older Rugers, chambered in .38 special query

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thunderbyrd

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Hello! this is my 1st thread/post beyond the introduction. i'm seeking to find the model number or designation for Ruger revolvers made before 1980 which were chambered for .38 only.

i was hired as a correctional officer (fancy title for "prison guard") in 1980. we did not, of course, carry firearms inside the institution, but on transportation and hospital details, we carried Ruger 6 shot revolvers in .38 special, 4 inch barrel. we all had to qualify every year with them and i loved those pistols! they were solid, heavy, easy (imo) to shoot. if you ran out of bullets, they'd make a dandy club.

i was also the unit armorer for a national guard aviation unit for awhile. we had about 30 handguns, all of which were revolvers, and about half of those were the type of ruger i'm talking about. the company commander came and told me to always issue him a ruger, because i had made the mistake of issuing him a ... i won't say what brand. i'm new here.

i have tried searching the internet for one, but i can't get one to show up, because i don't know the model. i get the new rugers, which look like fine firearms (and i will probably end up with one of the newer ones) but not the one i'm hunting for.

anybody know what gun i'm talking about? they surely made millions of them. one last thing i can say about them is that they almost didn't look like a modern firearm, they kind of looked, to me, like an old west pistol.
 
It has to be a "Six Series" which were Security Six, Service Six and Speed Six. They were the first Ruger DA revolvers. They came in 2.75", 4" and 6". There were 3" special contract guns also All were available in 38 spl., 9mm, .380 and .357 magnum blue and stainless. If you go to gun broker and look at the auctions under security, service or speed six you could ID the specific model you carried. The Speed Six came with round butt and fixed sights. Security Six were adjustable sights. Ruger stopped manufacturing them in late 1988 and when the GP100 and SP101 were released.
 
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Indeed they must have been the Six series. A quick Google search, or search of this site will provide you with a myriad of photos to peruse. But just because I'm sucker for any chance to drop a picture of it, here is a 4" Stainless Security Six wearing a set of target grips. This one is chambered for 357, but the 38spl models were identical 20181208_132738.jpg
 
yep, those are the guns i'm talking about. there is just a "solidness" about them that i liked a lot. i carried a S&W 686 when i worked for the KSP and that is a fine firearm. but the rugers had a different feel.

i thank y'all for helping me with this.
 
Most likely a Service Six as those are the ones I have come across most often chambered in 38 spl. Security Sixes seem to mostly be in 357 and Speed Sixes also mostly in 357 with 9mm here and there.

The 380 versions are pretty rare no matter what configuration it may have came in.
 
Yep. Service-Six was the 38 Special version of the Ruger Speed (fixed sight)/Security-Six (adjustable sight) 357's.

I had one myself a few years back. The only one I've ever seen. Standard 4", fixed sight, 38, with service type grips. I don't remember if I ever shot it or not.
 
@Jimfern Security Six has fixed sights like a Service or Speed six. I have run across those here and there chambered in both 357 and 38. I have owned a fixed sight Security six with the 2 3/4 barrel in 357 and a Service six (which apparently only came in a fixed sight version) with 2 3/4” barrel and 357.

My Security six was a 150 series as well so maybe this was an early configuration that got phased out.
 
CraigC said:
They were probably 4" Security Six .357's and you were issued .38Spl ammunition.
Click to expand...

no, Craig they were chambered for .38 special. they didn't want us dumb guards to hurt anybody - does that make any sense? if they could have got by providing us with .22s, they would have. or BB guns.

i don't know how corrections are in other states, but in Kentucky, the administration never acted like guards were worth much.

edit to add: but regardless, i have always been of the opinion that a .38 special hollowpoint put in the right place is a plenty enough effective bullet.
 
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I had a 1972 Security Six and it was a little lighter in weight than the 1986 Security Six I have now. The barrel on the 150 series gun was a little slimmer, more like a model 15 barrel. The 1986 gun has a barrel more like the model 19 in size and gun weight. I sold the 1972 model and kept the 1986 version. Both were very nice guns and with a hammer spring change and nothing else they now have very nice trigger pulls. The factory springs were really heavy.
 
thunderbyrd said:
thanks for posting that. i see one on there with a lanyard loop. that's probably the one i ought to buy. i could hang it on a string around my neck and MAYBE i wouldn't lose it, like i lose everything these days.
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Looking at that gun I see lots of external wear and the grips are a little beat up but the ratchet, recoil shield and back of the barrel show almost no wear. The price is sort of high but I guess thats the new normal these days. You can get new grips for that frame design and touch up blue is your friend if a little wear bothers you. That gun should last a lifetime with just a little care. And the prices aren't getting lower any time soon.
 
thunderbyrd said:
no, Craig they were chambered for .38 special. they didn't want us dumb guards to hurt anybody - does that make any sense? if they could have got by providing us with .22s, they would have. or BB guns.

i don't know how corrections are in other states, but in Kentucky, the administration never acted like guards were worth much.

edit to add: but regardless, i have always been of the opinion that a .38 special hollowpoint put in the right place is a plenty enough effective bullet.
Click to expand...
New York DOC guards used 38spl S&W Model 10s before they went to semi autos too. I picked up two of them a couple years ago when the trade ins hit the market. So collateral damage concerns from .357 wasn't unique to Kentucky DOC. I agree with you that a well chosen 38spl defensive round in the right hands can be plenty effective. Ruger no longer supports the six series revolvers in case you didn't know. Good luck with your search.
 
I have a Ruger "Police Service Six" chambered in 38 Special Only. There is a stamp on it "CCH" which means Cook County Hospital.

As far as i know, the chambers are not bored to 357 magnum depth, and the rollmark says 38 and not 357. It is a 357 magnum designed gun that was made to be a .38 only, and not the other way around.

As to the reasoning for this, i can only speculate.
357 appealed to LEO for cardoor, windshield, and or barrier penetration. Most of these are less of a conceen for security guards or corrections officers. Over penetration, muzzle blast, and controllability, leading to poor performance on qualification tests also could play a role. Again, im speculating.
 
well, for whatever bit of interest, i spoke with my father last night and he's giving me a S&W .357. i'm not sure what model it is, it's stainless with pretty small wooden grips, 4" barrel. he never shoots it because he's got a Taurus with a 6" barrel that he likes better.

but i'm still interested in Rugers.
 
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