Found: SDA-85H-CM (RCMP), 5" 38SPL SERVICE SIX

[Terry T]

"With a little help from my friends" - the 1 of 15 over run of the 150 made up for trials for the RCMP. (Ruger was unsuccessful in securing the contract.)

See prior tread:

http://www.rugerforum.com/phpBB/viewtop ... light=rcmp

These RCMP guns are the only 5" barrel Ruger double action Six series known. It has also been reported that 5 stainless GF-85H were also made up to try and secure the RCMP contract.

With a copy of a letter from Ruger identifying it.

Terry T

 

[Ruger1441]

Thats pretty cool 8)

 

[ubme]

Great gun Terry and thanks for sharing.

 

[flattop44]

Rare gun and a very rare letter signed by Tom Ruger!! Nice package.
FT44

 

[captainkirk]

So, how does it shoot? :wink:

 

[T.A. WORKMAN]

Nice Snag!!!!

 

[weaselmeatgravy]

Excellent score!

Would you be willing to copy that copy of the letter to send me to tuck away with mine?

 

[Terry T]

"Weaselmeatgravy",
The letter in the box was obviously a old photo copy. I do not have the original letter. I would guess the original owner kept the original letter in his files and it did not 'travel' with the gun.
The "photo" is a higher resolution scan of the photo copy. I would suggest that you just download the photo and print it. We're into a copy of a copy of a copy ----. If that doesn't work for you, I'd be happy to make another copy for you. (I think I have your mailing address from a prior correspondence.)

You have one, "Golferboy" has 5, I have one, that leaves 8 more to account for. Yours and "Golferboy's are at the end of the ser. no. range, this one is at the beginning. Curious that the 15 loose ones seem to 'bracket' the ser. no. range.

"Captainkirk",
If the "riots" don't start, I do think this may be one of my very few "safe queens"
However, if the need arises, I would feel well armed with it! :shock:

Terry T

 

[flattop44]

I sold a consecutive serial numbered pair (NIB w/Shippers) of those a few years back to a friend of mine so that is two more known. I'll see if I can print a copy of that letter for him.
Ft44

 

[Terry T]

"Flattop44"
You're welcome to. If that doesn't work for you, let me know and I'll try the old fashion paper copy sort of thing.

You may wish to e-mail the ser. no. to Chad ("Chet15") for his book. It would be fun to identify all 15.

Terry T

 

[weaselmeatgravy]

My guess is there are a few more than 15 in the U.S. as that was just the number known to have been sent to distributors who share info with RENE. Mine went direct from Ruger to Terhune. Golferboy's dad's guns likely never saw a distributor either as he had factory connections. But they are still very rare and cool collector's pieces!

So is yours the one that chet15 had for sale a while back?

 

[Terry T]

"Weaselmeatgravy",
I don't know. I didn't buy it from him. If it is, it changed hands before I got it. I didn't see Chet15's for sale so I didn't catch the ser. no. Chet15 would need to chime in with the ser. no. that he sold. This ser. no. is in his book.

So - are you suggesting that not all of the 150 made it to Canada? Or that some made it back? Or that more than 165 were made up? Or does anyone know? :shock:

Eventually, they will all surface, just like all of the Colt Walkers that survived. And collectors will know where each one is.

There is a least one in Ca.
Terry T

 

[golferboy426]

My late dad's are 5 consecutive , 161-00031-35

 

[weaselmeatgravy]

So - are you suggesting that not all of the 150 made it to Canada? Or that some made it back? Or that more than 165 were made up?

I don't have enough info to suggest anything other than there are likely at least 21 guns in the U.S., the 15 that went out to distributors, my one, and golferdad's five. Mine is 161-00030 so what would be interesting is to call and find out if 161-00000 through 161-00029 are also SDA85H models. Might be that Ruger employees thought they were interesting enough to make another small batch for some of the inner circle dudes right at the prefix roll. Might have even been at Terhune's request, just to get one with his #30. The -Six was made in Newport and Terhune was the Newport plant manager at the time, so I reckon he could have pulled something like that off without much pushback.

 

[Terry T]

The plot thickens :?

Chet's book give the ser. no. range as 160-94833 (the one I now have) to 160-00029. You and 'Golferboy' have expanded that by 6 to 160-00035. And, of course, that ser. no. range is much larger than 150. It would be expected that the service six blued frames could have been pulled off the line for the special run as they went. How often and in what quantities were frames cast? The ser. no. range is close to 5,200 frames.

The idea that "the boys in the shop" would make up a few odd guns on their own would suggest that all manner of odd configurations using off the shelf (or even new and different (such as a 5" barrel)) parts may be 'out there'. :shock:

Even so, there must have been some "in house rules". Frames must have ser. numbers, Company records needed to be kept for ATF, etc. I would guess that some form of payment or compensation would have had to be made back to the company.

Can anyone shed light on such things? Golferboy? Just how DID your dad get 5 in a row? Or is it a deep, dark family secret? :roll:

What fun! Reminds me of the board game, 'Clue'. Who Dun It?
(Terhune in the "back shop" with a hacksaw and a vat of bluing salts. "This will confuse those collectors in 25years" he was quoted as saying, with an evil laugh, as he set about his late night creations.) :twisted:

Terry T