When I was making the post with my two serial numbers the other day I got distracted and something I forgot to mention was that my two guns are not 100% identical. #505 has a different ejector rod lever shape than #506. The one ending in 506 has an ejector rod lever that looks like most of the other .40 S&W commemorative models that I have seen and like the original Vaqueros (which they are) but the one that ends in 505 has an ejector rod lever that's cresent shaped like the New Vaqueros. Other than that they are identical though the 505 also has a slightly deeper, richer grain pattern and color to the rosewood grips than the 506 but that seems to be random chance with all of these. Most I have seen are closer to my 506 but I have seen a few others in pictures that seem to show the richer colors and grains of the 505, like I said, that one just seems to be totally random chance. I still have no idea how the 505 ended up with the newer style cresent shaped ejector rod lever. I bought them both brand new and it was like that when I got it.
I actually called Ruger, checked both serial numbers with the "History" department which they verified to be authentic SDSA models (the History dept doesnt distinguish between the original run and the cleanups but will tell you the official production date). I ask her about the ejector rod and she didn't know but transfered me to another location and that woman said it was no doubt a mistake in final assembly since all the New Vaqueros have that style of ejector rod she said someone probably grabbed the wrong version during assembly but the wierd part is she said since it's a factory mistake they need to get the gun back in to them so they can correct it. Offered to have it picked up at their expense. I said no thanks and she actually got a little pushy saying it was "very important" that they correct this, just a little pushy.
Not near as pushy as they were over my 60th Anniversary Edition New Vaquero made for Ruger by Talo though. A friend at the local dealership called me when they got in a pair of them and said he thought it was something I'd like, especially since when he was checking them in he noticed that one had a 4.62" barrel which was odd because it shows on the box to be a 5.5" barrel and in the literature they only show to offer a 5.5" barrel. Before leaving to drive by I looked up the edition online and everything I found said verified all 60th Anniversary editions were 5.5" and the ones I could find online were all 5.5", but when I got to the store sure enough one of the two he had was 5.5" but the other was the shorter 4.62" barrel. So from the store we called Rugers history department and they verified that both serial numbers were indeed Talo 60th Anniversary Special Editions with 5.5" barrels and told us the manufacture dates. I told the lady one of them had a 4.62" barrel, she put me on hold to check and come back and said no such gun was produced, all the the 60th Annv models were supposed to be 5.5" and I told her I was standing here holding them side by side and one was definatally 4.62" and both are brand new, the dealer had just gotten them that very morning. So she said let her transfer me to another deptartment. While I was on the phone waiting on the transfer he (my dealer) called his distributor and they verified the guns were brand new, sent to him just like they had gotten them from Ruger. After the next woman came on the line we talked about it, I explaned it to her and what the first woman had verified and she checked and said it was not supposed to have that barrel length and that while she never actually admited that someone at the factory could have made a mistake, she still said they needed to get the gun sent back to them so they could fix it. I said I like it like this (I didn't tell her I hadn't even bought it yet) and she said it didn't matter. I said WHAT? She said they HAD to correct that and I HAD to send it back to them and that she would arrange to have it picked up at no expense to me and they would fix it (ie. put a 5.5" barrel on it) and then return it to me all at no expense to me. I said I'm keeping it that way and she actually got kinda agressive and tried to tell me I was legally obligated to return it and could get in troubble with the ATF and some other BS. I said I like it this way, there is nothing wrong with it mechanically that I can see, it's beyond being a beautiful piece, and I didn't want it fixed. She started going on about how it HAS to be sent back to be fixed and I did not hang up on her but in the middle of her rant my cell phone just happend to drop out. Well, I went ahead and bought the gun and you know later on she called me back using the caller ID and still tried to convince me that I was somehow obligated to return it and let them fix it! I finally just said I wasn't and then I called a friend who works with the ATF office in VA and he said BS! the ATF could care less about Rugers mistake in the length of the barrel put on it as long as the seriial numbers all match and match the paperwork. But that woman from Ruger actually contunied to call and leave messages on my VM several more times over the next two weeks. In one even saying "I'm calling to find out the address and when we can have that Anniversary edition gun picked up".
Gezzz, talk about pushy.