Single Six grip frame?

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oldcars

New member
I just got an three screw Single Six that has been burnt in a fire and I am trying to rebuild it. The grip frame is totally missing, and I am curious; are they the same as a three screw Blackhawk? I know the grip frames will interchange on the New Model Single six & Blackhawk but I don't know about the old ones (this is my first Three Screw) The gun did not get hot enough to ruin the springs so the gunsmith told me it should not have effected the heat treating to point of a safety issue. The finish is totally gone and a little pitted so I will either bead blast it then blue, or Duracoat it? The gun won't ever be pretty again, but I think it will be useable! The serial # is 4367xx I think that makes it a 1966?

Where should I look for a cheap grip frame? What will fit? I don't care about the finish condition at all, scrapes, dings, scratches, & dents are fine!
 
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Rifleman1776

New member
When I was a fireman, one of our rules after a house fire was to gather up the guns and hold them. The reason had nothing to do with confiscation but rather, safety. Guns subject to the heat in a structure fire lose their temper in the steel and can be very unsafe.
If the grips burned off your SS, it is probably, excuse the expression......toast.
It should not be used. Smash well with a sledgehammer and discard.
 
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PetahW

New member
If you call Ruger Customer Service, and tell them that the original grips burnt off (did the Alcoa gripframe also melt ?), I'm sure they'll give you a better handle on whether or not to fire the gun again.

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44 AMP

Staff
I don't think Ruger (or anyone else) will go out on a limb and tell you that the gun could be safely fired. They simply do not know. And no way will they put themselves in the liability crosshairs by telling you its ok. Quite the opposite, in fact.

Ruger may ask for the gun. Count on it, that if you send it to them, you will not get it back, unless they are certain, after examination, that it is safe to shoot.
 
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Aguila Blanca

Staff
We're talking a Single Six here, not a Super Blackhawk. It's .22LR. Back when I was a sprout, I had a German-made clone of the Colt New Frontier that had the entire frame made of pot metal. The only real steel in it was the barrel and cylinder.

I would have no hesitation whatsoever about putting a new grip frame on a Single Six and shooting it. I might not use the .22 Magnum cylinder, though -- if it's a convertible.
 
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triumph666

New member
Single six's can handle a fire and still fire properly afterwards....the pressures of a 22 will not blow up that gun even if its tempering was downgraded to pot metal status.....

My fathers single six went thru a complete burndown in 1983 from his gun cabinet in top floor all the way down to basement.....he had to axe thru 3 feet of ice to get it and then he had to reblue it and change springs/grips and he's been shooting it for going on 30 years
 
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oldcars

New member
The gripframe didn't melt off, it's just missing. I had a friend of mine who is a gunsmith look at the gun, and he thought it would be rebuildable. The springs didn't stop working as they should so it could not have gotten THAT hot! I just need to find an old beat-up grip frame and I will be in good shape.
 
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triumph666

New member
Numrich gun parts has 5 different grip frames in stock for ruger new model single six's....call them and ask about interchange ability....
 
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oldcars

New member
I was at a gunshop yerterday and they had a gripframe marked XR3 RED that seemed to fit the gun well and all the screw holes lined up. I always thought that the XR3 RED was on the New Models? do they interchange (fit-wise?) will that work on a 3 screw single six?
 
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Owlhoot

New member
Short answer is yes. Long answer is to go over to Jeff Quinn's Gunblast website and read the very complete article on Ruger grip frame variations.
 
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oldcars

New member
Well, I got the XR3-RED grip frame and all the rest of the parts to put the poor thing back together, and everything seems to be working, hopefully I will get to shoot it tomorrow. The only thing I didn't get were grip panels and I figured, no big deal I will just borrow some off one of my other guns untill I find some. Heres the weird part, the panels off my original Vaquero fit fine, but the black plastic panels off my brand new .45colt Blackhawk don't fit at all, the line-up pin is off? I thought that they would take the same grips ? They seem to be the same shape and size but they shure don't line up one the same hole! I kind of wanted to use the "cheese-grader" plastic grips on the beater Single Six and buy new ones for the Blackhawk, but so much for that idea!
 
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oldcars

New member
Yep read that a couple days ago, great read! I guess I must have been in a hurry when I first tried it out a couple hours ago, because when I tighten the grip screw down all the way it does work, but it shure looks off when you just put a panel on to check the fit! I was shure the line-up pin was off 1/8" but when I tighten the screw it all seems to suck into place (enough for testing the gun anyway) They do fit different and the new plastic grips are just a hair undersized on the old single six but they are the same frame size like they should be. I guess I shouln't be so picky when the grips and the frame were built about 40 years apart!!!! I like how the new plastic grips are thinner than the wood ones Rugers came with forever, they almost feel Colt-like.
 
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