Service Six/Speed Six

What are the differences between the Service Six and Speed Six? Do all the Speed Sixes have round butts? I know this may be a simple question, but I am a bit confused.

Basically, the simplest difference is the Service-Six has the square butt,,, while the Speed-Six has the round butt. Both have the fixed sights.
Some of the earliest Service-Six guns were marked as "Security-Six" but did not have adjustable sights.
Generally speaking, the Speed-Six guns had shorter barrels than the Service-Six models. But that's not a total hard & fast point.

As a Lockheed guard we were issued stainless 4" speed six`s. (Along with old official police colts and Smith 586`s all 4" barrels). In the hand the speed six`s felt the best to me. The grip felt far better than the colts and smiths. However the smiths had the large target grips. On my own smiths at home I always put on the less bulky service style or magna grips. Last year I seen a 2 3/4" barrel stainless speed six in a pawn shop here and am still wishing I had bought it but couldn't justify it as I already own four .357`s and am retired.

Just to add to the confusion...we've found a doz. or so Speed Sixs (round butt) mis stamped as "Service Six"!
Folks have also been known to file the butt on a Service Six into the round butt configuration.
Terry T.

Terry T said:

Just to add to the confusion...we've found a doz. or so Speed Sixs (round butt) mis stamped as "Service Six"!

Terry T.

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Yep! When I found mine locally I mistakenly thought someone had done the custom round butt. Thank goodness for Ruger factory letters!

Ruger is known to have round butted some service sixes to fill some police contracts too which called for speed sixes.