Service Six/Speed Six

[oscar]

What are the differences between the Service Six and Speed Six? Do all the Speed Sixes have round butts? I know this may be a simple question, but I am a bit confused.

 

[contender]

Basically, the simplest difference is the Service-Six has the square butt,,, while the Speed-Six has the round butt. Both have the fixed sights.
Some of the earliest Service-Six guns were marked as "Security-Six" but did not have adjustable sights.
Generally speaking, the Speed-Six guns had shorter barrels than the Service-Six models. But that's not a total hard & fast point.

 

[bogus bill]

As a Lockheed guard we were issued stainless 4" speed six`s. (Along with old official police colts and Smith 586`s all 4" barrels). In the hand the speed six`s felt the best to me. The grip felt far better than the colts and smiths. However the smiths had the large target grips. On my own smiths at home I always put on the less bulky service style or magna grips. Last year I seen a 2 3/4" barrel stainless speed six in a pawn shop here and am still wishing I had bought it but couldn't justify it as I already own four .357`s and am retired.

 

[Terry T]

Just to add to the confusion...we've found a doz. or so Speed Sixs (round butt) mis stamped as "Service Six"!
Folks have also been known to file the butt on a Service Six into the round butt configuration.
Terry T.

 

[hittman]

Just to add to the confusion...we've found a doz. or so Speed Sixs (round butt) mis stamped as "Service Six"!

Terry T.

Yep! When I found mine locally I mistakenly thought someone had done the custom round butt. Thank goodness for Ruger factory letters!

 

[protoolman]

Ruger is known to have round butted some service sixes to fill some police contracts too which called for speed sixes.