The best upgrade for a Wrangler is getting a Single-Six.

 

well, i definitely plan to get a single six eventually, i have a wrangler now. The few single six's i've seen in my area that are in 22LR are significantly more money then a wrangler.

 

I do not own a Wrangler, I do have a Single-six. I totally understand what jburks is saying though. It is fun to take a gun, regardless of what it costs originally, and make modifications to it to either enhance it's looks or function or to just personalize it to your own liking. I have done that to several of my guns, the most recent of which is my Smith & Wesson Victory. The only thing that we need to be aware of is that should you decide to sell your "personalized" gun, you most likely will not recoup the money spent on those improvements. In my case I don't care as it was done for entertainment and my satisfaction.

 

Bob Munden has passed, but I’m sure someone else can slick up the innards of that Wrangler. The inner workings are the same as a Single Six, so there’s that. If it shoots to point of aim, you’re in business, but I hear a lot of them don’t. The one I had did not.

 

Mine shot quite low out of the box. Easy to fix -- file the front sight little by little until it's hitting where you want it. Found a nice set of checkered walnut grips. The only upgrade it needs now is a better front sight. Some kind of light-gathering bead on a low ramp that could be screwed or epoxied to the barrel would be perfect.

 

I say spruce up that Wrangler how you see fit but agree it's Ruger's low budget plinker. Also agree that by the time you tune it to it's mechanical and cosmetic limits, you'd have bought a nice Single Six. Kudos for tinkering, I do it too!

 

Good morning,

I recently purchased a wrangler and love it. I love to tinker and upgrade my guns and to me the wrangler is like a 10/22, an affordable base gun to tinker with. I've already installed a Samson ejection rod that I cut down to fit my 3.75in barreled model and i have a set of Altamont grips on order (2-4 week lead time). I'm also considering a belt mountain base pin. Any other upgrades you guys have done and or recommend? I would eventually like to try to improve the accuracy a bit and was considering having the barrel and action tuned by Bob Munden but that will be down the road.

Thanks,
Jordan

View attachment 225872

Samson ejection rod ? Will this work in a Super Wrangler?

 

yes it will. it does not work on the 3.75 in model wranglers unless you cut it down though.

 

Bob Munden has passed, but I’m sure someone else can slick up the innards of that Wrangler.

Jeff Ault does the work now at Munden Enterprises. Has worked on quite a few of my SAs. Satisfied.

 

I say go for it. I bought two Wranglers and a Single Six in the span of three weeks. My two Wranglers came semi customized with hardwood grips installed because they were a distributor exclusive. One has Prescott, AZ USA stamped in the side which I haven’t seen on any other Wrangler. I love my Single Six but also think the Wranglers are cool little guns in their own right. I like Rugers advertising of them. “The perfect revolver whether is your first or your next” Just made me want to have one. I know there’s a sucker born every minute. 😆

 

I did rosewood grips on mine, but the other items you modified I wouldn't even think of unless they were malfunctioning.

I am more of a stock guy type of guy though. Have fun looking and tinkering.

 

I did rosewood grips on mine, but the other items you modified I wouldn't even think of unless they were malfunctioning.

I am more of a stock guy type of guy though. Have fun looking and tinkering.

probably for the best. it actually feels and shoots pretty good. i'll probably just install the new grips and run it as is.

 

@jburks yeah, like the others have said, I would put more money into a single six - ten if I were going to make a plan to make it more "my gun".

You could do it w the Wrangler if that's your only option. I handled a Super Wrangler the other day and just being able to switch out the front site and having the 22 mag cylinder has my wheels turning.

🤩

 

I feel the opposite. The Wrangler is ripe for modifying but my Single Six is perfect stock. It’s the stainless 5.5 inch model and it looks and feels great. Very attractive dark grips. I love it and plan to keep it fully stock.

 

I am fond of my Wrangler. I don't pay attention to guys who scoff at the piece.
I bought mine because I want pistol practice without eating up my supply of .357 reloads.
Ammo prices and scarcity of components was what got me to consider the Wrangler.
Shooting .22s is always fun, and my Wrangler shoots as straight as I can hold.

Also there is this: The Wrangler is a perfect entry level firearm. The small grip fits my wife's hand
better than it fits mine. It's lighter and doesn't kick, so I can take a woman or a kid out shooting
and not have them simply hate it. Recoil and blast from a .357 can ruin the fun for a kid, before
they ever get past it. The lighter weight helps smaller shooters too.

If you look carefully at the Wrangler and Blackhawk above, you might notice that the Wrangler sports the
old issue grips from the Blackhawk. I bought the hand-filling larger grips for my Blackhawk because they
fit my hand better and help me control full house .357 loads. I didn't care for the plastic grips that came
with the Wrangler, so I tried the old Blackhawk grips and they fit perfectly. Thanks, Ruger.

