I Guess Ruger's Are Getting Collectable

[Joe_Pike]

Last year I asked in a thread if anyone collected Ruger revolvers as collectables like they do S&W and Colt. Well, I was in a LGS the other day and saw what I would consider my first collectable Ruger. It was an old ('65-'66) Ruger Super Blackhawk .44 magnum.

It was a long barreled gun (not sure how long) and was listed as having the box with it. I was surprised at how nice the finish was. There was a small turn line on the cylinder, but the bluing was pretty darn nice. It was refreshing to see a finish other than the utilitarian finish they use on the GP100. Price was $999.

[robhof]

The 3 screw models started getting collectable as soon as they went out of production, just as the Ruger Old Armies are going up, now that they stopped making them. Stop making something and suddenly people want them??

[delsol]

I picked up a Ruger 3 screw 1968 single six in good condition from my neighbor a few months back & boy it shoots nice. What a nice addition to my starting collection.

[newfrontier45]

The original Supers were beautifully finished sixguns, really better than the flat-tops. It's a shame that the one you saw had a turn line, if properly handled, they shouldn't have one. Old Model Supers are indeed collectible if in fine condition with the original box, although it sounds like that one was still a bit high.

[TennJed]

Originally Posted by newfrontier45

The original Supers were beautifully finished sixguns, really better than the flat-tops. It's a shame that the one you saw had a turn line, if properly handled, they shouldn't have one. Old Model Supers are indeed collectible if in fine condition with the original box, although it sounds like that one was still a bit high.

How do you handle one to avoid the cylinder turn line?

[FrankenMauser]

How do you handle one to avoid the cylinder turn line?

Stick it in a safe, and forget that you own it?

[DAnjet500]

How do you handle one to avoid the cylinder turn line?

These guns should be carried with an empty chamber under the hammer. Proper loading sequence is pull hammer to half cock, load one, skip one, load four, pull hammer to full cock and lower onto empty chamber. You should never drop the hammer down from half cock, always from full cock. This will eliminate or at least significantly reduce the cylinder ring.

[feets]

That makes no sense.

Your loading procedure has been standard since guns of that type were invented.
However, when you fire the gun you have to pull the hammer all the way back. That makes the cylinder rotate. As the cylinder turns the hand comes up and engages the notch in the cylinder. It will drag on the cylinder and create a line.

There is no effective way of stopping the drag and maintain a reliable revolver. If you jack with the timing and have things move at the last possible second to eliminate the drag you take a chance on the cylinder out running the hand and having a malfunction.

You do NOT want that firing pin to catch the edge of a primer and launch a bullet into the side of the barrel.

I beat up an older Vaquero doing fast draw work with it. The cylinder started to out run the hand. I got lucky. Two of my 45 Colt cases have firing pin hits on the case head.
Ruger repaired the revolver free of charge.

[newfrontier45]

There is no effective way of stopping the drag and maintain a reliable revolver.

Sorry but you're just flat wrong. Most traditional single actions like the Old Model Super Blackhawk are properly timed so that the bolt rises into the leede. As was stated, as long as you never lower the hammer from the half cock notch, a properly timed single action will never ring the cylinder. I have traditional sixguns that have tens of thousands of cycles and do not have a cylinder ring.

Note that this excludes New Model Ruger single actions.

Some people believe that the ring is unavoidable and it is nigh on impossible to convince them otherwise.