Yeah, I know, this is the Smith & Wesson forum, but I like other brands of firearms as well. I was musing today that Ruger handguns and I go back farther than when I first started using S&Ws. It all started about 1952...
My father and I had "gone shooting" as we loved to do together, with my first gun, a Winchester Model 69A .22 rifle. We were plinking at some tin cans on the desert near Lookout Mountain north of Phoenix, when a fellow came up on us, proudly displaying his brand-new handgun. It was a Ruger Standard .22 pistol, with a 4 3/4-inch barrel. I had read about these new guns; they were the first Rugers ever made. He let me shoot it; I was terrible with it (of course, the first handgun shooting I had ever done). Still I was impressed that it was an autoloader and one could trigger off 9 shots without reloading! In later years, I acquired a duplicate of that gun; this one made in the first full year of production (July 1950).
When I turned 21 and could legally buy a handgun of my own, I purchased another Ruger Standard pistol; it had the optional 6" barrel. It was $37.50 at the local Fed-Mart. I learned to shoot a handgun with it. This one is a duplicate of that first pistol of mine; the actual one was traded off as partial payment on a G.I. 1911A1.
When I was in the Army and a participant on a pistol team, Uncle Sam loaned me one of these - the Ruger Mark I target model. It was a pretty Spartan affair, but it shot as well as I could hold.
Around 1963, when I got off active duty, I felt the need for a big .44 Magnum. I couldn't afford a S&W Model 29, but did find a Ruger Super Blackhawk. It came in white cardboard box. And yes, I know that box will bring more than the gun these days, as it was made for only a short time. My wife threw it away in a household move. And yes, she knows never to do that again! I got started reloading .44 mags on a Lee Loader. I traded the gun off (serial 10030), and it's my fondest hope to find it again someday. In the meanwhile, I acquired a duplicate, one of the last "old model" Super Blackhawks, made in 1973.
I continued to shoot competitively in civilian life, and in 1965 I purchased a 5.5" "bull barrel" Mark 1 Ruger. I modified it a bit with an external overtravel adjustment screw and a trigger shoe. It gave me excellent service in indoor bullseye shooting.
Along the way, I've added other interesting Rugers to my collection. Here are some of them.
This is a Mark II 10"-barreled target pistol with the rare red ramp front sight:
I modified another Mark II with a lightweight compensated upper assembly. It shoots great; I taught my oldest grandson to shoot a handgun with it.
When the Mark II Government Model Target came out, I got one, and was amazed at its accuracy:
The big Ruger Super Blackhawk taught me to appreciate the old model revolvers. I added several to my collection.
This is an early "flat gate" Single Six:
And a "flat top" .44 magnum with original stag grips:
This is a .45 Colt/.45 ACP "convertible" Blackhawk:
A Super Single Six - shoots just about any kind of .22:
A .357/9mm "convertible" Blackhawk:
A .30 carbine Blackhawk:
I also picked up some collector Mark IIs. This first one is an overrun of a Navy SEAL contract - the gun is in blackened stainless steel. Only about 50 are known to be owned by civilians:
I also found one of the first 20 stainless production pistols made by Ruger:
I really liked the Vaquero revolvers in .45 Colt. However, I didn't like the loading system, so I modified these two to load at the half-cock with reverse-indexing cylinders for more precise loading and unloading. The best of both worlds - one can load six safely, yet still load them in the superior "old way":
While these aren't the only Rugers in my collection, these are the ones I've had the most fun with along the way. Ruger and I go way back - 60 years, and it's been a great ride.
John
My father and I had "gone shooting" as we loved to do together, with my first gun, a Winchester Model 69A .22 rifle. We were plinking at some tin cans on the desert near Lookout Mountain north of Phoenix, when a fellow came up on us, proudly displaying his brand-new handgun. It was a Ruger Standard .22 pistol, with a 4 3/4-inch barrel. I had read about these new guns; they were the first Rugers ever made. He let me shoot it; I was terrible with it (of course, the first handgun shooting I had ever done). Still I was impressed that it was an autoloader and one could trigger off 9 shots without reloading! In later years, I acquired a duplicate of that gun; this one made in the first full year of production (July 1950).
When I turned 21 and could legally buy a handgun of my own, I purchased another Ruger Standard pistol; it had the optional 6" barrel. It was $37.50 at the local Fed-Mart. I learned to shoot a handgun with it. This one is a duplicate of that first pistol of mine; the actual one was traded off as partial payment on a G.I. 1911A1.
When I was in the Army and a participant on a pistol team, Uncle Sam loaned me one of these - the Ruger Mark I target model. It was a pretty Spartan affair, but it shot as well as I could hold.
Around 1963, when I got off active duty, I felt the need for a big .44 Magnum. I couldn't afford a S&W Model 29, but did find a Ruger Super Blackhawk. It came in white cardboard box. And yes, I know that box will bring more than the gun these days, as it was made for only a short time. My wife threw it away in a household move. And yes, she knows never to do that again! I got started reloading .44 mags on a Lee Loader. I traded the gun off (serial 10030), and it's my fondest hope to find it again someday. In the meanwhile, I acquired a duplicate, one of the last "old model" Super Blackhawks, made in 1973.
I continued to shoot competitively in civilian life, and in 1965 I purchased a 5.5" "bull barrel" Mark 1 Ruger. I modified it a bit with an external overtravel adjustment screw and a trigger shoe. It gave me excellent service in indoor bullseye shooting.
Along the way, I've added other interesting Rugers to my collection. Here are some of them.
This is a Mark II 10"-barreled target pistol with the rare red ramp front sight:
I modified another Mark II with a lightweight compensated upper assembly. It shoots great; I taught my oldest grandson to shoot a handgun with it.
When the Mark II Government Model Target came out, I got one, and was amazed at its accuracy:
The big Ruger Super Blackhawk taught me to appreciate the old model revolvers. I added several to my collection.
This is an early "flat gate" Single Six:
And a "flat top" .44 magnum with original stag grips:
This is a .45 Colt/.45 ACP "convertible" Blackhawk:
A Super Single Six - shoots just about any kind of .22:
A .357/9mm "convertible" Blackhawk:
A .30 carbine Blackhawk:
I also picked up some collector Mark IIs. This first one is an overrun of a Navy SEAL contract - the gun is in blackened stainless steel. Only about 50 are known to be owned by civilians:
I also found one of the first 20 stainless production pistols made by Ruger:
I really liked the Vaquero revolvers in .45 Colt. However, I didn't like the loading system, so I modified these two to load at the half-cock with reverse-indexing cylinders for more precise loading and unloading. The best of both worlds - one can load six safely, yet still load them in the superior "old way":
While these aren't the only Rugers in my collection, these are the ones I've had the most fun with along the way. Ruger and I go way back - 60 years, and it's been a great ride.
John
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