Lipsey's or Ruger?

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Fourbits

Bearcat
Joined
Dec 7, 2009
Messages
7
Location
United States
:D Ijust received a 44 Special Ruger Blackhawk Flat Top from a local dealer. It had been on order for three weeks. The "test" firing had been done 9 days before i got the gun. Is this from Lipsey's or from Ruger? Serial #520-199XX.
 

SBH4628

Blackhawk
Joined
Oct 28, 2009
Messages
929
Location
Indiana
Kinda sounds like a Ruger. There was a guy on here that was keeping track of numbers....Can't seem to find it
 

Yosemite Sam

Hunter
Joined
Mar 18, 2002
Messages
2,113
Location
Cape Cod, MA, USA
They're all from Ruger. Lipsey's is just a distributor that ordered a large batch of guns (from Ruger) in a specific configuration. Same with "Accusport" Rugers and "Lou Horton" S&Ws.

-- Sam
 

BlkHawk73

Hunter
Joined
Dec 30, 1999
Messages
4,459
Location
Maine
Regardless of if it's a Lipsey's Ruger or not, does it really matter since those are cataloged models now anyways?
 

UnderDawgAl

Bearcat
Joined
Dec 2, 2009
Messages
71
Location
TX
Fourbits asks a fair question. Here's why: If your local gun dealer is not a Lipsey's dealer, then he can only order a non-Lipsey from his distributor, I would think.

My dealer is not a Lipsey dealer. I'll ask him to order me a 44 Spl. If he gets it in soon, then the chances are very good that it is a non-Lipsey 44 Spl.
 

Vic

Bearcat
Joined
Dec 12, 2001
Messages
51
Location
Western Wisconsin
Based on an article in Handloader by Brian Pearce regarding the limited run 44 Special's for Lipsey's........the difference is the Lipsey's version is all steel and the production model is alloy ( and lighter ).

Regards, Vic
 
Joined
Sep 8, 2003
Messages
1,480
Location
So. Ca.
Has anyone seen a picture of the 2010 model? By Rugers catalog listing it sounds like it will be built on the NMBH frame not the Lipseys and 50th flattop frames. Now all the cowboy shooters will want the 44spl. in the vaquero model 8) I'd like to see it in the GP frame :lol:
Eric
 

c.r.

Single-Sixer
Joined
Apr 23, 2008
Messages
436
Location
Texas
here is the link to the two "new" 44 spec. blackhawks on Ruger's website

http://www.ruger.com/products/newModelB ... odels.html

scroll your cursor over NVB-444 and NVB445 and a photo of the model will appear up top. These are the SAME catalog numbers that are on the stickers on the boxes that my Lipsey guns came in.

please note these two catalog numbers are different than any other blackhawk catalog number.

in the pictures, the grip frame is easily identified as an XR-3, and the revolver is a flattop.

The only xr-3 grip frames ruger currently produces are made of steel.

it makes no sense that ruger would offer the 44 spec on anything other than their medium frame flattop (the same frame as the lipseys used and the same frame as the 50th anniv 357 was offered on) There is no reason to offer this on the 50th anniv. 44 mag flattop or on the large frame blackhawk platform.


I believe the original poster's question is a valid one. Fourbits is curious if he has a gun from the Lipsey run..........OR..........has Ruger already begun distributing (on it's own) the NM flattop 44 spec.

All i know is that his serial # is greater than the 44 specials i have from the Lipsey run.

Congrats on your gun and the only thing I can think is maybe contact Lipsey and see if the will confirm whether that ser. # came from them.

I think it would be neat if you could say "I have the last gun from the lipsey run">>>>>>>>>>>>> or the 5th from the last.

Oh......and if it can be confirmed that this is NOT part of the lipsey run, then it will put to bed all the questions about whether ruger is offering the 44 spec with this or that on on this frame or that frame.

Good Luck,
c.r.
 

ndcowboy

Blackhawk
Joined
Jan 24, 2005
Messages
855
Location
Washburn, ND USA
Great question. Your serial number is about 700 past mine. It would have been nice to see Ruger make an easy distinction between serial numbers - maybe a different prefix or something, but it doesn't look like they did.
It would have also been nice if the new catalog was a little plainer about these revolvers. They are just lumped in with the regular models with no distinction made as of frame size or flat top.
So frankly, I have no idea if yours is a Lipsey's model or a regular Ruger model. Not much help, but I'd like to know the answer too.
 

CraigC

Hawkeye
Joined
May 27, 2002
Messages
5,197
Location
West Tennessee
John Taffin called Ruger and verified that the standard catalog gun will be the same as the Lipsey's special run.
 

Dale53

Blackhawk
Joined
Aug 29, 2007
Messages
925
Location
Hamilton, Ohio USA
Fourbits;
I can't answer your question as to whether your gun is a Lipsey or straight from Ruger.

However, if your revolver is as good as mine, then you got a DANDY!

I am truly pleased with mine. It is a shooting machine!

FWIW
Dale53
 

1ruger

Single-Sixer
Joined
Nov 19, 2009
Messages
151
I thought I had read recently on a post here that the Lipsey guns have steel grip frame like 50 Anniversary guns while standard Ruger 44 Special guns will have alloy grip frame.

Can anybody confirm this?
 

gdeiss

Bearcat
Joined
Nov 30, 2009
Messages
2
Location
north-central Idaho
I had the same question and so e-mailed Ruger a couple of weeks ago. They replied within 48 hours; here's the exchange:

Comment / question:

The .44 Special Blackhawk revolver has been a limited production unit for Lipsey's. I now notice that it is listed in the 2010 catalog. Does this mean that it is becoming a regular production item? If so, are there any differences between it and the Lipsey's offering?

Response:
This item will become a cataloged item in 2010. There are no differences in the model.
 

chet15

Hawkeye
Joined
Jan 22, 2001
Messages
6,004
Location
Dawson, Iowa
Vic":38fh99lr said:
Based on an article in Handloader by Brian Pearce regarding the limited run 44 Special's for Lipsey's........the difference is the Lipsey's version is all steel and the production model is alloy ( and lighter ).

Regards, Vic

'cept when Brian wrote that article and when it was published, Ruger wasn't offering their cataloged model at that time. It was all Lipsey's. So...a question to the originator of this thread, does your gun have steel grip frame and ejector housing or are either of those parts alloy?
Chet15
 
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