Ruger choices

L

lcpiper

New member
I an hungry for a new revolver or two and the more I narrow things down the more I get stuck. I am looking for the downside, or the upside, or any side that will help me de-cide.

I like the Ruger Shopkeeper, it's cute and .22LR and the price is stable as it's new so it's an easy score.

But I also like the Single-Six with the cylinder for .22WMR. It adds a hunting capability that the shopkeeper really wouldn't fill as well.

And then I like the Single-Six in .32 H&R as it's smaller but depending on loads can be very capable and accurate.

The .32 ammo is not so cheap to buy off the shelf but it's not as bad as any of my other guns, (.380ACP and .45ACP), so not that bad.

Right now, my thought is to get the Shopkeeper out of the way as the price is stable and shop for good deals on both of the others.

What am I missing?
 
get the shopkeeper cuz its an exclusive.

As to what you are missing a SP-101 in .22? I'm not really sure what your criteria is wasn't clear to me.
 
I guess I am trying to be frugal in some off way or looking for a reason to disqualify one of the three, or an option that makes one or more superfluous.

OK, the real question, what's the real downside if any to a .32 H&R Mag SA revolver like the Ruger Single-Six?

It doesn't seem to be very popular, why?
 
I'd disqualify the .32 because .22 is cheap, carried everywhere (when not out of stock) you can shoot LR, longs and shorts out of the revolver, if you needed to and they are just plain fun.

I got you this far, now you just need to pick which .22. ;)
 
What about a .22lr single-ten?

Or if you want a .22wmr how about the new .22wmr LCR or a single nine?

If I were to buy a .32 Ruger revolver it would be a GP100 in .327 fed mag

Just throwin out some thoughts
 
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The Shopkeeper is a cute little gun. Fine for somethings but not for anything serious. OK for short range hunting and plinkin but in my neck of the woods too many critters are beyond what mere mortals can hit anything with.

On to the Single Sixes....... The Single Sixes are the perfect size field gun, hands down. But I'm not a fan of SA's in .22's. Shoving their shells in and outta loading gates stinks. Some (i.e. most) will disagree but then again they be wrong. The Single Sixes in .32H&R are perhaps the best thing since sliced bread. I love mine. The round is is light years ahead of the .22M on small game, varmints and predators and it's big enough to not be a pain in the rear loading. Once again, all in the perfect size field gun. But the .32 does have disadvantages. The .22lr is a better range gun due to cheap, loaded ammo. You'll put 10 times or more ammo thru a .22lr version but you'll lose a substantial amount of thump. You're call.

If you want a range gun that's OK in the field get a .22lr (preferably a semi like a 22/45). If you want a better hunting gun that's fun but more expensive at the range than get the .32 H&R. If you want a compromise than the a convertible may be your best bet but I think the .22M is a waste in handguns.
 
If I were to buy a .32 Ruger revolver it would be a GP100 in .327 fed mag
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Why this caliber? and why over 32 H&R that would also take 32 and 32 long?




Oh, and I got a decent deal on a shopkeeper so the little guy is in the bag. I figured it was the only one that could get away and I think the price was about as good as it was going to get.


Oh, and on a side note, there is always a side note. I just spotted the old Colt Lightnings that are .38 Colt and realized that they are a real western looking revolver but double-action and this is sort of unusual. I immediately got the idea of finding one in decent mechanical shape and having it slicked up for regular use. It's a thought.
 
The Lightning storekeeper models are very fragile and from my understanding nearly impassible to find parts for or find a gunsmith willing to work on. I inherited one made in 1891, but it doesn't get fired.
 
Is .327 significantly cheaper or does it perform better?

And is there a better revolver that the caliber gives you access too.

I owned an early GP100 in .357 Magnum and it was rugged but there was some trigger binding on occasion and I am not completely sold on the gun. Of course it may have improved with time.

PatientWolf, thank you for pointing out the flaws in the Colt Lightning. I wonder if the Cimmaron made Lightning suffers the same issues or if they improved upon the original.
 
The .327 mag is a fairly potent and very flatshooting round, a huge step up power wise from the .32long and a step up from the .32H&R. Ammo is cheaper than .32H&R as well. I have recently purchased .327 at about $24 for 50. The .32h&R thats out there is usually $15-20 for 20. .327 and .32H&R are way up on even .22WMR for power but more $$. Ya pays your bucks and gets your choice. I have a .327 Blackhawk it is 8 shot and a hoot to shoot. It is not light,
 
lcpiper- the reason I suggested .327 fed mag is because you can also shoot .32 h&r and .32 long with it. The .327 mag is also a faster, more potent round than the h&r and ammo is usually cheaper and more readily available
 
Not to take away what others have said, but the .327 Federal Magnum is far more than "more potent" than the .32 H&R. The .327 Federal is to the .32 H&R what a full-bore, full-boat .357 Magnum load is to a .38 Special.

