Reeder Custom Guns - The Ruger so rare that nobody wants one...

mainly, I suppose, because nobody has heard of it. Back between 1996 and 1998, Ruger did short runs of high polished stainless Single Sixes with fixed sights (baby Vaquero) which were a hot number, then again circa 2009-2011, total of maybe 1000-2000 made. Also, 1996-1998 they did a high polish stainless Super Single Six Convertible, which apparently didn't sell well, only made 500-600 of them and no repeat. It sure cleans up easily (and also resists rust better since surface gets thoroughly cleaned) , has great sights, and a shame it never caught on.

Also, with all the 1911 talk periodically, I'd like to present Old Blotchy, my earliest 1944 gun marked as "field serviced", it is 100% GI past the front strap stippling, will put an entire magazine to POA inside 2" at 25yds, and will not malfunction with ball even when fired with arm fully extended to side, wrist bent forward 90° held as loosely as possible without shooting myself and magazine emptied as fast as I can pull the trigger. It worked then and it works now.

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Here is another rare Ruger. Only 52 made. I have 2 of them and am looking to sell this one. It has never been fired and I don't believe it has been cocked since it left the factory.

Tom Ruger Memorial
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and if I weren't happy with my 1976 Blackhawk .45 convertible with same 4 5/8ths" barrel, I'd be pestering you after that one to get the stainless. I'm about 14yrs younger than you, but getting old enough to prefer parkerize and stainless over blueing, just not enough to betray my old pal.

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but it has always been that way with me and most everyone I know. Whether it's guns or cars or women or ...??? And usually we make up arguments and reasons to support our attachments, whether they really make sense or not.

Someone asks me why I like XXX over YYY and anymore I try to say "Because!" :-D :-) ;-)

at making excuses to fulfill all our desires. "If I only had THIS, why, I could....", starts off about every gun purchase, and why I pat myself on the back when I don't get it, remembering all those other guns or fill-in-the-blanks that never quite delivered on expected happiness, and then starting the hunt all over again, time for another cookie or I'll cry. I mainly try to stick with what I have nowadays, or if something new arrives then two olds depart. And I hate ditching long time companions that punch just as good a hole as anything new.

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is that collectors are a picky lot, and given the above gun dates back about 30yrs ago, many collectors have never heard of it, and there must be demand for value to increase. In addition, a collector, even if they wanted one to round out a set, would want one NIB with poly sleeve, little Ruger padlock, paperwork, outer protective sleeve for the grey plastic case, and etc etc...

This gun was stumbled across with case and paperwork, only, had been fired with only the LR cylinder to the tune of less than a box of ammo going by uncleaned gun fouling and original preservative on rear of cylinder. Otherwise, not the slightest mark on the high gloss finish or grips, still factory preservative on sights, and I paid the same for it as the going rate for a high condition used standard Single Six of same mid 90s vintage, and less than a new one would cost. Poor neglected baby needed an appreciative home, especially considering its lock-up, lack of play/end shake, and sub-0.0025 barrel/cylinder gap.

Also, to clarify production numbers, they did 500-600 of the 5.5" and ditto for the 6.5". Still an uncommon gun, and at common gun prices, and I think it a bargain both for cosmetics and virtues of the finish, and a shame all the stainless are not done so. The only other thing I wished they'd ever made was the original pre-Super frame with drift adjustable blued rear and blued front sight on a high polish stainless gun, but this will do in its place. I always liked the Single Six, its grip to frame and cylinder and barrel ratio, and balance, much as a Civil War Colt cap and ball revolver.

got one of these for my son many years ago. it was a real shooter with either cylinder, and was like new in its box.

he loved it and i got him a high polish stainless blackhawk with 45 colt and 45 acp cylinders, to match it. unforunately the single 6 got stolen.

in the meantime i found another of those high polish single 6 with both cylinders and got it for myself.

being a good dad i gave him mine, after his was stolen. doubt if i will ever find another one.

i do have a single 6 dual cylinder in satin finish..... maybe i could polish it but not sure i have the skill to do a good job of it.

but actually owned, not one, but two of them, which for me is probably rarer than ever seeing another one. Mine shoots better than Single Six average, a lot better, and when I can hold off buck fever, have done sub-1" cylinders at 25yds, but those are getting rarer with age and less shooting. That was a very good "good dad" thing you did.

what good is an 'old dad' [ i will be 79 in less than 2 months ] if i cant do this kind of thing for a son who loves his guns [ and his dad ]

and I'd do the same if I had any children, but both wives had already been fixed by the time I married them. So, I try to do the same for others. I was really wanting a 5.5" as my two 6.5", OM and NM, just did not work for my carry, so, I knew two low wage earners with kids, those low wage earners had real concern over a CT result of mine and prayed for me, and so naturally they got the two surplus guns, and ammo, and what it took to clean them. They were delighted and so were their spouses and children. Yep, you are a good dad.

and muddied the collector waters enough by doing so that minus the box with end label showing the SN and GKNR-5 or -6 catalog number, the default assumption is that it is not a factory job, especially if outside the known SN range and years of production. There even have been examples of from Ruger factory workers polishing their own guns outside of special run SN blocks/years, but documenting that has been nearly impossible, even though the worker owned it and said he did it himself, it all undocumented past a much later statement by the worker, zero from factory backing up the story.

Mine has the highest known SN yet recorded, the Ruger SN table shows it outside known years of production BUT their look-up tool where you enter the SN shows it shipped a year earlier inside the known range and lists it by its proper catalog number. All to show their tables are not exact, especially for special limited runs.

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