Ruger's 1st Gun Wasn't Serial Number 1

Sturm, Ruger & Co shipped their first Ruger Standard pistol on September 15, 1949. John "Jack" Boudreau, foreman of the assembly department, was the lucky recipient.

Ruger Standard pistol, serial number 3.

Interestingly, even though it was the first gun they shipped, it wasn't serial number 1. Instead, it was serial number 3. Boudreau received permission from Bill Ruger himself to purchase the gun.

Close-up of serial number 3

Note that the now-iconic Ruger logo is absent from the grips. The medallions hadn't been made yet, so the gun left the factory with blank filler medallions instead.

Blank medallion

A factory magazine was also absent. Instead, the gun shipped with a modified mag from a High Standard HD pistol.

Normal High Standard HD magazine (left) next to the modified (right) Ruger Standard magazine

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