If coulored crystal slices of SrF2, SrF2: NaF, or SrF2: CeO2 are positioned in a ruby laser resonator, Q‐switching by saturated absorption of colour centres is observed. The centres in question are F2 centres disturbed by natrium or oxygen generally bleaching by continued switching. The switching function is measured for a laser stable F2 centre disturbed by oxygen. From this spectroscopic parameters are calculated. The peak power of the giant pulses is limited by losses due to stepwise absorption, energy transfer, and reabsorption of the fluorescence, primarily due to the modulation parameter, however, which is smaller by orders of magnitude as compared with dye switches. On the other hand it causes the favourably low switching and saturation power of the colour centre switches. There are possibilities for practical applications.