not mine I borrowed them. Great shooters, I like them so much more than the Wrangler. A LGS has two of them for $129.00 each, .22lr only. I may go get 'em!

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3 hours ago, Rye Miles #13621 said:

I shot two Heritage arms this weekend at a .22 rimfire challenge shoot i attended. They were not mine I borrowed them. Great shooters, I like them so much more than the Wrangler. A LGS has two of them for $129.00 each, .22lr only. I may go get 'em!

I bought a pair of Heritage .22LR pistols about 3 years ago for $116 each. Shoot them in CAS matches 2-3 times a year. Will probably shoot them more this year with the ammo/component shortages. They always worked fine for me.

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Man. I really want to support Ruger, as I gave sold my Single Six to get a more "Beater Grade" gun I'm not afraid to lose it abuse. But I ain't liking what I read here.

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26 minutes ago, Dusty Morningwood said:

Man. I really want to support Ruger, as I gave sold my Single Six to get a more "Beater Grade" gun I'm not afraid to lose it abuse. But I ain't liking what I read here.

 

As much as I like Ruger firearms and support their "higher" grade firearms, I wouldn't buy a Wrangler. Just too much bad feedback on these guns. I did an little checking....Blackhawk Armory has the Heritage Arms Rough Rider for cheap and I mean cheap. Link listed below. The grips are ugly as sin but for $240.00 (MOL) you can get two of them.

 

Disclaimer: I am in no way affiliated with Blackhawk Armory or Heritage Arms.

 

https://battlehawkarmory.com/product/heritage-mfg-rough-rider-small-bore-22-lr-4.75-6-round-cocobolo-grip-blued#product_detail

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It's funny how different threads will have completely different responses. Somehow the few people that have had problems with the wrangler have found this one.

 

Ruger is known for having the toughest revolvers and fixing any gun no matter how old or how many owners it has had. The wrangler is designed after the reputable single six but they somehow figured out how to build it for a fraction of the cost while still making sure all the important parts are tough. Like all Ruger revolvers they come stiff, but that's an easy fix with their spring design. You can cut the springs or buy all different spring strengths to customize their revolvers to how you want it (not so easy with other brands). By the way, Ruger states in the manual that it is safe to dry fire without any damage. If it is damaged from dry firing there is something defective with the gun and should be sent to ruger along with any of the other defects people have mentioned in this thread.

 

We love ours, have had them almost 2 years and haven't had a bit of trouble with them. Those we have recommended them to are also happy with theirs. 

 

I know the Heritage guns are good guns and nicer to shoot out of the box but they are cheaper for a reason. The frame is a zinc alloy (making them illegal in Illinois) and only carry a 1 year warranty to the original owner. I also don't care for the safety. 

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I have to agree with Chicken George.  I pointed out one issue that is common enought to be on the lookout for.  However, on the whole the Ruger is far better built than the Heritage.  The grip to frame fit on the Hertitage is abysmal and I don't like the through-the-frame safety.  For $120.00 it is OK.  But for the long haul the Ruger is much better built.  The Ruger frame and grip are supposed to be made out of aluminum.  The Heritage out of Zamak.  Both have been used in guns for a long time.  If cost is the only consideration Heritage is the winner.  If quality enters into the picture I would go with Ruger.

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Well. I looked at both today and decided on the Wrangler. Just didn't like the look or feel of the Rough Rider. Think I will make the suggested mods, as it is kind of stiff.

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I wouldn't buy a Heritage.  More power to the people that like them, but I absolutely can't stand that safety.  And the frame looks like a toy cap gun, especially when the coating starts to rub off with wear.

 

My wrangler doesn't have the problem with the cylinder pin/transfer bar.  The only thing I might actually change (I can't change the free-wheeling cylinder) is getting a lighter spring, but the heavier stock spring really doesn't bother me.  (I have large hands.)

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So, I started to clean factory oil and grease out of the gun this A.M. and noticed that the cylinder face seems to have carbon buildup from firing. It came out of a display with about ten Wranglers. Is this from factory test firing or did I get a returned gun?

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Thanks, Bingo. Suppose it could be production residue from boring chambers. 

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