I have a decision to make. A local gun shop has a Ruger Security Six, blued, .357 Mag revolver in a 4" barrel. The owner will sell it to me for $200. It is in perfect condition, it does not appear to have been used at all (no drag marks on cylinder, rock solid lockup, no endshake, no wear marks on any of the surfaces you would expect to find them).
The problem is this; being pessimistic by nature, I called up Ruger's parts department to check on the availability of parts for this gun. The person on the other end was quite pleasant, but she informed me that spare parts for the Security Six/Speed Six are becoming very limited, as they have not been in production for 15 years. She said barrel replacement is still possible, but not for much longer as they are almost out of barrels. Right now barrels are only being replaced if the barrel is destroyed or otherwise completely unservicable. Other importand small parts are also in short supply. Basically, she gave me the impression that Ruger considers 15 years to be an eternity and that this gun will be a spare parts orphan as soon as the parts run dry.
Although the Ruger is in great shape, I worry that years down the road, if I need to replace parts, they will not be available. I handload and shoot my firearms A LOT, so wear and tear will be an issue eventually.
I do love the look and feel of the Security Six (owned one in 1986, bought it just after I graduated from high school, but sold it about 13 years ago). It has a more flowing lines to it and is less massive than the GP100 (which I also like), but I do not want to own a paperweight should the parts supply run dry. Thoughts anyone?
The problem is this; being pessimistic by nature, I called up Ruger's parts department to check on the availability of parts for this gun. The person on the other end was quite pleasant, but she informed me that spare parts for the Security Six/Speed Six are becoming very limited, as they have not been in production for 15 years. She said barrel replacement is still possible, but not for much longer as they are almost out of barrels. Right now barrels are only being replaced if the barrel is destroyed or otherwise completely unservicable. Other importand small parts are also in short supply. Basically, she gave me the impression that Ruger considers 15 years to be an eternity and that this gun will be a spare parts orphan as soon as the parts run dry.
Although the Ruger is in great shape, I worry that years down the road, if I need to replace parts, they will not be available. I handload and shoot my firearms A LOT, so wear and tear will be an issue eventually.
I do love the look and feel of the Security Six (owned one in 1986, bought it just after I graduated from high school, but sold it about 13 years ago). It has a more flowing lines to it and is less massive than the GP100 (which I also like), but I do not want to own a paperweight should the parts supply run dry. Thoughts anyone?
