The rarest Ruger - Campfire Tales

Guns Magazine, Sept, 2003 by John Taffin

Elmer Keith Skeeter Skelton Bill Jordan. Col. Rex Applegate. Col. Walter Walsh. Col. Jeff Cooper. Never in my wildest young dreams did I ever envision I would someday know these larger than life men. All members of the Greatest Generation and unless something happens to change the direction of this country, we will never see their like again.

I must admit to a little bit of hero worship on my part where they are concerned, and even a condition of being somewhat awestruck. An outstanding member of this group was certainly Bill Ruger Sr. Not so many years ago, I found myself in his office interviewing him and the plan was for me to then go to his home and spend the night. Here I was talking with the Old Man himself and actually being invited to spend the weekend with him. Let's back up a mite and see how all things came together.

If we are fortunate, we each have at least one great idea in our lifetime. Mine was given to me from .on High nearly 20 years ago and resulted in the forming of The Shootists. By inspiration, I had written a fictional piece concerning a dozen sixgunners gathering together for a week of shooting and sharing of ideas on a Colorado ranch. Those involved all agreed that we should make fiction into fact, and the result was the gathering of 25 sixgunners for the first Shootists Holiday held on a ranch 10 miles north of Freedom, Wyo. in 1986.

Those in attendance wanted to continue what we found at the first gathering. So everyone present became a charter member and we have continued to grow and meet each year -- rendezvous-style -- to shoot, fellowship, and pick each other's brains. Members of The Shootists include gunwriters from the major magazines, custom gunsmiths and gunbuilders, industry people, and others who simply enjoy sixguns and sixgunners.

During the past decade and a half, The Shootists Holiday has truly become the Mecca for sixgunners. Attendance is by invitation only as we have grown to the point we simply cannot handle any more in the current rendezvous space we have in New Mexico.

Over the years, as we gathered in the evenings to fellowship and rest up from long days of burning powder, we talked about coming up with a special sixgun just for Shootists. We talked and talked, and never really did anything about it until Terry Murbach, now of Cor-Bon, took the project to heart. After talking with several Shootists, Murbach decided the Shootists' Sixgun should be in everyone's favorite caliber -- the lowly but beloved .22 Long Rifle. It would be a gun everyone could afford to own and shoot, and it would be a single action.

To this end Murbach contacted Tom Ruger to explore the possibility of Ruger doing something they had never done before, namely make a very small special run of one-of-a-kind sixguns for some very special sixgunners. Tom Ruger was favorable to the idea. This was in the spring of 1992.

During that summer my duties with American Handgunner Magazine took me to the Ruger factory and I found myself sitting in the office of Bill Ruger Sr. Express orders were given to his secretary we were not to be disturbed. As we talked about things in general, the phone that was not supposed to ring did so. Bill Roger was noticeably irritated that his instructions not to be disturbed were not carried out. However I could tell by his end of the conversation this was a very serious and important call.

When he got off the phone he shared the unfortunate news that Tom Ruger was terminally ill. In less than six months, shooters everywhere lost a valued friend. I'll never forget that day and I've felt a special bond with Bill Ruger ever since. You don't share something like this with a man and not be touched.

This could easily have been the end of the Shootists' Special project but Murbach and I discussed it and it was decided he would write Bill Ruger to see if it was possible to get it back on track. The Senior Ruger was more than willing to see this project, which had taken on such additional meaning, proceed to completion. He ordered 52 special Ruger Bisley .22s and the Shootists/Tom Ruger Commemorative was turned over to one of the Ruger engineers.

Initially Bill Sr. was told it couldn't be done. Only this past year I learned from a retired employee very close to him, that when Bill Ruger heard this he got on the phone with a blistering message making it very plain this was his factory and they could darn well do anything he asked.

Murbach soon received word the project was a go again, and in a few months we received word that 52 Shootists' Sixguns would be made. All would go to Tedd Adamovich of BluMagnum Grips and T&T Engraving for special engraving. Two of this number were to go back to Ruger to be retained by the family.

This rarest of Rugers is a .22 caliber, stainless steel Bisley with a barrel length of 4 5/8 inches. This made it the only stainless Bisley ever, as well as the only .22 Bisley of that length ever factory built. Grips are standard Bisley wood with Ruger medallion. Sights are black, rear adjustable and ramp front. It is pictured on page 267 in Wilson's book, Ruger And His Guns.