Ruger Single Ten - All American Western Classic

1979. Alien. Metro Cinema, Dhobi Talao, Bombay. My friend Rajesh Panchal and I wait in line for our first Adult movie. Were both thirteen and the admission age is 18. Both of us are scared stiff of being exposed. I start pulling my chin hairs ever so slightly to make them look longer. It works. I'm in. Baby-faced Rajesh is not so fortunate. He's asked to leave when he presents his ticket. I wait with him and we grease the doorman's palm with 5 rupees to get Rajesh in. Scary movie? Who knows? Damn straight I paid good money just to see Sigourney Weaver in her underwear, and before you chide me, that's what good, honest teenage boys did in the 70s. The ones who deny are liars.

The Good, the Bad and the Ugly. Getting inside the theater to watch this movie was easier with admission rated "General". Rajesh and I watched this western twice or thrice each and every year for years. Sergio Leone's great spaghetti western is the all-time greatest gun-slinging shoot-em-up western epic ever made. Stack up your Tom Hanks, Cruises, McConaughies, Leonardoes and what-nots times three and they still don't measure up to one Clint Eastwood. Or snake eyes Lee Van Cleef. Or Eli Wallach for that matter. There's also Fistful of Dollars, For a Few Dollars More and Once Upon a Time in America - movies in which the revolver reigned supreme. The sword (gun in this case) was mightier than the pen. Before European metallurgical advancement, ergonomics and rapid round ejection wizardry there was the great American Single Action Revolver. Simple. Mechanical. Perfection. If staring into the cold steel eyes of a Western gunman didn't do your britches brown, the sounds of the revolver's spinning cylinder and three clicks of the hammer being cocked would. "Looks like sumbody jist cashed in his chips. Done got ready ta daaaa (to die)." To make it outright nostalgic, cut a generous wad of tobacco and stick it between the gum and cheek and bark it in your gruffiest southwestern drawl. Repeat. You may now spit your juice.

Rajesh and I, both rabid rifle fans each owned an air rifle in our school days. We went on several shooting expeditions exterminating pests. Still, no revolvers. The 1990s saw me become the proud owner of a Ruger 10/22 rifle along with my Ole Miss friend John Gerrie purchasing a blued Ruger single six revolver. It was a perfect buy-one-get-one-free. We went shooting together in the Mississippi backwoods outside Oxford and exchanged firearms for added entertainment and challenge. Who needs a girlfriend when you've got a pair of Rugers to make you jumping happy? Besides Bowheads were a dime a dozen, Rugers not so cheap. You don't have to be a varmint hunter to be a master marksman. ;)

(Click on the photos for enhanced detail)

Ruger Single Ten

With some of my Spaghetti Western Comics

Years later I yearned for a slow-it-down revolver once again. Enter the Ruger Single Ten in modern satin stainless steel, walnut gunfighter grips and fiber optic sights. This revolver is a mechanical marvel, with the sights and sounds of the Colts of yesteryears, but featuring added reliability. The fit and finish is modern with old-world charm. The grips are inviting with the Ruger logo embedded for a very classy touch. It feels warm and cold at the same time. Nirvana for the hand. The trigger is short and crisp. The long 5.5-inch barrel and high-visibility fiber optic sights, fully adjustable for elevation and windage, ensure supreme accuracy. Slow down to load and slow down to shoot - it begs to be enjoyed leisurely. The 22lr cartridge is cheap and easy to fire all day long. Ten rounds makes reloading less tedious and firing opportunities plenty. Maintenance is simple and mostly for caressing this beauty even more, but first ensure that the cylinder is completely unloaded using the sprung manual ejector. Pass me the longhorn brisket and chili beans. I'm in cowboy heaven.

Detail of the Walnut Wood Grips, embedded Ruger emblem
Cylinder and Trigger

Summarized. Ruger Single Ten, An All American Classic. Everything else is simply Un-American.

Striated Hammer and Williams Fiber Optic Sights

So all o' y'all bathroom gunslingers out there, put on yer boots and Wrangler denims and go on out to your local range with a revolver to practice them target skills for some good old-fashioned fun. Or slap in yore favorit bootlegged western on VHS tape, rope up them your kids around the widescreen "toobless wunder" or grab you a bottle of rot-gut corn and rye for some "Yee Haw". Now Git!!!!

P.S.:
I thank Mr. Don Gambuzza of Sarasota for his generosity, his valuable time and in making this article possible.
Disclaimer: Please shoot and drink responsibly and never together. Be safe and have fun.
Capture Your Life. Dictate Your Legacy.

If you have a list of your favourite western movies or old revolver stories, please be sure to post them below. Thanks for visiting and I appreciate your time.

(Warning! Don't instigate violence and blame my post. This post does not serve to entice violence of any sort. It is a testament to the service provided by legitimate armed forces and law enforcement everywhere and also to everyday people who choose to act responsibly in protecting their friends and families.)