VERY EARLY RUGER SINGLE SIX FLAT GATE #93

[victorio1sw]

I think Ruger gives us all they've got.
Yours looks like most of the letters I've gotten from them.

Once I got a 2nd letter, attached to the "standard" letter. The 2nd one explained how or why my gun had an "S" following the serial number.

Is this Hardware store still in business I wonder ? So this #93 wasn't a "subscription" gun, as a lot of early production guns were , as I was led to believe ?? It's nice to know when it was made and obviously shipped right out to the hardware store in Topeka KS. To me it makes me wonder more if the store owner bought it for himself or he just bought it for resale to some customer ? And I wonder where it's been for the last 70 plus years ??? Again I wonder if it was in this guy's family or just been bouncing around from collector to collector all this time ? Who the heck knows or if they even want to say or talk about it. To me it's intriguing. I wonder if Contender and quite a few others are thinking a spacer should go on those grips, as one would not want those to crack for sure ....then again, it may just sit in a box in a safe right now. Who knows? But interesting.

Using Newspapers.com, I was not able to find a later ad for W. A. L. Thompson Hdwe. I did find one ad that mentioned a branch location at Dodge City.

I have no idea who owned this #93 in the past.

But as for your other question about who really bought it. I would say that 99% of the time a hardware store would buy a gun at some customer's request. Only if it was a very popular gun, and wouldn't sit in inventory long, a larger hardware store might buy it with no customer in mind.

 

[Star43]

First of all, Congratulations on your "new" gun, as you truly have a piece of history there...Yes, I was thinking after my last post and figured it had to bought from a customer's request....but the part that intrigues me the most about your gun, is that the gun was made in Dec. of '53, when who really knew about the Ruger Single Six !!! It's not like today where it is a very famous gun.......It , to me anyway, was a Brand new, and largely untested to the market for sure product, I would think.....What was mentioned before between 3 digit and 2 digit guns, that your gun could have been what was guessed earlier at being maybe only the 14th one made ?? Don't forget that , as you know, Ruger was still almost still considered a brand company. There would have been no pre-mass marketing I would think on the Single Six back then as of yet. The gun was literally brand new.....Maybe I'm wrong, but to me it was too early for any mass marketing yet, SO, how does one guy in Topeka Kansas, know to specifically order the Single Six ?? It makes you wonder how he heard of the new SS line and made him want to order one....in other words, this guy knew something, and that is what makes it very interesting?? To me anyway. Please let us know if you find out any more about your interesting new gun !! Thanks for writing back ....

 

[victorio1sw]

I read somewhere that Ruger had advertised the new Single Six in some popular gun magazines, maybe including the American Rifleman, earlier in 1953. But in November 1953, the company also ran ads apologizing that production was way behind expected schedule, and promising that orders would be filled. So I guess that explains why this Kansas hardware company placed some early orders.

Here is a link to a related article on this subject in a 2019 American Rifleman.
https://www.americanrifleman.org/content/a-look-back-at-the-ruger-single-six-revolver/

 

[Star43]

Thanks for sending the article. So Ruger began advertising back in early '53, but they really didn't 'come out till mostly '54, with only a few in Dec. '53. So this guy saw the ads and ordered one early I guess and got his. Good for him. This kind of reminds me of the P85. They advertised the heck out of the P85, but it didn't come out till like 1987. I, like that guy in Topeka, waited with bated breath till it finally came out........Anyway, it is still very interesting about your gun and its origins. Good luck with it.....I have to ask, are you going to shoot it or keep it as is ? For that matter, I wonder if it has been shot much at all ?? Thanks,

 

[victorio1sw]

This one has been shot a lot, but the bore remains bright and shiny. I don't really plan to shoot this early gun. I do have another 6-1/2" barrel that was made in 1966, that would be more suitable for shooting. It has a matching 22 Mag cylinder, but the cheaper 22 RF's are all I need for fun shooting!

 

[Star43]

I agree with your thinking there. Even it has been shot, it's from 1953. Clean it up and you have one heck of a conversation piece there. And don't over tighten the grips like I did !!!

