Rifle Production Numbers by Model
Posted: Mon Jan 20, 2025 2:08 am
Is there any reference to the numbers of No.1’s produced by model after the prefix numbers were introduced?
Not definitive yet... but I am working on it.
A few months ago I did an article in Red Eagle News Exchange on stainless number 1's with production quantities (units shipped).
And I am slowly going backward in Ruger's serial number lookup page for this kind of info on the Number 1.
One thing of note however, if the serial number was not noted in Ruger's records digitally, Ruger's serial number lookup page will not have that info.
The good thing is, the cataloged models from that era (generally 1984 and earlier) will be cataloged models, so there were very few additional non-cataloged models from the beginning of the prefix system until 1984... so we can only give estimates.
I did find an interesting little quirk a few weeks ago. While going through this process of going through Ruger's serial number lookup page, I noticed there didn't seem to be any room for the 1B 6.5 Rem mag. to have a number within Ruger's model number sequence. If assigned the caliber as a 1B it would have been in the model number range of 1310 to 1319... but those were all taken up by other calibers, the 1318 by the later introduced 1B .338 and the 1319 by the even later production of the 1B in .257 Roberts.
So on a hunch I asked the ladies at Ruger if a known serial number of a 1B in 6.5 Mag. had a model number associated with it. And while at it I also asked about a 1B in .222 with digit prefix serial number as well as an example of the rare 1H .45-70 Liberty. These last two also didn't fit in the sequence of Ruger's model numbers.
She told me none of these three had a model number associated with those particular model/caliber combinations.
This tells me that Ruger's model number system started about 1969 when Ruger's firearms went to the serial number prefix.
And that also told me that the prefixed 1B's in .222, the 1B's in 6.5 Rem. Mag. and the 1H Liberties in .45-70 were very likely leftover barreled actions from the non prefix days!!!
Chet15