Thanksgiving Day Speed Six

[WAYNO]

Well, a feller just never knows what he's gonna find on the gun trader boards when he gets up each day. Found this locally, and it's just about one of the last things I was thinking about today.

A low-back Speed Six in .38 Spl. Even had the box! I am tickled with myself. :mrgreen: It's nicer than the photo shows.





WAYNO.

And now I've got a question. I would've thought this would have had the white box with the cut-out. When did they switch to this box?

 

[Cholo]

Very nice find, WAYNO! The condition is amazing.

 

[T.A. WORKMAN]

SWEET! :wink:

 

[Heliman]

Nice!

 

[Jim Puke]

That was a nice find.

Kind of makes it worth getting up...

 

[Terry T]

Wayno,
I believe the white cutout box went out when the high backs came in. There is almost a 20K ser. no. range of over lap between the first documented high back and the last documented low back (by ser. no.).
The red box pictured is really the Blackhawk box with a different end label. I believe it to be a stop gap measure. These red boxes appear to have been used on the six series double actions for only about 18 months. The boxes correspond to shipping dates, not to manufacturing dates, which sort of makes sense when you think about it. We're always trying to match boxes by ser. no. which is manufacturing date or sequence.
In other words, guns were manufactured and then sat in inventory (for several months in the case of less popular models) before actually being shipped.

My notes suggest that the red box was used from:
APPROXIMATLY S/N
150-86862
THROUGH: APPROXIMATLY S/N
151-36514

The ser.no. on the box is at least 20K lower than the beginning of the high backs so it begs the question if it is the actual original box or if it was a really late shipped piece. I'd guess a Ruger letter is in order to uncover the shipping date. I wonder what "counter gun" means?
Terry T

 

[WAYNO]

Terry...Thanks for the reply.

Yep, I figured with this s/n it should have been the white box, but as you suggested, it might have sat around before being boxed up for shipment. When I saw the ad, it said the original box included, so I was kind've surprised with this box.

Counter gun? Who could guess, as I see two different inventory numbers written on the box. I suspect it's been bought and sold a few times over its 41 years..

WAYNO.

 

[Terry T]

Wayno,
I think a Ruger letter is in order for both the shipping date and the possibility that it was shipped as a used gun even though it does not seem to have been marked as such. If it was a demo gun for Ruger, that could explain a later shipping date.
Terry T

 

[NH Rugerman]

Perhaps the "counter gun" designation refers to the fact that it was kept loaded under the counter of the gun shop for a while before being sold or was the counter display model for a large dealer with backup inventory. (That's what I would do to keep track of the box while the gun was being kept elsewhere.)


Just a guess, but based on experience from some local gun shops....

In any case, great find, beautiful gun...wish they never stopped making them.

 

[gunman42782]

Awesome find!