Ruger 22 Bisley on Gun Broker

[Joseph Kent]

Gentlemen, there is a short barreled 22 stainless Bisley newly posted on Gun Broker and I am wondering if it is rare? Most that I have seen are longer barreled. Please correct me if I am wrong and the second part of my question involves value. Thank you for any help or advice given. Joe.

 

[InjunBro]

John Taffin, Terry Murbach & a few others got together w/ Bill Ruger a few years ago & had a special run of .22 Biselys made up w/ shorter barrels, stainless & I think fixed sights. If this is one of those it would be 1 of about 10 in the world. Or it could be one somebody swapped barrels w/ another single-six. I once had a single-six that had Bisely Grips, trigger, hammer, etc. but w/ shorter barrel & .22 & .22 magnum cylinders, it was a parts monster made from 2 guns.


Corrected spelling

 

[mike7mm08]

Here is a link. I have no clue about it. Neat little pistol.

http://www.gunbroker.com/Auction/ViewItem.aspx?Item=200625477

 

[Quarterbore]

:?:

 

[M'BOGO]

I do know that the stainless Single Six Bisley is a rare bird. I can't remember if the special ones are inscribed. I seem to rembember something about a Tom Ruger memorial.

 

[flatgate]

Here's a pic of one of the Tom Ruger/Shootists Bisley. They are inscribed on the barrel.

Here's the Gunbroker gun. It must be a "Distributor's" special order model.

flatgate, who's not "Up" on all the New Models.......

 

[WIL TERRY]

John Taffin, Terry Murdoch & a few others got together w/ Bill Ruger a few years ago & had a special run of .22 Biselys made up w/ shorter barrels, stainless & I think fixed sights. If this is one of those it would be 1 of about 10 in the world. Or it could be one somebody swapped barrels w/ another single-six. I once had a single-six that had Bisely Grips, trigger, hammer, etc. but w/ shorter barrel & .22 & .22 magnum cylinders, it was a parts monster made from 2 guns.

M-U-R-B-A-C-H......You changed him from a kraut into an irishman. Incidently, he did all the work in bringing the TOM RUGER COMMEMORATIVE/SHOOTISTS BISLEY to fruition with the help of William B. Ruger SR.

 

[CraigC]

At $450 I figured it HAD to be a new distributor special, rather than one of the original Shootist's models.

 

[WIL TERRY]

At $450 I figured it HAD to be a new distributor special, rather than one of the original Shootist's models.

Off hand I would say this is a cobbled together parts gun as William B. Ruger SR left standing orders that stainless steel BISLEY 22 single sixes in the configuration of the TOM RUGER COMMEMORATIVE/SHOOTISTS BISLEY would never ever be made again, FOREVER.

 

[flatgate]

Thanks, TM, er, I mean Will, for the info!

flatgate

 

[CraigC]

That's what I thought. Now I'm lookin' cock-eyed at the rosewood grips and warning label on the side, rather than the bottom. The warning is in the right place for the 4 5/8" barrel and the grip frame looks to be very well-fitted. Maybe it was built out of the Lipsey's special 4 5/8" Single Six??? Very interesting either way, I'd love to have it!

 

[M'BOGO]

Still, how many stainless Single Six Bisleys have been made? I know those hammers are very rare.

 

[BlkHawk73]

Still, how many stainless Single Six Bisleys have been made? I know those hammers are very rare.

Easy enough to use a blued one that's been polished a bit. Use one on my 22 Bisley Hunter.

 

[BlkHawk73]

Numbers to a late 90's ('97 maybe) and with the end label...I'm lost on this one.

 

[QB]

Yeah, the model number on the case in the auction, when googled resulted in "The first "Shootists" Ruger was the rare KRB-24AW “Shootists”/Tom Ruger Commemorative Bisley Single-Six of which only 52 or 53 were produced."

If it's a distributors special/exclusive, would they be able to use the same model number?

Sure is a good looking gun however I don't like the warning on the side of the barrel. My two Single Six 4 5/8" barrel stainless guns has the warning on the bottom of the barrel (Lipsey exclusives). But.......I do love unfluted cylinders and the Bisley grip.

 

[BlkHawk73]

A call to Ruger Monday AM would tell all.

 

[c.r.]

the gun in the pic has a cylinder with bisley roll marks leading me to believe it is not a plow handled converted to a bisley.

leads me to believe at the very least it started life as a bisley.

the roll mark is centered quite well on that barrel. i suppose somebody could have chopped off metal at each end, rethreaded and everything else, to keep the warning there, but that's a lot of work and.............well you get the point.

finally, if we accept that is the correct case for this gun, that is not a long barrel case

I could swear i saw on the net that there was a run of these, two or so yrs back, by lipseys.................but I'm not going to argue with or doubt what the Kraut says :D and i doubt my memory is that good anyway.

