Took a while, but here is my New Single 7

[rintinglen]

I ordered this one a while back, seeking a lighter weight version of the otherwise very good Single Seven. This one is noticeably lighter at 31 ounces, versus 39 for the all steel (albeit longer-barreled) ones I already have. The Black with stainless trigger and hammer appearance is pretty sharp, but I would like to have had a fluted cylinder, just for look's sake. I like the balance of this gun. It is slightly muzzle heavy, making for ease of aiming when held off-hand.

This latest one is distinctly superior to the first two I got. .327 cartridges fed flawlessly without grinding on the frame and the other big improvement is that the cylinder indexes with the loading gate, making loading and unloading much easier. It also comes with the Big Dot XS sights, which may not be that great of an improvement. The trigger as it came from the box is typical Ruger Lawyer approved heavy, at ~6 llbs. with a bit of creep. I have a set of Wolff springs coming and will polish things up a bit when they arrive to see if I can't get things a little more manageable.

At the abbreviated range session--it helps to bring the right ammunition, doh--I had a little trouble. I only had 20 rounds of ammunition of the appropriate length, the rest were too long. Remember that ammo for use in the single Seven must be at or less than 1.50 inches OAL.

Getting back to the XS sights. Here is a a pair of 5 shot groups, fired from a braced, off-hand position at 33 feet. Frankly, I am not impressed, my other two single sevens do better--the 7 1/2 inch gun can do this at 25 yards. My 66 year old eyes have a very hard time putting the ball on the stick consistently. Also, look at how high the rear site is. Just to get it to shoot center, it took a bunch of up. I could not raise it enough to use a 6 o'clock hold. One other issue with the XS sight is that it precludes using a standard Single Six holster. The front sight sticks up too far.
I'll try it again next weekend, but so far I am having reservations. I think I may be replacing the sights.

[psweigle]

Very nice. I'm waffling with the idea of getting another 327. Can't make up my mind between the single seven or the gp100.

[Love Life]

Is this a factory gun? Is that a giant gap between the top of the grips and the top of the back strap, or is the light deceiving me?

[hendere]

Very nice!

[rintinglen]

@ Love Life, it is a Lipsey's special and it is a trick of the light--there is a slight gap, perhaps the thickness of a playing card, not the gully that it looks like in the photo.