Got around to switching back to the original internals on #321. That gave me the opportunity to compare the trigger openinga in the grip frames. Here is a photo of three frames together. On the right is a big G that's going on the gun, in the middle is the modified slot frame I removed and on the left is a polished small G frame. The difference in the length of the slots on the right and left frames is clearly visible.
Sometimes it takes fresh eyes to connect the dots. My observation only adds to Chad's documented previous observations and not meant to be contrary. It may be a little hard to accept that a relative newbie, from California no less, would come up with a new angle. But, I think I have hit upon something and it's real.
Thanks mucho for your consideration.
Owen
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T.A. Workman
"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
3 piece molds were utilized to die-cast these grip frames, the mold is made up of a right and a left side cavity and a 3rd piece that creates the trigger slot and the hollowed out space to accommodate the hammer. The slot is not machined. I'm sure that the slots were cleaned up during the "de-burring" process. Bear in mind that the frames would have been cast in a gang mold, perhaps 6-10 frames at a time, there would be several gang molds poured at a time,' perhaps 20-30 molds. Ruger was paying $.36 each for them so, large quantities had to be expedited out the door.
It's not unreasonable to assume that the molds could change slightly due to the reconditioning process and the 3rd pieces may not all be exactly the same shape or dimension. The "G" designates the ALCOA alloy. G does not appear on frames provided by Dohler-Jarvis after after December 1971.
The next issue of the RCA JOURNAL, Vol. 35, No. 4 (preparation for mailing is to commence this week) contains an in depth article about the production of XR3 & XR3-RED grip frames and grip panels. You can also learn from the pages of Ruger Pistols and Revolvers; the vintage years.
I have five extra XR3 grip frames, 2 small G and 3 large G.
The trigger slot on all five are between .201 and .205....
I took a pic on the inside of the frame, of the raised area where the front screw goes (in front of the trigger opening) and you can clearly see where the two molds came together. They were not aligned perfectly as seen by where the rounded part of the raised area come together.
Just my observations.
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I do not "own" these guns, I am but the next caretaker
Measuring the slots is meaningless. The molds are precision machined to designated dimensions, when the "as cast" frames are formed there can be warping and shrinking to consider. Anticipated and predictable shrinkage is built into the mold cavity. Unlike a precision machined component, the slot measurements will be nominal at best from frame to frame, castings won't be exact.
Thank you, Mr. Dougan, for illuminating the casting process - fascinating detail.
We know that the grip frame mold design was changed. You can see the difference in profile and, if you compare the slope of the "ramped" front of the trigger slot, you'll see that the newer design has a steeper angle, which slightly increases the length. The difference is small, maybe only .020", but if you try to install an older frame on a gun with a thicker trigger you'll find that the frame impinges on the forward travel ever so slightly, possibly preventing reset.
And it just makes sense. Why would Bill Ruger, known for not wasting anything, especially money, change a mold design willy-nilly without a good reason? And the two changes happened at about the same time, so the timing is right.
I'm starting to research Alcoa records. Maybe some correspondence will surface to support my thesis.
Owen
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JAYDAWG
Last edited by Ruger8r on Wed Apr 29, 2026 9:03 am, edited 1 time in total.
"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
There seems to be some merit to what Owen is saying, however, we shouldn't over think this, the change to the mold would only be to the third piece that I described. I have had one of the molds in my hands while Jack Behn explained how it works. I do not know how to describe the third piece. I can say that if the ramp was deliberately modified, it would have been to the third piece only.
Perhaps Owen can find out something from ALCOA. They were cast at the Edison, NJ foundry.
Thank you, Mr. Dougan, for validating my observation. It really means a lot. And thanks for the tip regarding the location ALCOA foundry.
I wonder, though, if the entire mold wasn't revised because that would explain the different founders mark and the fact that the grip frames look different when you compare profile views. I tried to capture the two profiles in the below photos. On the early frame, the opening in the grip area rises to a sharper peak at the top than the later frame and there are other subtle changes to the outline of the opening.
Respectfully,
Owen
Early XR3
Later XR3
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"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
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