Ruger's Single-Action Beginnings

Regular readers know I have said more than once, the 1950s were simply the greatest decade ever; and in spite of repeating myself, I’m saying it again. It certainly was a busy life, and firearms manufacturers were doing some very special things. However, the sixgun having the most effect on me in the 1950s, and many years after, has been the Ruger Single Action.

During the 1950s, Ruger not only introduced their first single-action sixgun, but four other distinct models. Ruger grew from a small company making .22 semi-autos in what was basically a small barn, to a force to be reckoned with in the firearms industry. Along the way, they not only revolutionized the industry, they made it possible for quality firearms to be produced and sold at reasonable prices. It all began in 1953 with the Single-Six .22.

The Red Barn

Ruger began four years earlier with a new idea. From the little red barn, Bill Ruger and his partner Alexander Sturm, came together to produce .22 semi-autos using stamped parts welded together. That original .22 soon became the Mark I, was followed by the Mark II and is now in the Mark III phase. It’s undoubtedly the most popular .22 semi-auto ever produced. Once the original .22 Ruger was up and running and looking like it would be a great success, Bill turned to what was to be Ruger’s second offering, a single-shot pistol.

But the suggestion was made; it would be just as easy to make a revolver as a single-shot pistol. Bill argued their facility was too small to forage frames, but once someone was found to investment-cast the frames, the .22 Single-Six became a reality. At the time the Colt Single Action Army had been out of production for more than 10 years, with no thought of ever bringing it back.

Bill’s idea was to produce a reasonably priced single action anyone could afford. To keep it affordable it also needed to use relatively inexpensive ammunition — spelled .22 Long Rifle. Using the Colt Single Action as inspiration, Ruger downsized it to fit the .22, fitted it with coil springs to make it virtually unbreakable and then to keep the Colt feel, duplicated the original Single Action Army grip frame. Instead of using two pieces of steel to do this, Ruger came up with a 1-piece aluminum alloy grip frame.

Instead of the traditional hog-wallow rear sight, Bill’s first single action had a flattop frame, with a rear sight adjustable for windage set in a dovetail. The .22 Single-Six was born.

More Models

In late 1953, the first .22 Single-Sixes appeared and were an immediate success. My first handgun was an early Ruger .22 sixgun purchased in 1956. I already had a Marlin Mountie .22, and with the addition of the Ruger Single-Six my joy was complete. I’ve had thousands of memorable moments shooting over the past half-century, however I don’t believe anything ever surpassed the enjoyment I had as a teenager with those two .22s. The early guns, such as mine, are known as Flat-Gates since the loading gate did not have the rounded profile of the Colt, but rather was just a flat affair.

Not too long after the Rugers appeared, enterprising entrepreneurs offered add on Colt-style gates and Ruger switched to the same style in 1957. Now, nearly 60 years after it first appeared, the Ruger .22 Single-Six is still probably the first choice of young shooters and especially of outdoorsmen looking for a rugged, entirely reliable .22. The original Single-Six had a 51/2″ barrel, with 45/8″ (rare) and 91/2″ barrels added in 1959. That same year, you could also buy a .22 Magnum version of the Single-Six, however it was in the 1960s before the .22/.22 Magnum Convertibles arrived.

The .44 Magnum

While Ruger was bringing the .357 Magnum Blackhawk to reality something else was going on at Smith & Wesson. Our oldest manufacturer of cartridge-firing revolvers, the same company that introduced the .357 Magnum in 1935, was working on something really big: the .44 Magnum. Sometime in late 1955 or early 1956, a Ruger employee found some strange once-fired cartridges supposedly either in a dumpster or scrap yard.

Bill Ruger contacted a friend who was working on the ammunition at Remington, and learned the details of the new cartridge. At least three Ruger .357 Magnum Blackhawks, in barrel lengths of 45/8″, 51/2″, and 71/2″ were converted to .44 Magnum. When Elmer Keith saw them, he told Bill the frames and cylinders were too small for the new .44 Magnum but he would like to have the short-barreled one for use with .44 Specials. Further testing proved Keith right when one of the guns blew. Keith never did get the short-barreled version, however after Ruger increased the size of the frame and cylinder to produce the first .44 Magnum Blackhawk, a special, non-cataloged 45/8″ version was made up and presented to Keith.

The original barrel length was 61/2″ and I purchased mine sometime in late 1956 or early 1957. I much prefer 71/2″ for a long-barreled sixgun, so mine was cut to 45/8″. Over the years it was packed for many miles in the desert, sagebrush, hills, forests and mountains of Idaho; in fact, until I needed the barrel for a .44 Special conversion. My old Flat-Top was returned to Ruger for the installation of the 71/2″ barrel, which it still wears today. It’s one of my favorite, actually probably the most favorite, sixgun I have.

In 1959, Ruger offered two additional barrel lengths of 71/2″ and 10″; both of these are relatively rare with approximately 750 being produced of the former and about double that for the latter. I am fortunate to have one of each, both purchased for less than $150 apiece in the early 1970s, before they became such desirable collector’s items. Today I mostly shoot these old .44s with Heavy .44 Special Loads.
The Bearcat

In 1958, Ruger went back to their .22 roots with the introduction of the Bearcat. This little 4″-barreled revolver featured a black-anodized aluminum frame with a monolithic-grip frame and a gold-anodized triggerguard. The original price was $49.50, but this was dropped to $39.50 in 1961. This is a very popular revolver for outdoorsmen who can manage perfectly well with a .22, and merely need something light and reliable. The first gun I purchased for my son was a Bearcat on his 10th birthday. He still has his, and mine, though not purchased new originally, is a first-year production with an “A” prefix.

Super Blackhawk

There were many complaints by shooters about the recoil of the .44 Magnum Blackhawk, so in 1959 the .44 Magnum Super Blackhawk emerged. To increase the weight of the original the barrel length was standardized at 71/2″, the cylinder was left un-fluted, and the aluminum alloy Colt SAA grip frame was replaced with an all steel 1848 Colt Dragoon-style, square-back triggerguard. The square back was put forth as being able to better handle recoil, however it nails my middle finger and I am much better off with the original grip frame.

The Super Blackhawk also was the first of the non Flat-Top Rugers as protective ears were added at the back of the frame on both sides of the rear sight. The Super Blackhawk was the first sixgun produced in Ruger’s new plant. It sold for $120 in a mahogany case, but when the supplier of cases burned down, the price was dropped to $116. The Super Blackhawk has been a top choice for hunters and outdoorsmen for more than 50 years now.

All of the classic Ruger sixguns of the 1950s are now long gone from Ruger’s catalog. The .44 Magnum Blackhawk was dropped in 1962, and the original Single-Six and .357 Magnum were “improved” in 1962, with the Colt-sized XR3 grip frame replaced by the XR3-RED version, allowing more room behind the triggerguard. At the same time, the Flat-Top profile disappeared. Ten years later, all Three-Screw/Old Model Rugers were replaced with the New Model complete with transfer bar. An era had passed.

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