Ruger Security Six

Ruger introduced the Security-Six and its variants in 1972 and the series enjoyed a long production life, ending in 1988.  This was Ruger’s first attempt at double action revolvers and was aimed at the military, police, and civilian defense markets. The design of the Security-Six and its siblings; the Speed-Six and the Service-Six, was intentionally robust with large, heavy-duty parts for durability.  The series enjoyed quite a sales success commercially and was deployed by various Federal government agencies, military units, and numerous Police departments in the U.S., as well as plentiful foreign sales. The GP100 replaced the Security-Six in the Ruger lineup.

The -Six variants were mostly identical in basic design, with minor differences in sights (fixed or adjustable), barrel lengths, and frame shape (round or square butt).  Albeit still a medium-framed size, the -Six series was significantly more robust in many ways than its Colt and S&W competitors. The early production models were all blued carbon steel but stainless steel versions of all models began to see production in 1975.

An important Ruger innovation for its time introduced with the -Six series was a simplified and straightforward disassembly process, which required no tools except a flat-head screwdriver for grip panel removal. This, together with its coil hammer spring design makes thorough routine maintenance easier and quicker than competitive guns of the era.

The -Six series was produced in multiple calibers, including: 357 Magnum (capable of 357mag and 38spl), 38 Special (only), 38 S&W (British 380-200), and 9mm Luger (utilizing a moon clip).

We got our hands on a 1980 vintage Security Six trade-in that was in excellent aesthetic and mechanical condition - aside from a mangled spring inside the rear sight which was easily replaced. Testing and sight regulation protocols following the repair yielded an opportunity to put the gun through its paces at the range, dredging up a bit of nostalgia for some of our bunch who owned or coveted one “back in the day.”  Ruger had been developing some exceptional innovations in its manufacturing process in those days, many of which have become “standard” these days in the production of high quality firearms across the industry. Instead of skimping on materials and workmanship in the production process to reduce costs, Ruger found a method of cost control that actually increased reliability and durability at the same time. Consequently, its entry into the double action revolver market paved the way for a rise to the forefront of this genre.

There’s nothing really extraordinary or “sexy” about the -Six when compared to today’s guns in the same genre. Its ergonomics result in a great fit for shooters with medium-to-small hands, allowing them to better handle the powerful .357 Mag cartridge.  While the gun is no “lightweight” it is still small enough (snub-nose models, at least) to be easily concealed and, with a proper holster, can be carried very comfortably. Compared to the ultra-light, ultra-small revolvers on the market today, shooting the snubby version of the -Six leaves one feeling like he/she’s handling a “real gun” instead of the “plastic toy” feel of the modern crop.

Results of our test firing yielded no surprises - rugged, accurate, reliable. The old Ruger feels substantial when in use and puts bullets on target with a minimum expenditure of shooter skills.  Our resident marksman had no trouble producing a 1” 5-shot group at 10 yards (offhand) with our benchmark ammo, and the rest of us turned in performances as good as we normally do with any of our high-quality revolvers. The gun is easy to shoot well with no “warts” that need a work-around.

Conclusion:  Ruger made A LOT of these guns during the 16 year production run, so finding one on the used market should not pose much of a problem, and the large quantity means that the price should be relatively reasonable.  Given that there is no medium frame, 6 shot, short barrel revolver available today except a new GP100 that would cost at least twice as much, one who appreciates high quality in a “service” revolver could become an owner of a “-Six” for a lot less money.

Respectfully Submitted
The Bunker Bunch
July, 2016

As always, your constructive comments and suggestions are welcome.

P.S. -- July 21, 2016

Shortly after we published the article above one of our bunch brought out his personal Security Six with factory target grips - as shown in the picture below.

The extra beef in these grip panels made the gun easier to handle for those of us with larger hands and made target shooting a bit more pleasant.  While true that these grip panels do not enhance the gun for every day carry or concealment purposes, they are definately a + for range duty.

This version also had a longer barrel than the one we tested before, so the additional sight radius helped those of us with “eyes of a geezer” to get better target scores.  We don’t believe the increased barrel length adds much, if anything, to the mechanical accuracy of the gun but, in the words of a wise old pistolier; “there’s no substitute for sight radius when trying to throw lead at small circles.”

This range session confirmed our earlier opinion of the -Six; that it is a wonderful old gun and a great value on the market today.