Lowback Oddity

[T.A. Workman]

Lowback RDA-32...Serial # 1284285 ??
Chad thinks hand stamped with larger size numbers.
Note it has NO Six Series pre-fix, and only has 7 numbers instead of 8, note gaps ??
Recently sold on GB.

What do you guys think??

[twriggen]

Interesting. Too bad you can't get a letter for it right now.

[67stingray]

New one to me Terry, as you know all Rugers had a prefix from 1968 on and earliest Security-Sixes were 1970. I've have a fondness of the lowbacks but this one seems sketchy to me. Thanks for showing it to us.
Bennett

[RoninPA]

I wonder if at some time it was a stolen gun and had the s/n removed. Then it was recovered and the ATF stamped it to make it "legal" again but couldn't track down the owner to return it so some FFL got it at auction and resold it.

As far as I know, the only agency that can renumber a stolen or used in a crime gun is the ATF. Then if they can't find the owner, guns like this get auctioned off (well that the way it was done back then, I don't know what they do now). Ruger would have no idea where it got shipped because of no original serial number, which means that it couldn't be traced to distributors/FFLs/buyers.

[twriggen]

If it was assigned a new number from the ATF, the number would start with ATF.

[T.A. Workman]

That's what I thought, thanks for the picture.
It has been suggested to me that it was a tool room gun, but I don't think so.
A letter would not be possible on it. I've never seen anything like it, wish I would have pursued it now!
Terry

[twriggen]

I had a stainless 38 special a long time back that the only markings on it was the serial number. Not even stamped Ruger anywhere. It was brought into the gun shop I worked at by the same guy that brought in a few of the serial number 72 guns. This poor college kid sold it when he got low on macaroni and cheese. I should have sold something else.........or went hungry.