Finally scored a blue Police Service Six snubby

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Jan 20, 2008
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Found a guy willing to sell his Six snubbie, so we could do a person-to-person sale in state through a local FFL (You guys have heard more than you want about the difficulty for CA residents in getting Sixes, I'm sure. I KNOW I have.).

A 2 3/4" blue .357 marked "Police Service Six" with checkered walnut service stocks, SN 159-15XXX. Looks unfired (he'd never fired it, which proves nothing, of course). Wish it were a .38 Spl., but in CA you get any Six you CAN get!

Ruger site seems to indicate this was made in the early 1980s, but this SN doesn't seem to correspond to any of their specific year/ranges. But now I have two Six snubbies, both .357s, one "Service" blue w/fixed sights and service stocks, the other "Security" stainless w/adjustable sights and OS factory "target" stocks.

Seek, and ye shall find!
 
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I'm not near my copy of the RENE Reference manual (I'm in Crown Point, IN right now) to give you the exact year but I'm sure someone will follow with the correct info. The Six series was made until 1988 so that year estimate might be close. Either way, you have some fine revolvers that will do you good service for a long, long time.

It was a good find to get one from another CA resident (basically the only way a non-LEO can get a Six series in CA).
 
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thanks, Ron--I'll look forward to the info. I do intend that these "Sixes" give me some service--if I buy a gun, I shoot it. And the blue shorty came with a police style holster (black leather Buchheimer) that fits it perfectly. A little tight for the "big grip" stainless Security Six, tho.

Those factory "big grips" are fulsome enough that the original owner had never noticed that it had the "Made in the 200th Year of American Liberty" 1976 bicentennial stamping on the left frame....and I was selfish rat enough not to point it out!
 

Dantforth

Blackhawk
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Good morning Mike. I have a Security Six here in 4" and 38 Special. Low back also. If you can figure out how to get it from here to there I will give it to you at a real deal. It is new in box with papers. Crazy laws here make me want to wretch. See you in January again. David
 
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Mike Armstrong said:
thanks, Ron--I'll look forward to the info. I do intend that these "Sixes" give me some service--if I buy a gun, I shoot it. And the blue shorty came with a police style holster (black leather Buchheimer) that fits it perfectly. A little tight for the "big grip" stainless Security Six, tho.

Those factory "big grips" are fulsome enough that the original owner had never noticed that it had the "Made in the 200th Year of American Liberty" 1976 bicentennial stamping on the left frame....and I was selfish rat enough not to point it out!

well I guess that tells you when it was made !!!
 
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Hawk-in-Wi said:
Mike Armstrong said:
thanks, Ron--I'll look forward to the info. I do intend that these "Sixes" give me some service--if I buy a gun, I shoot it. And the blue shorty came with a police style holster (black leather Buchheimer) that fits it perfectly. A little tight for the "big grip" stainless Security Six, tho.

Those factory "big grips" are fulsome enough that the original owner had never noticed that it had the "Made in the 200th Year of American Liberty" 1976 bicentennial stamping on the left frame....and I was selfish rat enough not to point it out!

well I guess that tells you when it was made !!!


NOPE,
I read his reply too quickly and made that assumption the first time I read it also. I reread it and the original and the "Big Grip" is the Stainless Security Six. He stated that the BLUED Service Six is the 159-xxxx serial number. The 1976 Security Six will have a much lower serial number.
 
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Thanks, Ron. Suspicions confirmed. Once I get my hands on it, I'll figure out if it is a low-back or not. With the short barrel, I'm gonna stick to modest power ammo for this one, so no need for bigger grips.

(I keep my blue 6" half-lug "Jeep" for .357 deer loads--has the original rubber+insert grips, except the inserts are elk stag, not too "barky" for my city-boy hands....).
 
Joined
Mar 24, 2002
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Oregon City, Oregon
If it says Police Service Six, it's likely not a low back. During the low back era, the fixed sight version was still called a Security Six, along with the adjustable sight Security Six. But with the s/n provided, it's certainly not a low back anyway.

I said "likely", because with the overlaps of production, I never say never.

Any "Six" is a great score. :mrgreen:




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Joined
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Mike, being a 159-xxxx serial number it will NOT be a low back. The low backs were all 150- (and a few 151-) serial numbers. As Wayno said, the low backs were roll marked Security Six, as it was Rugers fixed sight Security Six model. Ruger changed the name to Police Service Six when they were trying to make inroads to the law enforcement market. Just FYI, the Speed Six has always, from the beginning, been called the Speed Six.
 
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Thanks, guys. I wasn't fixated on getting a lowback in any case, partly because replacement grips for them aren't easy to find. On the other hand, I've never broken or lost a handgun grip....
 

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