Flat Gates

[Ruger45]

Ok after much googling I have come up with there are 4 different variations of the flat gate. Now here is my question what are they? One of my other questions is did they put other style gates on during the flat gate run? I have come across one or two single sixes that the SR# puts them mid run but they have round gates.
Thanks for any insight

 

[Ruger1441]

The round gate ones might be non factory replacement gates made by Premier, I probably spelled the name wrong. Their gates a quite collectible in their own right. They also made other assessories for the single sixes. It you could post a pic their gates a pretty easy to identify.

 

[Robb Barnes]

Here is a flatgate 4 digit gun with a Premiere loading gate.

Sorry for the blurred picture but I hope you can see the Premiere gate that extends back further than a standard gate.

 

[Ruger45]

Man lots to keep track of and lots to yet learn. Thanks for the input guys.

 

[Hondo44]

 

[Hondo44]

Photo by G2

 

[Ruger45]

The round gate ones might be non factory replacement gates made by Premier, I probably spelled the name wrong. Their gates a quite collectible in their own right. They also made other assessories for the single sixes. It you could post a pic their gates a pretty easy to identify.

http://cdn2.armslist.com/sites/armslist/uploads/posts/2014/12/28/3855759_01_ruger_old_single_six_early_rou_640.jpg

 

[Ruger45]

Thanks Jim

 

[Hondo44]

Ok after much googling I have come up with there are 4 different variations of the flat gate. Now here is my question what are they? One of my other questions is did they put other style gates on during the flat gate run? I have come across one or two single sixes that the SR# puts them mid run but they have round gates.
Thanks for any insight

The four variations of the flatgates had to do with serrated or not front sight blades, different ejector rods (2 styles), and ejector rod housings (2 styles).

Ruger would install round gates on flatgates if sent back to the factory after the round gates were introduced. But these are not considered an official variation.

 

[Ruger45]

New question When/what SR# range did the 45/8 start showing up?

 

[contender]

The Type 4 Flatgates with the 4-5/8" bbls have a serial number range of 49052 to 61960 according to the RENE guide.

 

[Ale-8(1)]

. . . 1956/1957.

 

[JCW64]

The flatgate single sixes all had 5.5" barrels. The 4 5/8" round gate single sixes started around SN 130000 give or take a few thousand.

 

[Ale-8(1)]

The flatgate single sixes all had 5.5" barrels. The 4 5/8" round gate single sixes started around SN 130000 give or take a few thousand.

Per RENE: "Note that s/n 54431 is the only 4-5/8" steel-framed Single-Six known to have been produced prior to 1959."

The "steel-framed" reference is to distinguish from the Lightweights produced 1956/1959, some of which were flatgates and some roundgates, and all had 4-5/8" barrels.

:mrgreen:

 

[Ruger45]

Thanks Guys

 

[Hondo44]

At approximately serial # 192670 in June 1962, the XR3 grip frame on all barrel lengths was replaced with XR3-RED grip frames.

Steel ejector rod housings were replaced with alloy in the serial range 340XXX in 1963.

Therefore all 4 5/8" barreled single sixes with XR3 grip frames should have steel ejector rod housings.

 

[Ale-8(1)]

Yes, it's ironic that the Lightweights have steel ejector rod housings, but Ruger hadn't come up with the aluminum versions at the time.

I'm sure many of them were retrofitted with the alloy version by owners who were after that last little bit of lightweight carrying convenience.

 

[Ruger45]

So it would be safe to say that a late 1962 45/8" gun is not rare?

 

[Ale-8(1)]

I wouldn't call them "rare". JMHO But you don't see many of them.

"Desirable", yes. "Scarce", yes. By far the shortest production numbers, perhaps 15,000 out of nearly 540,000 between 1953 ad 1973. Less then 3% of total.

RENE lists them over $600 if "perfect".

Any with the XR3 grip frame would probably be early 1962 guns and quite desirable since the XR3RED grip frame was coming in around then. This is essentially impossible to document, unfortunately.

 

[chet15]

Flat loading gates lasted to about 62000 on Ruger's steel framed Single-Six.
It is interesting that WBR would do a flat loading gate on his first SA revolver, but there were probably several factors into why he did it. The first that we think about would be cost savings...since he didn't have investment casting equipment at the time and would have went to the extra expense of having Arwood cast their gates for them, he probably decided that in order to be the most competitive, he should design a more cost efficient gate. Problem is, nobody liked it...which is the reason the Premier Weapons company from California beat him to the punch with their own contoured gate accessory.
Of course, WBR probably didn't like that one bit!!! Somebody else making $ that he wasn't raking in!!!
Another reason that WBR may have done a flat loading gate is that he may have wanted something really distinctive about his revolver so that everybody would be able to associate it as his...especially since much of the Single-Six was just scaled down identically from a Colt, such as the original breech face detail.
Ruger did something later with his original M77 rifle that he evidently wanted something distinctive, to keep it from looking like other makes (i.e. Winchester). He actually had a design patent on the original "flat bolt handle" design...and apparently, nobody liked that either.
Chet15

 

[Ale-8(1)]

Likely true, but the problem was that the American rifles (like Winchester) mostly all had conventional bolt handles and the flat ones looked kinda "European" and not the most popular in this country.

JMHO

 

[Hondo44]

So it would be safe to say that a late 1962 45/8" gun is not rare?

Correct, not rare. But if it has the XR3-RED grip frame from mid 1962, and not the aluminum alloy ejector rod housing yet from late 1962, it's a very low volume 'Type 1 transitional' model (well under 1000 made and may only exist w/5 ½” barrel) that would be very scarce to find for someone needing that version to fill a niche in their collection. What's the serial number? I can confirm this.

The 1959 to mid 1962 4 5/8" guns are far scarcer than the post mid 1962 to 1972 guns.

The "Type Two Roundgate" models, include the 1959 introduction of the 4 5/8" barrel length w/ RG and steel frame. These 5000 made until mid 1962 (as I noted in my earlier post) with steel ERs and XR3 GFs are IMO the most desirable and scarcest of the 4 5/8" old models.

In general, the 4 5/8" barreled SA .22s the 4 5/8" and 9 1/2" are always the lowest production volume.