 

[InjunBro]

John Taffin, Terry Murdoch & a few others got together w/ Bill Ruger a few years ago & had a special run of .22 Biselys made up w/ shorter barrels, stainless & I think fixed sights. If this is one of those it would be 1 of about 10 in the world. Or it could be one somebody swapped barrels w/ another single-six. I once had a single-six that had Bisely Grips, trigger, hammer, etc. but w/ shorter barrel & .22 & .22 magnum cylinders, it was a parts monster made from 2 guns.

M-U-R-B-A-C-H......You changed him from a kraut into an irishman. Incidently, he did all the work in bringing the TOM RUGER COMMEMORATIVE/SHOOTISTS BISLEY to fruition with the help of William B. Ruger SR.

Sorry Terry, I was tired when I wrote that & didn't check everything like I should have. My favorite article was written by Terry Murbach 'The Bearcat God Smiled On' or soething close to that. I have 2 VERY tight & accurate Bearcats, one stainless, one blued; the others I traded off.

 

[kentdep]

I think this one started life as a limited (probably Lipseys) run 4 5/8", stainless Super Single Six. Then they bought the Bisley parts. You can call up Ruger and order a stainless Bisley, single six hammer. There were a run of fix sighted ones and of course the Tom Ruger ones too. In fact I have two of these hammers.

The next step is to get with someone you know who has one of the stainless, fixed sight, single sixes and swap cylinders with him. I did this too.

After posting pictures of my conversion on this board I had a few guys PM'ing me about my gun. They wanted to know how to go about doingt he Bisley conversion. I would not be suprised if the gun on gunbroker was built by one of those guys. Because I am sure Ruger hasn't made another run of these and I am also sure nobody would grind or sand away one of the Shootists Bisleys.

Here is a picture of my converted Super Single Six with the traded cylinder, in the upper left.

Jay

 

[Joseph Kent]

So, Gentlemen, if I am correctly reading the above posts, this revolver appears to be a factory unmarked "shootist"model. Does the serial number fall within the correct range? If so, could it be a "clean-up" made gun after the Ruger family left the company management or could it have been "in the vault" all this time, not having been ordered by one of the shootist's at the time they rec'd theirs? In any case it appears to be a cool neat gun. Thanks again for your thoughts. All my best, Joe.

 

[flatgate]

Joe,

I believe you are correct! According to the RENE it sat at Ruger from '94 until '08 when it was finally shipped.

So, it's more or less a One of One example. :shock:

flatgate

 

[Joseph Kent]

Flatgate, thank you very much for your kind reply. All my very best, Joe.

 

[M'BOGO]

Well, this is about to get interesting... After staring at the S/N on Flatgates photo of the Tom Ruger/Shootists model, and the one in the auction, They look to be REALLY close in S/N. That is a lot of luck and work to forge one, then sell it for retail. Then forge the end tag for the case?

 

[CraigC]

Here is a picture of my converted Super Single Six with the traded cylinder, in the upper left.

Wonderful set of Bisley Single Sixes! I've got one of the limited run of drift adjustable 4 5/8" New Models that I think would make a great little Bisley. You're making me itch to convert it! :wink:

 

[kentdep]

I would have to add that if I could have, I would have liked to do one up with a 4 5/8 inch barrel like the one in the auction. When I got my blued/CCH'ed one in the picture I wanted a stainless one to use for squirrels and woods buming. I really liked the look of the Shootist models and now this one in the aucton. But for the money, I can live with a little longer barrel that mine has. :wink:

Jay

 

[transalp1961]

I called Ruger records department on this gun. They said it was shipped as a 6 1/2" barrel gun. It was a special run for one of their distributors.

 

[Quarterbore]

I called Ruger records department on this gun. They said it was shipped as a 6 1/2" barrel gun. It was a special run for one of their distributors.

So, counterfit sticker? You know, that may be a nice clone but somebody might just wack the seller upside the head if they baought it assuming it was what the label said...

Did Ruger Records indicate the model number it shipped as?

 

[Joseph Kent]

Transalp 1961 , did you give the model and serial number from the stainless short barrel or did you give the serial and model number from the 6 1/2 inch fixed sight Bisley offered by the same seller?

 

[transalp1961]

I gave them them the information on the end of the box.

 

[Joseph Kent]

Quarterbore, I've got to say , on the auction it is advertised as a lnib 4 3/4 barreled stainless bisley, nothing more, nothing less . Why would someone try to fake a revolver and not put engraving on it and if so, why would they not try for a much higher price? transalp, I got the same answer that you did from records and when I questioned it they transfered me to "engineering" and he said he thought it was blued. He could not confirm anything other than the revolver was old enough that they no longer had the exact build record of this gun. I am still going with a one-of-one thought on this particular model.