School Me on the Security Six

[Confederate]

As much as I love the Security-Six, I've found that if you get rid of a gun you like, you generally regret it. That said, I still urge you to get the Security-Six. It was my first handgun and I've never lost my love for it. It has a solid frame construction and can have a very smooth trigger once you dry fire it enough. I've dry fired mine so much it has an action like glass.

​

You said this gun won't do anything your .44 mag won't do, but that's moot. The .357 mag is very versatile, using .38 Spc in apartment buildings and casual carry and ferocious .357 mag ammo for outdoor and cross country use. People never believe me when I tell them a .357 mag can be a much better manstopper than a .44 mag. The latter can go through someone and continue on its merry way with a terrible waste of energy. The 125gr JHP will dump all of its energy into a person and have devastating results.

The .44 mag is great against larger animals, but the .357 is almost always better against people. They're two radically different calibers and the .357 is an astoundingly good gun for carrying on the trail or as a camping gun. And it's much lighter than a .44 mag.

 

[Bullseye]

Since the deal fell through, keep looking for a Ruger 357. I had both Security Six and Service Six in 4 inch. Shot the Service Six a lot and was quite good with it and it had fixed sites. I wasn't as happy with the adjustable sites on the Security Six. If I ever get a Ruger Security, Service, or Speed Six again, I would be happy with one 357/38 or in 38 spl only but it don't think it would be a Security Six again.
These are all tough, well built, dependable revolvers though. Classics in my opinion.

 

[RealGun]

Since the deal fell through, keep looking for a Ruger 357. I had both Security Six and Service Six in 4 inch. Shot the Service Six a lot and was quite good with it and it had fixed sites. I wasn't as happy with the adjustable sites on the Security Six. If I ever get a Ruger Security, Service, or Speed Six again, I would be happy with one 357/38 or in 38 spl only but it don't think it would be a Security Six again.
These are all tough, well built, dependable revolvers though. Classics in my opinion.

Could you describe what you didn't like about the Security Six adjustable sights?

 

[Manny]

If anybody here wants a first class set of Stag grips for their security six (or redhawk) look up Grasshorn Gunworks. Amazing grips. Here are mine

Usually I'm one more for function rather than prettying up my guns, but those grips on that pair of Rugers really look terrific.

 

[hartcreek]

Just another reason to get into casting so you can buy molds for your .44 too.

 

[Bullseye]

RealGun to me :

Could you describe what you didn't like about the Security Six adjustable sights?

I had a much harder time getting on target with them. The Service Six was more level with the frame of the gun/barrel and I just suppose I found it simpler and easier to get on target with the lower fixed sights. I really could shoot that Service Six 5 times better than the Security Six. That's just me, not that I am saying one is better than the other. I also found that the Service Six was easier to conceal. That adjustable sight although not huge did make a big difference to me. I actually wore the Service Six exterior to show considerable heavy use and I would say it shot 5000 to 10000 rounds but I never ever had a single hitch with it and it still locked up nice and tight. I think you could drop that thing off a 3 story house pick it up and fire it. Indestructible. The factory diamond grips were the same on both but with 357 I found they hurt the crotch of my hand between thumb and trigger finger. Lots of nice alternative grips available nowadays.
To echo what someone else said, I regret getting rid of that revolver. Nowadays tho, all my handguns are 40 caliber and higher with the exception of a tiny dependable .25 auto pocket pistol.

 

[Paul7]

Way more expensive, I'll bet. This prelock business moves Smith's into collector grade pricing. My only prelock is a 8 3/8" 657, but I got it quite a bit lower than some offerings I have seen. In the 4" 357 family, I don't need a better gun than my Security Six, that looks exactly like Walkalong's...same grips. I am also in the process of adding a Service Six 4".

Not really, the pre-lock 686 was $620. You're right about the collector part, I expect it to appreciate more than a Ruger.

 

[Blue Brick]

I love mine...38 only

 

[dbarale]

As much as I love the Security-Six, I've found that if you get rid of a gun you like, you generally regret it. That said, I still urge you to get the Security-Six. It was my first handgun and I've never lost my love for it. It has a solid frame construction and can have a very smooth trigger once you dry fire it enough. I've dry fired mine so much it has an action like glass.


You said this gun won't do anything your .44 mag won't do, but that's moot. The .357 mag is very versatile, using .38 Spc in apartment buildings and casual carry and ferocious .357 mag ammo for outdoor and cross country use. People never believe me when I tell them a .357 mag can be a much better manstopper than a .44 mag. The latter can go through someone and continue on its merry way with a terrible waste of energy. The 125gr JHP will dump all of its energy into a person and have devastating results.

The .44 mag is great against larger animals, but the .357 is almost always better against people. They're two radically different calibers and the .357 is an astoundingly good gun for carrying on the trail or as a camping gun. And it's much lighter than a .44 mag.

Confederate, what sights are those? Bowen rear/Millet front?

 

[Bullseye]

Brue Brick, Yep, that's the one I would love to have over the Security Six. The 4 inch Service Six in SS in 38 spl only. Shot 38 spl way more accurately than 357. You got the best one in my opinion there. My favorite revolver for all around use. I had those grips too but found the finger grips with rounded butt were just a bit more comfortable for me.

