Light Weight "S" gun with a June 56 shipping date??

[twriggen]

I was going through my Ruger letters tonight to start working on my labels for the next display show and happened to notice that the letter I received from Ruger on my "S" stamped light weight has a shipping date of June of 1956. How is this possible? The letter notes that it has the S suffix on the serial number and also notes it as a fifth variation Lightweight or S-marked Lightweight.

Thoughts?

 

[contender]

Lightweights were first produced in 1956. An "S" marked one can mean it was used as a "Sample" or a "Factory Second" or whatever.
Sounds correct to me.

 

[chet15]

I was going through my Ruger letters tonight to start working on my labels for the next display show and happened to notice that the letter I received from Ruger on my "S" stamped light weight has a shipping date of June of 1956. How is this possible? The letter notes that it has the S suffix on the serial number and also notes it as a fifth variation Lightweight or S-marked Lightweight.

Thoughts?

I wish the factory would leave the collector stuff out of their letters. They have no records at the factory saying your gun is a 5th variation "S" marked lightweight.
Can you post a pic of the serial number?
Chet15

 

[twriggen]

Here is the serial number.

 

[contender]

Yep, according to the RENE Guide,,, 1956.

 

[twriggen]

The "S" stamped light weights were tri color frames but shipped with a steel cylinder and XR3-RED grip frames. They were shipped in 1964 and 1965. The XR3-RED grip frame was not available in 1956.

 

[chet15]

That one has been lurking for a while.
As mentioned above, XR3-Red came out in late June 1962. The "S" Lightweights seem to have been set aside and "re-worked" at a later date, then shipped in 1964/1965 in two different shipments. So the question would be, why doesn't that one show up on the two known lists of "S" Lightweights?
Chet15

 

[contender]

I forgot the part about the later shipping date of the "S" guns. My mistake.

NOW,, the mystery deepens.

 

[Hondo44]

The first thing I would do is confirm if the grip frame is marked XR3-RED. Remove the grips to see the marking.

 

[flattop44]

If you have not already, I believe I would check back with Ruger and ask them to verify the shipping date.
FT44

 

[twriggen]

If you have not already, I believe I would check back with Ruger and ask them to verify the shipping date.
FT44

I have another batch of letter requests that I'm sending in this week. I plan to write a note to Linda regarding this one to see what she can find and hopefully get an updated letter on it.