RCA

TULSA  RUGER  COLLECTORS

DISPLAY SHOW 2004

by Bill Hamm

Photography by Matt Olivier

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Ed. Note: Recently, while searching my office for a scope mount, I found a CD from Bill Hamm. On it were the text and pictures of this article, about which I had totally forgotten, that Bill had mailed me a year ago! Being the gentlemen that he is, Bill had never said a word to me about my failure to post this article. I post this article now, just over a year after it was written (well, old Rugers are still old Rugers!) with my sincerest and humblest apologies to Bill Hamm and Matt Olivier, who took the fine photographs.

Check out Gunblast.com's coverage of previous Ruger Collectors shows at RCA Show 2004, RCA Show 2003, RCA Show 2002 and RCA Show 2001.

Boge Quinn

Joe Wanenmacher’s Tulsa Arms Show, Tulsa, OK

October 23-24,  2004

This year’s annual Ruger Collectors Association Display show was hosted again by Mr. Joe Wanenmacher at his great 3,600 table Tulsa Arms show.  If you have never been to one of his shows you are really missing an experience of a lifetime.  Just ask a few of the collectors who made the trip for the first time…no doubt we will see them next year!!  Over eleven acres of guns and such under one roof.  We are very fortunate to have this show hosted annually by Mr. Wanenmacher and every Ruger collector and lover should support this event if at all possible.

There were ten Ruger Displays at this year’s event.  As you will see in the display descriptions, no doubt, this group of displays had some of the rarest and most interesting Rugers ever assembled in one show.   There were five Spanish engraved Single-Sixes in the displays.  That is 25% of the Spanish guns in one place at one time that were shipped over four decades ago!!  Not only that but four of those Spanish were consecutively numbered.  They were #5100, #5101, #5102, and #5103. 

The Ruger displays did very well in the Tulsa Show Promoter’s judging winning 1st and 2nd place.  This speaks very highly for our beloved Rugers.

There were more minty and rare Rugers for sale during the show than I have ever seen at Tulsa.  There was a lot of dealing and trading and even pairing up of consecutive guns.  To name some that were seen for sale …consecutive serial numbered sets of two and three digit Single-Six Light Weights, consecutive numbered .44 Flattops with a factory letter stating that they were shipped as pairs, a Whitebox Super Blackhawk in its properly numbered shipping carton, # 17 Super Blackhawk and # 17 Hawkeye, about twenty other Hawkeyes,  Super Blackhawks in their mahogany boxes,  several 10” bbl. .357s and .44s, several other .44 and .357 Flattops of different variations,  rare 4-5/8” barrel SC4, rare 6-1/2” Super Blackhawk,  rare 7-1/2” .44 Flattop with non-fluted cylinder and XR3-RED grip frame,  New-In-Box (NIB) .30 Carbines, excellent Blackhawks, Single-Six Flatgates and Lightweights, Single-sixes, a rare stainless Bisley .22 caliber 4-5/8” “Shootist”, several rare and scarce new models new in their shippers, etc., etc.  Lots of memorabilia was for sale, even a rare “casting tree” was available.

The displays are listed below.  The collector’s name and a brief description of the display is also given.  We also list the top three winning RCA displays, the 1st & 2nd Tulsa Show Promoter’s displays, and the Best Gun of the show.

THE EARLY DAYS: LOW NUMBERED .44 “FLATTOPS”, by Dale Dalbotten

Dale displayed 18 pristine examples of two and three digit .44 Flattops.  Low  # 51 and high # 997.  Beautiful factory stags and ivories adorned many of these great guns.  There was a triple play of # 696, 697, & 698 that is hard to match!!

 (click pictures for a larger version)

 

   

RUGER BISLEYS , by Bob Nelson

Bob’s complete Bisley display has an example of all of the 16 original guns; 4 in .22 caliber, 4 in .32 Magnum, and one fluted and non-fluted roll engraved cylinder each of the .357, .41, .44, and .45 calibers.  Five special issue Bisleys which included the RCA issued .32 Magnums and the extremely rare “Tom Ruger Shootist”, 1 of 52 produced.

(click pictures for a larger version)

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