I friend / LGS owner has a Bicentennial Security Six for sale. SS 4" with the bi centennial stamping on the side ..200th etc .

No box, revolver only in very good shape 95%.
He is asking $520.

I am completly out of my comfort zone here except that it would be nice to own (1) 357 magnum Ruger and a 1976 Bicentenual Security Six fits that bill well.
I have checked the auction sites and prices seem to be all over the place.
I know there is room to negotiate. I am just looking for recent sales or purchase info from anyone.

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John 1:17
NRA Life Benefactor

Ask yourself how much lower can you get it for? And then think about what 300-400 dollars gets you these days. I am not saying that is a good or bad price just that there is a basement price that some guns simply won’t go. Would I like to get it for $375, heck yeah, but I am thinking more like $450 if you can squeeze him. I am not a fan of stainless but they sure are iconic looking in blue.

I recently sold my 2-3/4-in blued Sec-Six here on SWF for $550. It had the box and was in like-new condition. Adding stainless and Made in 76 is a plus - but the fact that Ruger no longer supports them (and no box) is a big minus. Parts breakage is very rare but I have had a Ruger Old Army, otherwise new in the box, break a part. I wouldn’t pay any more than $450 for it, and it would require careful inspection IMO.

Slap it into some good old fashioned leather and you have a look that just makes you feel good.......



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$520 is just too much, maybe $420 if you really like it. They made bicentennial guns for a full year and there is no box.

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Made it, Ma! Top of the world!

Security Sixes are steadily going up in value. I believe its the best revolver Ruger ever made and they don't make 'em anymore.
Around here $500 would be a decent price. Maybe a little high, but you don't see these much anymore. If you want it, grab it. Cause it probably won't be there long.

Got this 1975 SS model about two years ago - about $425 on GB.
Price on yours does seem a little elevated. If there's any way to get it down, I'd go for it.

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Ret'd LEO
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Thanks for the responses. Here is a pic I took if it the other day.
I am out of town right now. If it still there when I return I’ll see how much he will knock off.



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John 1:17
NRA Life Benefactor

Looks like a nice gun Mike. Guy at the club has one, a 6” blued with a *rear peep sight* for 550. It’s in 98% condition. Excellent double action, almost bought it but knew once it got home I wouldn’t shoot it much so I passed. Nice gun just unnecessary baggage, sticking to S&W. Larry

If you ask on either Ruger forum, I bet they say it's worth the money and that good revolvers of that series are going up.

Check for endshake/crane looseness. It's pretty common, and is, I think, why the French added a crane lock to the Manurhin MR-88 version of the Ruger.

On the negative-Don’t get too caught up on the Bicentennial markings. They’re kind of like Ducks Unlimited guns, they really don’t have any more value than an unmarked gun. Ruger no longer provides customer support on this model, so make sure there isn’t any mechanical issues.

On the positive-These are rugged revolvers, so unless it’s been dropped with the cylinder open or some genius has been gunsmithing on it, you’ll have years of untroubled use. Ruger is not making any more of them, so they’ll only get more scarce.

I wouldn’t let a little money get between me and something I want.

It's probably a little high but not outrageous. I just bought a blued 4" example with a little blueing wear for $350 out the door but with no factory grips (has Pachmayers on it).

Correct that Ruger no longer provides support on the Security Six. I've been told all the parts are long since gone.

That said, if I were to sell mine (1983 SS 6"), $600 would be a base. And no, the anniversary markings don't add much value so far as I know.

My target came with Pachmayers as original equipment, no other grips included.

Kinda sorta off-topic - but that picture of the 4-inch blued Liberty model is growing on me! My first Security-Six was a 6-inch blued Liberty model which finances forced me to sell over 40 years ago (some miscreants swiped all four wheels off of my Chevy K10 while I was in the field at FT Lewis - really needed some cash). Somehow, like mentioned above, the blued Liberties just look better to me

Yup. I've had one about 10 years, and even then I got $100 cash back on a swap for an old model Vaquero in similar condition. Dunno if that helps.

I have a 2.75" Bi-Centennial Speed Six that i really like. The 1976 manufacture will give you a Ruger revolver without the large imprinted safety warning, a big plus unto itself.

I'd try to get it for 475 but might go 500.

Good luck

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I have 2 Six’s, a stainless Service Six and a blue Security Six. Both 4”. Strong guns. Yeah, Ruger doesn’t support them anymore, but they’re tough guns. In the unlikely event something breaks, parts are still out there and working in these is outrageously easy. Plenty of YouTube videos out there showing how to do stuff. Worst case, send it to Ruger if it does break and they will offer you another revolver of your choice for way less than what you would pay in a gun shop. There was a post on another forum where a guy sent his Six in and Ruger offered him a new GP100 for like $400. Saving $250 on a new GP isn’t a bad thing.