I can shoot the Wrangler with my little finger tucked under, and still hit the spinner, as long as I do my part.
When I bought it, .357 ammo was still pretty much disappearo where I live. So, no regrets.
Now .357 ammo is available again, but still way over priced. NO thanks...

Oh and the only other mod I did to my Wrangler was to put a Wolfe trigger return spring on it.
This reduces the trigger pull nicely, without making the gun unsafe. That's a DeSantis holster, which I like too.

 

They look great to me!

 

I try not to abuse my guns no matter how expensive/non expensive they are. But, if a Wrangler/Super Wrangler happens to get a scratch or ding you aren't going to get upset like you might if it was a more expensive model.

 

I started with a Single-Six, my first single action of any caliber. I changed the grips to Texas Grips which are longer than the frame, the profile fills my hand well, and added Hi-Vis front and rear sights. It matches the stock Ruger sights on my Single-Ten. I added Hogues to my Single-Ten because they fit my hand better. Three Wranglers joined the set, changing the silver and black ones to Ruger rosewood, and the birdshead Shopkeeper got a set of no-name Philippine grips with distinct carving. The silver and black ones shoot a bit low, but not too much to consider filing down the front sight. The Shopkeeper shoots equal to both the Six and the Ten, straight out of the box. I like all of them.

 

I bought a Wrangler and it is still box stock, but now resides at my daughters place. I put my modification money in one of my Single-Sixes. It has a brass grip frame, a brass ejector rod and a brass base pin, plus the roll marks have gold filler. I like this gun a lot and love to just hold it and admire the design. It is also fun to shoot and has a 22 WMR cylinder if I want to get serious.

 

I bought a Wrangler and it is still box stock, but now resides at my daughters place. I put my modification money in one of my Single-Sixes. It has a brass grip frame, a brass ejector rod and a brass base pin, plus the roll marks have gold filler. I like this gun a lot and love to just hold it and admire the design. It is also fun to shoot and has a 22 WMR cylinder if I want to get serious.

I’m glad I’m not the only one who like to just hold and admire my Single Six sometimes.

 

I plan to use my Wrangler(s) as a training base for upgrades. Not the only reason for having them but why not?

 

Yesterday, I received a new 22 Mag cylinder for my 22 cal Colt New Frontier Buntline. I bought the gun in like new condition but the mag cylinder had been lost. Now, the gun is back to it's complete factory condition so I got to fondle it and drool over the New Frontier design. It has a 7 1/2" barrel and is roll marked "BUNTLINE". I will soon be testing the 22 Mag cylinder and will also run a box of 22 LRs through it just for grins. This gun has a steel cylinder frame and an aluminum alloy grip frame .... much like an old model Super Single-Six Convertible.

Here's my 1995 vintage Colt New Frontier Buntline:

 

Yesterday, I received a new 22 Mag cylinder for my 22 cal Colt New Frontier Buntline. I bought the gun in like new condition but the mag cylinder had been lost. Now, the gun is back to it's complete factory condition so I got to fondle it and drool over the New Frontier design. It has a 7 1/2" barrel and is roll marked "BUNTLINE". I will soon be testing the 22 Mag cylinder and will also run a box of 22 LRs through it just for grins. This gun has a steel cylinder frame and an aluminum alloy grip frame .... much like an old model Super Single-Six Convertible.

Here's my 1995 vintage Colt New Frontier Buntline:

Now with the buntline, does it have a transfer bar or it just like a regular saa? I bet you get excellent bullet perfomance from the long pipe!

 

My thought too. Is it a load one, skip one, load four?

 

It's a traditional Colt design, very much like original Old Model Super Single-Six convertibles. No transfer bar but it does have a nifty cross bolt safety hidden under the loading gate. You open the loading gate and push the cross bolt in to activate. In this mode, the hammer is blocked from touching the firing pin, so it is safe to carry with all six chambers loaded. When you fully cock the hammer, it automatically pushes the cross bolt back out so the hammer can strike the firing pin. From that point, the cross bolt stays out and invisible unless you manually activate it. It loads from the half cock position like a traditional Colt or OM Ruger. Because the cross bolt is hidden and its use is optional, I don't have an issue with it. If the cross bolt was visible, I would likely have a different opinion.

Besides the transfer bar/cross bolt designs, the only other difference between a Colt New Frontier 22 Convertible and a Ruger Old Model Super Single-Six Convertible is the ejector rod housing is steel on the Colt and aluminum on the Ruger. Both have .224" bores for 22 WMRs. Trigger pull right out of the box is a crisp 1.75 lbs. The hard rubber grips fit my hands OK, but I think I'd rather have a nice set of woodies. If I shoot the Colt well, I won't mind spending the bucks for a nice set of wood grips. If I can't hit soda cans at a reasonable distance, it will go on the auction block.

