Ruger Red Label 12ga.

doceaux · October 5, 2011, 06:36 PM

Brothers impulse hit me and I bought a Red Label 12ga. with full and modified chokes. I fit me well and the devil took charge and I walked out for $750 in 95% wood and metal. Save me from myself I'm having the safety put to manual and buying briley light mod and ic chokes for a dove hunt. Help me I'm thinking of a pair of sheet/skeet choke for some off season fun, the devil is cruel. Did I make another mistake?

Dave McC · October 5, 2011, 08:26 PM

No.

While the Ruger's not a top tier target gun, there's a lot of happy RRL owners out there.

I've not needed any customer service for Ruger products over the 40 years I've owned Ruger handguns and rifles, but I understand it's good.

And chances are you can shoot it for a couple years and get out what you have in it.

HTH....

oneounceload · October 5, 2011, 08:33 PM

I will disagree with Dave as I have owned a RRL - do not compare it to the pistols and rifles - they have so many issues they stopped their SxS guns. I had the RRL in 28 gauge - I REALLY wanted to like this gun - but three trips to Ruger within the first 6 months meant this was not to be. They are not tight fitting, they have issues with ejectors slipping over the brass, they drop open WAY too easily, the wood comes loose, and on and on......

Caveat Emptor - maybe yours will be a good one, maybe not - the odds are MAYBE 50-50

Lurch37 · October 5, 2011, 09:05 PM

I've had mine for 6 years now and it's been a really great shotgun for me. From bird hunting to the trap range, it's worked just fine.

Jo6pak · October 6, 2011, 07:59 PM

I've had a RRL 12ga for more than 5 years, maybe ~1000 shells thru it.
It may not be the best O/U in the world; but for the price, I'm quite pleased with it. No issues, shoulders and shoots extremetly well, functions flawlessly.

Bought it used, LNIB condition for $900. I've got full, 2 mods, ic, and skeet chokes that came with it. The auto safety doesn't bother me, so I've left it alone.

Still tight as it was the day I bought it, no ejection problems. I must have gotten a good one

Slugo · October 6, 2011, 08:28 PM

You did real good! Enjoy your new RRL. Made in USA!!

Rugerismisticness · October 7, 2011, 04:07 AM

The design of the RRL is to be more loose than other guns, which is why most of them are somewhat easier to open from the factory than oh say a Citori. I shot an RRL for about a month that was on lone, and aside from having to reajust to O/U recoil (coming from autos), it shot very well. The quality seemes very good. I also really like that they come in stainless too.

TheKlawMan · October 7, 2011, 06:39 PM

A guy was showing me his guns at the range today and one was a Ruger Red Label. It looked like a nice gun. I just didn't believe him when he said it was a $3,000 gun.

oneounceload · October 7, 2011, 07:02 PM

That's because it isn't a $3,000 gun

TheKlawMan · October 7, 2011, 07:42 PM

Quote:

That's because it isn't a $3,000 gun

I figured that. The only question in my mind after he said that was whether he had a mental defect or was just a liar. I don't think this was bragging but he hoped to give me such a deal on his $3,000 gun.

B.L.E. · October 7, 2011, 08:45 PM

Mine must be one of the good uns. I've shot thousands of rounds through it without an issue. I can account for at least 250 pounds of shot fired through it.
The only slight glitch I had was a failure to fire a couple of times when I only loaded the lower barrel, even though I heard a hammer click, the primer was completely untouched. Finally I realized that I wasn't breaking it open enough to cock the lower hammer and after getting into the habit of breaking it open completely, no more issues. With the lower hammer uncocked, what I heard was the upper hammer dropping on an unloaded barrel.

oneounceload · October 7, 2011, 09:14 PM

Quote:

failure to fire a couple of times when I only loaded the lower barrel, even though I heard a hammer click, the primer was completely untouched. Finally I realized that I wasn't breaking it open enough to cock the lower hammer and after getting into the habit of breaking it open completely, no more issues. With the lower hammer uncocked, what I heard was the upper hammer dropping on an unloaded barrel.

This makes no sense

Unless you had the selector for the upper barrel switched, you cannot open it not enough to cock the hammer, then pull the trigger and get a click from that hammer dropping - you couldn't NOT open it enough to cock it and also chamber a round in the lower barrel

The Ruger has mechanical triggers - sounds like you had the lower barrel loaded but the top barrel selected to fire first

Glad yours works mostly correctly

B.L.E. · October 7, 2011, 10:14 PM

I was opening it only enough to remove the shells because I didn't want the ejector to throw the shell out. I was saving my empties to reload.
Apparently, you can open it enough to remove a shell without quite cocking both hammers. I learned this from carefully opening the action while viewing the hammers with the stock off.
If the lower hammer is uncocked, the mechanical trigger defaults to the unfired barrel.

Opening the gun was cocking both hammers, just not quite enough for the sears to catch both hammers and the hammer for the lower barrel would lower back down when I closed the gun.
If you open the gun really slowly, you will hear two different clicks, that's the sears catching the hammers as they cock. Normally those two clicks happen so close to each other that it sounds line one.
It's also quite possible that the upper hammer was already cocked from the last single I shot.

I thought I had a broken gun until I took the stock off and studied what was going on. Anyway, no reoccurences since I made a point not to "short stroke" the gun when reloading.

