Gun supposedly presented to Bill Ruger?

[Drache]

Presented by Navy Arms to Bill Ruger" Top Ten" of 1974 outstanding American handgun ER award

So Bill Ruger would be none other than William B. Ruger, as of Sturm & Ruger fame. In 1975 he won the Outstanding American Handgunner Award

2018-01-17 19_21_07-bill_ruger.jpg

So it is no surprise he would be in the "Top Ten" for the year previous. But is the gun real? If so, how did it get to Canada?

I've contacted Navy Arms as well as American Handgunner Magazine to see if they know more.

[spider69]

So Bill Ruger would be none other than William B. Ruger, as of Sturm & Ruger fame. In 1975 he won the Outstanding American Handgunner Award

2018-01-17 19_21_07-bill_ruger.jpg

So it is no surprise he would be in the "Top Ten" for the year previous. But is the gun real? If so, how did it get to Canada?

I've contacted Navy Arms as well as American Handgunner Magazine to see if they know more.

Are you in possession of the revolver and what leads you to believe it isn't real?

[Drache]

Are you in possession of the revolver and what leads you to believe it isn't real?

I bought the revolver before noticing the engraving. Just waiting for the transfer to be finished. The only reason I'm wondering the authenticity is because the gun was branded by a Canadian Company. Sold by Navy Arms yet the barrel is branded by a Canadian Company. So it seems unlikely the gun would have gone to Canada then down into the US and presented to someone so well known. The other option might have been that the gun was presented to Ruger and then somehow went back to NAvy Arms where it was then sold along with other guns to this Canadian Company?

[Dewey Cox]

Perhaps it's a commemorative edition?

[Camo tung]

The first "N" in "Handgunner" looks to be either a different font or a mistake in the stamping. All the other "N" in the inscription match except for that one. Hopefully Navy Arms' records are as good as Colt and S&W's and you can research teh serial number fully.

[Drache]

The first "N" in "Handgunner" looks to be either a different font or a mistake in the stamping. All the other "N" in the inscription match except for that one. Hopefully Navy Arms' records are as good as Colt and S&W's and you can research teh serial number fully.

Well there is a thought. Maybe it was supposed to be presented to Bill Ruger but the engraving didn't turn out so they instead just rebranded it with the Canadian Company and sold it to them.

Perhaps it's a commemorative edition?

That was my original thought although I can't find another like it anywhere online.

[Drache]

Well sadly Navy Arms closed it's doors in 2001. The Navy Arms that operates now just uses their name and has no records of the previous company.

[JustBen]

Maybe contact Ruger and see if they have anything? It's a neat piece of history if that's the case... but they may want to acquire it from you...

[Drache]

Contacted Ruger and was told they wouldn't know anything about this sort of thing and forwarded me to a Ruger Forum so I posted it there. Still awaiting a reply as well from American Handgunner magazine.

[FALover]

...and the mystery continues.