PILOREGET SS-92

[T.A. WORKMAN]

Most Ruger D/A Collectors are well aware of the French designed "Pilorget Experimental Ejection System" from data in the Red Eagle News Exchange Reference. That True prototype/experimental model mentioned is owned by a forum member & D/A Collector who also just happens to own a 2nd Pilorget SS-92 revolver :shock: :mrgreen:

In the RENE November 2023 issue, Editor Chad Hiddleson wrote a stellar article entitled "The Mysterious "Pilorget" Sec-Series Revolvers. It contained the most detailed information written on these Holy Grail's to date. His latest discovery was gun #4 a Ruger Speed-Six – model 1592 - #159-95813, N.I.B.
The gun also had a good bit of Provenance along with it also. Vogel's letter to Harry Sefried, Spec print copies some with hand notes, Pilorget hand sketch with precise dimensions on reaming & finishing the cylinder. (note in pictures below) Prototype Notice from Ruger Engineering Archives.

From Chad's article} A French inventor, Andre Pilorget filed for a US Patent for his new revolver ejection system on Feb.27,1975. He was granted his patent on Sept. 28, 1976.
Steve Vogel, WBR's son-in-law and head of Ruger's export business and worked with Pilorget on the project.

I read the article twice and then skimmed through the rest of the issue, when I was checking out the classifieds I about fell off my chair….there was the same gun #159-95813 for sale by the owner in NH.
Long story short, I called the owner and after a very nice chat I bought the gun from him. I was on cloud nine I never thought that I would I ever even see one let alone own one.
But the good luck was not to end there . During our conversation the owner informed me he knew a
local man who owned another Pilorget who might be willing to sell . I then contacted another D/A Collector and gave him the contact info and he managed to buy it making it the 5th known Pilorget. Both of these guns are a few numbers apart and both came out of Roddy's Gun Shop and were with in 15 miles of the factory all this time.
A big thanks to Ray for selling me the gun and to Chad for getting her to me.
Terry

Pilorget Speed-Six SS-92 & P/W,

Note} the chamber shoulder & reamer finish of the Pilorget compared to a factory 9MM cylinder.

Vogel's letter.

Pilorget sent Vogel this chamber sketching with precise (metric) dimensions after the first cylinder Ruger furnished failed due to reamer depth.

 

[arfmel]

I don't know what that means

 

[hittman]

Hopin he's off taking pics to post

 

[Hvymax]

 

[Hvymax]

Thought it might be a Pile of Regret from disassembling his Mk1.

 

[Watertender]

Some people could fall into a septic tank and come out clutching a $20 gold piece! Very nice indeed!

 

[T.A. WORKMAN]

There are 5 known revolvers in 3 different pre-fix blocks 150-28267 / 153-04443 & 153-20715 & 159-95813 & 159-95XXX.
After Chad had shipped the revolver out to me, but before I had received it he sent me the following email-

Terry:
Well, here's something I missed since the Pilorget has been here as long as it has. Just realized the recoil shield isn't scalloped. Yes, later frames are known to have been used, but I think this is the latest without the scallop. Then I realized the hammer and trigger are both blued chrome moly! The only way I can explain that is these guns were assembled long before they ever got the serial number and rollmarks.
At first I thought with such a high serial number, and being known in a couple different runs, these maybe aren't prototypes at all... at the very least, this high #159- gun was perhaps a cleanup of the Pilorget cylinder assemblies. Now it appears these may have all been made at the very same time, except this late batch obviously completed later.
Chad

When the gun arrived I compared it to my factory Speed-Six SS-92 serial #157-51761, with a scalloped recoil shield & SS trigger and hammer . My Pilorget is serial #159-95813, with a non-scalloped recoil shield and Blue steel trigger and hammer with polished sides. This proves to me that Chads theory is spot on.

Top- Pilorget SS-92 with old features & a 159-95813 - Lower Factory Speed-Six SS-92 with new features.

Documents in French that Andre Pilorget gave to Vogel,

 

[rugerguy]

way to go Terry good job and will make for a fine ONE gun display in the future

 

[cowboydave]

Excellent story and very nice find,

 

[RoninPA]

Nothing I can say but .....WOW!! Terry, did you go out and buy any lottery tickets after that?

