RUGER

[wooly booger]

darn ruger
Ruger now makes plastic guns that sell cheap. All the old school charm, appeal and mystique that made Ruger what it is, that made it special, died with the old man as far as I'm concerned.

Yeah, they came out with the Ruger Scout....about 10-15 yrs too late. I think I read somewhere that Bill did not like the Scout concept.

About all of their really interesting guns are now discontinued. The .44's, the 96 Levers, Old Army, the No. 3 ...did I hear the shotgun line is done too? And who the blue blazes designed the improved accurized target Mini....yuck.

They are riding the crest of the current madness, but it would not surprise me if the No. 1 goes south as well, .....soon.

A No.3 in .22 Hornet for the novelty, or .223 for the practicality, is on the list, but will likely never happen.

The above was a post by another member from different thread.


I agree and am saddened that Ruger has dropped so many lines and practically gutted the #1 line...producing one chambering a year in the 1A.

I do think that Ruger's quality and customer service has improved tremendously since they moved most of their operations to AZ and ( I know this is blasphemy but ) since the old man died. The present 77 Hawkeyes, mini-14s and most of their handguns are considerably more accurate and the fit and finish is better than the ones produced in the 70s and 80s. I had a mini14 that has a trigger like gravel. Buying an original 77 that was accurate was a real roll of the dice.

Even though there are a lot of older models that I wish they would resurrect, I personally think Ruger produces a better product today than 25 years ago.

Let the flogging begin....

[Frank Ettin]

Business is business. Ruger, just as any company is in business to make money. If products stop selling, or become too expensive to produce at a price point acceptable to the market, the company will stop producing the product.

It's basic economics.

[jmr40]

Ruger is probably the most financially stable of all the gun companies. They don't make stuff that doesn't sell. Other than the 10-22 I cannot think of anything they make that would be my 1st choice, but I wouldn't mind having any of their products. None are junk and most would be high on my list, if not my 2nd choice.

I've always had a lot of respect for their products and wise businsss choices.

[MercyfulFate]

Ruger's are great still, and don't forget, Bill Ruger sided with high capacity mag bans.

[wooly booger]

Like I said,

I think their products are better now than years ago. I have owned a lot of Rugers and have gotten rid of a lot Rugers over the years.

The original 77 Mark II Stainless that had the ugly cut out stock was the kickingest rifle I ever shot. One in 30'06 actually is the only rifle that ever cut me.

[JD0x0]

I have a 2006 Ruger M77 in .270 win and couldn't be happier with it. It was WAY more accurate than I was anticipating.

[McShooty]

This is an opinion piece, a viewpoint. Friends, the America in which a quality, single-shot rifle like the Ruger No.1 could maintain a rewarding sales and profit picture for its maker is gone, and I mourn its passing. Note that the signs have been around for a long time, in books and magazines, in gun stores, in the field, and on the shooting ranges, where many young shooters enamoured of plastic, semi-automatic rifles congregate to shoot these wares. Such guns have dominated advertising and shooter reports in most shooting publications, even the staid, old, American Rifleman, especially in the context of increased interest in concealed carry and self defense. Do not misunderstand: I FIND NOTHING WRONG WITH EITHER THESE GUNS OR THE CONCEPTS OF SELF DEFENCE AND CONCEALED CARRY, I believe in all of it, but emphasis in this area in our own media and the national media has created a climate in which guns like the Ruger No.1 are going to have a hard time competing in the marketplace. There simply are not enough money-spending shooters with wide enough interests to support them. Don’t look now, but, as Wooly Booger points out, the same thing is happening to your cherished bolt action arms. Have you noticed the gradual disappearance of even plain walnut and the shift to easily fabricated arms with more plastic parts?

Now we, shooters, are also attacked in society at large as insensitive brutes, perhaps even bloodthirsty criminals in love with our assault rifles and 30-round magazines. You can holler until you are blue in the face. Amass an army to scream from the highest peaks that AR-15s, 16s, etc., etc., are sporting arms and not assault rifles, and there will be a powerful segment of modern society that WILL NEVER BELIEVE YOU! The NRA has done a heroic job of keeping such folks in the minority at the polls. How long will that last?

I have no answer, except that we should do what we can to keep society free. As for myself, I am going to keep my eyes open for a good, vintage No. 1 in a caliber I like. Yes, maybe several of them.

