Do you have a gun that just made you ‘get’ it when it comes to a certain genre of firearms? For me and revolvers, it was the Ruger Police Service Six. I understood the benefits of the revolver and thought they were neat, but it wasn’t until I spent a meager $300 on a Ruger Police Service Six in .38 Special that I understood why people love revolvers.
The Ruger Six lineup includes the Security Six, the Speed Six, and the Service Six. Within those three categories, we have several smaller subcategories. The Police Service Six was an attempt to break into the world of police revolvers. The Service Six lineup is differentiated from the Security Six by its use of fixed sights. The Police Service Six came as both a .357 Magnum and .38 Special, but used the same frame.
This meant the .38 Special-only versions were overengineered and overbuilt. From what I could find, Ruger made the Police Service Six for police agencies who were too gun-shy to issue.357 Magnum guns. However, they eventually produced .357 Magnum variants of the Police Service Six. I guess a .357 Magnum Police Service Six is identical to a Service Six outside of the roll mark.
The Ruger Police Service Six did serve in the US Army as the M108. There, it replaced the aging stocks of S&W revolvers in the hands of MPs, female CID agents, and Aviators.
The Ruger Police Service Six
Like most Ruger revolvers, the Police Service Six was a chunky, tank-like gun. It’s very well made with a dependence on investment cast. Ruger mastered the investment cast art, and it allowed them to produce affordable but durable and surprisingly good-looking revolvers. The Ruger Police Service Six certainly wins with its looks.
The smooth stainless appearance and wood grips give it that old-school flashy appeal. That look and feel made it stand out to me. As the name implies, it holds six rounds. The underlug covers the ejection rod and provides an aggressive appearance with protection to the ejection rod.
The Police Service Six uses a square butt which tends to help with recoil if the internet is to be believed. The front sight is a simple textured ramp for reduced glare. The rear sight is a trench sight cut through the top strap.
The revolver has an interesting external design. It seems to be edgeless, with all the angles cut and rounded. It’s a design you expect to see on a pocket revolver, but it looks good on a full-sized gun. The Police Service Six came in both a blue and stainless model, but I love the stainless.
Getting Good With the Poice Service Six
The first time I shot this gun, it carved a smile into my face. Something about the combination of the ultra-smooth true and barely any recoil made me a believer in the wheel gun. The tactile feeling of firing the gun delivers a rush of dopamine, and I can’t explain exactly why I love shooting it so much.
The extremely light recoil helps. It makes the gun easy to shoot quickly. Dropping six rounds in less than three seconds and landing them on target is a great feeling. I can’t shoot a sub-2-second Bill drill, but I can shoot this thing way faster than I expected. I’m a total revolver newb, but I don’t quite feel like a newb with the Police Security Six.
Famously I prefer red dots on my revolvers because I suck with the trench and front sight setup. I just can’t get it. It’s my fault, not revolvers. I do blame the Ruger Police Service Six for my ability to hit the target. Something about the perfect combination of grip size and big front sight makes this gun easy for me to shoot. Working a revolver trigger is something I’m not very good at, but this one moves super easy and smoothly.
The accuracy makes it easy to hit targets out to 25 yards. That’s a decent range for me as a revolver newb with iron sights I typically suck with. The Police Service Six handles like a well-worn dream. The big six-gun isn’t great for concealed carry, but it’s accurate, easy to shoot, and reliable. It’s never gone click when I’ve expected a bang.
The Big Six Gun
Admittedly, I’m not going to make this my main home defense gun, but I could. It’s accurate, capable, and easy to shoot. Mix it with a handheld light, and I wouldn’t feel underarmed compared to other handguns. The Police Service Six was a fun surprise, and I’ve become a big fan. It’s the revolver that made things click with me.