Here's the Colt's nemesis, my Old Model Super Single-Six Convertible (no transfer bar):

 

It's a traditional Colt design, very much like original Old Model Super Single-Six convertibles. No transfer bar but it does have a nifty cross bolt safety hidden under the loading gate. You open the loading gate and push the cross bolt in to activate. In this mode, the hammer is blocked from touching the firing pin, so it is safe to carry with all six chambers loaded. When you fully cock the hammer, it automatically pushes the cross bolt back out so the hammer can strike the firing pin. From that point, the cross bolt stays out and invisible unless you manually activate it. It loads from the half cock position like a traditional Colt or OM Ruger. Because the cross bolt is hidden and its use is optional, I don't have an issue with it. If the cross bolt was visible, I would likely have a different opinion.

Besides the transfer bar/cross bolt designs, the only other difference between a Colt New Frontier 22 Convertible and a Ruger Old Model Super Single-Six Convertible is the ejector rod housing is steel on the Colt and aluminum on the Ruger. Both have .224" bores for 22 WMRs. Trigger pull right out of the box is a crisp 1.75 lbs. The hard rubber grips fit my hands OK, but I think I'd rather have a nice set of woodies. If I shoot the Colt well, I won't mind spending the bucks for a nice set of wood grips. If I can't hit soda cans at a reasonable distance, it will go on the auction block.

Here's the Colt's nemesis, my Old Model Super Single-Six Convertible (no transfer bar):

I really enjoy learning these little gems! Mind if I as what .22wmr you are going to use? Or strictly .22lr? Non judgemental question! (all my questions are always non judgey, I am juat not long on social graces )

 

Madd, I have at least 3 different brands of 22 Mag in my ammo can; CCI, Winchester, and Hornady .... maybe more. I don't know which one(s) I will take to the range but based on previous experience with my 6 1/2" Ruger Single-Six Convertible, brands didn't make any function or accuracy difference at all. I have a Winchester 9422M lever rifle, chambered in 22 WMR and it is indeed ammo fussy. I still have what's left of a brick of Winchester 40gr JHPs (probably at least 15 years old) that shoot better than Hornady or CCI in my rifle but that is subject to change as time goes on.

With your new Super Wrangler, I wouldn't worry about brands, just buy what is the most convenient. It all works about the same in a revolver.

I have a ton of older Federal bulk packs (550/box, 36gr HPs) so that's what I intend to burn up in the Colt's 22 LR cylinder. Those federals seem to work quite well, but you do get a dud now and then. Considering I bought all this ammo for 50% off when the local K-Mart went out of the gun and ammo business, it's almost like shooting for free. Back then a box of 550 rounds of Federals cost $16, so I got them for 8 bucks / 550 or about 1.5 cents per round.

An idea just sprung in my little head .... I think I will bring my Bisley Single-Six to the range too so I can do a side-by-side accuracy comparison between the two revolvers. The Bisley has a 6 1/2" barrel so it may fall a little short but hopefully, it will be just as accurate. My Bisley didn't come with a magnum cylinder so I bought a brand new one off eBay and fit it just perfect. This will give me a chance to check out both magnum cylinders and even the 22 LR cylinders.

 

Thanks! And that sounds fun!
Bisly Single six VS Colt NF Buntline at high noon!
All we need is an over zealous undertaker and a corral!
In all seriousness I think that will be a fun informative afternoon!

 

And a doctor with a bad cough and a cross draw revolver.

 

Doc Holliday croaked in 1887 so I doubt if he will make it to the shootoff.

 

Probably not. Unless he's played by Walton Goggins.

 

I already had these Elk grips, so I put them on my daughter’s pair of Wranglers.

 

Those are awesome. I’ve wanted to make some for one of my single actions. Did you make them or purchase them?

 

I know this thread is old, but man, what a cool Wrangler you have. I bought one last year and have loved being able to upgrade it “esthetically” with new grips and some SS hardware replacements. While a single six is a classy step up, I would rather spend that same money on a slightly used higher caliber Ruger SA. For the money, a Wrangler is an awesome pistol. Cool gun, bro. I hope you’re still loving it.

 

I know this is an old thread, but as a Wrangler fan myself I’ve upgraded the base pin to a SS, and added some black wood grips. They weren’t flush when I first received them but with a little sanding and a replacement nut and screw from the local hardware store it looks better than any Wrangler I've seen and is a welcome companion while out in the woods here in the PNW

 

I put Hogue grips on my Wrangler, the same grips I have on all my single action Rugers. So far I have shot the Wrangler about 200 shots and can hit coke can all day long at 25 yards. Talk about a very functional field revolver, I pair mine up with my Charter arms AR-7.