[wooly booger]

As I mentioned, I personally think Ruger's quality has gone up since the 70s and 80s. I personally love the #1 and a 1A Sprter in .35 Whelen is my go to elk gun. This particular rifle was built in '08. I have owned #1's from the 80s that would not shoot a group the size of a softball at 100. I just think if they put their present manufacturing quality into past models they could have some winners.

if we can get thru this latest assault on our rights, I will repeat as I said many times last year, these are the best of times for gun manufacturing. The quality and accuracy of factory guns has never been better. If Jack O'Connor or Charlie Adkins got ahold of a gun that would shoot 2 moa they would place it at the foot of the cross.

I have 2 pre64 Winchester model 70s that I have been offered the equivalent of a decent used truck that won't shoot into a silver dollar at 100.

[Glenn E. Meyer]

I have several Rugers. I hear the point about type of guns and the media. However, it's been clear for a few years that a new subculture of gun owners that are primarily interested in self-defense has been growing. As folks move to city and burbs, pure hunting didn't grow as fast.

I once talked to Jan Libourel when he was editor of Handguns before the crises. He lamented that an issue about target shooting, handgun hunting or the like didn't sell. Put out one about a big semi boomer and it did.

A company has to make a product that will sell. In a sense, the OP sounds like a Classic Professor. No one wants to study the Illiad anymore. Or take Greek - they all want to be pre-med or business majors.

That being said - I want them to make a Shopkeeper in the 32 calibers. Or maybe a 4 barrel Sharps derringer in 32 ACP - just because.

[SPEMack618]

I want them to make a Mini-14 with the Government Barrel and the side folding stock from the AC-556.

They could call it the "Commerative A-Team Mini-14"

I wanted a No. 1 in 7mm-08 pretty bad. Still do.

Oh well, the SR-1911 does make me happy though.

I'm just glad that with old Bill's passing, the company is listening to the market.

[horselips]

I'm still waiting for Ruger to replace the Security Six with a 2 1/2" barrel and adjustable sights. Why, oh why, will they not make a GP100 with a snubby barrel and adjustable sights? And since the GP's dimensions are much like the S&W L dimensions, why hasn't Ruger drilled their cylinder with 7 chambers. Everybody else has, even Taurus, with no loss of strength. Speaking of capacity, it's also high time we saw an 8 round Redhawk in .357 Magnum.

[wooly booger]

lol

I didn't intend this to be a Ruger wish list but...if they are looking:

How's about a 5 shot GP100 in .44 Special, a 5 shot SBH in .480,
a #3 in .17 Hornet and all the original chamberings except the .375 Winchester.

They are on the right track with the Wiley Clapp 3" GP100 ( but fix the horrendous DA trigger).

[Jim March]

As I'm a "revolver guy" I'll speak to those.

I think they're doing very nicely with the SA series right now. The normal catalog guns are great and there's lots of off-catalog distributor specials coming out on a regular basis. They took the improvements developed on the mid-frames from 2004 on and in 2007 brought them to the large frame. We're also seeing 9-shot Single Sixes in 22Mag, 10-shot in .22LR.

The new 4.2" barrel SP101 with adjustable sights is a jewel. Seriously. It has big-gun ballistics in a small-gun package. It's what the S&W "kit gun" series dreams of being...and among other things, is the best backpacker's gun for the lower 48 ever.

The LCR is a great design. Awesome trigger, cheap to build and sell, both the 38 and 357 flavors work great. Best snubbies around. Yes, there's a keylock buried in the grip frame but it's the same one they've used on most of the cowboy guns since 2004 with zero reported failures - they tested the setup on guns unlikely to be pressed into defensive duty, a very responsible move.

The GP100 is now pretty long in the tooth. Arguably so is the SP101 and for sure so is the Redhawk and SuperRed. I expect one or more to get replaced soon. I think the trigger improvements found in the LCRs will make their way to the bigger wheelguns, although they'll want to get caught up from the current crunch before going there.

What could they do easily from here? Well an eight-shot "Alaskan" in 357 is an obvious move, and would be way cool. Kinda niche but if they made it lighter somehow it would rock hard. So would a lighter version of the GP100 or better yet, bring back the old "Service/Security/Speed" size frame in a six-shot 357 and a lightweight rear end like the LCR has. Or better yet, a 9mm - I have come to believe that we should be seeing and using 9mm wheelguns more these days, for a number of reasons...not least the existence of very good, high-end +P and +P+ rounds that don't really give up a lot to the 357 in a personal defense role. A revolver truly optimized for the 9 would be a jewel.

