Bob,
I knew that you had the SS-92 Pilorget gun but I did not know that it was you who scored on the True Prototype !! Congratulations...
I will admit that I was a bit crestfallen to have not been aware of that auction!
I am still going through the paper work on mine. I bought the Pilorget that Chad mentioned in his RENE article #159-95813...
. My gun is in the same block as WAYNO'S, the 5th known gun.
I think Chad has developed a very interesting theory on these guns, enclosed below is his email to me.
Terry:
"Well, here's something I missed since the Pilorget has been here as long as it has. Just realized the recoil shield isn't scalloped. Yes, later frames are known to have been used, but I think this is the latest without the scallop. Then I realized the hammer and trigger are both blued chrome moly! The only way I can explain that is these guns were assembled long before they ever got the serial number and rollmarks.
At first I thought with such a high serial number, and being known in a couple different runs, these maybe aren't prototypes at all... at the very least, this high #159- gun was perhaps a cleanup of the Pilorget cylinder assemblies. Now it appears these may have all been made at the very same time, except this late batch obviously completed later".
Chad
I just tore down & cleaned both my standard SS-92 - #
158-51761, (with scalloped recoil shield & SS trigger and hammer) & the Pilorget SS-92 - #
159-95813, ( Non-scalloped recoil shield & blue trigger with polished sides.) When you have both cylinders out of the guns and compare them the design is obvious. Note these features and Chad's train of thought is spot on!
Not only the spring steel wire but the reaming and polishing of the cylinders. Pilorget was very specific on his chamber depth and finishing & provide a hand drawn sketch with dimensions. He informed Vogel that the 1st sample cylinder Ruger provided was reamed too deep. Case mouth to shoulder dimensions!
I'll get some better pictures later.
Note - Of the five known guns...four are pictured in this thread !!