October 5, 2011, 06:36 PM	#1
doceaux Senior Member Join Date: September 7, 2007 Location: Texas Posts: 124	Ruger Red Label 12ga. Brothers impulse hit me and I bought a Red Label 12ga. with full and modified chokes. I fit me well and the devil took charge and I walked out for $750 in 95% wood and metal. Save me from myself I'm having the safety put to manual and buying briley light mod and ic chokes for a dove hunt. Help me I'm thinking of a pair of sheet/skeet choke for some off season fun, the devil is cruel. Did I make another mistake?

October 5, 2011, 09:05 PM	#4
Lurch37 Senior Member Join Date: August 6, 2006 Location: Middle of Nebraska Posts: 941	I've had mine for 6 years now and it's been a really great shotgun for me. From bird hunting to the trap range, it's worked just fine. __________________ I reject your reality and substitute my own.

October 6, 2011, 07:59 PM	#5
Jo6pak Senior Member Join Date: August 5, 2010 Location: West Coast...of WI Posts: 1,663	I've had a RRL 12ga for more than 5 years, maybe ~1000 shells thru it. It may not be the best O/U in the world; but for the price, I'm quite pleased with it. No issues, shoulders and shoots extremetly well, functions flawlessly. Bought it used, LNIB condition for $900. I've got full, 2 mods, ic, and skeet chokes that came with it. The auto safety doesn't bother me, so I've left it alone. Still tight as it was the day I bought it, no ejection problems. I must have gotten a good one __________________ NRA Life Member, SAF contributor.

October 7, 2011, 10:14 PM	#13
B.L.E. Senior Member Join Date: December 20, 2008 Location: Somewhere on the Southern shore of Lake Travis, TX Posts: 2,603	I was opening it only enough to remove the shells because I didn't want the ejector to throw the shell out. I was saving my empties to reload. Apparently, you can open it enough to remove a shell without quite cocking both hammers. I learned this from carefully opening the action while viewing the hammers with the stock off. If the lower hammer is uncocked, the mechanical trigger defaults to the unfired barrel. Opening the gun was cocking both hammers, just not quite enough for the sears to catch both hammers and the hammer for the lower barrel would lower back down when I closed the gun. If you open the gun really slowly, you will hear two different clicks, that's the sears catching the hammers as they cock. Normally those two clicks happen so close to each other that it sounds line one. It's also quite possible that the upper hammer was already cocked from the last single I shot. I thought I had a broken gun until I took the stock off and studied what was going on. Anyway, no reoccurences since I made a point not to "short stroke" the gun when reloading. Last edited by B.L.E.; October 8, 2011 at 08:07 AM.

October 5, 2011, 08:26 PM	#2
Dave McC Staff In Memoriam Join Date: October 13, 1999 Location: Columbia, Md, USA Posts: 8,811	No. While the Ruger's not a top tier target gun, there's a lot of happy RRL owners out there. I've not needed any customer service for Ruger products over the 40 years I've owned Ruger handguns and rifles, but I understand it's good. And chances are you can shoot it for a couple years and get out what you have in it. HTH....

October 5, 2011, 08:33 PM	#3
oneounceload Junior member Join Date: April 18, 2008 Location: N. Central Florida Posts: 8,518	I will disagree with Dave as I have owned a RRL - do not compare it to the pistols and rifles - they have so many issues they stopped their SxS guns. I had the RRL in 28 gauge - I REALLY wanted to like this gun - but three trips to Ruger within the first 6 months meant this was not to be. They are not tight fitting, they have issues with ejectors slipping over the brass, they drop open WAY too easily, the wood comes loose, and on and on...... Caveat Emptor - maybe yours will be a good one, maybe not - the odds are MAYBE 50-50

October 6, 2011, 08:28 PM	#6
Slugo Junior member Join Date: September 15, 2001 Location: Central PA Posts: 1,007	You did real good! Enjoy your new RRL. Made in USA!!

October 7, 2011, 04:07 AM	#7
Rugerismisticness Senior Member Join Date: December 22, 2010 Posts: 909	The design of the RRL is to be more loose than other guns, which is why most of them are somewhat easier to open from the factory than oh say a Citori. I shot an RRL for about a month that was on lone, and aside from having to reajust to O/U recoil (coming from autos), it shot very well. The quality seemes very good. I also really like that they come in stainless too.

October 7, 2011, 06:39 PM	#8
TheKlawMan Junior member Join Date: June 23, 2009 Location: Orange County, CA Posts: 2,149	A guy was showing me his guns at the range today and one was a Ruger Red Label. It looked like a nice gun. I just didn't believe him when he said it was a $3,000 gun.

October 7, 2011, 07:02 PM	#9
oneounceload Junior member Join Date: April 18, 2008 Location: N. Central Florida Posts: 8,518	That's because it isn't a $3,000 gun

October 7, 2011, 08:45 PM	#11
B.L.E. Senior Member Join Date: December 20, 2008 Location: Somewhere on the Southern shore of Lake Travis, TX Posts: 2,603	Mine must be one of the good uns. I've shot thousands of rounds through it without an issue. I can account for at least 250 pounds of shot fired through it. The only slight glitch I had was a failure to fire a couple of times when I only loaded the lower barrel, even though I heard a hammer click, the primer was completely untouched. Finally I realized that I wasn't breaking it open enough to cock the lower hammer and after getting into the habit of breaking it open completely, no more issues. With the lower hammer uncocked, what I heard was the upper hammer dropping on an unloaded barrel.