[22-rimfire]

I think Ruger presently does a great job and has been introducing more new models than any company I am aware of. The market likes these slim plastic semi-autos. I like Ruger's line up.

The past.... it is still there. I would NEVER buy one of their tank semi-auto pistols. The plastic has improved their line emensely.

Revolvers.... they are building more than ever it seems. They even brought back the SRH in 480. They did this and then all I hear is whinning about how Ruger should build a Bisely SA in 480... maybe they will. Give them time. If they felt the market was there and they could build one and make a sifficient profit per unit, they'd probably do it. I don't see that happening. Have not seen any 454's built on their single action frames either...

Rifles.... pretty broad lineup.

[wooly booger]

Bill Ruger was an amazing inventor and innovator but he really lacked leadership in terms of Quality. Many older Rugers were hit of miss...original 77s were a crap shoot in terms of accuracy. Mini 14s had horrid triggers.

Everyone laments the passing of the Red Label. They were a good field gun but I personally know 3 that were used for sporting clays that had the mid rib separate at less than 1000 rounds.

[Jim March]

Well somebody spotted a Ruger "help wanted ad" somewhere that was looking for a shotgun product manager so....that's one indication they're looking in that direction.

[steveno]

I don't know what the current list price of a Ruger #1 is but the last time I looked it was over $1,200. that is close to $1,000 more than what I paid for my first one. I have had five #1's and they are very nice and shot well but there is no way I would pay that kind of money for one now. These days you are going to have a hard time convincing somebody to pay that much money for a single shot rifle.

[wooly booger]

Steven
No only are they $1200 Ruger has cut the chamering to special issues...this year they are only running the #1 International in 7x57

I hate it but the demand is not there. I believe Ruger will run #1's as specials to certain distributors like Lipsey's. They have been for years, but I bet now they will do it even more. My .35 Whelen was a 250 unit limited run.

[Hitthespot]

I don't know a lot about Ruger. Where they been or where their going, however, I own a newer Ruger, the SR9c and would not take a coffee farm in Columbia for it. I also own an older Ruger 22 hornet rifle, model 77 I think. Both have been suburb firearms. So whatever Ruger is doing (old or new) they sure are keeping me happy. I'm just disapointed that the LC9 didn't have an ambidextrious safety.

[BarryLee]

Here is an article related to Ruger that includes some details on sales and expansion.

http://money.cnn.com/2013/02/28/investing/ruger-ceo/

[SPEMack618]

Not gonna lie,as much as I despair over the premature demise of the varierty of No. 1s, the M77 African rifle makes me happy, happy, happy.

Might get that in lieu of an AR- this summer.

[shootniron]

I think the market has spoken...Ruger has done very little wrong.

[McShooty]

The pic shows a Ruger No. 1S in .300 H&H Magnum. This is the Cabela's 50th Anniversary Commemorative model. Cabela's commissioned several kinds of rifles to celebrate their anniversary, and 500 of these were included.

It has nice wood, looking more like Circassian walnut than black, and the finish seems to be a couple clicks better than the usually well-turned-out No.1. It has a Cabela's medallion on the bottom of the receiver. The price on these was lowered a while back from 1500 to 1200 bucks, indicating they were not selling too well. This one was at Cabela's Kansas City store. Yesterday there were several still offered by Cabela's stores on GunsInternational's Ruger No. 1 list. A classic rifle in a vintage chambering. Not a hot seller, but just the ticket and well worth the money for someone who appreciates this kind of thing.

[McShooty]

Ma-yan! Thass a purty nass raffle!

[rc]

What really burns me about ruger plasticizing the 10/22 and coming out with the "American" model is that they are not the typical quality of what ruger produced 10 years ago. Ruger has roughened it's products and cheapend them too. They brought out the American at the price point the 77 hawkeye was at five years ago and then jacked up the prices of the all steel 77 close to what you'd pay for a Model 70. I tend to prefer used rugers because of this. I'd rather have a used 77 with a few dings and dents than a brand new American any day. Even the 10/22 has gone from a superior rifle to a marlin for just a few bucks more to being on par in quality with plastic parts and a bunch more money. Makes me want to buy an 80% and just build my own.