FWIW I have a 4” SS “low back” in gun jail now waiting on me to come up with bail money now. Price was $375. According to the guys at the Ruger board for “low back” it was a bargain.
Your friend’s gun may be a smidge high but if you want it buy. Life’s too short to worry about a little money.

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I told you not to use Lifebuoy

Nice find, I found a 1980's Security Six for 400.00 .. Not sure about the 200th prices.

Brian

Proud owner of all 3 sizes in SS Security Sixes. I paid $235 for the 6" way back in the early 80's. I have put lots of rounds through all 3 of them and have yet to break anything, so I would not give a second thought to replacement parts. The only issue I have ever had with any of these is the ejection rod coming loose and the cylinder getting loose. A single drop of blue lock tight fixed that problem. I would not let any of mine go for under $500. With this in mind, buy it for what every you can talk them down to, then use it and abuse it and be ready to pass it on to a son or grandson when the time comes. Just remember that old man Ruger did not make any firearms to be collectible, he built them to stand up to years and years of steady use.

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"Tastes just like chicken"

How did you get the cylinder off? I found a video on YouTube showing how to do it but mine wasn’t budging and I didn’t want to force it.

Here in SW Idaho they rarely come up for sale. I've seen the 4" and 6" models priced for around $500, but the 2.75" models.....well I just picked one up for $540. My winning bid was $450, but after sales tax and the auction company's various "processing fees" and buyer's premium it was $540.

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I type. Therefore I am.

Irrelevant to the OP, but that is a great “California” price!

I have a 4” blued Security Six- STOUT and fun!

Two up close is a coincidence and three is a group.
That '79 Snub was hitting an 18" target at 135 yds when I was in California in '85.
My boy's favorite, although he took the 629 to the Rockies.
I replaced it with a 460 snub.

Check it out carefully and lobby for a fair price.

DH over at 1911 made this beauty.

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One of my favorites - my Bi-Centennial, Factory "speed hammer", with Stag grips and Tyler grip adapter, Speed Six

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5 years ago I would say that price is outrageous, but the Sec-6 prices have skyrocketed in the last 5 years. If you like it grab it, but for that kind of money you are pretty close to the price of a lot of different mid size 357s.

And it's "only" a 95% gun? I would buy it for that price. But that's just me. But not only is it the bi-centennial model...it's a pre-warning gun, which is always a plus in my book. Always. Stainless, too? Just about any defect but the most serious ones can be polished out.

Prices are all over the place. I figure it's that way because most folks don't really know what to ask for them. You really don't see all that many come up for sale...not in comparison to Smiths. If the one you're looking at wasn't a pre-warning gun, I wouldn't buy it, period.

If you can get the seller to come down, fine. If not...well, it's your decision. But as I said earlier, I'd buy it. I'm a big fan of the Security-Six. You'll have a really strong gun, and I doubt you'd lose money on it if you decide to sell it later on.

Moralem and Watch Dog called it pretty well.

Ruger made 1.5 million of the Six series in total, but they've been out of production since 1988 (32 years and counting) and they won't resurrect them given the evolution of the design into the GP100.

They made just under 85,000 Bicentennial roll marked Six series revolvers, so they are not rare by any means. They are 5.6% of the total production so the odds are about 1 in 18 that a particular Six Series DA revolver you see in the shop will be a bicentennial model. They are interesting and it's nice to have a number of different models with the bicentennial roll mark, but not enough to warrant paying more than about $10 more for one.

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They also have an intrinsic value as shooters and if it is in very good or excellent condition, you can expect to pay at least $400 for a 4" or 6" Security Six and an excellent to near mint example can sell for $500-$550.

The 2 3/4" Security Six and Speed Six will sell for around $100 more, so expect to pay around $500 to $600 for one in very good to excellent condition.

The 150 series low back revolvers will bring a premium as there were only about 65,000 of them made from 1972-74. There's no firm cut off as Ruger pulled whatever frame was handy during the transition in no particular order, so you see both in the 1974 time frame.

The early 1972-73 fixed sight revolvers are almost always stamped "Security Six" rather than "Service Six" or "Police Service Six" and those will sell for a bit more as well.

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For the revolver in question $550 is a fair price. $500 would be a deal, and $450 would be a steal of a deal.

That said, if you want one, $600 is a fair price as they don't show up very often anymore. People who have them tend to keep them. If you pass on this one, by the time you come across another one, the prices will have appreciated and you'll pay just as much or more.