Post by Deleted on Dec 21, 2020 20:42:53 GMT -5
New member as of today. previously on another board that made some recent changes, now I can't even find my old threads. Anyway, retired LEO, finally able to do some projects I've had to put off for years, but on fixed income I find myself having to do just about everything since I can't afford to pay for custom work. I don't mind, I've always enjoyed tinkering with guns, but at times I get in over my head, like now.
So years and years ago I got an old model, fixed sight Single Six. I thought it was a cool little piece, and seemed to be really accurate. It ended up getting tossed into a kitchen drawer and used to fend off predators after my chickens. When I retired I started thinking it would be cool to customize it the way some guys were doing on the other board. Birds head grips, snub nosed barrels, they made the coolest little revolvers. Now I even see they're being converted to larger calibers? I'd love a fixed sight old model in .32!
Anyway, with encouragement from others, I followed their guidance as close as I could and started to modify my gun. I shortened the barrel and recrowned it with a tool from Brownell's. (I had done barrel chops before on rifles) I shortened the ERH, but I'll have to get another and retry that effort. The rod itself, and the cylinder pin turned out fine. The front sight, well that's another story...
I tried to no avail at freeing the original sight from the barrel stub, but it would not come off, no matter how much I heated it. So, plan B. I ordered a adjustable sight model front sight, and set about working on that. It did not get installed perfectly centered. I filed down the sight to get it on paper, and ended up with a wide base and sliver of a sight blade. The gun shoots low and left....
Which brings up yet another issue. I can not remember what ammo I used in it when I first got it. The majority of my 22 ammo is copper plated, as it's about the only ammo that feeds reliably in my semi auto rifle so I loaded that to see where it was printing. Well, not only was it low left, it was key holing!! Now, I used a light and magnifier and checked the muzzle extensively but saw nothing that would account for that. The groups were huge as well. Like six inches and ten yards. I finally got some round nose lead 22 long and while the groups shrank to about 2", they were still low left, but no key holing! Then I remembered, Ruger made some of these in 22 magnum only, so I took the cylinder out to see if it was marked, but saw no marking whatsoever. On a hunch, I got some 22 magnum and they dropped right into the cylinder. Crossing my fingers, I fired six. The group was low left, about four inches center to center, but NO key holing~
SO that brings me to today. I've no idea what to do about the front sight.. The ERH I can replace, I just cut the first one too short. But that front sight.....and I'd love to do a Birds head grip, that I think I could pull off. You guys all seem really talented, and willing to help, what would you do? I found a place that has some 51/2" barrels like this one had, and they have the ERH, do I collect the parts, send it back to Ruger and keep my fingers crossed? Try to figure out the front sight and keep working on finding what ammo it likes? I'm all ears! Thanks!
So years and years ago I got an old model, fixed sight Single Six. I thought it was a cool little piece, and seemed to be really accurate. It ended up getting tossed into a kitchen drawer and used to fend off predators after my chickens. When I retired I started thinking it would be cool to customize it the way some guys were doing on the other board. Birds head grips, snub nosed barrels, they made the coolest little revolvers. Now I even see they're being converted to larger calibers? I'd love a fixed sight old model in .32!
Anyway, with encouragement from others, I followed their guidance as close as I could and started to modify my gun. I shortened the barrel and recrowned it with a tool from Brownell's. (I had done barrel chops before on rifles) I shortened the ERH, but I'll have to get another and retry that effort. The rod itself, and the cylinder pin turned out fine. The front sight, well that's another story...
I tried to no avail at freeing the original sight from the barrel stub, but it would not come off, no matter how much I heated it. So, plan B. I ordered a adjustable sight model front sight, and set about working on that. It did not get installed perfectly centered. I filed down the sight to get it on paper, and ended up with a wide base and sliver of a sight blade. The gun shoots low and left....
Which brings up yet another issue. I can not remember what ammo I used in it when I first got it. The majority of my 22 ammo is copper plated, as it's about the only ammo that feeds reliably in my semi auto rifle so I loaded that to see where it was printing. Well, not only was it low left, it was key holing!! Now, I used a light and magnifier and checked the muzzle extensively but saw nothing that would account for that. The groups were huge as well. Like six inches and ten yards. I finally got some round nose lead 22 long and while the groups shrank to about 2", they were still low left, but no key holing! Then I remembered, Ruger made some of these in 22 magnum only, so I took the cylinder out to see if it was marked, but saw no marking whatsoever. On a hunch, I got some 22 magnum and they dropped right into the cylinder. Crossing my fingers, I fired six. The group was low left, about four inches center to center, but NO key holing~
SO that brings me to today. I've no idea what to do about the front sight.. The ERH I can replace, I just cut the first one too short. But that front sight.....and I'd love to do a Birds head grip, that I think I could pull off. You guys all seem really talented, and willing to help, what would you do? I found a place that has some 51/2" barrels like this one had, and they have the ERH, do I collect the parts, send it back to Ruger and keep my fingers crossed? Try to figure out the front sight and keep working on finding what ammo it likes? I'm all ears! Thanks!