Further, Ruger made many mistakes and duplicated a lot of serial numbers. In years prior to 1969, the same exact serial number could be found on a Ruger rifle, pistol, or revolver. After the Gun Control Act of 1968 (effective Jan 1, 1969) BATF required Ruger to clean up their act and use a different serial number scheme. There are also blocks of serial numbers that were never used. There are instances where there are several years between the build date and ship date.
When you get a letter from Ruger, it indicates the month and year the gun was shipped. Wave, The OPs S/N is a classic example of what you said.
