Star43
Blackhawk
Thanks for the story.......I have to ask, since you knew him pretty well, what were his favorite guns that he and his company made ? I would venture a guess that the Old Army was definitely one of them ?? Just wondering?? Thanks,
single six flat top age
- Thread starter Papalote
- Start date
Help Support Ruger Forum:
No , n ot well but he took the time to say hello, chat with me a bit but really took to the 'family' parts of things, like I said my wife,our kids and other kids ....seldom talked guns as he did that ALL the time but listening to him talk with my wife and her love of the Bearcats, Red Eagles, and the Single sixes ,her prides and joys I caught that he liked the them also as well as the No 1s and me being left handed was able to use them as well as the No 3........ it was simpler time back then, never got to see the way things have progressed?? to all this "black plastic" of today, bet he'd roll his eyes at the ways thing have become, and I know he really wanted a cartridge to be named after him, he hated he "had" to put their names of his competitors on his firearms, such as the rollmarking on the cylinders for Remington 44 mags or the Winchesters......bugged him, and his way of the early grips ,NOT calling the early "hardened rubber" of the 1953-54 Single Sixes " they are hard rubber, NOT plastic, they put plastic on cap guns", that is an actual quote of his....nice guy , and a very busy man but was nice to see him take time out that day of the NRA convention back in the early 90s, also at that time he was in a wheel chairm and I can see them sitting on the couch at the rest area? lounge with Hank W Jr on the one end, my wife Laura in the middle and Roy JInks all on the couch and Mr Ruger at the end in his wheel chair,,,and NOBODY dared come up to them , to bother them, except for ONE young boy, had approached Mr Ruger and asked him for his autograph, and he smiled ,patted him on the head ,signed it,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,everyone else he said "go away , can;t you see we are busy..." see it like it was yesterday, and thats when I "knew the man" .........
just a side note he had a hard time signing his autograph it was all shaky and scribbled...........arthritis ?? his hands were knarly looking..........May he rest in Peace
just a side note he had a hard time signing his autograph it was all shaky and scribbled...........arthritis ?? his hands were knarly looking..........May he rest in Peace
Star43
Blackhawk
Thanks much for writing that. Obviously I never had the opportunity to meet him, but the way you describe him and the things you noted, are pretty much how I thought he would be. Sort of like the photos of him in the catalogs. He smiled, but not too big, and just conveyed confidence and pride in his company and his guns. Thanks again.
chet15
Hawkeye
The term for Single-Six cylinders as Old Model or New Model is really a misnomer. The firing pin groove for the LR cylinder was taken off of the cylinder at about 64-20000 for blue guns and the Mag. cylinder began to be unfluted and rollmarked at the same time. For stainless guns, both changes also occurred at the same time but at 64-70000.
That said, there's no way Ruger had 220,000+ "Old Model" LR cylinders and 220,000 "Old Model" Mag. cylinders on hand when they decided to make those changes. The changes were nothing more than a running line change. And as one thinks about it, there weren't any Old Model Stainless Single-Sixes, so the term Old Model stainless cylinder doesn't fit with that either.
As the diameter of the ratchet area... I can see that Ruger probably did make a change... because dropping the gang drill down onto that area would obviously send your bits off the side a little, unless you drilled from the other end.... and they really couldn't do that on a Mag. cylinder since the Mags are chambered. Yeah... Ruger probably mad the change... but when would be anybody's guess.... certainly not because of "Old Model" and "New Model"
Chet15
Thank you for the explanation! As someone relatively new to this, I find the history fascinating.
What I was trying to determine, based on my observations- is that it appears that fluted .22WMR cylinders have that slight crescent cutout on the star wheel, whereas .22LR cylinders supplied with both OM and NM guns do not have that crescent. Likewise non-fluted WMR cylinders don't exhibit it. I have 7 OM, 4 with WMR cylinders, and 1 NM that support this observation. I realize this is a very small sample group.
Why I am interested in this is that I am postulating that if a fluted cylinder exhibits the crescent cutouts, it is likely a WMR cylinder. This would aid in identifying parts for sale online that might be described improperly.
I am hoping that others here would check their fluted WMR cylinders and their LR cylinders to verify if only the fluted cylinders have the crescent cutouts on the star wheel.
