Security Six ...."S"....Gun....UPDATE 01-25

[mr.deerstalker]

So, I was at the Tucson Az gun show today and found a Security Six with an " S" in the Ser #. I have owned a lot of "S" guns in my day, but have never seen or even heard of Security Six "S" gun before.........OK how rare is it?

Ser # 150-75XXXS. ONE OF THE LAST ONES MADE! Before going to the 151-

Clean up gun?

Scott

 

[hittman]

Well Scott ...... your serial number is NOT one of the only SEVEN known by the folks at RENE.

This gun would be the model SDA-34.

RENE says the only "S" SDA-34 known is 150-03489S which is over 71,000 earlier than yours.

So, you have ......

1. A "low back".

2. A FIXED site Security Six.

3. The "S" serial number.

Quite the trifecta I'd say ..... good eye mr.deerstalker!

 

[Terry T]

Any 'S' gun is a rare beast indeed. Would you be bringing it to Boise for "show and tell"? :shock:
Terry T

 

[mr.deerstalker]

I would be happy to bring to Boise, but all my finds in the category go to Hittman......

And as of a few seconds ago....he owns a new "S" gun.....and to be up found about it, i don't really like them to things. I only pick then up for him....

Scott

 

[Rumrunner]

Bravo

 

[T.A. WORKMAN]

Great Snag for a -Six collector!
I think there are only 12 total Type I (low back) "S" guns reported.
I have the only reported RDA-36 revolver #150-60372S.
Terry

 

[mr.deerstalker]

Terry,
Funny how yours in a high back 150-60XXX , and this is a higher # low back at 150-75XXX, and there both S guns....hum....and high backs came out after the low backs where made.....I'm thinking this was a late clean up gun.....scott

 

[Terry T]

Low backs can be addicting.



The ones on the left are in .38 Spl. (only). Even harder to find.

There is at least a 30,000 ser. no. overlap between the lowest known high back and the highest known lowback. I believe both frames were cast side by side for a number of months.
My low back GA-36 is ser. no. 151-264xx and it's not the highest. High backs begin to appear in the 150-95xxx ser. no. range, I believe (running on memory here so... :oops: ).
With in individual models, the lowest and highest could be farther apart in Ser. no. range.

So...I'd like to confirm a high back with a 150-60xxx ser. no. - seems a bit low to me.
Terry T

 

[mr.deerstalker]

Your not a new-be any more, you have a newly found, now one of only two know...s guns...the gods or god is with you......lol

 

[Terry T]

Thanks, "Hitman".
I believe in the nearly 10 years I've been tracking the Six Series double actions, I've only identified one other 6" stainless low back. (I did find a 3rd but the seller knew it left the factory as a 4" and was sent back to swap on a 6") The 2" stainless are also hard to find. I'd suggest haunting Gunbroker.com. I've made some of my best finds there.
.38 spl. (only) Six Series are quite rare going from maybe 20% of production for Service Sixs and Speed Sixs (LE market) to maybe only 5% of production for Security Sixes with even fewer with 6" barrels. Chad believes only about 500 RDA-86 Low Backs were made.
By the way, my SDA-34 Low Back is ser. no. 150-01244 meaning that the fixed sight frame was being cast from the beginning.

Some of the new 'rules' in Ca. are making it much more difficult to keep going on the hunt for the Six Series double actions. More and more I'm having to leave the fruit on the table for you guys. :shock: :(
I had these Low Backs out at the Washington Arms Collector annual display show at the end of Oct. 2015 as part of a larger display that won Best Hand Gun Display.
Terry T

 

[Terry T]

The huge number of documented variations alone was reason enough to begin to try to limit the collection to Service Sixs or Speed Sixs or 6" Security Sixs or ..... :shock:

I've actually had the best luck rounding up my First 20 Years of SP101s. (Had to limit it to only 20 years - they keep adding new variations!) One odd one to go and a couple of ordinary ones and I'll pretty much have the whole pile. The 101s are what are coming to Boise. I'd like to bring a truck load of double actions to another show in the Midwest or East. We'll see. It's a bit of a hike. I did enjoy my times at Harrisburg.

We'll want to hear how your 'S' letter comes out. Will be great if you get the 'extra' details. Sometimes even the ordinary info is revealing - one of my mis- stamped Speed Sixes didn't ship for a number of years after it was made. My guess is that Quality Control held it.
Terry T

 

[T.A. WORKMAN]

Terry,
Funny how yours in a high back 150-60XXX , and this is a higher # low back at 150-75XXX, and there both S guns....hum....and high backs came out after the low backs where made.....I'm thinking this was a late clean up gun.....scott

Mine is a low back framed gun, not a Type II high back frame gun.
Terry

 

[mr.deerstalker]

Well solves that....lol

 

[Terry T]

Thanks, T.A.
Sort of what I figured. Some fast and loose with some memories, I'd guess. It happens.
Terry T

 

[mr.deerstalker]

I gotta say,,, that's a nice pile of collectible sixs there Terry....

