I've posted pics of two of these guns before, but the 3rd one is a new find.
First a little background: Ruger offered the adjustable sight Security Six in 3 primary barrel lengths, 2.75", 4", and 6". They offered the fixed sight Speed Six and Service Six in 2 primary barrel lengths, 2.75" and 4". Late in production, the 2.75" barrel was replaced with a 3" barrel to accommodate a longer, more gradual taper from the extractor shroud up to the barrel. But at no time did they ever make standard production -Six series revolvers with 5" barrels.
Back in the 1980's, there was apparently a proposal to firearm manufacturers to present solutions for arming the Royal Canadian Mounted Police (RCMP), AKA, "Mounties" with 5" barreled revolvers. I don't know why they wanted 5" tubes back then, but today Canadian citizens are restricted to handguns with barrels at least 106 mm in length, which is about 4.17" and that explains why Ruger switched from 4" to 4.2" barrels on the New Bearcat, GP100, etc.
Ruger made five stainless Police Service Six revolvers in .357 Magnum with 5" barrels as prototypes for potential sale to the RCMP. These were made in about 1981 when the recoil shield was the rounded style. Here is one of the five that I managed to snag some years back:
The stainless .357 was rejected, and instead the RCMP ordered blue guns in .38 Special. Possibly the stainless was too expensive and the .357 was politically incorrect. Not sure. The production guns, being a little later than the prototypes, have the "scalloped" recoil shield that appeared around 1982. About 15 of the blue guns remained with Ruger in the U.S. as contract spares, and presumably after some fulfillment period expired, Ruger liquidated the leftovers to employees and distributors. Ruger (Pinetree Castings) exec Stan Terhune snapped one up for his personal collection of serial number 30 Rugers. Stan's collection was sold after his death and I managed to grab this example:
It is thought that the contract production was 150 guns, plus 10% spares which accounts for the 15 overruns that were eventually sold in the states. The 150 contract guns were also thought to have been destroyed after the RCMP was done with them rather than sold as used guns and/or exported out of Canada. But at least one of them was not destroyed! I recently found a survivor that is complete with the re-importation marking under the barrel legend:
I'm betting that there are more re-imported 5" Service Sixes out there, waiting to be discovered by collectors.
First a little background: Ruger offered the adjustable sight Security Six in 3 primary barrel lengths, 2.75", 4", and 6". They offered the fixed sight Speed Six and Service Six in 2 primary barrel lengths, 2.75" and 4". Late in production, the 2.75" barrel was replaced with a 3" barrel to accommodate a longer, more gradual taper from the extractor shroud up to the barrel. But at no time did they ever make standard production -Six series revolvers with 5" barrels.
Back in the 1980's, there was apparently a proposal to firearm manufacturers to present solutions for arming the Royal Canadian Mounted Police (RCMP), AKA, "Mounties" with 5" barreled revolvers. I don't know why they wanted 5" tubes back then, but today Canadian citizens are restricted to handguns with barrels at least 106 mm in length, which is about 4.17" and that explains why Ruger switched from 4" to 4.2" barrels on the New Bearcat, GP100, etc.
Ruger made five stainless Police Service Six revolvers in .357 Magnum with 5" barrels as prototypes for potential sale to the RCMP. These were made in about 1981 when the recoil shield was the rounded style. Here is one of the five that I managed to snag some years back:
The stainless .357 was rejected, and instead the RCMP ordered blue guns in .38 Special. Possibly the stainless was too expensive and the .357 was politically incorrect. Not sure. The production guns, being a little later than the prototypes, have the "scalloped" recoil shield that appeared around 1982. About 15 of the blue guns remained with Ruger in the U.S. as contract spares, and presumably after some fulfillment period expired, Ruger liquidated the leftovers to employees and distributors. Ruger (Pinetree Castings) exec Stan Terhune snapped one up for his personal collection of serial number 30 Rugers. Stan's collection was sold after his death and I managed to grab this example:
It is thought that the contract production was 150 guns, plus 10% spares which accounts for the 15 overruns that were eventually sold in the states. The 150 contract guns were also thought to have been destroyed after the RCMP was done with them rather than sold as used guns and/or exported out of Canada. But at least one of them was not destroyed! I recently found a survivor that is complete with the re-importation marking under the barrel legend:
I'm betting that there are more re-imported 5" Service Sixes out there, waiting to be discovered by collectors.