 

[victorio1sw]

I always just snug down grip screws. I have seen Colt SAA's that must have been stored in a hot car. The owner would find the grips loose, and tighten them more than before. This was repeated dozens of times, until the grips are turned almost inside out, being far from flat on the inside. Eventually, cracks develop near the grip escutcheons.

With hard rubber grips, I can flatten the insides again. But I cannot do much more with cracks, other than clean them out (of oil) and squeeze epoxy into them.

 

[Star43]

I just went to Ace Hardware again today and bought a couple more spacers to use on my Walnut grips...It makes sense, that a change in temperature is going to cause the wood to give and an idiot like me, feels the looseness and tightens them again and again, until they pop right through.....I keep mine out of the heat, but still I am always checking the tightness. I like the idea of the spacers to help me from screwing up.

 

[contender]

"I think Ruger gives us all they've got."

Actually,, there are more records. But there are a few problems. One,, a flood damaged many early records long ago. Next,, the organization of them. Mostly,,, a few big rooms filled with boxes full of records,, and NOT in any organized order. It will be a HUGE undertaking to ever get them in an organized file, transferred to a computer program, where more detail may be uncovered. 75 years worth of stuff,, that up until the last dozen or so years was written or typed on paper. Fill a box, once no longer needed, carry into a store room. Plant's have had renovations & moved,, so records have been shuffled around, and again, not kept in any real order.
Several years ago,,, another collector & I were discussing the records with the then CEO Mike Fifer. He offered us the chance to organize the records. Full access,,, a room to do it,, a computer & all. He & I discussed it over dinner & all. By our best calculations,, a minimum of 2-3 years,, working 40 hr weeks,, MIGHT allow us to get everything organized & entered into a computer database.

The comment was made about the early "subscription" guns. In the very early years,, there wasn't 93 subscribers. So, for this gun to be shipped as a normal production gun,, would be correct.

And yes,, putting a spacer in those grips would be the first thing I'd be doing as I added it to my records.

I just went & got several more spacers this week. Using a bench grinder, and a very, very careful hand,, I've already gotten them cut to .4995, plus or minus .002.

 

[Star43]

That is amazing that all this info is there, but not really organized. I bet you were tempted to try to undertake or I should say, try to undertake that project. If I lived back east, I would be tempted to help you try to tackle that...but as you say, 2 to 3 years at a 40 hour week....what an endeavor that would be....but wow, that would be something !! Just last evening before that Ace store closed I was in that town and was looking at all the different types of spacers. Different lengths and different ID and OD sizes. I was hoping to find one where it might be closer in size for no sanding or grinding needed. There was a 3/8 size one but it would be too small. The 1/2 is the best, as I know you know it is, to use. I just thought it would be interesting to at least look and check. I'm still thinking of you in that room full of boxes of stuff gathered over 75 years.....You know, to me the old stuff, typed on paper, and just in print in a hard copy is so much more valuable than just seeing it on a computer screen....I would love to go through that stuff. I'm sure others would too.

 

[weaselmeatgravy]

A 1953 Single Six is a real treasure. They didn't make many that first year since production only got rolling in December.

The thing that makes yours even more special is that it is a First Day of production gun!

There is a table of all the 1953 guns in Dougan's P&R book on page 354 and #93 shows up in the December 15th column, which is the earliest day listed.

Serial number 1 was not made until Dec 29th.

 

[Star43]

This gun was made on the very First day of production ?? Weird how it was marked as 93. But on the very first day. Wow, what a Find !!

 

[weaselmeatgravy]

Yup, first day of any Ruger revolver production. There were prototypes before 12/15/53 but no production guns.

These are the guns assembled that first day: 2, 5, 7, 8, 12, 16, 71, 83, 85, 93, 126, 138, 153, 163.

So it is 1 of 14.

Ruger famously didn't assemble guns in serial number sequence. The numbered frames were "parts" grabbed as needed. The highest number 12/53 gun was 175 per that table, but not all 175 were assembled in Dec. Looks like 9, 10, and 11 were skipped, as an example, and then many higher ones were also skipped. Most were likely assembled in early 1954.

