"S" double actions - letter UPDATE 3/14!

[hittman]

The "low back" Six Series double actions aren't really rare or scarce ..... with a few exceptions of course.

The fixed site Security Six's are a bit of an oddity but I think they made quite a few. It's cool to have one of each ~ both a fixed and an adjustable site.

But I think the real scarce nature or oddity of these is this "S".

 

[mr.deerstalker]

And how many numbers apart are they. And any idea of the shipped dates? Sometimes there's an interesting story in there too. Well played Mike!

 

[hittman]

They're about 14,000 apart with the new-to-me adjustable site being the latest one.

I'll get a letter out to Ruger on it.

I did letter the older fixed site model when I got it a couple of years ago. The nice lady from Ruger even called me to make sure the "S" was truly on it. It seems Ruger can't confirm WHY these are marked as a factory second ..... only that they may have been returned for a cosmetic issue or maybe used at a trade show or loaned out ..... nodoby knows for certain.

She was clear though that technically the "S" is NOT a part of the serial number, only a factory marking.

 

[WAYNO]

I owned one of these 'S' variations when they were first available. They were demonstrator models, sent to gunwriters et al, then returned to Ruger, cleaned up, and resold.

One of the local dealers had a batch of them, and that's the story he was told when he bought them. I still have my receipt from the one I bought, and was later stolen.

http://www.rugerforum.com/phpBB3/viewtopic.php?f=3&t=250687&hilit=security+six

 

[hittman]

Thanks for posting your info and the link WAYNO. I DO remember that now!

 

[mr.deerstalker]

Mike, i have for years always wondered why you or anyone else would want to collect them double actions, with this fine pair, I'm starting to feel a "Vibe" .....but then again, some people collect there toe nail clippings....lol....just busting your bubble. That's a fine set you got there. Scott

 

[golferboy426]

one of those looks very familiar :wink:

 

[mr.deerstalker]

Hey GB 426, you and I have something in common here. And, Mike should change his name to "Double Action Whore"....

 

[hittman]

LOL ~ "Single Action Scott" ( mr.deerstalker ) found me the first one while on vaca in AZ I think it was ......

Thanks to both of you!

I think it was also Scott who found me the odd-ball 2.75 inch low back fixed site Security Six in 38 Special too! He knows I'm a sucker for those orphans. :lol:

 

[T.A. WORKMAN]

one of those looks very familiar :wink:

I wondered why that gun suddenly disappeared from your auctions on GB before the auction was over. :wink:

Terry

 

[golferboy426]

one of those looks very familiar :wink:

I wondered why that gun suddenly disappeared from your auctions on GB before the auction was over. :wink:

Terry

yep he saw it here and there were no bids and he made a very fair offer I thought

 

[T.A. WORKMAN]

Oh I understand the game,, I've seen it more than once in my life on GB and other sites as well,, :mrgreen:

I thought you might have made a mistake and have taken it down to raise the opening bid, which was cheap IMO.

Glad it stayed in the circle it belongs.
Terry

 

[Fox Mike]

So Joe Smuck the ragman could stamp an "S" on something and the factory wouldn't be able to say if it was or wasn't a factory stamping?

 

[golferboy426]

Oh I understand the game,, I've seen it more than once in my life on GB and other sites as well,, :mrgreen:

I thought you might have made a mistake and have taken it down to raise the opening bid, which was cheap IMO.

Glad it stayed in the circle it belongs.
Terry

not a "game" with me I post it here to let everyone know. As long as they saw it here I don't feel bad about pulling it. In fact I've told GB that I might drop auctions as they are posted elsewhere.

If I pull one it is never for the opening bid.

" Pigs get slaughtered" sometimes

 

[golferboy426]

So Joe Smuck the ragman could stamp an "S" on something and the factory wouldn't be able to say if it was or wasn't a factory stamping?

nope factory will have a record of the gun being an S

 

[T.A. WORKMAN]

So Joe Smuck the ragman could stamp an "S" on something and the factory wouldn't be able to say if it was or wasn't a factory stamping?

Mike,
I have an "S" stamped Scarce RSS4 which letters as a RSS4,,,but not as an "S" gun. I have a theory on it but that's all it is a theory. I trust Ruger Records info but they do NOT trace a gun back to see if it was returned for any reason and replaced. But to your point yes "S" guns have been faked and pedaled off I'm sure. Some of the old collectors have seen some dandies I'm sure.

Hittman, sorry for stepping on your post, congrats a great gun.
Terry

 

[golferboy426]

So Joe Smuck the ragman could stamp an "S" on something and the factory wouldn't be able to say if it was or wasn't a factory stamping?

Mike,
I have an "S" stamped Scarce RSS4 which letters as a RSS4,,,but not as an "S" gun. I have a theory on it but that's all it is a theory. I trust Ruger Records info but they do NOT trace a gun back to see if it was returned for any reason and replaced. But to your point yes "S" guns have been faked and pedaled off I'm sure. Some of the old collectors have seen some dandies I'm sure.

Hittman, sorry for stepping on your post, congrats a great gun.
Terry

Terry just an FYI

Just recently I stumbled on an RCA Cert signed by Steve Vogel IIRC . It was for a gun I had sold in 2010 but did not know I had the cert. Anyway this cert was for a returned gun. I was able to track down the buyer and got him the cert .

The gun was an S gun which was originally sent to a Nebraska gun writer (unnamed in the cert)

Ruger has records for S guns in some cases for sure

The guns was a GA-34 Liberty 152-00810S

 

[Mike Armstrong]

I wish I knew how many of the fixed-sight blued .38 Spl. "Sixes" of the various models were manufactured. I've seen more of them overseas and across the wall than I've seen stateside. The ones I've seen were all 6" or 4" (mostly the latter) and were carried by private security guards (in Italy, France, Portugal, and Mexico). I get the impression that Ruger sold more of the fixed-sight .38s for those foriegn markets than here, although I believe that Uncle Sugar bought some to replace worn out S&W .38s at US facilities overseas too.

My "impression" may be colored by the fact that I'm not bashful about eyeballing foreign cop holsters when overseas--American tourists can get away with anything (they're all crazy anyway!). Some US LEOs aren't so open minded....

Still looking for a 6" blue Service Six .38....rare bird in CA (but somebody will have one--I just need to live to be 102!). Have a 4" (got it in upstate NYS, where they were cheap and available when I lived there in the last century) and a 2 3/4" that I recently stumbled into out here.

 

[hittman]

I think maybe India got some of the fixed site guns too ..... maybe the ones chambered in 380 Rim.

I didn't know Ruger made any Service Six's in 6-inch .... regardless of caliber or finish.

 

[Mike Armstrong]

I wish I'd had a phone to take a pic of the ones I thought I saw in Italian security guard holsters. But it was before cell phone cameras.

The ones I saw in France may have been French Manhurin revolvers, which look like "Six" clones.

I always forget about the Indian guns, but have seen several for sale here in CA (for a lot of $$$). They were 4" blue fixed sight, in .38-200 or S&W "Super Police" or .380 Rim, whichever you please.