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The Super Wrangler: A Modern Cowboy Gun

The revolver covered in this report is easily among the best buys in the handgun world. Accurate, reliable, but affordable, the Super Wrangler is a great handgun. The same may be said of many Ruger handguns but this one is exceptional. The Super Wrangler is a far cry from a Cowboy gun but it makes a great understudy. A single-action revolver is a great deal of fun. Many of us enjoy manipulating the action, opening a loading gate to load cartridges one at a time, and simply enjoying a leisurely day in informal target practice. The Super Wrangler is one of Ruger’s newest revolver introductions, but it is based on the successful Ruger Single Six, which is more than seventy years in service.

A single-action revolver is reliable and may also be very accurate. A solid lockup with the cylinder basepin results in good accuracy. The Super Wrangler features excellent adjustable sights and a high-visibility post front sight. The Super Wrangler is an upgrade of the Ruger Wrangler. The Wrangler .22 features fixed sights and an affordable price. This is a good revolver for informal practice, but the Super Wrangler is easier to shoot well due to the excellent sights.

With the Williams Sights installed the sight picture is excellent, especially for aging eyes.

The Super Wrangler’s resemblance to the Ruger Single Six is obvious. The Single Six is more expensive to manufacture and while it is a lifetime investment in reliable function the Single Six costs about twice what the Super Wrangler costs. You may purchase two Super Wranglers one for you and your spouse or both children for the price of a Single Six. How is the Super Wrangler so much less expensive than the steel frame Single Six?

Super Wrangler and Modern Manufacture

Non-ferrous alloy is fine for a low-pressure .22. There are a few centerfire handguns made of the same material. The Ruger Wrangler is made with such an alloy. When Ruger proposed an affordable single-action rimfire with a spare .22 Magnum cylinder, the Wrangler frame needed an upgrade. The Super Wrangler is beefed up and never gives any trouble with extensive firing with the Magnum cartridge. The Super Wrangler is more like the Single Six than the Wrangler.

This is an accurate revolver with good handling.

A good .22 like this one may fire .22 Short, .22 CB caps, .22 Standard Velocity, .22 Long Rifle High Velocity, .22 target grade ammunition and .22 shotshells.  Remove the basepin and switch cylinders out, and you have a great pest and small game caliber in the .22 Magnum. (The cartridges are different. The .22 Magnum isn’t merely longer; it is dangerous to fire .22 LR in a Magnum cylinder.  At least the cartridge case is likely to burst. )  Almost all .22 Long Rifle ammunition is high velocity. Bulk bargains are available in boxes of 100,  325, 500, and 1000 rounds. They are the most affordable choices in ammunition and often among the most accurate.

The Super Wrangler is plenty accurate enough for .22 shooting.

The Super Wrangler is available in a variety of cerakote coatings. The simple black coating is low-key and resistant to wear. Silver is attractive, and bronze eye eye-catching. My bronze revolver was chosen because it looked good setting the showcase!  I added a set of synthetic grips for a Western flair. The sights are Williams Fire Sights. These sights feature three dots contrasting red and green fiber optics. Accuracy potential is somewhat superior with these sights. Nothing wrong with the original sights and grips the Super Wrangler is simply easy to upgrade.

The Super Wrangler features transfer bar ignition. With the hammer at rest a bar between the hammer and firing pin prevents the hammer from moving forward to strike the firing pin. Cock the hammer to the rear and the transfer bar moves into place . When the hammer falls the transfer bar is smacked by the hammer and strikes the firing pin, firing the cartridge under the hammer. The Wrangler and Super Wrangler as well as all modern Ruger revolvers may be safely carried fully loaded.

Loading a single-action takes a bit more time than a swing out cylinder double action revolver but that isn’t a drawback in a recreational firearm. Unlike some action revolvers the Super Wrangler, Wrangler, and Single Six hammer need not be placed in the half cock notch to open the loading gate. To load this revolver, open the loading gate and rotate the cylinder as you load one round at a time. To eject spent cartridges, the chamber is lined up with the ejector rod and the rod is pressed to eject the cartridge. I have added a Power Custom Spring Kit to the revolver, lowering the trigger press to a smooth 2.5 pounds. The original was a useful 3.5 pounds. The combination of Williams sights and trigger springs makes for a nice shooting handgun. It is great fun to take shots at targets at 50 yards or more. Targets the size of a gallon jug may he struck at 100 yards. The Super Wrangler is plenty accurate for small game hunting.

With a spare .22 Magnum cylinder the Super Wrangler is a versatile handgun.

After installing the Williams Sights, I re-zeroed the Super Wrangler at 25 yards with CCI Mini Mag loads. One three-shot group went into 1 inch, better than expected. This dog will run, and the Super Wrangler is a great all-around .22 caliber handgun.

Accuracy results

15 yards firing from a MTM Caseguard firing rest.

Average of three five shot groups-

Load                                    Velocity                         5 shot group

.22 Long Rifle

Federal 40 grain AutoComp               1009 fps                            .9 in.

CCI Mini Mag                         1090 fps                           1.5 in.

Remington Golden Bullet        1080 fps                        1.25 in.

.22 Magnum

CCI MaxiMag 40 grain hollowpoint 1340 fps                  1.0 in.

CCI MaxiMag 40 grain FMJ              1352 fps                 1.25 in.

Federal 30 grain JHP                           1502 fps                  1.25 in.

Super Wrangler Specifications.

Revolver, single action, six shots

Caliber .22 LR, .22 Magnum

Weight 37.0 ounces

Length                 11 in.

Barrel Length    5.5 in.

To locate a dealer near you visit www.lipseys.com/dealerfinder

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