Why a Single Six?

Perhaps the best description of the niche the Single Six occupies was written by Skeeter Skelton back in 1977 in his Shooting Times magazine article, What's the Best Trail Gun For You?

Here's a snippet from that excellent article that sums it up pretty well.

Let’s concern ourselves with yet another time-polished, nebulous term, “trail gun.” As a handgun man, I have a rather clear mental image of what a trail gun is. It is a handgun that you carry when you venture afield without the specific purpose of shooting anything. If you carry a long-barreled magnum revolver, you are likely hunting some sort of game. If the handgun on the car seat is a bull-barrel revolver or heavily frilled auto pistol, you’re heading for the pistol range for a bit of target work. When you select a snubnose .38 or a chopped and channeled .45, you ordinarily do so with personal defense in mind.

Earlier, I used the words “woodloafer” in a deprecatory way, yet I guess that I am one. Ambling along a dim trail in the pines, or beside a mossy creed in the bottoms, easy jogging a good horse through the brush, or simply and slowly scouting next fall’s hunting country in my old pickup—these are my favorite days. I don’t like to complicate them with a lot of hard work.

 I travel light. I carry a handgun on these outings and prefer that it, too, be light, with no heavy harnesses, no extra-long barrel, no deer-sized cartridges, and no oversized grips to knock against gateposts or vehicle doors.

My idea of a trail gun is a handgun that, with 50 pounds of ammunition, will make a package small and light enough that you are unaware of its presence until you need it. It adds practically nothing to the contents of a backpack or to the saddlebags of horseman or cyclist. Worn in a neat holster on the trouser belt, it lies flat and doesn’t sag your pants. It also looks at home in a fishing box.

Being small and feathery, my trail gun is of necessity chambered for a small-caliber cartridge. For the purposes outlined, I suggest the .22 Long Rifle, .22 Magnum, .32 S&W Long, .32-20 or .38 Special. Although I seldom carry a 9mm automatic on the trail, it would qualify in certain guns for those who like the auto pistol. 

There are other reasons to own a Ruger Single Six in your preferred flavor, but Skeeter outlines one of the best.  The Ruger Single Six does push up against the upper limits for a trail gun in both weight and size but both of those characteristics are among its attributes when it comes time to pull the trigger and contribute to its robust qualities.