T&E note: Ruger provided this Super Wrangler for testing and evaluation. They did not see the video before it went live, and no compensation was received.
Squat Squad — when Ruger launched the Wrangler, they built a fun, reliable single-action .22 almost anyone could afford. So what’s better than a Wrangler? This: the Ruger Super Wrangler.
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Why the Super Wrangler exists
Over the last few years Ruger and Taurus moved hundreds of thousands of single-action .22 LR revolvers — Wrangler and Rough Rider territory. Cheap to buy, cheap to shoot, and excellent for new shooters. Ruger followed the original Wrangler with short and long barrel variants (my favorite still being that 3¾″ bird’s-head), but people kept asking for .22 WMR. Ruger’s early answer was that the original Wrangler wasn’t robust enough for magnum. The Super Wrangler is the fix.
What you get
It’s still a classic single-action “cowboy gun” — cock the hammer, fire one, cock again. That makes it one of the safest handgun formats for new shooters: no double-taps from a cycling action, and you’re not depending on the gun to cycle itself, so mixed .22 ammo is fair game.
- Dual cylinders: ships with a 6-shot .22 LR cylinder installed; a second .22 WMR cylinder is in the box. Swap is simple: open the loading gate, press the locking bar, pull the cylinder rod, swap cylinders. Do not assume Wrangler and Super Wrangler cylinders interchange — dimensions differ on purpose so you can’t drop a magnum cylinder into a standard Wrangler.
- Beefier frame: thicker/wider over the top vs a regular Wrangler. After recording, I confirmed the Super Wrangler frame is investment-cast chrome-moly steel (regular Wrangler is aluminum).
- Safeties: transfer bar plus gate interlock (open gate = you can’t cock/fire).
- Barrel: 5½″ cold hammer-forged at launch.
- Finishes: Cerakote black, bronze, and silver (mine’s the silver).
- Sights: big upgrade. Removable thin-blade front; adjustable rear. That matters when you switch between .22 LR and .22 WMR — ballistics diverge past ~25 yards, and these sights are simply easier to see and use than the original Wrangler’s integrated set.
Range impressions
I ran big-box .22 LR, quieter subsonics / CB shorts, defensive .22, pest-control bird shot, then swapped to the .22 WMR cylinder (Armscore 40-grain JHPs from my local FFL). Felt recoil on .22 LR is basically nothing after a .44 Mag day. .22 WMR still isn’t “centerfire punch,” but the report steps you closer to that nine-millimeter feel — a nice training bridge without jumping calibers.
Plates and a dueling tree were fun; .22 WMR still didn’t turn those particular plates. Soda cans? Stupid fun. Only sight note outdoors: with the sun behind me the front blade looked a bit dull — I’d love a fiber-optic front (or a dab of paint) so front-sight focus stays easy.
Bottom line: Wrangler or Super Wrangler?
For most gun owners: get the Super Wrangler. MSRP in the video was $329 vs $269 for the current Wrangler — about fifty bucks for a stronger frame, .22 WMR capability, and significantly better sights. Original Wrangler launch pricing was closer to $200 before the market years we all remember; if the gap were ~$100, collecting every Wrangler finish might still win. The main case for sticking with the standard Wrangler is ranges/instructors buying volume and shooting .22 LR only.
Wishlist for Ruger while they’re listening: threaded for a suppressor, optics-ready, and yeah… a bird’s-head Super Wrangler would be hard to turn down.
Keep squatting.
Would you grab the Super Wrangler for training / plinking / small game, or stick with a standard Wrangler?
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