Ruger Wrangler Birdshead 22 LR 3.75 in. – Proven Burnt Bronze Single Action Revolver

Description

The Ruger Wrangler Birdshead is what happens when the cheapest good single action Ruger makes gets the grip frame that was always right for it. The birdshead pattern rolls the butt forward and down, which shortens the whole package, keeps it from printing through a coat pocket, and puts the hand where recoil does the least. On a .22 that recoil argument is academic. The size argument is not.

This Ruger Wrangler Birdshead is the burnt bronze version, Ruger model 2017. The barrel and cylinder frame wear a burnt bronze Cerakote, the cylinder is finished in black, the hammer and trigger are left bright, and the grip panels are black. It weighs 28 ounces and measures 8.62 inches end to end, which is shorter overall than a great many 4 inch service pistols.

Worth knowing before you read further: Ruger’s current Wrangler line-up no longer lists the Birdshead configuration, and Sports South shows this part number out of stock. We are holding 198 of them. That is not a drop ship and it is not an allocation; it is on the shelf.

Ruger Wrangler Birdshead at a glance

• Six shot single action only revolver in .22 Long Rifle, with an exposed hammer and a loading gate.
• 3.75 inch cold hammer forged barrel with a 1:14 right hand twist and six grooves.
• Aluminum alloy cylinder frame in burnt bronze Cerakote, with a black Cerakote cylinder.
• Ruger Birdshead pattern grip frame with black grip panels.
• Blade front sight and an integral notch rear cut into the topstrap.
• Transfer bar mechanism and a loading gate interlock, so it is safe to carry with all six chambers loaded.
• 28 ounces, 8.62 inches overall, MSRP $279.

What the birdshead grip actually does

• It shortens the gun. The butt curls forward instead of hanging straight down, so the Ruger Wrangler Birdshead takes up less room in a pocket, a pack or a tackle box than a plow handle grip of the same barrel length.
• It rolls the muzzle down in the hand at rest, which makes a natural point of aim faster to find without sights.
• It favors a two or three finger hold rather than a full grip, which is why the pattern has always been paired with short barrels rather than long ones.
• The shape came off the Colt Sheriff’s and shopkeeper guns of the 1870s and has been a compact revolver signature ever since. Ruger did not invent it; Ruger made it affordable.
• It is genuinely divisive. Some hands love it and some find it cramped, and the only way to know is to hold one.

Ruger Wrangler Birdshead specifications

• Ruger model number: 2017
• Caliber: .22 Long Rifle
• Capacity: 6
• Action: single action only, exposed hammer
• Barrel: 3.75 inches, cold hammer forged steel, burnt bronze Cerakote
• Twist: 1:14 right hand, six grooves
• Cylinder frame: aluminum alloy, burnt bronze Cerakote
• Cylinder finish: black Cerakote
• Grips: black, Ruger Birdshead pattern grip frame
• Sights: blade front, integral notch rear
• Overall length: 8.62 inches
• Weight: 28 oz
• Safety: transfer bar mechanism with loading gate interlock
• MSRP: $279

Loading, shooting and feeding the Ruger Wrangler Birdshead

The Ruger Wrangler Birdshead loads and unloads through the gate, one chamber at a time. Open the loading gate and the cylinder is free to turn; index a chamber, drop a round in, rotate to the next. Closing the gate locks the cylinder again. There is no swing out crane and no speedloader, and that deliberate pace is a large part of why single actions are pleasant to shoot rather than a limitation to work around.

The transfer bar is the important modern part. Old single actions had to be carried with an empty chamber under the hammer because a blow to the hammer could fire the gun. On a Ruger Wrangler Birdshead the hammer cannot reach the firing pin unless the trigger is held back, so all six chambers can be loaded and carried safely.

For plinking volume, Federal AutoMatch 40 grain lead round nose is the sensible bulk load and one of the deepest stocked items we carry. For small game and pest work out of a 3.75 inch barrel, Remington Golden Bullet 36 grain plated hollow point gives you expansion at the modest velocity a short barrel produces.

Rimfire loses velocity out of a short barrel, and high velocity .22 loses more of it than standard velocity does, so do not read the box figure as what the Ruger Wrangler Birdshead will actually produce. Whatever you settle on, shoot a group with it before you trust it on game; rimfire accuracy is load specific in a way centerfire is not.

Holsters for the Ruger Wrangler Birdshead, and one thing we do not have

We stock a DeSantis Wild Hog leather holster, which is the model Ruger itself bundles with some Wranglers. Ours is cut for the 4 5/8 inch standard grip Wrangler, not the 3.75 inch Birdshead. A birdshead butt sits differently in a holster and the barrel is nearly an inch shorter, so we are not going to tell you it fits. If you want a holster for a Ruger Wrangler Birdshead specifically, call us and we will source the right one rather than sell you a near miss.

That gap is worth flagging on our side too. We hold 316 Birdshead Wranglers across three finishes and carry no holster cut for them.

Who the Ruger Wrangler Birdshead suits

• Anyone who wants a packable trail, tackle box or truck .22 that does not need a safe full of accessories to be useful.
• Shooters learning single action handling, where the deliberate loading cycle is a feature rather than a chore.
• Cowboy action and plinking crowds who want a rimfire understudy that handles like the real thing at a fraction of the cost per round.
• Small game and pest control on a property where a rifle is more gun than the job needs.
• Anyone who wants the burnt bronze finish, which is the one Ruger color in this family that does not look like everything else on the rack.

The honest summary on the Ruger Wrangler Birdshead is that it is a simple, well made, inexpensive revolver with a grip frame that either fits you or does not. Ruger has made the Wrangler in enough shapes to prove the platform, and this is the compact one. Specifications come from the distributor record and from Ruger’s own Wrangler model listing.

This is a serialized firearm and ships to a licensed dealer for transfer. With the configuration no longer in Ruger’s current line-up, the 198 we are holding are not going to be replaced once they are gone.