Shot a Security Six.....

[rwsmith]

Friend has a Ruger stainless steel Security Six he let me shoot the other day. I was impressed by its looks and feel and it shot great (except it needs some cushier grips). That's a great gun from the Ruger people. Why did they stop making them???

 

[Texas Star]

According to Bill Ruger, he wasn't able to make enough profit on them and still hold the same price levels.

Also, S&W had introduced the L-frame guns, and he felt he needed a larger gun to compete. The GP-100 was the answer, and has a superior front locking system.

The bottom line was that the Security series was too costly to make for what Ruger felt they could charge. That's their official explanation.

 

[epj]

The Security Six was one of Rugers better efforts. I had one that was somewhat cosmetically challenged years back. A pawn shop rescue that I paid $125 for. A spring kit, some polishing, some new grips, and a lot of cold blue went into the makeover. The result wasn't super pretty, but it shot very well. I recorded a personal best at the range with that old gun, knocking down five plates in well under three seconds. Sold it for $275 as I recall. Probably should have kept it. It was Rugers answer to the K frame, though the similar sized Ruger was probably a little stronger and didn't have forcing cone issues. The action, even when tuned, was not equal to a Smith, but could be improved to the point of being acceptable pretty easily.

 

[Ashlander]

I have a 4" Speed Six (the fixed sight version). It is chambered for .357 and has a more robust forcing cone compared to the S&W K-frames. I suspect that after S&W came out with the L-frame, Ruger felt they had no choice but to beef up the Six series to the GP100. Essentially, they just bulked up the cylinder so both the GP100 and the 686 used the same speed loaders and made a couple changes in the internals that made it easier to work on.

 

[TTSH]

Why did they stop making them???

According to Bill Ruger, he wasn't able to make enough profit on them and still hold the same price levels.

Also, S&W had introduced the L-frame guns, and he felt he needed a larger gun to compete. The GP-100 was the answer, and has a superior front locking system.

The bottom line was that the Security series was too costly to make for what Ruger felt they could charge. That's their official explanation.

Interesting. I'd heard that before. Never knew for sure if it was an urban legend or the truth or something in-between. By the time the S6 was discontinued, I was already several years into my 25-year long post-divorce sabbatical from the shooting sports. By the time I woke up, the S6 was long gone and the GP-100 had taken over.

How is it (or was it) that the S6 was not economic to make but the GP-100 was? What am I missing here?

 

[Texas Star]

Interesting. I'd heard that before. Never knew for sure if it was an urban legend or the truth or something in-between. By the time the S6 was discontinued, I was already several years into my 25-year long post-divorce sabbatical from the shooting sports. By the time I woke up, the S6 was long gone and the GP-100 had taken over.

How is it (or was it) that the S6 was not economic to make but the GP-100 was? What am I missing here?

I, too, wonder why the GP is cheaper to make, and it uses a more expensive front lock, making it the Ruger equivalent to S&W's old Triple Lock! And I prefer the full frame of the older design to the GP's grip tenon.

 

[Texas Star]

I have a 4" Speed Six (the fixed sight version). It is chambered for .357 and has a more robust forcing cone compared to the S&W K-frames. I suspect that after S&W came out with the L-frame, Ruger felt they had no choice but to beef up the Six series to the GP100. Essentially, they just bulked up the cylinder so both the GP100 and the 686 used the same speed loaders and made a couple changes in the internals that made it easier to work on.

You're forgetting that complex crane lock. That was a bit of genius. Not since the Triple Lock S&W have we seen such a crane lock.

 

[Watchdog]

The Ruger Security-Six is, quite simply, one of the best double action revolvers ever made. That's my opinion, okay? You can disassemble it and put it back together without using one single tool. It feels solid in your hand when you're shooting it. An extremely sturdy gun.

 

[BAM-BAM]

Always regretted not picking up a 2 3/4 Speed Six..... at the time they seemed clunky compared to a K-frame Smith

Funny can't even remember the last time I even saw any Six for sale in a LGS?

 

[Farmer17]

I was recently wanting a M-28 S&W .357 and couldn't find any at a decent price but I saw a near mint condition 4" stainless SS for sale so I picked it up for $400. It has the original wood grips and was made in 1979 and is a great shooter with a nice SA/DA trigger pull but I prefer the DA pull of a Smith. I still want a M-28 and would probably sell the SS to get one.

 

[Ray1970]

I've had a couple of security sixes. They were nice but I just never cared for them much so they went to new homes. This is the last one that I owned.

