Three .22s

[DARE]

I have three non S&W guns in my collection and all happen to be .22 caliber. All of my guns were given to me by my dad.
My 1st gun was a Hamilton No. 27 rifle. It belonged to my grandfather and my father before being passed down to me. I got it in 1954 at age 4. They were manufactured from 1907-1930. At least half a million made.
Clarence Hamilton founded the Plymouth Iron Windmill Company circa 1882. Clarence designed the Hamilton rifles as well as Daisy BB guns. The company name changed to Daisy Manufacturing in 1895.
The rifles were made under the C J Hamilton & Son name.
They were given away to folks that bought Plymouth Windmills, sold in the Sears & Roebuck catalog, given as premiums by firms that employed youngsters to sell salve, seeds and other products door-to -door, and also marketed by C J Hamilton & Son
In the late 50's my dad was in a fast draw club in Ft Worth Texas. He had a 2 gun rig and one of the guns he used was a Ruger Lightweight Single-Six. It is a Tri-Color. A Rifleman article says the SN range for the Tri-Color was 200000 to 205200 so around 5000 made. This one is from 1956, so a 1st year of production gun. The article says black hard rubber stocks. Maybe my dad added the walnut grips.
I got to tag along to the fast draw club, so my dad bought me a Ruger Bearcat for my 9th birthday in 1959. He also made me a fast draw rig for it. Think the Bearcat debut was 1958 so mine is a 2nd year gun. Ruger Letters are only $10 so I have ordered a couple. Wonder how they compare to S&W letters? Anyone have a Ruger letter to show?

 

[DARE]

Alcoa

Looked under the grips on the single-six. Stamped Alcoa. I guess to show the aluminum grip frame. Did only the lightweights use the aluminum grip frame?

 

[Goony]

Looked under the grips on the single-six. Stamped Alcoa. I guess to show the aluminum grip frame. Did only the lightweights use the aluminum grip frame?

No, all the Single-Sixes came with aluminum grip frames sourced from Alcoa until about 1962 when Ruger started producing their own in house.

 

[Goony]

It is a Tri-Color. A Rifleman article says the SN range for the Tri-Color was 200000 to 205200 so around 5000 made. This one is from 1956, so a 1st year of production gun. The article says black hard rubber stocks. Maybe my dad added the walnut grips.

So far as I've been able to ascertain, through the late 1950's Ruger only shipped Single-Sixes with the hard rubber grips. However, for customers who wanted to replace those, they could order directly from Ruger optional upgrades in walnut, genuine stag, and genuine ivory ($5.00, $8.50, and $16.50 respectively). The walnut grips on your lightweight appear to me to be period correct for that scenario.

 

[Muley Gil]

Nice collection.

The Bearcat is wearing non Ruger grips.

 

[Goony]

The Bearcat is wearing non Ruger grips.

They look right to me. Early Bearcats were shipped with plasticized simulated rosewood grips sans medallions.

 

[DARE]

Got my Ruger letters today. I think less than 2 weeks after I ordered them.
The Lightweight Single-Six shipped May 1956 to Berns Wholesale Sporting Goods Co in Denver, CO
The Bearcat shipped March 1959 to Continental Arms Corp in New York, NY.
We lived in Detroit, MI in 1956 and Ft Worth, TX in 1959. Probably those were distributors and my father bought from a local dealer wherever we were at the time.
Think dad bought the Bearcat new, not sure about the Single-Six.

 

[DARE]

Here is dad's fast draw rig. Also the holster from my rig. The belt is long gone. He did the leatherwork himself.
These guns and the leather were part of my display at the S&W Symposium in Glendale, AZ last June.
I got permission to display non S&W items.