The .327 Federal runs a significantly higher pressure than .32 H&R and in fact, the .327 Federal runs a higher pressure than almost any other handgun cartridge outside of the Smith & Wesson X-frame monster Magnums.

The beauty in the Ruger Single Six in .32 H&R Mag is that you get a small-sized handgun in .32 cal. If you get a Blackhawk in .327 Federal Magnum...you'll have a monstrously large sized handgun, so it's not like it's a simple matter of moving to a more powerful cartridge.

The .327 Federal GP-100 is my favorite, I love mine, but again...it's the same size as a 4-inch .357 Magnum. So in comparison to a Single-Six in .32 H&R, it's a much larger sized handgun. If you are talking packing in the woods, you will notice the difference.

Personally, I can't recommend any .32 H&R or .327 Federal Magnum handgun to anyone that doesn't handload unless you are well aware ahead of time that ammo is horribly expensive and much more scarce than common stuff.

I am part of a very small but very RABID group of folks who love the .327 Federal. But if a person makes a thread asking if he should pick from two small .22LR single actions and a small .32 H&R single action -- recommending a .327 Federal Magnum handgun is pretty much no different then suggesting he go buy a .357 Mag or .45 Colt hogleg. There are great reasons for getting -ANY- of the guns mentioned... but if you want a small woods/outdoors gun like a Single-Six, the .327 Federal isn't in the conversation.
 
My suggestion of the .327 mag was within the realm of .32 caliber revolvers. I admit that slightly strayed from the original topic. But if I were to buy a .32 I would rather have something that could shoot the most possible calibers in these ammo-scarce times and also have the option of loading something with a little more punch. I also prefer a full size revolver so I viewed stepping up in frame size as a good thing. I personally don't have much use for the smaller centerfire calibers, not knocking them, just don't have a use for them myself. If I want to plink or shoot squirrels and rabbits I'm just going to use a .22. If its for self defense, at least a .380. For larger game, at least a .357 mag. That being said... I would like to have a .327 mag someday as it is the only smaller bore handgun caliber that really interests me.
 
All that has been said about the .327 is true but pointless in the same breath. The .32 H&R is a great and necessary gap filler between the rimfires and the centerfires. The .327 is an attempt of replacing, not filling a void and what do they try to replace? 2 of the most popular cartridges around, the .38sp and .357 and the gap filling .32 H&R to boot.

And yes it's true that you can also shoot .32 H&R in the .327. But I never would and just like the pointlessness of buying a .357 to ONLY shoot .38's the same goes for the .32's. The .327 pretty much spelled doom for all .32 revolvers for no good reason what so ever, mostly do to the things I pointed out and it's less than stellar support. Tell me again why I'd want one?
 
PatientWolf has thus said:
The Lightning storekeeper models are very fragile and from my understanding nearly impassible to find parts for or find a gunsmith willing to work on. I inherited one made in 1891, but it doesn't get fired.
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The gun in question here is the Ruger Shopkeeper, a variation of the little Bearcat, a current production revovler for which parts are available, though seldom needed.

Bob Wright
 
L Killkenny--I respect your opinion about 327 Fed Mag.

Just a couple of things came to mind as I read your post:

We own a couple of 357's. We shoot fairly regular at the indoor range, and I load our rounds. 90% of what we shoot are 38 special or 357 mousefart loads. Occassionally we will put a few full house 357's down range to keep the reality of those loads fresh in our experience. When we travel we carry one of these guns with full house 357 Critical Defense loads in the truck. The point is, that we do not enjoy shooting the hard kicking, loud rounds a lot.

So for the 327 Fed Mag (I own the SP101 in that caliber) a shooter does not have to exclusively use full house rounds. I don't. But I really really really like that little SP101, and if I get concealed carry that is likely to be the weapon of choice. Same deal---I shoot a lot of mild loads compared to the max loads. Just more fun, and that is at least half of the reason I like to shoot---for fun!
 
Here's my Bearcat Shopkeeper.

I only fired 12 bullets out of it. The extraction with Federal bulk is impossible. I couldn't even get them out with my pocketknife.

I had to pull the cylinder out and use the base pin as a ramrod.

I'll try some other ammo to see if it helps if not it's a pretty paperweight.

SAM_0046_Converted_zpsabed4dd4.jpg


And here it is next to my Vaquero.
Bearcat2_Converted_zps92fb199b.jpg
 
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