Soliciting help identifying Ruger .44 mag flat top

[Shuz]

Yesterday at a gun show, I spied a Ruger .44 mag, 3 screw, old model flat top that is in really nice condition. There was absolutely no bluing worn off,all screws were unbuggered, the grips were black hard rubber(?) with the Ruger logo. The usual wear spot on the base pin was missing any peening from recoil, and the hand and ratchet were pristine. Now here come the rub....The complete backstrap and grip frame was not the usual anodized aluminum, but rather a flat black that looked like it may be steel? The serial number is 226XX. which indicates it was mf'd in 1959. Did Ruger ever offer such an option? HELP!

[lefty o]

sounds like its been refinished.

[Nueces]

I don't believe Ruger offered a steel grip frame for the old flat tops (Outpost75?). However, back in the 70s, there was a southern Colorado toolmaker named Dick Martel who offered custom services for Ruger SAs, including a steel grip frame made to the XR3-RED design. Martel's grip frame was made to accept both the early and late style trigger springs, so that would be a good clue if the Ruger you saw had this grip frame - check the frame with a magnet and remove a grip to check for the internal pins for a new model trigger spring.

Martel would go over the entire revolver with an India stone file to smooth and blend all surfaces to perfection, then do a mild sandblast before finishing. I have one of his jobs on a 6 1/2" Blackhawk 44 Magnum. Work of art, it is.

[contender1]

I agree that it sounds as if it was refinished.
That serial number puts it as being made/shipped in 1960,, not 1959. (Per RENE guide which is more accurate than Ruger's website.)
In 1957,, the grips were standardized to have walnuts,, & not the butaphane rubber ones.
And lastly,, it'd be easy to check the g/f as a factory one. In that era, the Flattops were all using a XR3 shape. And they were marked with XR3 on the g/f. In October 1957,, the marking included "Alcoa G" in a smaller size than the earlier guns. That was from the foundry.
With that serial number,, it's be a "Type 4" FT 44 Blackhawk. Serial number ranged from 14127 up to 29852 for that variation.

The "transition" from a XR3 to a XR3-RED g/f didn't happen until much later.

An interesting collector note; If the barrel had an "Eagle" on it,, it would have been one of only 725 of the FT's to have it. The serial number range of thise guns is; 22291 to 26972 to 29787. A scarce variation.

So, with all this,, I'd almost guarantee the gun has been refinished & maybe had parts swapped around.

[GOPHER SLAYER]

I had a 44Mag Flat Top with a four digit serial #. It had walnut grips and the grip frame was aluminun. The grips would fit the Colt SA I had at the time. Sadly they are both long gone.

[Shuz]

Here's the rest of the story........the revolver followed me home. Upon close examination, I find the grip frame is aluminum and is marked XR3 and with the little Alcoa and G markings. The hammer is also a flat black finish like the grip frame. The two pins that are on the grip frame are "in the white". A pair of factory imitation stag grips that have "24 Ruger single six old model XR3 frame, .44 357 22 magnum." printed on both grip panel sides now adorns this beauty. The trigger pull is a measured 28 ounces and is quite crisp. I was hoping to make this a safe queen and free up my old .44 flat top S/N 212XX that I retired many years ago after 16,000 rounds. With such a nice trigger, I gotta shoot this baby. I just hope I don't destroy the beautiful finish. So, while it is not an original, it is in much better looking condition than the old one that I bought new in 1963.
Thanks to all who have responded.--Shuz

[contender1]

Kudos!
Shoot that gun.
And to assure you don't mar the cylinder,, make sure you obey the OM SA rule of never lowering the hammer from half cock!