Nice collection! I believe most Speed sixes were in .357. I used to stay away from Six Series guns because Ruger doesn't support them anymore. I bought my first in 38 spl figuring it would be hard to wear out since it's the same gun as the 357 except for the chamber depth. Now I realize there's quite a few SS still in good shape after 40 years. Prices have really gone up in the past few months though.
Yes, the GP-100s are great range guns. You unpack your range bag, load, and fire. The underlug keeps the muzzle from flipping and when you're done, you pack the gun up and go home to clean it. What's not to like? Well, what if you're hiking a brisk eighteen miles through Western terrain and you need a weapon for protection against bear, cougar or dog packs? Who wants to haul a 6-inch S&W 686 or GP-100 when they could be carrying a S&W 66 or Ruger Security-Six?
Back when the S&W 66/Ruger Security-Six 6-inchers were in production, gun magazine articles had beautiful photos of men hunting with these guns in the snow, showcasing their stainless steel resistance to inclement weather. But when the underlug barrels hit market, the hunting. emphasis went right out the proverbial window!. With many states foolishly requiring .357s to have a minimum of a six-inch tube for hunting, no one wanted to haul a 6-inch .357 w/underlug for miles in the wilderness, people had to rely on used M66s (already a rare commodity) or Ruger stainless Security-Sixes. In those days, an M66-no dash in 2.5-/4- or 6-inches was already as scarce as hen's teeth. And you had to know somebody to get one. Most gun stores charged way over retail for these gems, and my dealer refused to charge over retail. I used my grace to get a S&W 629 from him, so getting an M66 was impossible! Another dealer close by required customers put down $$$ months in advance, and if the "value" (not the retail price) went up, the customer had to pay the difference. Things got so bad that S&W had to put out a notice reminding customers that the guns they received were produced for the
retail price and not the actual price they paid. So if they
paid $650 for the stainless steel gun they got, and the
retail price was $450, they should not expect to get a $650 gun because they paid that much. It was a weird policy!
The GS-33-PS Speed Six special contract for the Postal Service is 3" in .357. There's two on GB right now. Other agencies had 357 3" Speed Sixes but all the 3" Speed Sixes whether 38 spl or 357 were special contract guns. So if yours is 3-inch it's not a gun offered to the general public by Ruger. Very nice, BTW.
Thanks. When I had my FFL, I saw an ad in
Shotgun News for some Speed-Six stainless revolvers. GREAT PRICE. Wow! I thought. Dirt prices. Then I saw the fine print. Thirty-eight Special. Dang. No wonder. So I called a gunsmith in northern Virginia and he said, sure. Sixty-five bucks per. So I ordered two and got them cheap. When I got them I was hooked. Damn, they were gorgeous and felt great in the hand! So I took them to the gunsmith and he did a great job. Dropped a .357 140 Speer JHP bullet into each chamber and none of them fell through. Can't beat that.
If I'd had more money to burn I would have ordered more. I still have both and I've only shot one of them, and that had less than a box of +P And eighteen .357 125gr JHPs. Very accurate, but I had to file a little off the front sight.
I have a 4” stainless Security Six I bought used. There’s some sort of inventory number engraved inside the frame with an electric pencil. It has the tightest chambers of any revolver I own. Lead bullet reloads that will chamber in every other gun I own won’t fully seat in it. For that reason I rarely shoot it.
What's the problem, I wonder? Do you have any photos?
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I like the security six shooting 38. The grips are just small for 357.
