Valmet
Single-Sixer
I know that there are a bunch of early SN LW Tri-colors that weren’t shipped until the second half of 1957. Assuming that they were manufactured sequentially, why were they shipped that late? Any info is appreciated.
Single-Six LW shipping dates?
- Thread starter Valmet
- Start date
street
Hunter
Ruger guns are not necessary manufactured sequentially. The frames are marked that way but not necessarily assembled that way. It's possible that a frame needs more work before it can be assembled and it could be that it will be put aside and added with others and when work is slack then they are repaired and assembled. It could be a few days, weeks or even months if orders are behind before the workers would have a chance to work on them.
I think Ruger held a few early 2 digit SN guns, both Blackhawks and Single Sixes and dispersed them around that timeframe you mention. I think personal friends, gunwriters, etc. had already secured their low numbered guns so I think the rest of low numbered guns that weren't spoken for were sent to distributors at that time.
Do not forget the group of "Seconds" that shipped late............... 8)
chet15
Hawkeye
Valmet said:
Valmet...the first Lightweight is documented as being shipped December 1955. It was 200005.
Regular shipments did not begin until March or April 1956.
If I remember correctly, there are some single digit Lightweights that shipped as late as 1966. And I think Dougan's 200058 was shipped something like 1976 or 1978.
Ruger had some initial success with the Lightweight, but sales dropped off pretty quickly. Not only did the flat loading gate hurt sales, but the fact that most people weren't ready for an aluminum cylinder didn't help either. Ruger's "Martin Hard Coat" finish on the cylinder was also supposed to be "file hard" but being so "hard" it must have also made it brittle because it only took a couple clicks of the bolt stop for the hard coat to start chipping away.
Then came the Colt Frontier Scout. Colt's sales procedure on that one was to skip the distributor and go straight to dealer sales. Not sure how long they did that...but because of it the Frontier Scout outside the Ruger Lightweight by a lot. So Ruger dropped the Lightweight and came out with an entirely new design in 1958...the Bearcat.
Chet15
chet15
Hawkeye
The biggest reason any Lightweight sat unshipped is that WBR himself wanted to keep the early numbers. He started that by holding back the first 25 serial numbered Standard Autos, gave serial number 3 to one of his close employees, and number 7 and 8 to gun writers.
After that he kept "milestone" numbers, like 3000, 4000, 5000 and so on, onward and upward.
In late 1957 with a big move into the new Southport building on the horizon, somebody there decided to rid themselves of most of the two-digit stuff as well as the "milestone" numbers. This is when Ruger's "low serial number program" was officially started. Most of the two-digit and single-digit guns went out at that time, but there were still a few left in the "factory collection" even after that. Gradually those guns were shipped out.
For the Lightweight Single-Six, I wouldn't say there were any large stockpiles of guns that sat there because they weren't popular...but most regular shipments of the Lightweight didn't end until 1959. Then you had a few "special" serial number stragglers that left after that, as well as the guns that had been set aside to be re-worked at a later date (the factory "second" guns of 1964 and 1965).
Chet15
After that he kept "milestone" numbers, like 3000, 4000, 5000 and so on, onward and upward.
In late 1957 with a big move into the new Southport building on the horizon, somebody there decided to rid themselves of most of the two-digit stuff as well as the "milestone" numbers. This is when Ruger's "low serial number program" was officially started. Most of the two-digit and single-digit guns went out at that time, but there were still a few left in the "factory collection" even after that. Gradually those guns were shipped out.
For the Lightweight Single-Six, I wouldn't say there were any large stockpiles of guns that sat there because they weren't popular...but most regular shipments of the Lightweight didn't end until 1959. Then you had a few "special" serial number stragglers that left after that, as well as the guns that had been set aside to be re-worked at a later date (the factory "second" guns of 1964 and 1965).
Chet15
chet15
Hawkeye
Valmet said:
Yes. The factory "second" batches are one of those. The company would stockpile them until they found a distributor who would take the batch, probably at a very low price, just so Ruger could be rid of them. Nickled Super Single-Sixes, blackguard Bearcats, any factory seconds etc. Many of those oddballs went to a distributor by the name of Sutcliffe Company in Louisville, KY. Not surprisingly, I would say a good share of the "S" marked guns that are known today came out of that area.
Chet15
Similar threads
