Ruger Service ROUND BUTT GF-32 Sales Sample

[NH Rugerman]

The Ruger Police Service Six revolver sold today on GB by Ruger was listed as a model that was NEVER catalogued?

Is this really true, I understand about the factory round butt on a Service Six being unique, but Ruger never made a 2.75" barreled stainless steel Service Six? Really….

 

[hittman]

I think there's plenty of 2.75 inch stainless POLICE Service Six's around.
The factory ROUND butts are a different story.
And those with the 200th Year markings are pretty rare.

 

[NH Rugerman]

Ruger's auction description is kind of misleading….that looks like a round butt service six HITTMAN?

 

[hittman]

Correct. And the round butt Service was NOT a catalogued item.

There's been talk of these here before I think …. Maybe a "Search" will bring up those threads.
If memory serves, I seem to think something like 40 - 60 of these were made for an agency who then cancelled the order. Don't take that as gospel …. I've not dug into my records file. Maybe WMG, Terry T, Chet15, RoninPA, lovemydals or others will chime in soon.

 

[weaselmeatgravy]

Those round butt Service Sixes are pretty nifty, I have had 4 or 5 of them and I believe I currently have an extra. Story is that Ruger got a contract for a whole pile of Speed Sixes and didn't have enough stock to fill the order without delay, so they ground down the butts on some Police Service Sixes to fill the order. That may or may not be true, it is just as likely that someone used the wrong roll die to mark round but Speed Six frames. Whichever way it went down, they will letter as Speed Sixes (GS-32) instead of Service Sixes (GF-32).

Yes, I checked, and I have two in my collection; one letters as GS-32 and the other as GS-32P (with factory Pachmayr grips). And I do have an extra on my books. All three of those have 160- prefix serial numbers from 1984 production. I'm pretty sure I have sold two others over the years, so anecdotally, they don't seem terribly rare.

 

[hittman]

Mine letters as GS-32F, 357 Magnum Speed Six.
159-88xxx shipped in August 1986.

Mine would have been made in 1984 too. So ... for whatever reasons they sat around a bit.

 

[weaselmeatgravy]

Mine letters as GS-32F

Eff, Kemosabe? Whazzat mean?

 

[hittman]

That's what the letter says …. I dug it out and double checked LOL
Assume FIXED sites, confused with the GPs.

 

[weaselmeatgravy]

None of the current generation at Ruger knows what the old catalog numbers mean. Even the ad copy for the GB guns says they didn't find it in any of the catalogs, so that seems to be their source of knowledge. It is a bit shocking though that the person writing your letter had to improvise.

The Speed Six and Police Service Six production carried on for a couple years longer than Security Six production after the introduction of the GP100 because they didn't have any fixed sight options at first in the GP line. When the "F" GP's finally came out, they discontinued the Speed & Service Six for good. Back then, there were still LE agencies and foreign governments buying some revolvers, and almost exclusively fixed sight guns, so they kept the old line going a little longer than they would have liked.

 

[Terry T]

The round butt Speed Six grip frame has a thicker bottom plate than the square butt Service Six. Therefore, one can easily determine IF a Service Six had the grip ground off into a round butt.
A true Speed Six casting (thicker bottom plate) stamped "Police Service Six" is a factory mis-stamp and rather rare.
I've tried to develop a list of the mis stamped guns by ser. no. and have identified about a dozen so far. If this gun is a true mis stamped, I would like to add the ser. no. to my list.
The photos below will show the difference.

Hope this clarifies.
Terry T.

 

[chet15]

I sent an email to Auction Annie to let her know the configuration was actually a GS-32, for the reasoning in the photograph above... these must have been mismarked. Because a GF-32 it isn't.
Chet15

 

[hittman]

Seems Ruger identifies these as Speed Six's that are mis-marked and not Service Six's that have a round butt.
Potato, poTAto LOL

 

[NH Rugerman]

I sent an email to Auction Annie to let her know the configuration was actually a GS-32, for the reasoning in the photograph above... these must have been mismarked. Because a GF-32 it isn't.
Chet15

You write on page 285 on the Reference that "Ruger is known to have taken at least four service six models that were still in stock and ground the butt into the 'Speed-Six' shape."

I wonder if this revolver is one of those since Ruger's auction description tells us it left the factory with the round butt?

Also, are there any Speed-Six marked revolvers with square butts?

The Ruger collector can never rest!!!

 

[weaselmeatgravy]

Another point of confusion for the current generation who don't have any old farts to ask is that the 2.75" GF32 (and GF82 .38) Service Six was only cataloged in 1973-74. 1973 and early 1974 is the lowback era and no lowbacks GFx2 guns are known to have been produced. Some 1974 highback GF32s were made and I have one of those at 151-12xxx. They also made some GF32s in later years and I have a consec pair in the 159 prefix, and they appear in other ranges now and then. But while Ruger did make highback GF32's, they were never all that plentiful, so they likely never considered it enough of a regular production model to include it in the price sheets, therefore they are considered uncataloged models.

Ruger's intent was that the Service Six was to be a 4" barreled duty sidearm. They considered the round butt Speed Six as the gun made for concealed carry and focused on building most of the snubbies on that platform.

I also have a GF33 with the later 3" barrel and that is another uncataloged model, along with the 5" RCMP prototypes. I do not have a GF82 but I think I have seen a few over the years.

And then I have these two snubby GF92s, which layers on yet another exception to the rule. Also uncataloged, I consider these to be grail guns:

 

[87flht]

There are so many varieties of the 6 series the knowledge here is tremendous

 

[MinorLV]

Great thread. I will have to take some measurements on my GF Round butts. Great examples of the GF92 WMG! It took me several years to add a well used GF92 to my stable.

 

[chet15]

You write on page 285 on the Reference that "Ruger is known to have taken at least four service six models that were still in stock and ground the butt into the 'Speed-Six' shape."

I wonder if this revolver is one of those since Ruger's auction description tells us it left the factory with the round butt?

Also, are there any Speed-Six marked revolvers with square butts?

The Ruger collector can never rest!!!

After I wrote that, it was discovered that the grip frame at the lower section is actually thicker on a Speed-Six than a Service-Six (note the pic above), so those grip frames couldn't have been ground into a round butt... they were cast as Speed-Six configuration originally.
Chet15

 

[NH Rugerman]

The question to me is… Does the grip frame shape determine the model number or the Model Name MARKED on the firearm? Seems to me,, the latter makes more sense especially as we get further and further away from the manufacture dates and the knowledge base.

Tray explaining to someone in 20 years that the revolver isn't what it says it is…..

 

[hittman]

Seems Ruger identifies these as Speed Six's that are mis-marked and not Service Six's that have a round butt.
Potato, poTAto LOL

^ This ^ At least that's what Ruger explained to me about mine.

 

[chet15]

The question to me is… Does the grip frame shape determine the model number or the Model Name MARKED on the firearm? Seems to me,, the latter makes more sense especially as we get further and further away from the manufacture dates and the knowledge base.

Tray explaining to someone in 20 years that the revolver isn't what it says it is…..

Except when you get a gun that has adjustable sights and square butt, if it is rollmarked Speed Six, is it really a Speed Six?