Old Single Six questions

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stonebuster

stonebuster

Blackhawk
Joined
Mar 29, 2017
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I've got an old Single Six w/sn#4985xx marked 22 caliber. I think it's a late 60's mfg? I haven't been able to find a lookup to confirm date of mfg.
20260729_154944.webp
 
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What didn’t work about it? What’s the number?

I think that 49xxxx number belongs to the 22 Mag marked guns. So …. Either the s/n is wrong or the pic is wrong.
 
hittman said:
Did you open Ruger’s drop down menu for older guns?
Click to expand...
Yup, between 1968-69 but for 22 magnum which is not marked on the gun. Just 22 caliber as in the photo. I always thought it was LR. I bought it from a gun shop years ago. Were the magnums marked as such? Did they come with LR & Magnum cylinders? If so, maybe I got a magnum with just the LR cylinder. When I ran the number, I ran it as standard model originally and why I got "can't locate" message.
 
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Ruger’s site isn’t as accurate as RENE.
Yes, some were marked 22 Mag Cal or something of the sort.
I’m not a single action guru but yours pictured looks like the “standard” 22LR version.
 
Ok, I just looked it up. After sn# 34xxxx Single Six magnums were not marked "magnum" on the frame. My questions have been answered. Now I need a magnum cylinder, I guess. Thanks for responses.
 
I’d wait for the more seasoned single action guys to chime in ……. I wonder if there’s a way to confirm your gun was shipped as a convertible or maybe some serial numbers overlapped between the 22LR and 22 Mag marked guns. Somebody here will surely know.

Chet15, Rugerguy, Mr.deerstalker, twriggen, Jay and several others be great sources
 
hittman said:
I’d wait for the more seasoned single action guys to chime in ……. I wonder if there’s a way to confirm your gun was shipped as a convertible or maybe some serial numbers overlapped between the 22LR and 22 Mag marked guns. Somebody here will surely know.

Chet15, Rugerguy, Mr.deerstalker, twriggen, Jay and several others be great sources
Click to expand...
I got my info from a post on this forum in Oct. 2017.
20260729_190947.webp
 
Your gun was made in early 1968 and most likely a convertible, with out the box or a letter, hard to know for certain,,,are the last three digits of the serial number marked on the face of the cylinder?? may help to know but that being said, it usually was done for the "spare" cylinder...1968 was the last year of nonprefixed serial numbers and a transition year with their numbering as you would see ( find )in a search of the RENE, jumped from #400,000 to 500,000 and even some #800,000 with a sprinkling of "D" ( duplicate) numbers and even some nickel and chrome guns thrown in....nice gun, and not that hard to find the proper "spare" cylinder ...........(y)(y)
 
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Dan is correct. It's a 1968 made gun.

Looking in the RENE Guide,, on page 25,, serial number ranges,, show from 490297 to 500421 for 1968. This is under the Old Model Single-Sixes, (LR Only.)

The serial number range is shown again on page 38 of the RENE Guide. Under Old Model Single-Six Convertibles.

Without a letter,, you won't be able to know which model it was shipped as.
 
rugerguy said:
Your gun was made in early 1968 and most likely a convertible, with out the box or a letter, hard to know for certain,,,are the last three digits of the serial number marked on the face of the cylinder?? may help to know but that being said, it usually was done for the "spare" cylinder...1968 was the last year of nonprefixed serial numbers and a transition year with their numbering as you would see ( find )in a search of the RENE, jumped from #400,000 to 500,000 and even some #800,000 with a sprinkling of "D" ( duplicate) numbers and even some nickel and chrome guns thrown in....nice gun, and not that hard to find the proper "spare" cylinder ...........(y)(y)
Click to expand...
Thanks for the info & reply. I don't see any numbers on the cylinder face.
 
Hondo44 said:
You got a nice one!

No last 3 digits of the serial number on the front face of the cylinder, then it could still be a convertible if the cylinder is the 22 LR cyl.

How does it shoot?
Click to expand...
Shoots well. It's got the rim around the back of the cylinder and the seller stated it was LR. I bought it to introduce my wife to shooting but she didn't like having to cock the gun. I put a few hundred LR rounds through it & stuck it in the safe. Dug it out a couple days ago.
 
As nice as it is, it's most likely from 1968 and there's a like new box with a new .22 Mag cylinder inside, in a closet of the original owner, if they're still alive. Or in his widow's closet if she is still alive. Or in his parents' closet if they are. Or it was sold at a yard sale years ago. That's just how I've found empty boxes or boxes with the mag cylinders in them over the last almost 50 years since 1968.
 
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Another fun thread. I've had the pleasure of living through all these wonderful Ruger years. I was 4 years old when Sturm & Ruger introduced their first pistol. Of course I was not aware of it at that time. :p
 
Based on the picture it's an RSS5 with the 5.5" barrel meaning that the 22lr was the primary cylinder so the three digits would be on the 22-mag cylinder. The 6.5" were the RSSM models and the 22 mag was the primary cylinder. As a 1968 model it most likely shipped as a convertible but as noted without a letter from Ruger its anyone's guess but the smart money is on it shipping as a convertible with the extra cylinder.
 
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