 

[Terry T]

Thanks for the kind words, Scott.
Looking forward to meeting you in Boise this week.
Terry T

 

[mr.deerstalker]

Well, you may want to wait on that one....lol..reserve judgement I mean....lol

What you displying?

I'll be doing a one gun displying myself....scott

 

[Terry T]

Scott,
AWAYS nice to put a face to a name. (And I usually try to reserve 'judgment' until I've spent some time with someone. :shock: )

I'm bringing the SP101s. Near as I can tell from this forum, it may be the only SP101 collection of it's size going. Just don't seem to be a lot of comments here about rare or unusual SP101s. Besides, they're small and pack up easily. :D

My buddy, Dennis, is putting out an amazing Speed Six display that includes a few of mine. Should be very informative. Again, probably one of the largest concentrations of Speed Sixs. ("Weaslemeat" could probably out do us but he's on the other side of the country.)

Doing the (anti) snow dance - may have to chain up over the Sierra's. We do snow differently in Ca. than you do in Alaska. :shock:
Terry T

 

[radicalrod]

Well, you may want to wait on that one....lol..reserve judgement I mean....lol

....scott

Scott well you did warn him so all's fair :mrgreen: :mrgreen: :mrgreen: RR

 

[Terry T]

Thanks for the additional warning, RR! :shock:
(I'll try to keep track of my drinks - at least dinner is in the same hotel as my room.)
:D
Terry T

 

[chet15]

Scott:
If you send me a PM with the serial number I can add it to the reference.
You must not have a Ruger Reference?
I also have also added another SDA-34 to the reference since the last one was published...150-74629S.

Also, "S" guns aren't cleanup guns. They are guns that were fully manufactured and set aside because of a blemish or because they were used as factory demo's. They may have been shipped later than others, but they are definitely not cleanup guns in the sense of using leftover parts.
Chet15

 

[chet15]

Terry,
Funny how yours in a high back 150-60XXX , and this is a higher # low back at 150-75XXX, and there both S guns....hum....and high backs came out after the low backs where made.....I'm thinking this was a late clean up gun.....scott

Who said there was a high back in the 150-60xxx range? Trying to figure that one out.
Chet15

 

[hittman]

Chet15, PM sent to you.

 

[hittman]

Today I mailed off the $10.00 and letter request on the "S" gun to Ruger. I enclosed with them a begging request to see if they can verify "in writing" that it left the factory as an "S" or when and why it may have been returned and re-issued, etc.

Today the mailman brought me TWO letters from Ruger; in the same envelope along with a usual free instruction manual.

Letter 1.

This is on the beige or tan letterhead I've seen before. It identifies my gun as a "Ruger Police Service-Six" revolver. (It's actually a low-back fixed site gun stamped "Ruger Security Six"). Further, it says my model SDA-34 in caliber 357 Magnum shipped in November 1974. Okay, I thought, this is pretty standard and about what I expected. Then I noticed another piece of paper.

Letter 2.

This letter, hand signed by a lady in the "Records Department" is on white letterhead. The letter states that my "Ruger Police Service-Six" does not contain an "S" as part of the serial number. Rather, the "S" suffix indicates this firearm was sold by Ruger as a factory second ...... it likely had some minor cosmetic imperfection such that it could not be sold as "new".

Great job Ruger people and thank you for going the extra mile to explain in writing what I have.

 

[mr.deerstalker]

So, The Chad guy was right?.......still interesting, and still an
"S" GUN......LOL

 

[hittman]

Oh yeah, Chad nailed it as usual.

Nice having the extra explanation right on their letterhead. Pretty cool.

 

[mr.deerstalker]

A few other thoughs, if there so few S guns out there, that means that there
QA gang is doing a great job, or there really not many blemished guns worth saving?

And, now l feel that I have never lost so much money on a gun deal....lol

Good for you Mike

 

[rugerguy]

gotta remember back in those days, Ruger was truing to line up many PDs or other "agencies" for marketing their double action revolvers, so these guns were sent out for tests or even taken to factory get togethers at some police range, the guns used, tested , tried out, came back and were refurbished, thus the "S" or in many cases a "U" ( Like the shotguns that went to Vandalia ,Ohio for the National traps shoots)
If guns came back from foreign countries, then many had importers markings on them, or proof marks........