3 screw Flattop .357 4 5/8"?

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According to Mr. Dougan's book, varnished walnut became standard in 1961. Prior to that, from about 1955, they were optional, to be installed by the customer.

But with Ruger, never say never . . .

:mrgreen:
 

HAWKEYE#28

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After nigh onto 50 years, who can tell? Too long, too many cigar boxes of parts and pieces, no ppwk, no memories, multiple owners, and not enough recognition for the rarity and genius of our Maker, WBR. What's "right" and what is in my hand simply do not have to mesh or match......... 8) :wink: RugerGuy, Your Turn.............. :)
 

weaselmeatgravy

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They were always supposed to be standard on the .44 flattop which came out in 1956 but they don't start showing up regularly until the 1957 guns.

The 1959 catalog lists and shows hard rubber.

The 1960 catalog still lists hard rubber for the .357 mag in the specs but if you look close at the back cover, the .357 (in the form of a BKH36) is shown with walnut grips (inside it shows hard rubber). The inside text says walnut grips are now standard.

The walnut grips were offered for $5 as an accessory since they came out.

I have a 1960 BKH34 #30009 that has wood grips and is NIB. It is also the lowest known 8 groove gun. But I confess to have never called for a ship date, so it may have been a late bloomer - I only assume it to be 1960 based on the SN.

For the Single Six, the 1960 catalog says walnut grips are now standard, hard rubber $1.00 less.

EDIT: Oops, what I have noted as being a 1960 catalog has a Deerstalker on the cover, so must actually be 1961.
 

flatgate

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Picky, Picky, Picky, Picky, Picky, Picky, Picky, Picky Collectors!

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flatgate, who enjoys the "picky/picky" facts!
 

chet15

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Walnut grips were standard in early 1960...so says Ruger's Distributor and Dealer price sheets dated January 4, 1960. Somewhere around here I also have a copy of a letter dated about that same time that went to all distributors that says walnut grips were now standard.
Our #28921 BKH-36 has walnut on it and it was shipped 9/29/60.
Now that I look at my notes, it doesn't look like Ruger shipped too many guns between January 1960 and September 1960. 26380 was shipped December 18, 1959. 27075 has a mfg date of 1/22/60. 27715 was shipped August 1960....Maybe this had something to do with getting in the new 8-groove barrel stock.
Chet15
 

chet15

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I have 29852 as being the earliest BKH34 in my notes with 8-groove barrel (Jussbad may know where this one is). I also show #29526 as being a BKH-34, but no notes on barrel grooves.
Chet15
 
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yessir, as soon as these guns got shipped, sold ,and puit in "use" , the sooner some guys got a hold of 'walnuts' the better, besdies from a selling stand point, to make the inventory "look " different, dealers would put whatever grips on a gun, to make the sale, always after the guns shipped. I know the shops I had worked at , thats what the dealers ( owners) would do. Later on we too did the same thing in our shops,,called "marketing"... :roll:

now add the fact, if they broke the grips, and had to replace them, called the shop or called the factory, I KNOW they ordered the 'walnuts' cause we did too :wink:

But to answer the question asked ,they were NOT NORMALLY shipped from the factory with the walnuts on the 357 Blackhawk or the Single Six as far as we know of, in the late 50's but who is to say what Ruger put on a gun as a "request" ( special order) or whatever...the grips were "in house" during 1956.......................(stag and ivory too.....) :wink:
 
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