Single-Six 9 1/2 brass colored question

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artx

Bearcat
Joined
Aug 2, 2009
Messages
27
Hello all,Im new here and have been collecting for years now. I traded for a 3 screw 9 1/2 brass colored grip frame. How common are these? Im trying to take pictures as we speak. Any info would be great. Thanks
 

artx

Bearcat
Joined
Aug 2, 2009
Messages
27
Im still trying to locate my camera (kids have it packed in a bag). This grip frame Im pretty sure is factory. Grip frame marked XR3 ALCOA G. Its brass or gold colored aluminum or anodized. I havent seen many like it,so I thought that it was kind of cool. Thanks for any and all help.
 

flatgate

Hawkeye
Joined
Jun 18, 2001
Messages
6,784
Location
Star Valley, WY
Welcome to the Forum.

There are a miniscule number of those guns that may have been shipped with a gold anodized XR-3 grip frame.

One such gun surfaced here on Ruger Forum last century and it's now in the JC Dougan collection.

You'd better do some quick research by calling Ruger's Export Department at their Newport, NH Factory and inquiring about your gun.

JMHO,
flatgate
 
Joined
Dec 11, 2002
Messages
8,966
Location
Ohio , U.S.A.
I have had a couple fo the gold anodized frames over the years, sold them off, and as I recall, I think it was Bob C. even had or still has one that is 'red' in color.....odd things done years ago, so they are out there......my wife gave up on that stuff years ago, too tough to get anyone to "authenticate" it when YOU have it ,but when its in someones elses collection, it is what it is....not worth the hassle, or the run around.
 

artx

Bearcat
Joined
Aug 2, 2009
Messages
27
Im frustrated about not finding my camera to get some pictures up. I can take pictures with my blackberry and email them but thats about it at the moment.. I thought this gun was pretty cool,I just didnt know that there was a chance that it could be a maybe rare item. Its not new by no means. It was in a box,but its for a newer 9 1/2 inch gun. Thanks for any and all help,I sure would like to know more about it.
 

BlkHawk73

Hunter
Joined
Dec 30, 1999
Messages
4,459
Location
Maine
Any markings under the grip panels? Serial # on the gun helps in dating it too.
Give Ruger a call too.
 

chet15

Hawkeye
Joined
Jan 22, 2001
Messages
5,993
Location
Dawson, Iowa
Ruger first experimented with the gold anodized grip frames about the same time Browing was doing their different colors in their aluminum framed shotgun receivers, and Hi-Standard in their differnt Sentinel colors (including pink!), and the Nylon 66 in its different colors.
Other colors I know came from the factory include dark green, dark red and a dark blue color, all XR3 (each of the three were in a factory employee's collection).
Then Ruger did some gold anodized grip frames in the XR3-RED. Some of these are the same color as Ruger's Bearcat trigger guard and some are a brownish color. I've also heard of some DJ marked XR3-RED grip frames (Doehler Jarvis) with the brownish colored gold color. DJ marked frames didn't start appearing on Ruger's SA's until mid-1971.
Unfortunately, anodizing is a process that can be done by anybody with the equipment...so authenticating something like that would almost have to have some sort of factory provenance.
I know of a Magnum marked Single-Six that was shipped to an employee in 1974 (a factory "second") that has a gold anodized grip frame as well as a factory "second" Lightweight Single-Six (Dougan's gun), that although it doesn't have a letter authenticating the grip frame, it was purchased from an Ohio gun show in the 1970's where four other factory "second" Lightweights were also purchased at the same show! The other four guns had normal black anodized grip frames.
Chet15
 
Joined
Apr 6, 2004
Messages
2,420
Location
Northern, Utah. USA
To my knowledge the Magnum marked Single-Six is the only Gold anodized Grip Frame that the factory has lettered. But Ruger pulls something new out of the hat every once in while. J/S

114416945.jpg

114416931.jpg
 

flatgate

Hawkeye
Joined
Jun 18, 2001
Messages
6,784
Location
Star Valley, WY
There's a "good ol' boy" living up in Jackson's Hole that has a gold grip framed RSSM. He swears he bought it that way in '62. I offered a stainless convertible in trade.........nothin' doing on that deal.

flatgate
 

artx

Bearcat
Joined
Aug 2, 2009
Messages
27
Wow thats a nice ruger!! My grip frame looks just like that. My serial number is 445xxx,so I know its not that old. Thanks for all the help.
 
Joined
Apr 6, 2004
Messages
2,420
Location
Northern, Utah. USA
artx":1ffnmmba said:
Im still trying to locate my camera (kids have it packed in a bag). This grip frame Im pretty sure is factory. Grip frame marked XR3 ALCOA G. Its brass or gold colored aluminum or anodized. I havent seen many like it,so I thought that it was kind of cool. Thanks for any and all help.

Would still like to see pictures. :)
 

artx

Bearcat
Joined
Aug 2, 2009
Messages
27
Ok let me see how this works,Im using my blackberry so sorry.
DSCN0634.jpg

DSCN0634.jpg

DSCN0633.jpg


Please use the "return" key between images. flatgate
 

artx

Bearcat
Joined
Aug 2, 2009
Messages
27
Sorry about the other pics everyone,dont know how that happened.This is the box I got with the gun,I know its a newer box,but thats what I got.
IMG00227.jpg

IMG00220.jpg

IMG00221.jpg
:shock:
 

bigbore45colt

Hunter
Joined
Apr 9, 2005
Messages
3,532
Location
Phoenix, AZ
Looks like a Ruger factory gold anodized XR3. It would be interesting to call Ruger and get a ship date on your gun as the XR3 that's on it is a bit too early for a 4XXXXX range gun.

Nice, scarce variation.

Here are a few pictures of my various colored anodized gripframes that I usually include in my brass frame display. A gold XR3 (more like a bronze color), a red XR3, and a gold XR3-RED.

371200269.jpg

371200278.jpg

371200287.jpg

371200297.jpg

371200306.jpg



BB45C
 

protoolman

Service-Sixer
Joined
Oct 15, 2001
Messages
2,553
Location
MN and MT
Don't know how I missed this thread earlier but its very interesting. I may just have to anodize an aluminum grip frame and make my own brass colored one.
 

Colonel Daddy

Buckeye
Joined
Apr 5, 2005
Messages
1,473
Location
Piney Woods of Northwest Florida
protoolman said:
Don't know how I missed this thread earlier but its very interesting. I may just have to anodize an aluminum grip frame and make my own brass colored one.
Don't know how you found it, but sure glad you did! Very interesting/informative so thanks to all who posted the pics!! :)
 

JStacy

Blackhawk
Joined
May 6, 2016
Messages
503
Location
south Texas
Ruger made a brass, not anodized, grip frame for their black powder pistol . The grip frame was the same as a super black hawk grip frame with the square backed trigger guard. I put one of those on a three screw super black hawk and it made an attractive gun! I was told that you could order that option for a super black hawk but only ever saw the brass grip frame on the black powder pistols.
There was a company ,Omega I think, selling brass aftermarket grip frames for Ruger black hawks . They were not as highly desirable as the factory brass grip frames.
 
Joined
Oct 24, 2007
Messages
11,654
Location
Kentucky
Yep, Ruger put that brass grip frame on a few different models, including the Old Army. You could also buy the grip frame and its accompanying wide trigger, from Ruger and fit them to any Ruger single-action of your choice.

:)
 
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