Riding the wave of Cowboy adventures and shows in the then 'new media' of television in the 1950s, Sturm Ruger Co, introduced a series of Single Action Army revolvers similar to the original Colt series. They initially create the Ruger Single Six which was a single action revolver outwardly similar to the Colts, however, the interiors were built like 20th century revolvers, thus cutting production costs. The later Ruger Single Six Revolvers has adjustable sights and was technically the inspiration for the later Blackhawk revolvers. In the early 1990s, Ruger introduced a fixed sight version of their cowboy style six shooter, called the Ruger Vaquero. The primary trait that distinguishes the more modern Vaqueros from the post 1960s Single Six revolvers is the fixed versus adjustable rear sights.

Like other SAA manufacturers, the Ruger revolver is sometimes used as a Colt impersonator in films and television shows. Though it is extremely close to the Colt Single Action Army, the Ruger has slight design elements that distinguish it from the Colt, not the least of which are the Ruger Logo marked grips.

The Ruger Single Six or Ruger Vaquero Single Action Revolver has been seen in the following used by the following actors:

Ruger Single Six

Early Ruger Single Six (known as the "old Model") - .22LR. This was the first entry by Ruger into the SAA market and was a total success. The flat top/3 screw version was built between 1953-1962.