Bill R. showed some real class

9

9x19

New member
I posted these pics in another thread here, but I thought I'd share the rest of the story on them.

These are a Ruger factory reference set with consecutive serial numbers. They are "Minnesota Conservation Officer" commemoratives and noted on page 278 of the "Reference of Ruger Firearms", pocket edition #2.

The more interesting info on their origin comes from the original owner’s son (not me):

“My family has a summer home in Sunapee NH a few miles form (sic) the Ruger factory. Dad became quite friendly with many Ruger employees as he also had an FFL and bought many employee guns and also many U and asterisk guns. Back in the mid 80's, I'd have to verify the dates, a Ruger Production Manager came to my dad and began selling him quite a few guns. It was from him we got the SN 175 subscription. He came to my dad with these 3 and probably 20 others all very rare NIB. Dad bought them all. About 2-3 months later the NH State police pay dad a visit. He was informed the guns were stolen from the factory collection. Dad had to surrender all the guns and testify. Person plead guilty, served 5 years or so. Of course he lost his job which was basically the number one guy in Operations. At the time it was a 100K job probably. After the sentencing, WBR SR. allowed the return of the guns to my dad.”

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A wee bit of clarification. I am only the current owner.

It was not my Dad... the story came from the son of the original owner, but yeah, I can only imagine the guns his dad must have had. :D
 
INteresting story. Bill Sr. took some bad press during the last years and the mag capacity laws re the Mini family, but I am still a fan. He designed some great guns, and built a company from scratch.

As the firearms in your story were basically states evidence at one point, I would think a judge would have to release them back to Ruger first, then Bill Sr could direct back to the purchaser.

Ruger is now run by the lawyers and the bean counters, their products reflect it, and many of Bill Sr's favorite guns (and mine) have been discontinued.

But "compensating" the purchaser in your story hints at his sense of decency.
 
I've got a Bill Ruger Sr. story from my father. I've never been able to verify the story since all the principles involved have passed on, but it's gospel in my family.

When I was a little kid in the 70's my father sold guns for Numrich Arms, Bill Ruger Sr. used to visit the store on occassion. So one day Bill Ruger is walking around the store with the owner and sees my father tinkering with a 10/22 that they were having an issue with. He asks my father how he likes the rifle to which my father replies "I'd like it just fine if I could get it to fire with the action in the stock", so Mr. Ruger tells my father "Well I'll tell you what, you take that gun home and see if you can get it to shoot, if you can you keep it and if not then you send it back to the factory and we'll make it right." He then wrote the owner of the store a voucher for a new rifle and left the store. My father brought the rifle home and stuck a piece of a matchbook cover between the action and the stock and the rifle worked fine from that day on. I now own that rifle and that matchbook cover is still in it and will never be removed.

Stu
 
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