Factory electric pencil "scratching"???

Includes all Pre-1973 Old model Single-Sixes, Blackhawks,
Super Blackhawks, Bearcats, Super Bearcats, Hawkeye
and Black Powder Old Army.
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JAYDAWG
Posts: 744
Joined: Sun Nov 05, 2017 1:14 pm
Location: Olympic Peninsula

Factory electric pencil "scratching"???

Post by JAYDAWG »

We all know that the convertibles had the last 3 of their serial number stamped or scratched with with an electric pencil (RENE verbiage)
on the face of the cylinder.
Today I am cleaning up a single six type 4 flat gate and found the last 3 of the serial scratched on the underside of the ejector rod housing?
I have not taken apart a lot of these, but this is the first time I have seen this. Factory job?
Looks like factory "hand writing" to me :lol:
Check out the pics and as always all comments and opinions welcome :)

Cheers,
JAY
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I do not "own" these guns, I am but the next caretaker
JAYDAWG
Posts: 744
Joined: Sun Nov 05, 2017 1:14 pm
Location: Olympic Peninsula

Re: Factory electric pencil "scratching"???

Post by JAYDAWG »

Ok......so just found the last 3 of the serial on the cylinder...SO, back to RENE and am a bit confused, ya I know, what's new :oops: :o

RENE says "RSS5W's made from March 1963 to the end of model production in 1973 (s/n range 358xxx to 21-56105) do not have the last three digits of the serial number stamped or scratched on the front of the cylinder"
Does this mean all previous do? Again I have not taken more than 15 of these apart, but this is the first I have seen on cylinder or ERH.

As always, just learning what I can here on ROCS forum.

JAY
I do not "own" these guns, I am but the next caretaker
Ruger8r
Posts: 403
Joined: Sat Mar 28, 2020 1:28 pm
Location: Glendale, CA

Re: Factory electric pencil "scratching"???

Post by Ruger8r »

Interesting question. And does that mean that all the other barrel lengths do have it?
There is a 1972 OM digit-prefix, as new, unfired, original convertible with box, bag and papers but no x-cylinder box, that has the last 3 SN digits scratched on the WMR cylinder (which appears to be installed) but there are 3 non-matching digits stamped on the LR cylinder, both fluted. Could the Ruger factory possibly have sent a gun out like that? If so, its collectability would be heightened, I'm sure, but there's no way to prove it. Is it probably a Franken-refinish? That would be a shame.
O
"My greatest fear is that, when I die, my wife will sell my guns for what I told her I paid for them." Anonymous Collector
flattop44
Posts: 2351
Joined: Tue May 06, 2014 2:31 pm
Location: Alabama

Re: Factory electric pencil "scratching"???

Post by flattop44 »

The extra cylinders all came from the factory in a felt bag inside a small box for the cylinder. The gun you mention appears to have had the cylinders mixed up by a previous owner. I have observed the stamped numbers on very early Magnums Single-Sixes when shipped with an extra. 22 LR cylinder. Or if a gun was sent back to Ruger for refinish they would stamp the last 3 of s/n on a cylinder. This is just from my experience after handling a few of these fine revolvers.
Bill
Ruger8r
Posts: 403
Joined: Sat Mar 28, 2020 1:28 pm
Location: Glendale, CA

Re: Factory electric pencil "scratching"???

Post by Ruger8r »

Thanks, Bill.
So how would having a mis-matched extra cylinder with no box affect the value of an otherwise 100% package?
It's hard for me to understand how an owner could switch marked cylinders. Too many single sixes and too many bourbons?
My magnum has a stamped extra cylinder.
Owen
"My greatest fear is that, when I die, my wife will sell my guns for what I told her I paid for them." Anonymous Collector
chet15
Posts: 734
Joined: Sat Aug 16, 2014 11:28 am

Re: Factory electric pencil "scratching"???

Post by chet15 »

That's the first time I've seen numbers scratched on the underside of the ejector housing. There is no reason for Ruger to do that really on an early Single-Six, so I do not believe those numbers were on there when the gun originally left the factory.
Once the barreled cylinder frame comes out of the bluing tanks, then all the other parts that are already blued are assembled to the gun. Shouldn't be any handfitting for the housing either.
The next thing is, I don't recall any markings by electric pencil until 1963.
Chet15
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