End of the 357 flatop.............

[rugerguy]

I recall not long ago, there was a conversation as to "when the last of the 357 mag 'flatops' was..........
Well, is this getting close.................??

Picked it up this weekend at the Summit county show....it was shipped as a BKH34 in October 1962......

 

[Ruger1441]

Dan I have 42669 flattop and 42870 protected sight

 

[Ale-8(1)]

That makes it the last "known" Flattop on Bob's List.

Thanks for sharing, Dan. That's quite a find.

 

[chet15]

Great gun Dan!! Let us know if the grip frame is XR3 or XR3-RED. There are a few "RED's" out there.
Chet15

 

[rugerguy]

Chet15, it is an 'XR'3' frame, the stags on the gun are aftermarket early ones, no medallions, has the steel housing, full cut, and the rod is "flat" on the end...of course, a 'Micro' rear sight..........wish it was a bit nicer condition, but the "new" owner will be happy to have it ( you guys know I don't collect this stuff, I just find it), and it was about in our back yard, from the Akron area....in fact our friend Kerm L, you remember him, he came by and looked it over at the time we picked it up.....it walked up to the table, and good old Kerm, was right behind it.......oh, he said to say hello to you guys by the way......and that Roland Kirsch is still hanging in there, he's in a BAD way......keep him in your prayers.

 

[flatgate]

I used to have s/n 42695, a "protected sight" Blackhawk with XR3-RED grip frame. Had to sell it so I could afford fuel for the ride home from Tulsa....

flatgate

 

[Tucsonite]

Had to sell it so I could afford fuel for the ride home from Tulsa....

flatgate

Been there done that :wink: :wink: :wink:

Nice Gun Dan!!!

Dan

 

[rugerguy]

I used to have s/n 42695, a "protected sight" Blackhawk with XR3-RED grip frame. Had to sell it so I could afford fuel for the ride home from Tulsa....

flatgate

I agree with 'AZ Dan, "been there, done that...."

Anyway, already made 'rangements for Mr Campbell to get the gun when he gets home this week..... :wink: (it belongs there....)

curious to the numbers when they get this close to "transition"...as JD wrote there was NO 42690 made and from what we have heard, 42,692 is in the NRA Museum?? Carl "unloaded" :roll: his "low" number 'protected sight version....sooo,meanwhile, back at the ranch....

 

[Ale-8(1)]

. . . we're all wondering where 42691 is . . . along with 42687, 42688, and 42689.

 

[rugerguy]

I agree, it seems a bit 'odd' that these have NOT comeup in some collection or reporting to ANYONE.............Chet15, what say yee......

 

[chet15]

. . . we're all wondering where 42691 is . . . along with 42687, 42688, and 42689.

Funny you should mention 42691. I've seen it pictured as a 6-1/2" .357 in Ruger's advertising for the new "protected sight" model .357, and I've also seen it pictured as a 4-5/8" .41 Mag in a Gun Digest article describing Ruger's new .41 Blackhawk. This last pic was probably a touchup, but was it????
At the 1964 NRA show in April 1964, there was a .41 Blackhawk on display. But production of the .41 Blackhawk didn't start until the very end of 1964 or very early 1965....so what .41 Mag did they have on display in 4/64?
Dan, as far as 42687, 42688 and 42689...this is just par for the course for Ruger firearms. There's a lot of guns out there to be found yet. Everybody spots a 10" gun pretty easily, but I doubt if too many people even look at the sn if it is a 4-5/8" or 6-1/2".
So far, you (er, Bob) has the highest known .357 flattop.
Chet15

 

[rugerguy]

Very interesting, again, and as usual....do you recall or know "why" Bob , may have listed on his "357 mag,data list, as to the 42692 being in the NRA museum?? Bob has no recollection as to this notation....he's working his brain into a frenzy of "wonderment" and we are getting together this Saturday to make the delivery by the way...he is one 'happy' camper.............. :wink:
( it really belongs with him anyway...............)

 

[Ale-8(1)]

For what it's worth, the first mention I ever saw of the NRA museum on 42692 was in a version of Bob's List he e-mailed me in March of 2005. Prior to that it was just listed as any other gun, although it was, obviously, at the start of the Type 1 Transition (protected sight) guns.

 

[HAWKEYE#28]

8)Perhaps "it"(SN 42692) was displayed at the NRA facility as part of the WBR display, ala the first or second factory retained protected sight model, and, from the Ruger Factory Collection...................Just an idea.
BTW Dan, as we discussed recently, I obtained a very nice early earred 357, small sized SN, steel ejector housing, XR3RED frame, oiled walnut panels and Micro marked rear sight, 4 5/8", SN 43016. Makes it a three digit earred model, 125 guns into the initial run, with all Type One features. :wink:

 

[Ale-8(1)]

Are you saying that 42691 thru 43690 are "three-digit protected-sight .357's"?

 

[rugerguy]

They should be, if indeed 42,689 was the "last flatop" made....and NO record of a 42,690 was recorded..............and Chet15 noted that 42,691 was in fact, a "protected sight" 6 1/2 inch model...and Flatgate used to own 42,695, also a "protected sight " model.....seems to be falling in the scheme of things. HHHmmm...maybe have to go back and read JDs' writings.........nah, I got house cleaning to do......... :roll:

 

[Ale-8(1)]

Well, if the early .41 was actually made with serial number 42691 it certainly would have had to have been a frame from another caliber series, and the only other centerfire guns being made at the time were the .357's and the Super Blackhawks and the Hawkeyes. The .44 Flattops had expired at around 29860, and the Supers of that era were at the 8XXX to 17XXX range prior to the advent of the .41, and the Hawkeyes never got above about 3300. So we have the possibility of a "medium frame" .41 made on a .357 frame. Fascinating.

 

[HAWKEYE#28]

NO...............IT, 43016, is a three digit as far as I am concerned, as it is 125 into the new earred model. I'd consider 42691 to be a single digit gun, as would be those of 42692-42699, ala 1 tru 9(42691 thru 42699). SN 42700 is the first two digit gun(10).........Remember, extrapolation is one of the weird sciences...... :wink: Technically, and as far as my opinion is concerned, Ruger should have started the Earred Model with a new set of numbers, namely 1 and up, not 42691.

 

[Ale-8(1)]

I understand the difference between single-digit, two-digit, and three-digit guns . . . I was questioning the application of the "digit-classification" system to a series of guns that didn't start with "1". While technically correct, this seems like a stretch of the concept.

JMHO

I agree, it would have been a good idea from a collector's standpoint to start the "protected-sight" guns in their own series, but at the time the '68 law wasn't in effect, and WBR probably saw no point in another numbering series for what was, in his mind, merely a continuation of the .357 series.

 

[rugerguy]

Yes, them "ears" is definitely a "major" change, not a bolt on "part"...anyway, this gun is now "home", Bob C and Robbie came over on Saturday and took her away......love it when a 'plan' works out...now they can do all the homework and chase down, who ( whom ) has what and where they may be.......... :wink: