Ruger security six

[.455_Hunter]

Not a Security-Six, but I bought a 99%+ blued 4" Service-Six on my 21st B-Day in 1997 for $180. Went straight from the drivers license office to the LGS. It's the only gun in my family that has been discharged to end a hostile encounter, and is never getting sold.

 

[Col. Harrumph]

Bought one in '74. I think it was blue but at this point who knows? Couldn't stand to shoot it, it knocked the hell out of my middle finger knuckle. Then I read about Herrett's grips and had one of those made... so then it cracked bones in my palm. It was a great revolver but just did not fit my hand, so I sold it. If I had it today I'd dress it in a Monogrip.

 

[TreeDoc]

Had one years ago. It was pretty beat up with about 50% of the blue left, but the accuracy from that short barrel was amazing. Of course younger and wanted a prettier gun so it got traded off.

 

[D.B. Cooper]

Collectible gun, I'd carry it daily and shoot the hell out of it.
When the time comes decades down the road, and your children and grandchildren are going through your things, I think they would cherish your worn and carried Security Six, imprinted with your personality, more than inheriting a yet another safe queen...even if pristine.
These guns were made to be used. You, your children and your grandchildren won't ever wear it out!

Spot on. You sir, are an inspiration.

 

[BusMaster007]

 

[ButchB]

Nice one. I'd like to find a short speed six I could afford.

 

[GunnyUSMC]

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I bought a set of Houge grips like yours. I didn’t care for the way it balanced for me and took them off. My son told me that he liked them, I told him to keep him hands away from MY GUN.

 

[Sistema1927]

I find that the Philippine grips shown in Speed-Six in this picture fit my hand very well. They aren't the most concealable, but you will notice that I have other short barrel choices to fill that role.

 

[NIGHTLORD40K]

Collectible gun, I wouldn't shoot it.

One of the few times I disagree with Cooldill-
Even though the Security Six's are rising in price, unlike old Colts or S&WS, Rugers almost never have timing or wear issues with any reasonable amount of factory loads.
Have fun, shoot that puppy!

 

[amd6547]

I had a 4" stainless Security Six for a while. I liked it, but I eventually traded it.
Now, I have a 3" GP100, and I actually like it much more...shoot it better, too.

 

[RovinOn]

Nice find....Enjoy!
Picked up a 4” SS version some time back at a gun show. I had forgotten how great a gun they were back in the day and I’m sorry I didn’t buy one or more of them back then!

 

[joneb]

I have the same gun but in SS and it is one of my favorite revolvers.
I saw one like yours a LGS but the price was more than I could bare.

 

[Kid Blazer]

It was my first gun after I got married. I got it for $125 from a security guard who broke his back. I carry it in a shoulder holster when hunting. I killed two deer through the years. I have kept it loaded with wad cutters on the night stand for 40 years. It is very accurate at 100 yards with better loads. I shoot hot reloads 158 gr and it handles them fine. Outstanding gun.

 

[d2wing]

I bought a new one maybe in the 80's. The most accurate revolver i have ever shot.

 

[Confederate]

When it came to the Security-Six, I could never make up my mind which barrel length to get. So I thought, asked friends and the folks at the gun shops and, of course, my law enforcement buddies. After careful consideration, I came to the perfect solution:



You'll notice the short-barreled gun has a round-butt. It took me about five minutes with a grinder. A gun-tech guy I knew at the NRA loved the Security-Six and told me how to do it. (He wrote an article about .357s for the AMERICAN RIFLEMAN in which he was a bit critical of the S&W 19. He bought a 4-inch model and shot hot magnum rounds in it. After some 2,000 rounds (and a bunch of .38 handloads), it needed retiming. After shooting about the same number of both again, the gun's frame had been stretched just enough to make retiming impossible. So he got a Security-Six, shot the hell out of it and the gun showed no signs of wear, period. And even though the forcing cone was about the same size as the ones on the K-frames, it seemed to be just fine.) Anyway, it was easy enough. Just get some round-butt grips from a Speed-Six, put them on your Security-Six and trace. Then grind. Worked like a charm and he did it on his Security-Six. He also used a punch to remove the front sight, traced that on a piece of orange plastic of the same thickness. After cutting it out, it fit right into the front sight slit. Then he drilled a hole right through the hole on the gun, tapped in the pivot and it became his favored sidearm.

The gun is ferociously strong. All it didn't need was beefing up! By taking steel from the grip and moving it to the barrel, they shifted the point of balance decidedly forward in the GP-100, which threw the gun, in my view, out of balance. The 686 is now my favorite production gun, but if I ever hit the trail, it's far too heavy to carry. That will be my Security-Six.

 

[CajunBass]

I had one of the same vintage, only 4 inch barrel and stainless. It would jam up tight for no reason at times. Least reliable revolver I have ever seen.

I had a stainless, 4" one that did the same thing. I sent it back, they fixed it, and I believe they smoothed the trigger, and gave the whole gun a quick polish. It seemed to shoot and look even better when I got it back. Took about two weeks back then. No charge.

I also had a 2 3/4" Speed-Six back in the day when you could walk in and find them new in the box, about anywhere that sold handguns. Great guns. I had a 4" Service-Six in 38 Special that I promise you couldn't have worn out in two lifetimes.

Alas, I'm a Smith & Wesson guy, so the Rugers were always expendable for the next great trade.

 

[bannockburn]

Confederate

I also favored the the Ruger Six Series, along with the occasional Colt Trooper Mk.III and Mk.V. My favorite Security Six was the blued version with a 4" heavy barrel. Just had the right feel and balance to it.

 

[Confederate]

I believe the time will come when hikers and campers will come to realize that their only choices for the outdoors are the new 5-shot .357s or the Combat Masterpiece S&W pistols. I, for one, would not carry a heavy revolver with an underlug. I have a 686 6-incher (see last post) but I would not carry it hiking, camping, fishing or survival. No one complained about the recoil when the Security-Six/Model 66s were in production, so I saw no reason for Ruger to can it in favor of the GP-100. If I had to choose between the two, I'd take the Security-Six any day. I do like the new 2.75-inch models but, again, they aren't improvements.

The Speed-Six also is an astounding gun for the outdoors. I got this little gem in .38Spc and had it reamed for .357. It has a full 3-inch barrel and it's perfectly balanced. I can also drop .357 JHP bullets in each of the chambers and they catch. That's probably the reason the gun is so frickin' accurate. The tolerances are spot on. As compact as it is, it dwarfs the SP-101, which also is an astoundingly good gun.







Back in the 80s or 90s, Smith & Wesson tried to dis the Ruger GP-100s by trying to convince shooters that forged steel was superior to investment casting, which Ruger used. It was an amusing ad, but ultimately failed as Ruger's stainless steel was consistently consistent and Smith's steel, while fine most of the time, wasn't. In Kentucky, two cops had 681s that had wearing problems on their front sights. The leather in their holsters was wearing down the sights and the bores were being worn by the bullets. Turned out the steel was soft and someone at the factory didn't catch it. The defective parts were replaced and no more problems. But the forged steel clearly wasn't living up to hype.



I love my 686 and other stainless Smith & Wessons, but the steel has never proven to be superior to my Rugers.

 

[NIGHTLORD40K]

I believe the time will come when hikers and campers will come to realize that their only choices for the outdoors are the new 5-shot .357s or the Combat Masterpiece S&W pistols. I, for one, would not carry a heavy revolver with an underlug. I have a 686 6-incher (see last post) but I would not carry it hiking, camping, fishing or survival. No one complained about the recoil when the Security-Six/Model 66s were in production, so I saw no reason for Ruger to can it in favor of the GP-100. If I had to choose between the two, I'd take the Security-Six any day. I do like the new 2.75-inch models but, again, they aren't improvements.

The Speed-Six also is an astounding gun for the outdoors. I got this little gem in .38Spc and had it reamed for .357. It has a full 3-inch barrel and it's perfectly balanced. I can also drop .357 JHP bullets in each of the chambers and they catch. That's probably the reason the gun is so frickin' accurate. The tolerances are spot on. As compact as it is, it dwarfs the SP-101, which also is an astoundingly good gun.

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Back in the 80s or 90s, Smith & Wesson tried to dis the Ruger GP-100s by trying to convince shooters that forged steel was superior to investment casting, which Ruger used. It was an amusing ad, but ultimately failed as Ruger's stainless steel was consistently consistent and Smith's steel, while fine most of the time, wasn't. In Kentucky, two cops had 681s that had wearing problems on their front sights. The leather in their holsters was wearing down the sights and the bores were being worn by the bullets. Turned out the steel was soft and someone at the factory didn't catch it. The defective parts were replaced and no more problems. But the forged steel clearly wasn't living up to hype.

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I love my 686 and other stainless Smith & Wessons, but the steel has never proven to be superior to my Rugers.

Wow, that's some in-yo-face ad copy there!

Love both my Security 6 and my 686 no dash

 

[GunnyUSMC]

Wow, that's some in-yo-face ad copy there!

Love both my Security 6 and my 686 no dash

I remember when that ad came out, it made me hungry.

 

[NIGHTLORD40K]

There's my girls....

 

[Confederate]

Love both my Security 6 and my 686 no dash.....if they were girls, I wouldn't kick either out of bed!

I don't want to know what you do with your guns in bed...okay, tell me!

Your guns look great. I have two 686s, neither of which has been shot. My no-dash hasn't been sent back to the factory for the upgrade. Has yours? I also have one of the few that have a stamped sideplate. That means I'm having it buried with me!

I remember when that ad came out, it made me hungry.

Me, too. When I saw it didn't want a S&W, I wanted steak, fries and a chocolate malt! The idiots at S&W couldn't foresee that!

On a Saturday, I'd go out and grab a burger or steak, then go look at Rugers! It wasn't that I didn't like Smiths. I just could never find them in stainless steel, and when I did they were far more expensive than I could afford. And not as strong. I don't ever recall seeing a Model 66 on a dealer's shelf...ever. So why advertise if you can't supply your base? Also, Smith had this stupid policy that if a dealer carried Ruger, they wouldn't give them any primo guns. Stupid...stupid...stupid. All the Smiths that I have I bought as an FFL holder. Most of my Rugers, too.

 

[Confederate]

By the way, that Smith & Wesson ad above was wrong. The Rugers and Smiths, even if shot a million rounds each, both would do admirably. But let's be real. In a million-round face-off, we all know which gun would still be shooting and which would be rattling and falling apart first. And it doesn't start with "R"! My gripe with the GP-100 isn't that it wasn't strong. I just thought it was a boat anchor! Still do. The Security-Six was plenty strong and I honestly think the balance was superior, not to mention the design. Bill Ruger said the company never made a dime on those revolvers, and I believe it. The framed revolver above, taken from a Ruger ad. That made me want to buy a Ruger...not a steak.

 

[NIGHTLORD40K]

I don't want to know what you do with your guns in bed...okay, tell me!

Your guns look great. I have two 686s, neither of which has been shot. My no-dash hasn't been sent back to the factory for the upgrade. Has yours? I also have one of the few that have a stamped sideplate. That means I'm having it buried with me!

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Me, too. When I saw it didn't want a S&W, I wanted steak, fries and a chocolate malt! The idiots at S&W couldn't foresee that!

On a Saturday, I'd go out and grab a burger or steak, then go look at Rugers! It wasn't that I didn't like Smiths. I just could never find them in stainless steel, and when I did they were far more expensive than I could afford. And not as strong. I don't ever recall seeing a Model 66 on a dealer's shelf...ever. So why advertise if you can't supply your base? Also, Smith had this stupid policy that if a dealer carried Ruger, they wouldn't give them any primo guns. Stupid...stupid...stupid. All the Smiths that I have I bought as an FFL holder. Most of my Rugers, too.

View attachment 780893

You mean stamped with the big company logo? Yes, mine too.
Wasn't aware of any recalls or updates.....how do I tell?

Ive got, perhaps 500 rounds downrange with the 686, and it was definitely no blushing virgin when I got her, but the carry up and timing is still perfect.

The Ruger was NIB where it had been in an older fellas dresser drawer forever. His wife didn't even know it was there until they found it while moving her into a home. There was a little soot around two chambers (probably from the factory test fire), but it appeared otherwise unfired. I'm giving her a workout now!

 

[SeanSw]

I sold my 6" security six to help fund a tapered barrel 6" gp100. The security six has more charm for me in the shorter barrel lengths because the larger guns are just utilitarian range toys for me, though I continue to desire a round butt 2 3/4" or 3" stainless model. There may be factors unaccounted for but my partner and I both shoot the gp100 better than we ever did the security six. Can't recall the age of the SS but I think our gp100 dates to 1988. I never would have justified the sale for the full lug gp100, don't care for them at all.