Best Reference Books for Ruger Collecting?

Hello all,

I'm looking for advice on books to buy for Ruger collecting. Is there anything out there comparable to the Standard Catalog of Smith & Wesson, which lists the models, variations, production changes, serial number ranges, and number produced?

Any guidance you could offer would be greatly appreciated!


David

RENE "Red Eagle News Exchange"
http://www.rugerforum.com/phpBB/viewtopic.php?t=30544


Once you subscribe to this you will need to order from RENE "REFERENCE OF RUGER FIREARMS, VOLUME ONE" Forth Revision.

There are other books that are worth the money, and you will want to get those, but you won't find anything better then the above.

Thank you very much for the link. I just sent an inquiry for membership to RENE.


David

I like pictures! I'll always recommend the Red Eagle News Exchange but will also recommend Ruger Pistols and Revolvers.



It has a nice data base within, not nearly as finely detailed as RENE, though. But, it has some very interesting history, some Great stories and lots of wonderful images.

So, you just have to get both!

flatgate

Oooo I like pictures, too! I love looking at old firearms.

I'll have to pick up that book. The oldest Rugers I have are a pair of Bicentennial Single Sixes that my father bought in '76. They're great little guns, but the finish on them is very rough. There are some visible casting pits on the end of the cylinder and in the cylinder window.

In contrast, I recently bought two Single Sixes in .32 H&R Mag with birdshead grips. The fit and finish of these new ones are vastly superior to the older Single Sixes.

My gunsmith tells me to not buy anything made during the late 60's to mid 70's, as the quality tends to be lower. I'll have to pick up a 50's to early 60's Ruger for comparison. 8^ )

Thank you for the reference!


David

Strongly suggest that You Go back to your gunsmith and ask for direct proof on that statement.........Nothing wrong with the Old Model three screw Rugers, 1967-1972, period. This was the hey-day of the last of the three screws and virtually all issues, IF ANY, had been solutioned or mods done to the guns. The two pin guns arrived on scene, en masse, in 1973. While I like and pursue the Old Model three screw guns, I know of no issue with the emergence of the New Model revolvers either..........RE: books..Obtain John Dougan's two earlier volumes of the Know your Ruger series, 1953-1963 and 1963-1972, as well as Compliments of Col. Ruger, the treatise on the engraved Ruger Single actions...........Study up and ask questions here. :wink: 8)

He gave me that talk after I brought in an early S&W Model 63 .22LR for him to inspect. This was one of those guns that should have never left the factory. It had been buffed very poorly and had deep swirls buffed into the sideplates, the yoke was bent, and the action was extremely rough. I ended up sending it back to the seller, who gave me a full refund after he inspected it for himself.

One bad apple doesn't spoil the bunch though. Thank you for your feedback on this issue.

I understand further, per your commentary about the Model 63.......There was a time in the Bangor Punta S&W ownership when Mgmt decided that S&W Quality inspections were only necessary for one in ten built guns..........BAD move and the result were inferior guns...........Bill Ruger Jr. did a similar thing some few years ago..........Same bad move. One needs to be observant and not lay money down until satisfied with all the factors of questions and inspections on any gun.........The 63 you note was not made in the time period noted by your Smith, as I recall the initial availability of that Model, 1980 or so, as a pinned barrel and recessed chambered cylinder........... I still own one of the 100 Model 63 recorded prototypes......... 8)

Doc Nonverbal said:

My gunsmith tells me to not buy anything made during the late 60's to mid 70's, as the quality tends to be lower.

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That may be sage advice for American made automobiles (plus 5 years to both ends), but the Rugers from the same period (and all other periods) are just fine.

Two more books I'd recommend would be the Encyclopedia of Ruger by Chad Hiddleson (RENE owner) and Ruger and His Guns by R. L. Wilson. The Hiddleson book is devoted to the rimfire auto pistols but has good general info on the company and packaging, etc., as well. The Wilson book is loaded with historic info and gobs of pictures of guns and non-gun Ruger stuff and is more of a history lesson.