 

[CajunBass]

I've owned several Six-series revolvers over the years. At one time I bought them because they were less expensive than the Smith & Wesson's I really wanted but were about $50.00 less expensive (Memory, so that may not be exact). That $50.00 or whatever it was was a big deal to me back then.

I don't feel I missed out on much with those Rugers though. They were darn fine guns. There is one at my LGS now, but I've got four S&W 38/357's so I can't justify another one. I figure I'll let someone else have it.

 

[Alpo]

Just to be picky, the SERVICE Six was the fixed sight version.

The SPEED Six was a Round Butt Service Six with a 2 3/4" barrel.

 

[Zoner]

mines a round butted Service Six with XS tritium dot front sight

 

[Old Corp]

My first centerfire revolver. I was a young'un working at an LGS when the Security Sixes came out in SS, about 1975-6. I put a 4" on layaway (my Dad had to actually 'buy' it, I was too young).
We sold ALOT of the SS versions since the S&W M66 was nearly impossible to come by at the time.
In our area, the very first thing you did to a Security Six was toss the original grips and replace with Herrett Shooting Star walnut grips.
The store was a big Bianchi dealer, so a #5B was part of the package.

Next came handloading and I found it really liked upper-end .38 hardcast LSWC's.
Ended up trading it for a M28 6" because I was so young and dumb that I was wanting to enter nuclear-range handload territory.

Think the GP-100 was first marketed as an 'improvement' to the S6 design. Yes, the lockup is a great design, but IMO, the rest of the gun is as sleek and aesthetic as an Oscar Meyer Weinermobile.

 

[Wee Hooker]

Interesting. I'd heard that before. Never knew for sure if it was an urban legend or the truth or something in-between. By the time the S6 was discontinued, I was already several years into my 25-year long post-divorce sabbatical from the shooting sports. By the time I woke up, the S6 was long gone and the GP-100 had taken over.

How is it (or was it) that the S6 was not economic to make but the GP-100 was? What am I missing here?

I suspect it became an issue of anesthetics trends vs manufacture costs at some point. Much like the K frame took a back seat to the new "bigger and badder" L frame (with underlug) at it's introduction , I think Ruger fell in step with the GP100 to keep market share against the 686.
Marketing 101 tells us that ANY product (guns, cars, appliances, cloths...) should change over time to give the customers hungry and coming back for that little something different or cool. There are exceptions but they are few in comparison.

FWIW, I found this one some 10 years back at a LGS (for $250 as I recall).
It was a great shooter and a good looking gun but it got thoughtlessly traded off for a S&W at some point. One of the few traded guns that I miss. I haven't seen other since.

 

[Skeptic 9c]

Always regretted not picking up a 2 3/4 Speed Six..... at the time they seemed clunky compared to a K-frame Smith

Funny can't even remember the last time I even saw any Six for sale in a LGS?

I saw a speed six short barrel at my favorite discount gun store, I intended to go up and check it out on Monday morning, the best time to haggle on used guns.

Geoff
Who has a 4" Security Six HB in blue, with Hogue grips, white insert front sight.

 

[Skeptic 9c]

Just to be picky, the SERVICE Six was the fixed sight version.

The SPEED Six was a Round Butt Service Six with a 2 3/4" barrel.

I love collectors.
Geoff
Who notes it's all in the details.

 

[Grayfox]

When I was much younger, a friend had a Security Six which I'd shot quite a few times. I always liked them, but was too focused on S&Ws at the time. Then, all of a sudden, they were gone!
I've always regretted not buying one when they were readily available.
A few years back, I stumbled across this one. There was a guy walking around with it at a gun show. Price was reasonable, so I jumped on it! No regrets at all and if I can find another with the shorter barrel, I grab it too.
I've always believed that the biggest mistake Ruger ever made was discontinuing these fine revolvers.

 

[TTSH]

Just to be picky, the SERVICE Six was the fixed sight version.

The SPEED Six was a Round Butt Service Six with a 2 3/4" barrel.

I get the names mixed-up myself. In one of my 35 year old "pre-spreadsheet" typed inventories, I listed my Speed Six as a Security Six. Good thing I noted the model number: GS-32.

Despite being a hard-core S&W revolver collector at the time, the Speed-Six was good enough that I went on to purchase a Ruger Redhawk .44 Magnum in lieu of an S&W Model 29... but I later came to regret that decision dearly once barrels started flying off the Ruger Redhawks at an alarming pace... ... with Ruger refusing to do a recall.

Took me a long time to get over that mistake and to consider buying Ruger products again.