Found: SS-34H with yellow front sight

I found a SS-34H with a Yellow front sight.

Chad does not mention a SS-34H, only a SS-34.

Ruger records confirmed the Heavy barrel and a shipping date of June, 1986 but could not verify that it was or was not shipped with the yellow front sight.
Anyone have some thoughts about the front sight?





Terry T

Being that Dan Wesson was putting yellow sights on their guns back in the 70's, and lots of gun shops like us, put red, yellow,whatever color the customer wanted, unless the shipper or records said it was "provided" or "special order" by them, it was "aftermarket"...sorry
DARNED IF THAT PICTURE DOESN'T LOOK LIKE ONE OF OURS!! :shock:

( my personal favorite was 'DayGlo' orange.........) 8)

I have a heavy bbl stainless Security-Six with a red insert. Maybe somebody removed a red one & had yellow added? Or,, just a custom job.

I believe if you look hard enough you can find them
with both yellow and red inserts. I'll have to go through my pics.
I have seen both. Like Ty said not hard to swap out (whole sight)
only one roll pin.

That is a different style from the Ruger red insert with is more triangular and goes deeper into the blade which is why they were not used on the fixed sight guns which had shorter blades than the Security Six. Both red and yellow (and a rumor of white) were used on the GS32N but those were yet again different.

I'm with rugerguy that it is probably aftermarket. I have a Service Six with a trapezoidal sight insert similar to that one that I know to be aftermarket because my dad installed it on his gun using a triangle file and a lot of patience. He made the insert from plastic out of a toothbrush handle!

Terry T said:

I found a SS-34H with a Yellow front sight.

Chad does not mention a SS-34H, only a SS-34.

Anyone have some thoughts about the front sight?

Click to expand...

Drop me a note on the sn and I'll get it added to the reference. Sounds like a super late Speed Six, for 1986. I suspect that all the barrels at that time were heavy, but ???
Chet15

Chad, you have a PM with the ser. no. ( 160-95XXX)

Thanks for all of the suggestions. I was guessing that the yellow front sight may have been an aftermarket addition.

Anyone have a Ruger Accessories catalog from 1985-'86 to see if Ruger offered these sights?
The sight appears to be very well made. Anyone have another manufacture's catalog of replacement sights? It would be nice to know who made the sight.

I was fishing for an known factory example. The GS-32N came to mind but I didn't hunt for the photos of it.

I've not yet fired the gun to see how the front sight is regulated. Hopefully, it's been done correctly and the sight is dead on.

I agree with Chad that by this late production, all 4" fixed sight barrels seem to be the Heavy configuration. SO --- the hunt is on for a late production 'light' barrel example.

The later 'scalloped' frame has a thicker top strap so the trend was toward a 'beefier' gun. In the end the result was the dropping of the Six Series double actions and the introduction of the GP100 in 1986. Production overlapped for a couple of years.
The short lug GP100 barrel is the same thickness as the Six Series fixed sight Heavy barrel. (The ejector rod housing is slightly different).

In other words - this replacement sight may have been offered as a GP100 replacement sight.

Please keep the comments and suggestions coming - We all learn by them.

Terry T

Yes, the 'SecuritySix modles had a much higher front blade than the "fixed" sight guns, and the picture above appears to be a higher blade as well as the pin looks like it was 'tampered' with (could just be a shadow....)
easy enough to swap out the front blades,and yes, one would have to actually shoot( fire) the gun and see just where it is 'regulated'.......bet the gun above shoots low.........
as 'WmG' said above, the red insets in the Rugers is a totally different looking 'set-up' much deeper........

When I compare the front sight (muzzle to muzzle) with a GS-34H that I have, the sight appears to be the same height and shape.

Bluing wear on the top of the front sight appears to be about the same as the bluing wear on the front edge (muzzle edge) of the barrel suggesting that the sight has been on the gun since it was new or near new.

If the sight was an aftermarket replacement, the job was well done - the roll pin appears unmolested to my eye. Of course, a skilled gunsmith should do such a quality job.

Terry T

The one my dad did looks professional and he never removed the blade from the gun to do the work, just wrapped the barrel in a towel and chucked it in the vise while he carefully filed away.

The GS32N inserts are thinner than that one and supposedly color coded to several approved Navy carry loads, I believe .357/125 and .38/158 for the red and yellow but don't know which was for which. So they may have been black part way up the top of the ramp face. The Navy guy I was discussing the GS32N with said the depot had thousands of spare inserts back in the day and used very few since there was little need for spares. He remembered there also being a white insert but had never seen one installed and knew nothing of what load it was calibrated to.

I found Weaslemeat's photos of his GS-32N - the front sight is noticeably shorter requiring the red or yellow insert to be thinner.

I believe the non-scalloped frame has a thinner top strap and a more shallow rear sight grove thereby requiring a shorter front sight.
The barrel top rib is about the same height for the 'light' barrel and the Heavy barrel.

Terry T

Had a opportunity to shoot the SS-34H this morning - sights are 'right on' - well regulated for height.
Terry T

Here's an RDA36 with a similar sight:

http://www.gunbroker.com/Auction/ViewItem.aspx?Item=188419297