Lightweight Small Straight

[radicalrod]

I have can come close as I have 3 in a row.....even the same numbers sorta .....
SC6 500051, 500052, & 500053

[JAYDAWG]

Thanks Guys.
Mr. Dougan was kind enough to include a nice letter of provenance.
Quite fortunate, I am..................

Jay


FROM THE GUN ROOM OF
JOHN C. DOUGAN

December 8, 2025

re: Ruger Single-Six revolvers
serial nos. 200051 & 200052

Dear Mr. Oen,

It was indeed a pleasure to visit via telephone the other day and to pontificate the mysteries of life, pennies and more particularly the world of Ruger flat-gate revolvers. I am delighted that the pair of tri-color Lightweights, captioned above have now gone to reside with you, my friend and a serious collector, keeping them in the family so to speak.
As you can imagine, I am reluctant to part with this beautiful consecutively numbered pair after twenty-five years of caring for them. However, after sleeping on it I feel more at ease.

Ruger day books indicate the pair of tri-colored Lightweights were made at the Station Street facility and recorded as follows;

#200051 (LWAC) mfd.4/17/56, called for 10/18/58
#200052 (LWAC) mfd.4/19/56, picked-up 4/23/56

I understand that the pair were consigned to Mr. Fred Davis Jr. of Fairfax, VA via distributor Art Cook Supply in the adjacent state of Maryland. Fred was an editor and president of GUNFACTS magazine. He was assigned “low-number” 50 and or 51. The guns in his collection are marked with a mixture of the two numbers. Lightweight serial number 200050 was not shipped as of at least February of 1959, it appears on the list; Guns transferred from the old building (cabinet guns) to the new building on February 24, 1959 by W.E. Berger and P. Adams. See page 353 of Ruger Pistols & Revolvers; the vintage years 1949-1973.
Fred wrote the first comprehensive collector-oriented article featuring Ruger firearms. He was known as the first Ruger collector. His article appeared in the January 1969 issue of GUNFACTS. Unfortunately, the black & white photos are of such poor quality that the serial numbers are illegible. Notwithstanding, a magnifying glass reveals the Lightweight on the cover is #200051, as is the image on page 47.
Fred was an early RCA member and in 1976 wrote and published a 26-page book titled A GUIDE TO RUGER GUNS, basically a reproduction of the GUNFACTS article.
Sadly, just a few years later Fred and his wife were killed in a head-on collision in Virginia.
In July 1983 Fred’s estate sold his low-number collection to Lee Newton, who kept a few guns and sold the rest. Jeff Munnell, collector and author of two books; Ruger Rimfire Revolvers 1953-1973 and Ruger Rimfire Handguns 1949-1982 purchased this pair of Lightweights from Lee and added them to his collection. In April 1999 I purchased all eight of Jeff’s Lightweights for $8,000, this pair was part of that group.
Included herewith is a factory letter for each revolver, a letter from Lee Newton to Jeff Munnell to verify that the pair was from Fred Davis Jr., copy of the check that I sent Munnell to purchase his Lightweight collection, both Davis publications, a copy of the transfer list dated February 1959 and finally a wonderful photo of Fred Davis Jr. on the left and prominent Ruger collector and early RCA member Mike Stewart. I think the photo is from the 1977 or 78 NRA show in Salt Lake City. Fred and Mike have since gone on, hopefully to be with our Lord.
It goes without saying that the four consecutively numbered Lightweights in your collection, #200051 & 200052 and 200053 & 200054 is nothing short of remarkable. Even though the two pairs were consigned as pairs to two different distributors, each pair remained together after seven decades, now you have put them together. Further the fact that they are in mint condition and all in the original boxes with paperwork is genuinely unique.
Finally, if I can ever help you in any way, please just give me a call.

Warmest personal regards,

John