Ruger No. 3 in .44 Magnum

[Cherokee Mike]

It's my understanding that Ruger No. 3's in .44 Magnum are fairly rare. I have one that I purchased at a Tulsa gun show in the 1980's, and I don't remember seeing another one at a gun show since then.

Another forum member recently told me only 200 No. 3's were manufactured in this caliber. I contacted Ruger and they replied they don't release their production figures.

Is there a book or an article on No. 3's that mentions the exact production number in .44 Magnum caliber? I would like to have something in print to confirm it's limited status for my firearms records.

Thank you.

 

[El Numero Uno]

The .44 Magnum is definitely the rarest of the cataloged calibers of the No.3.
Anyone who tells you that 200 were made is: 1) making it up; 2) confused about what they read where someone estimated or guessed how many were made, or 3)trying to impress you that they know something they don't.
I have been in several discussions on estimating the number of No.3's in .44 Mag. I always thought that the 200 number was too low. I doubt it was more than 1000, which would be less than 4% of the No.3 production. A better estimate could be made if someone had a bunch of .44 Mag serial numbers and could tie down the number of production runs and ship dates. How long it was in the Catalog would also be of help in this estimate.
What the Factory told you is FACT; they don't release production numbers. Now, some Factory Commeratives and Distributor Exclusives have a production quantity known-approximately.
Lastly, Welcome to the Forum. You have a nice Ruger!!

 

[Cherokee Mike]

El Numero Uno,

Thanks for the good information and advice. I'm pleased that I have something in my motley gun collection that is unusual and shares a beef steak description of being medium rare. :lol:

I look forward to reading the forum messages and participating in some interesting discussions.

Cherokee Mike

 

[chet15]

Yes, as El Number Uno mentioned...the 200 figure only comes from things passed down through the years.
Whatever the number, the #3 in .44 Mag. is rare.
Chet15

 

[G2]

Yes, as El Number Uno mentioned...the 200 figure only comes from things passed down through the years.
Whatever the number, the #3 in .44 Mag. is rare.
Chet15

Well I must say I am one of the Guilty of passing down the 200 figure.

yes a Regurgitation on my part aparently.

El Numero Uno
2) confused about what they read where someone estimated or guessed how many were made

Forgive me... and to those that I have passed this info along Send your guns back for a FULL REFUND ! :wink:

I will not commit this Error anymore. Good to know, and be corrected.

 

[Cherokee Mike]

chet15,

I've always liked .44 Magnum firearms, and I have a small collection of carbines. In addition to the No. 3, I have some other less-common models:

- Remington bolt-action Model 788 in .44 Magnum.
- Universal "Vulcan" Model 440 pump-action in .44 Magnum.
- Early model Winchester Model 94 in .44 Magnum.

I lived in Tulsa during the 1980's, and I tried to visit every major gun show during that time.

Cherokee Mike

 

[chet15]

Yes, as El Number Uno mentioned...the 200 figure only comes from things passed down through the years.
Whatever the number, the #3 in .44 Mag. is rare.
Chet15

Well I must say I am one of the Guilty of passing down the 200 figure.

200 probably is too low as you certainly hear of #3's in .44 Mag. a lot more often than the SC4 4-5/8" OM Super Single-Six which DID have 200 made. I suppose a person could take the number of #3's they've heard of in .44 Mag (actual sn examples) and compare with the total number of SC4's known today (somewhere around 20) and come up with a reasonable estimate....but is still only an estimate.
In addition, I'd be willing to bet that a larger percentage of the population knows what a #3 in .44 Mag is and the same would not be true of the SC4. So the #3 gets the "bragging factor" in that scenario.
Chet15

 

[chet15]

An old thread, but thought I would update.
There were at least 867 in .44 Mag. Did some research on this a couple years ago through Ruger's serial number lookup page. Ruger didn't have all the shipping dates noted for several different block of 50 however while looking this info up, so there may be as many as 1,000 #3's in .44 Mag.
There are also 2 or 3 #3's in .44 mag. that were shipped as barreled actions!!
Chet15

 

[contender]

Excellent update Chad!!!!!!

 

[daveag.]

What year was the Number 3 dropped from lineup?

 

[G2]

What year was the Number 3 dropped from lineup?

1986