Collectible: The Ruger Lightweight ‘Tri Color’ Single Six

This gun was produced when Ruger was just starting out in the 1950’s. The first Ruger guns were actually produced in one building that was once a barn. The gripframe, frame, and cylinder are made of aluminum.

These guns are rarely seen in the wild. It you stumble across one and are a collector, pick it up!

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Even with the success of the Single-Six, Ruger felt there was a part of the single-action market not being served. Could this void be filled with the introduction of a lighter weight handgun? A gun that would appeal to a younger generation of handgun shooters and feminine enthusiasts, a revolver that would be less cumbersome than the steel guns for the hunter or hiker to pack on a trip into the wilderness? Ruger had been experimenting with the use of aluminum in handgun manufacture. After rigorous testing in the field, as well as under laboratory conditions, he developed a new lighter weight version of the Single-Six.

By the end of 1955, pilot models had been produced and tests completed. The new revolver was identical to the original Single-Six, except that the cylinder frame and cylinder were of cast aluminum-alloy. It weighed 23 ounces empty—12 ounces lighter than the Single-Six. Steel parts (barrel, ejector housing, hammer, springs, screws, etc.) were produced from the same steel as used in the standard Single-Six. The barrel was shortened to 45/8 inches (Single-Six barrels are 5½ inches). The strength and durability of the new aluminum revolver was many times greater than required under most conditions.

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