November 5th & 6th 2016 Premier Firearms Sale
This lot is closed for bidding. Bidding ended on 11/5/2016
This early pistol was introduced in 1949 and was the first handgun made by the new firm of Sturm Ruger & Co. The early models feature the red medallion on left side but upon the death of Alexander Sturm in 1952, the emblems were changed to black; 27,000 were manufactured prior to that point. This pistol was manufactured in 1950, during the second full year of production and are referred to by collectors as the Red Eagle Auto. These early models features the fixed rear sight, blued finish, and black composite grips; and also feature enlarged ejector port implemented in November 1950 at serial range 10200 and referred to as the 'Changed of 1950'. The red logo has the four feathers and no letter. These pistols were fairly expensive with an introductory price of $57.50 in 1950 and were considered one of the most reliable .22 semi-automatics ever produced. This particular example retains approximately 95-98% original factory blue and shows no signs of any real use or wear. Grips are near mint with a bit of flaking on the red logo on left panel. Fine bore and action.