The Dougan book is the go-to reference on old model single actions, the Hiddleson book for the older rimfire auto pistols. Depending on what other types of Rugers you are interested in, there may be other books available.

+1 to joining RENE, and I think new members still get the current edition of the Reference for free, but don't hold me to that.

You should not overlook Wilson's book RUGER & His Guns. It is full of fantastic photos and someone is practically giving them away on eBay right now.

El Numero Uno said:

You should not overlook Wilson's book RUGER & His Guns.

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That's what I said :lol: :lol:

Thank you for the lead on the R.L. Wilson book.

I just checked: "Ruger and his guns" is available on Ebay for $17.56 (free shipping), but it's the 1996 publication. The 2007 publication is available on Amazon for $19.79 (eligible for free shipping).

So the $2.23 question is whether there is a difference between the 1996 and 2007 publications.

I'm definitely joining RENE. I've asked for all of the back issues of the News Exchange. It sounds like it will be great reading.

Hawkeye #28: Wow! I don't have anything anywhere near that rare in my collection. I have one Model 63: A used 63-3. I really like .22LR revolvers, but what I'd love to see is an adjustable sight stainless Single Single flat top with a Bisley grip, ideally in barrel lengths out to 9 1/2".

I'm also looking into the Ruger Collector's Association.

Thank you all for your guidance!

Well the most important book you will find is your CHECK BOOK this has always been the limiting factor in my RUGER RESEARCH :lol: :lol: :lol: these other books just make you crazy with knowledge......see ya RR.

Doc, one of your wishes could possibly be granted, but others seem to feel the same way..See GunBroker item # 200625477........Seems a rare rascal 8)

HAWKEYE#28 said:

Doc, one of your wishes could possibly be granted, but others seem to feel the same way..See GunBroker item # 200625477........Seems a rare rascal 8)

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Thank you for the link. That's a nice looking pistol, but it's not a flat top. I'm also not a fan of roll-marked cylinders. It's probably a good thing that I'm particular about things like this, as I have a hard enough time saving up for future firearm purchases!

Wilsons book can be found quite "cheaply" from time to time, the later was probably a reprint of his after he served his jail sentence, long story, he must need the money?? 8)
Yes, and it is a very GOOD reference book and but as you can "see" above, it actually takes a few MORE books, enough to make a small "Ruger library" to do the jo "right"............oh and your gunsmith was wrong in his comment as to the Rugers of those years, it was S&W , and Bangor Punta took them over in 1966, soooooo............................ :roll:

For No.1s get Clayton's book.

For M77s get Ronnie Burke's book.

I'm primarily interested in revolvers and pistols. Within these categories, .22LR and .44 Special are my favorites, but I also have an affinity for .32 and .45 LC calibers.

I missed out on the stainless .44 Special Flattop Blackhawks that came out earlier this year. I was trying to pick up a consecutive pair, but apparently Ruger doesn't ship them consecutively to distributors, so neither Lipseys or Zanders was able to come through for me. I'm hoping that Ruger will put out a 5 1/2" stainless .44 Special Flattop next year.

Is there a good avenue to convey our wishes to Ruger? I would think that if we put up surveys on this site that we could generate valuable feedback for Ruger and potentially influence their future product offerings.

Doc Nonverbal said:

but apparently Ruger doesn't ship them consecutively to distributors,
Is there a good avenue to convey our wishes to Ruger?

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Ruger does indeed ship consecutive pairs to their Distributors. I have a couple pairs myself.

Ruger's web site has a "contact" page. At least they did have...

Rest assured, the Factory's Eyes are Upon Us....... once in a while.

Welcome to Ruger Forum!

flatgate

flatgate said:

Ruger does indeed ship consecutive pairs to their Distributors. I have a couple pairs myself.

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May I ask which distributor you're using? If you have a specific contact person, I'd very much like to do business with him/her. I had orders in at Lipseys and Zanders since early this year and neither could come up with a consecutive pair of stainless Blackhawk flattop .44 Specials. If they come out with a 5 1/2" stainless flattop Blackhawk, I don't want to miss out on a pair.

Thank you for your help (and welcome to the forum)!