 

[RealGun]

Originally Posted by RealGun
Way more expensive, I'll bet. This prelock business moves Smith's into collector grade pricing. My only prelock is a 8 3/8" 657, but I got it quite a bit lower than some offerings I have seen. In the 4" 357 family, I don't need a better gun than my Security Six, that looks exactly like Walkalong's...same grips. I am also in the process of adding a Service Six 4".

Not really, the pre-lock 686 was $620. You're right about the collector part, I expect it to appreciate more than a Ruger.

Well, if the Ruger can be had for $400, your $620 is 55% higher.

 

[leadcounsel]

If the deal fell through because of the trade, maybe he'd sell it for cash.

Both the SKS and the Ruger are probably close in current value, so you could just buy the Ruger for around $400, and sell the SKS to cover the cost. Both will probably appreciate at the same rate too IMO.

Both the SKS and the Ruger are probably near the top of their respective food chains for their intended purposes.

The SKS is a good battle rifle, but not the best. The Ruger is a good revolver, and more near the top of its food chain, but probably not the best.

Pick the one you want (battle rifle or revolver) and go from there. Both are excellent for their intended purposes.

 

[Hullraiser]

Keep looking. Picked this one up last year in fl for $375 from a pawn shop going out of business. I bought one new blued in the 70's for $200 and sold. Missed it ever since.

 

[Cranky CJ]

Two guns on my 'won't ever sell' list. They'll be passed on to my boys. Ya there are 'better' 357 mags out there but I'll take these any day.

 

[Blue Brick]

You got the best one in my opinion there.

Thanks...

 

[Kiln]

I just bought back one I sold years ago recently. It has seen some heavy holster use but is still in excellent working condition. Mine won't win any beauty contests but to me it is a great looking gun.



There is no rust on it but the majority of the bluing is worn off. It gets oiled often.

 

[dscampbell]

this is my favorite Ruger. It started out as a police duty weapon then served two tours in Vietnam and now it resides with me.

 

[Confederate]

The Security Six won't do anything my 44 Mag won't do, with the possible exception of lasting longer. Keep in mind it would be another set of dies and bullets to buy.

Well, the Security-Six is lighter, easier to carry, a better man-stopper, is more versatile and, it's only going to go up in price, I'd suggest you strongly consider it. The .357 is a superior home defense gun. True, one can use any gun for home defense, even a .44 mag; however, the .44 magnum is a substantially heavier gun. And I'm assuming you'll be using .44 spc ammo in the big gun, so unless you load it hot (not recommended), I believe using .38 +P in a medium frame gun would be a better option.

Also, a .357 is a much better trail, camping and overall outdoor gun because of its weight and power. You can recover from the recoil faster. It also makes a better travel gun and traveling cross country gun. It fits nicely in a glove compartment and is readily available. And if you had to shoot while driving (something I thought I was going to have to do in the early 80s, when some psycho began to act like he wanted to play "bumper cars" with me on an Interstate Highway), a .357 is the way to go.

The .44 mag and the .41 are about the same, but not the .44 mag and .357.



These are two Ruger Security-Sixes, both with rounded butts and
Millet sights on the 4-inch. They're incredible guns.

 

[Confederate]

I just bought back one I sold years ago recently. It has seen some heavy holster use but is still in excellent working condition. Mine won't win any beauty contests but to me it is a great looking gun. There is no rust on it but the majority of the bluing is worn off. It gets oiled often.

Wow. What's the story on this gun?? About how many rounds does it have through it?

Have you ever considered having it hard chromed? It would stop wear and tear on all parts, including the barrel, protect it from corrosion, reduce the need for lubrication and might make the gun more presentable. I had my Beretta 70S done by Mahovsky's and he did a fabulous job. (People keep wanting to buy it or arrange a trade.) More on hard chroming here.



They even polished it a bit for free, making it look exactly like
a stainless gun.

Great photo, by the way!

 

[RealGun]

Yesterday I shot a box of 50 reloads from my 4" Security Six with just a couple breaks to brush out the chambers and cool a bit. The gun was really hot but still shooting well. The .357 Magnum rounds were robust but not full power. I was shooting 125gr LRNFP with 11.0 gr HS-6 and magnum primers. The ammo was intended for my smaller .357s, but I was more interested in shooting the Security Six. I find it a gun with which I bonded very quickly. It's staying.

 

[Confederate]

Confederate, what sights are those? Bowen rear/Millet front?

Sorry I missed this, dbarale. The sights are Millet. The worst thing about the Security-Six are the aluminum sights. Apparently they're dependable and quite durable; however, when the black wears off they're butt ugly. Some people use Sharpies to blacken the sights, and this seems to work, but the Millet sights are clearly better quality. Don't know if they're still available.

 

[RugRev]

"Don't know if they're still available"

Unfortunately, no. Wish they were. Really miss the blaze orange front sights as they jumped right out compared to various sight inserts I tried over the years. Still, have a front one for a GP100 I use with a Bowen rear.

 

[silicosys4]

I wouldn't mind finding one of the centerfire six series, but they are like the DW revolvers, sometime in the last five years they became collectible. I gave up on finding a good security six and ended up buying a 586-2 for cheaper than I could find a ruger for!

 

[TenDriver]

Thanks for all the replies.

The deal for the Ruger fell through so I'm still at two pistols. Playing around with some 44 loads has produced some extremely easy shooting ammo that a small child could handle (think 2.0gn of 700-X. It even works in my rifle).

Wouldn't mind having a 357, but it's not in the cards right now.