 

[Randyzzz]

I would love to find an unmolested 2 or 3 digit Single Six. But I have to refill my discretionary funds acct. first. Reading this thread made that a new goal.

First day of production blows me away- that is too cool.

I do have a 3 digit HK45 but that's not that exciting…

 

[Star43]

Yup, first day of any Ruger revolver production. There were prototypes before 12/15/53 but no production guns.

These are the guns assembled that first day: 2, 5, 7, 8, 12, 16, 71, 83, 85, 93, 126, 138, 153, 163.

Earlier in this same thread, Gramps 51 said he had #92.......you would think that was #93's twin. But the numbers you listed didn't show 92. I wonder when that one was made ?? Gramps 51 probably already knows, but just for the rest of us it would be fun to know......Can you imagine to own a revolver made on the very First day that Ruger made Any revolvers for that matter. Old 93 is sure a one of a kind......good stuff.

 

[weaselmeatgravy]

But the numbers you listed didn't show 92. I wonder when that one was made ??

The table in the book (highly recommended purchase for all serious Ruger collectors) is only for the 1953 guns, which of course were only built in the last half of December. #92 is not on the list. #'s 89, 90, & 91 were made Dec 29th. #'s 96 & 99 were Dec 18. No other 9x guns were finished in 1953.

Single Sixes were only completed on Dec 15, 16, 18, 20, 28, 29, & 30.

The 29th was the best day with 39 completed, followed by the 18th with 22, then the 15th had the 14 listed above.

Only 3 were finished on the 16th, 1 on the 20th (Sunday!), 3 on the 28th, and 4 on the 30th.

The shop was closed the entire week of Christmas. Unsure about New Year's Eve, but there were none finished that day.

Here is a graphic I just made:

 

[Star43]

Well I guess #92 had to be coming along in January I guess. I am still thinking about #93 built on the very first day. That is really something. I would think that Mr. Ruger had to pick up and handle that gun himself that first day along with those other few. I would really think he would be right near that line looking at the first ones made, after all, it was a brand new product and just as important, it had his name on it.....

 

[victorio1sw]

That is amazing that all this info is there, but not really organized. I bet you were tempted to try to undertake or I should say, try to undertake that project. If I lived back east, I would be tempted to help you try to tackle that...but as you say, 2 to 3 years at a 40 hour week....what an endeavor that would be....but wow, that would be something !! Just last evening before that Ace store closed I was in that town and was looking at all the different types of spacers. Different lengths and different ID and OD sizes. I was hoping to find one where it might be closer in size for no sanding or grinding needed. There was a 3/8 size one but it would be too small. The 1/2 is the best, as I know you know it is, to use. I just thought it would be interesting to at least look and check. I'm still thinking of you in that room full of boxes of stuff gathered over 75 years.....You know, to me the old stuff, typed on paper, and just in print in a hard copy is so much more valuable than just seeing it on a computer screen....I would love to go through that stuff. I'm sure others would too.

Well, things could be worse at Ruger. Winchester threw away their destination records between 1968 and 1970. Remington did the same for all records before that. Records worth $Millions in history, tossed by stupid CEO's, because "they needed the space"!

 

[Star43]

Well, things could be worse at Ruger. Winchester threw away their destination records between 1968 and 1970. Remington did the same for all records before that. Records worth $Millions in history, tossed by stupid CEO's, because "they needed the space"!

Because they needed the space........to throw away generations of records. Disgusting.

 

[victorio1sw]

Earlier in this same thread, Gramps 51 said he had #92.......you would think that was #93's twin. But the numbers you listed didn't show 92. I wonder when that one was made ?? Gramps 51 probably already knows, but just for the rest of us it would be fun to know......Can you imagine to own a revolver made on the very First day that Ruger made Any revolvers for that matter. Old 93 is sure a one of a kind......good stuff.

Some fantastic first day production information! Thanks for sharing.