Letter of Authenticity ~ Don't Waste Your Money

[tmullanejr]

On 4/29 I sent a request for a letter of authenticity to Ruger about my 1967 Ruger 44SP carbine with a finger groove checkered stock.
I specifically wanted to know if the stock was factory checkered as not all finger groove stocks were factory checkered.
There is a fairly big difference in value between a factory checkered finger groove stock and one done some time later no matter how well done by a outside gunsmith

The letter arrived yesterday.... it consisted of 4 paragraphs of one sentence each...
First thanking me for my request
Second ~ the complete information they gave me about my rifle, Here is the exact information they supplied about my firearm
"Our records show that this carbine was shipped in January 1967, as a model 44SP"
That is it the complete information that I paid $10 for and waited 2 months for.... information I already knew from the Ruger website.
The third and fourth paragraphs were more thank you drivel and letting me know they included an instruction manual for my gun (I still have my original one)

I was rather put off by this and called Ruger this morning and spoke to someone in customer service who was also surprised by the lack of information and offered to search out what he could find and would call me back... he also transferred me to the records department where a very nice young lady informed me that that was all the information they would possibly have on any gun.... they only have shipping records on the guns and no build records.

So basically I am out $10 (no big deal) but I am also out the information I paid for and that is a big deal to me...

 

[WIL TERRY]

GEEZ TOM, what do you expect for ten bucks ? Gun research costs a LOT of money which is why a Colt letter costs one hundred dollars [$100.00] and is worth every red cent.

 

[Ale-8(1)]

Sorry you're upset, but that's about all you ever get from Ruger, and has been for many, many years. This is common knowledge in the Ruger universe, but perhaps not very well explained on Ruger's site where thay tell you about the "letter".

Personally, I thought that was plenty back when there was no charge for the letters. Most, but not all, are satisfied with the ship date and "shipped configuration" model number, but it certainly doesn't help much in cases like yours, I'll admit.

I just wish we could still get the date/configuration info at no charge with a simple 'phone call if we really do not need a hard-copy letter. That's usually enough for me.

 

[golferboy426]

If it came factory checkered it would not have been a model SP. It would have been SPC or "hand checkered" in the records. Since you specifically asked about that, it likely is not a factory job. They would have pulled the invoice or should have. If you have doubts and since you paid the bucks I'd call and verify they checked the invoice not just a computer record. Pulling the invoice on a special like this was standard practice. Perhaps that was not done

 

[Rclark]

Well, now I know how long it will take.... I sent a request off a week ago on my fixed sight SS Old Army 5 1/2" and was wondering when response would show up. Looks like about a month.

 

[mr.deerstalker]

With only 4 maybe 5 known, 44SP-C, what could you be hoping for other then a needle in the hey stack?

And I have owned 2 of them!

Scott

 

[tmullanejr]

With only 4 maybe 5 known, 44SP-C, what could you be hoping for other then a needle in the hey stack?

And I have owned 2 of them!

Scott

I could be hoping I owned one..... you have a problem with someone hoping to own a less than common variation of an early Ruger 44

 

[radicalrod]

Tom, do you have a checkered 10/22 to compare the checkering too.....RUGER had two standard patterns......take a pic and post it.....RUGER66 is the man when it comes to these guns....I am sure he will let you know what he thinks....very few were made and most buy accident as it was easy to get the 10/22 and 44 stocks mixed up if you didn't look closely....

I don't know why RUGER won't give any info other than the ship date and model....seems silly but that is what they do....RR.

 

[ruger66]

Hi
You could call them back and see if they would pull the invoice on your gun. Sometime that tell a different story. The checkered guns look like these.

 

[tmullanejr]

Hi
You could call them back and see if they would pull the invoice on your gun. Sometime that tell a different story. The checkered guns look like these.

I did call them and the young lady I spoke to told me they only have the shipping information on the gun nothing more...
Is is possible to get a clearer picture of the checkering on the fingergroove stock so I can compare to my gun...

 

[golferboy426]

Ask to speak to a manager. They routinely can check invoices. They have done many times for me and others here.

 

[golferboy426]

BTW I would not rely on a checkering comparison. I know of one that looks perfect and is fake.

 

[chet15]

Don't forget that there are a lot of things that go against getting a letter on a .44 fingergroove Sporter or International with factory checkering. First of all, these were not offered models in their catalogs. 2nd, its my opinion that those .44SP and 44X that were checkered were factory mistakes, and happened to get checkering because a stock inletted for the .44 barreled receiver happened to go over to the checkering tables.
So, an employee would need to be aware of a lot of things when that gun came to them to write down the model designation in the records.
Don't get me wrong, there are a few that do letter, but it would not surprise me if a bunch of them will not.
This is kind of like the brass framed .45 Convertible Blackhawks and .357 Convertible Blackhawks that show up from time to time, especially when they look and feel and have no reason to be anything other than a factory item, but good luck getting a letter to come back saying "BKH-34XB" or "BKH-45XB" as those catalog numbers didn't exist.
Ruger's employees are only there to build guns during the day and go home to their families at night. All the particulars mean squat when thousands of guns may go through their hands every day.
Chet15