Light Weight box breakdown?

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twriggen

Single-Sixer
Joined
Dec 5, 2002
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377
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Idaho falls, ID
I am trying to figure out what boxes went with which light weight versions but I am coming up blank. Does anyone have the information or a link, or even a finger point, to where I can find the breakdown for the different versions of the light weight boxes?

Thanks,
 

contender

Ruger Guru
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Sep 18, 2002
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Lake Lure NC USA
Have you read John Dougan's book; "Ruger Pistols & Revolvers The Vintage years?"

Page 298, bottom right paragraph, discusses the fact that there were only 2 types of boxes,, and the rarely seen one has a green wreath around the eagle. Most lightweights, were shipped in a 2 piece box,, silver, with a red end label, with the eagle having a black wreath around it. And I also quote;
"There doesn't seem to be a pattern as to the use of the green & black wreath."
 
Joined
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Have to go with Dougans premise,,,,,as my wife has an early 3 digit tricolor LW in a blackwreath box and a late one "S" series, and it too has the blackwreath box, and her other in between aluminum cylinder, and steel cylinder guns have the blackwreath boxes, ,,,,,,,,,,,,, :?

"....and so it goes....." RIP Wil Terry 8) :roll: :wink:
 

street

Hunter
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Jan 10, 2008
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Vinton, VA
As JussBad shows above. By the time that Bill Ruger decided to get rid of all of the Lightweights that didn't pass inspection on their finish. Which was in the early to middle 60s. There were not enough Lightweight boxes to go around, so he had some stickers made and put them on his regular Single-Six boxes. And as JussBad said, THEY ARE VERY RARE!
 

chet15

Hawkeye
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Jan 22, 2001
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5,993
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Dawson, Iowa
The greenwreath box was generally used to about 202000. There are black wreath boxes earlier and there are a very few green wreath boxes after. The early two digit guns were shipped late enough that most that I know of have black wreath boxes.
And then for the "S" guns, they shipped those in whatever they had available. I think Ruger had some of those "rejected" tri-colors stored in silver boxes, but not all. So when they finally shipped in 1964/65 they were shipped in whatever box was available. A silver box if the gun was stored in it and a black single-Six box if the silver wasn't available.
Chet15
 

chet15

Hawkeye
Joined
Jan 22, 2001
Messages
5,993
Location
Dawson, Iowa
202993 is now the highest matching greenwreath box I have heard of.
If a two digit Lightweight was shipped in a greenwreath box, the gun would have had to leave very early... and most weren't. Most two digit guns were shipped after the blackwreath box came into use.
200014 Lightweight was shipped in a two piece black and yellow Blackhawk box meant for the .357 Blackhawk.... to a writer... I assume because the freshly printed Lightweight boxes hadn't been received from the printer yet.
Once the greenwreath boxes were gone... there were no more. They were all blackwreath after that until the end of production. In fact, last supply of black wreath boxes were papered over and used for another model of Ruger handgun.
Some "S" Lightweights were shipped in normal Single-Six boxes with a Lightweight Single-Six label covering the entire end.
Chet15
 
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