 

[WAYNO]

He did. Then he gave that lucky ticket to me.

 

[weaselmeatgravy]

Hey Terry (and also WAYNO), congrats and welcome to the Pilorget Club

Thanks for posting the letter from Vogel, I had never seen that before. The March 28, 1975 date is interesting and jibes well with the Security Six 150-28267 chosen as the test subject to receive the prototype modification. The test gun would have been made in 1974 and since it has some dings unrelated to the mod, it's easy to assume it was the equivalent of a factory second. Seems amusing that sample 9mm cartridges were provided by Pilorget as if they were not readily available in the U.S., but that supports a theory that the 9mm Speed Sixes were always meant to have this extractor and his assumption that Ruger might not have any of the "new caliber" shells on hand. I had heard that the reason most do not have this extractor is because Pilorget wanted royalties for using his patent and WBR being notoriously cheap, refused to comply.

I have a small pile of 9mm Speed Sixes and looking at my spreadsheet, I notice that my Pilorget (153-20715) is the lowest SN of all of them. But then the very next one in the list is a 1979 gun that was owned by Vogel (WBR's son in law) and auctioned off by Batterman's (WBR's grandson) in 2010. I will have to dig that gun out sometime and confirm that it does not have the Pilorget mod. I'd like to think I would have noticed that, but I have overlooked obvious things in the past, just ask my wife! The RENE Ref mentions the SS92 in the paragraph on Liberty models (1976) but with no known example serial numbers. The lowest number SS92 mentioned other than the 153- Pilorget guns is in the paragraph on Warning barrel guns at 155-11363, which is the gun I have that belonged to Vogel. I have a note saying it is the only known SS92 (at the time) with carbon steel hammer and trigger, made around the time that the change was made to stainless. And since Chad's recent revelation that the higher number Pilorget guns were also assembled with earlier hammer/trigger sets, it does make me want to take a second look at the Vogel gun.

 

[John in WYO]

Thought it might be a Pile of Regret from disassembling his Mk1.

My brain read that, too!

 

[Terry T]

Thanks for the info!

 

[rugnelli]

Very cool!

 

[T.A. WORKMAN]

Bob,
Were proud to join such esteemed company !! I'd be digging like a gopher to find that Vogel gun!

Did your Bolivian Service-Six come out of the same auction as Vogel's SS-92?

When I took the Pilorget & another SS-92 apart apart to compare cylinders I was impressed with the French design and Ruger's workmanship.
When I loaded a cylinder I was impressed with how the rounds slid into the chambers and snapped firmly into the piano spring wire ring.
You can hold the gun upside down and shake it...the shells don't move and no noise . I can see where in the end it came down to money that's a shame .

 

[chet15]

Something else I thought about last night. I think a 159-95xxx range Sec. Series gun would have been produced quite a bit after the yellow and black hinged box came into use. So maybe the boxes were set aside as well.
Everything kind of points to the thought that maybe the frame/parts sets may have been produced at the time the 153- guns were made. Perhaps everything came to a halt when Pilorget asked for his royalties as WMG alluded to.
Chet15

 

[weaselmeatgravy]

TAW's gun has a Warning barrel, so that is the only major feature that is contemporary with the 1984 era when the SN would have been applied.

Maybe these few 159 prefix guns, since they were non-production experimental engineering units, sat around for 6-8 years in their red boxes as un-serialized, not-quite-complete guns with no barrels. Maybe adding a rifled barrel to a functional action was what tipped the status of the piece to being considered a "complete" firearm that must then receive a serial number.

 

[T.A. WORKMAN]

I think you guys are knocking on the right door.
As far as I know WAYNO's gun #159-95817 and my gun #159-95813 came with the same paper work and packaging.
With Chad picking up on the different type of box, it makes sense that they were put up together at Ruger Engineering Archives.
Question is how many units.?
I sent to Ruger for a letter and included a detailed letter of my own. Fingers crossed!! Bob did you letter your SS-92 Pilorget?
Terry

 

[weaselmeatgravy]

Bob did you letter your SS-92 Pilorget?

No, I didn't. It came with an envelope full of information, so I never felt it necessary.