Maybe this should be moved to its own thread to get some traction?
What I was trying to determine, based on my observations- is that it appears that fluted .22WMR cylinders have that slight crescent cutout on the star wheel, whereas .22LR cylinders supplied with both OM and NM guns do not have that crescent. Likewise non-fluted WMR cylinders don't exhibit it. I have 7 OM, 4 with WMR cylinders, and 1 NM that support this observation. I realize this is a very small sample group.
Why I am interested in this is that I am postulating that if a fluted cylinder exhibits the crescent cutouts, it is likely a WMR cylinder. This would aid in identifying parts for sale online that might be described improperly.
I am hoping that others here would check their fluted WMR cylinders and their LR cylinders to verify if only the fluted cylinders have the crescent cutouts on the star wheel.
Maybe this should be moved to its own thread to get some traction?
contender
Ruger Guru
Ruger's website can help a little. But the best info,, with MUCH more detail, AND often more accurate is the "Red Eagle News Exchange" Reference Guide. (And it can also be more accurate than even the factory website info.)
That & if you spend the $10 for a factory letter to get some specific details.
But many folks fail to understand that in the early years of Ruger manufacturing,, record keeping, ESPECIALLY details,, was NOT done. It wasn't a priority. They did what was necessary to comply with the law, and to give themselves the minimums they needed for their own purposes.
Changes in a swappable part, (such as grips,) were rarely noted on any of the guns. Collecting or such was NOT even a serious thought, much less given any consideration.
For info on getting a copy of the RENE Guide & all, you can subscribe to the RENE via our member here; " chet15 " as he's the publisher. It's CHEAP for the amount of EXCELLENT info it provides.
That & if you spend the $10 for a factory letter to get some specific details.
But many folks fail to understand that in the early years of Ruger manufacturing,, record keeping, ESPECIALLY details,, was NOT done. It wasn't a priority. They did what was necessary to comply with the law, and to give themselves the minimums they needed for their own purposes.
Changes in a swappable part, (such as grips,) were rarely noted on any of the guns. Collecting or such was NOT even a serious thought, much less given any consideration.
For info on getting a copy of the RENE Guide & all, you can subscribe to the RENE via our member here; " chet15 " as he's the publisher. It's CHEAP for the amount of EXCELLENT info it provides.
Star43
Blackhawk
That does make sense. Back when any company for that matter is just starting, they are trying to make their products to come out as best and as fast as possible to be successful and to basically also survive. So,, at that point, I don't think Ruger was thinking about collectability records...
..oh yes, we had heard back then when Mr Ruger said "he did not like, care for the 'collectors', and they making money on the secondary market",, he wanted us to "buy his Rugers , use them , wear them out and buy another...." yes I quote him on that.....
Star43
Blackhawk
But isn't it hard to "wear out a Ruger" ... I can picture him saying that, as you say, even though I never knew him. And he made them so well, it's almost as he was like daring you to try to wear one out !!!!
I can picture him saying that, as you say, even though I never knew him. And he made them so well, it's almost as he was like daring you to try to wear one out !!!! ....kinda how we took that ........he knew that my wife "collected" them, and that I worked on them, and was our bread and butter at the gun shop......
chet15
Hawkeye
..oh yes, we had heard back then when Mr Ruger said "he did not like, care for the 'collectors', and they making money on the secondary market",, he wanted us to "buy his Rugers , use them , wear them out and buy another...." yes I quote him on that.....
Tis true. Even though WBR understood the collectibility of other guns, namely vintage well made guns as well as vintage well made cars. He had no problem spending $ on that kind of stuff... and artwork, etc.
When the RST4S Signature auto came out in 1982 everybody was scampering to get one and before you knew it, secondary prices were pushing close to $2K!! When WBR heard that he decided not to ship the last 600 or so and held them in inventory, then gave them out for later for special purposes, visiting dignitaries (Mikhail Kalishnakov being one of them) and sent quite a few out for the "Friends of NRA" events around the country one year.
WBR was always wary of somebody trying to steal his $. But truth be known... he sure knew how to borrow designs and ideas from previous designs and then make a $.
Chet15
