Carbineguy wrote: ↑Wed Mar 15, 2023 8:09 pm
Chet15 (Chad) posted here earlier so he will see the SN but that detail may be mute.
Did a search. This was a fairly common conversion - the Single Six cylinder would easily handle the.32 long when re-bored. Re-bore the barrel, relocate the FP and Bob's yer uncle. In this case the barrel was also shortened. So, it's a Ruger Single Six - only the caliber was re-marked.
As far as value goes, that's hard to say. The conversion probably cost about $150 back in the day but, like most custom work, it was not value added. In fact it was the opposite. If it was a well known Smith maybe some sizzle there. Check under the ejector rod housing for a signature.
Kinda neat though. Ruger started making the SS in .32HR in 1985.
All very logical and quite possible, BUT
like John pointed out above it's a Flat Top frame!?
Employee lunch pail gun?
Cheers,
Jay
I do not "own" these guns, I am but the next caretaker
Thanks, Jay. That point went right past me.
The frame looks shorter than a Blackhawk.
So, was an early 60s Flattop modified to take a modified Single Six cylinder and barrel? We're those components milled from Blackhawk blanks?
Was it fake-shipped in 1967 with a Super SS number to cover a special gun that grew legs? Or was the number stamped out of sequence by the "customizer" and there's an actual Super Single Six out there with this number? Is it an unknown prototype? Fun to speculate. Too much time on my hands in this weather.
Either way, it would be a very special Ruger but maybe difficult to verify. Will Chad have more info?
"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
I have a flattop 44, early 5 digit serial number. I have been a tool & die maker , machinist over 35 years. I have been comparing these guns side by side. Machine marks on the front of the frame are exactly the same. The frame on the single six is smaller. The rear sight is the same rounded front, same as flat top. Not square like the super single six that it serial numbers as. If ears were cut down on a frame with the ears , pin would break out of frame , besides being round, instead of square. Where 32 cnp is stamped, frame is same thickness dimension as my 44. Either Ruger had this gun made for someone. Which I don't really think???. I would have to imagine that a employee would have made it out of Ruger parts at the plant & had it stamped to what he wanted it made. I'm open to any better suggestions.
I'm going to try my best to be at the Tulsa gun show in April. I'm going to bring the gun with me and let other mo knowledge people look at it. I don't live far from Tulsa anyway.
The CNP looks handstamped to me.
Can you show a pic of the topstrap with the rear sight? Not sure why Ruger would make a flattop after they intentionally discontinued the flattop Blackhawks 5 years previous to this gun being made.
Chet15
It's not on a Blackhawk frame. It's scaled to single six size, but no single six had round micro sight. Possible that ears were cut down on super single six, but they didn't have the old style round rear sight. It's like someone intentionally made a gun part old style & part new style. Barrel & front sight are right for a super single six. No one other than a Ruger employee could have roll stamped the lettering in the frame except at the factory. Frame thickness hasn't been ground down to accept new lettering because it measures the same thickness as my Blackhawk. Blackhawk on left, single six on right. Don't pay any attention, my Blackhawk has a wide hammer installed.
