Nobody Does it like Ruger?

J

jackstrawIII

New member
I was laying in bed last night thinking about the various gun manufacturers that we all know and love... and had an interesting thought that I'd like to present:

Ruger is probably the most well-rounded firearms company in the world.

Why do I say that? They have a "well-respected" and "commonly-used" gun in every popular category of firearm that exists:

Rimfire rifle - yes
Rimfire pistol - yes
Centerfire rifle - yes
Centerfire pistol - yes
Pocket pistol - yes
Revolver - yes
Shotgun - yes
1911 - yes
AR15 - yes
Muzzleloader - yes

There's nothing that Ruger doesn't do well. Can we say that for any other company?

No agenda in this post, just sharing an interesting thought. I actually don't own any of their guns besides a handful of 10/22s. Do have my eye on a Gunsite Scout tho!
 
I'm something of a Ruger fan myself. Not that I own a ton of them. I don't. But if I absolutely, positively had to pick just one firearms manufacturer for all of my firearm needs, I'd probably pick Ruger. To my mind, they've got a solid track record of solid, affordable firearms, even if they do lack something in the "frills" department. The one thing that Ruger does not make that I need is a pump-action shotgun. (Ruger, are you listening?)

Oh, and don't forget Ruger now makes suppressors.
 
There's nothing that Ruger doesn't do well. Can we say that for any other company?
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Their shotguns have been "less than stellar" and their muzzleloaders haven't had great acclaim either. Everything else I've used of theirs has been great though.
 
I have several rugers of different types, could almost accuse me of being a ruger fan. All of them have proven to be accurate and reliable. Even as popular as a 10-22 is I still don't have one...
 
"Why do I say that? They have a "well-respected" and "commonly-used" gun in every popular category of firearm that exists:"

except that your list contains firearms no longer made by ruger...
 
There's nothing that Ruger doesn't do well.
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One thing they don't do all that well is insure that their good designs are well manufactured. The P95 had to go back for service just out of the box for some sort of tolerance failure in the trigger and safety system. That doesn't sour me on the P95; I wish they still made it. Beyond clear QC failures, many Ruger items seem a bit crude. That's why outfits like Kidd and Volquartsen are so well known to so many of us.

They do have smart and responsive customer service.

I've had a half dozen 10/22s, a couple of MKIIs, a few 22/45s, a 77/22mag, an American Rimfire, a P95 and three P345s. I like the way they design most aspects of those arms. I am even a fan of the 22 pistol mainspring take-down system.

I am a Ruger fan, but I like them for what they are.
 
I think Ruger is the shining example of Jack of All Trades, Master of None.

They make just about everything and just about everything pretty well but very little REALLY well.

That's to be expected though. Mass production of a large variety of products is nearly impossible to control to the same level as a single product and especially not like those "one off" shops.
 
Golly, I have never seen an "I love Ruger" thread before. Normally it is a whole bunch of hate over their misguided gun law policies in the 90s and the old Mini-14.

I think in my household we have six 10/22 rifles. They are all excellent little shooters. They sure are popular. Some of their larger rifles are nice too although I don't currently own one.

I am not a big fan of their pistols and don't know anything about their shotguns. So far as major makers of pistols go I'd put them under S&W, SIG, most others and above all the lower quality makers like Rossi and Taurus. Somewhere in the middle of the pack. They are certainly more innovative than Glock.

They seem to have had a larger than average number of recalls over the years (LCP, SR9, R85 etc) but most manufacturers get recalls sooner or later.
 
Pretty hard to beat their value. I think for the money they do several things very well

Lcp
10/22
Mkiii
Single action revolvers (black hawk/vaquero)
Large frame revolvers
Gp100

Pretty well
Sr556
1911
Lcr
Lc9
Bolt actions
Single shots

You can get better but you'll pay more.
 
Shotgun - yes
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Shotguns - no

Sorry, their shotguns sucked - not once but twice.

I like their MKII, but the Marlin 60 beats their 10/22 and S&W makes better revolvers.
Decent for the price point? Yep. Ultra great? Not so much
 
I am big fan. I think they represent good value for a good price and they stand behind their products. I have three carry guns, all Rugers; an SR9c that gets the most of the work, an LCP, and a 4" GP 100. They do exactly what I bought them for and I have maybe $1100 invested in the set. What's not to like?
 
Just talking with a friend yesterday about the great customer service Ruger has. That led to a reflection on how many Ruger's I've wound up buying. Plenty of Ruger's I'd never buy, but certainly some I may yet buy (blued GP100 6") or would consider if I could (SR9C).

Their manufacturing innovations have enabled OTHER gun companies to make and sell firearms that wouldn't otherwise be cost effectively possible, let alone their own sales!

They are a critical part of the American firearms industry at this point, can't really think of what other mfg we could lose that would cause more systemic damage.
 
I have to agree on their shotguns not being good. They have never manufactured a shotgun I would keep if received in trade let alone buy new. I'd give it a try, but highly likely it would get re-traded.

A ton of people disagree with me, but I was never impressed with their semi-auto center-fires until the Ruger American Pistol, with the caveat it has a few small 'first generation' type issues. I think the promotion on it has been about the worst Ruger has done since I've payed attention to the comany and I am not even sure they are going to keep it as little as they seem to be putting into it.
 
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They are a critical part of the American firearms industry at this point, can't really think of what other mfg we could lose that would cause more systemic damage.
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If Freedom Group and it's subsidiaries went under suddenly there would be a bit of chaos for a while:


Advanced Armament Corporation
Barnes Bullets
Bushmaster Firearms International
Dakota Arms
DPMS Panther Arms
H & R Firearms
Marlin
Para USA[4]
Parker Gunmakers
Remington Arms
TAPCO
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Combined they have quite a bit more sales than Ruger. The way the gun market is structured these days there are tons of small makers that would suddenly be able to take advantage of a big vacuum in the market.
 
Why do you put 1911s and AR-15s in their own categories???

A number of Ruger products are tops with me, some Ruger products I don't care about, and some I don't care for!

I currently only have five of their centerfire rifles, four single shots and a mini 14, and eleven of their handguns, 10 of them SA revolvers, and one MK I .22LR semiauto.. And am down to only one 10.22.

Until the prices went nuts in the last few years, I always felt Ruger firearms gave you the most for the money you paid.

I'm an odd kind of shooter, I LIKE the Ruger New Model BLACKHAWK better than a COLT.

I'm quite fond of the No1 and especially the No.3 single shots.

Don't much care about their bolt guns, I've got Remingtons, Winchesters, Mausers and Springfields and others that Rugers don't/can't match in one way or another, but of course that's just my opinion.

Ruger's customer service is first rate, and I am rather pleased by the fact that they no longer provide a written warranty. Personally, I find that rather refreshing. Rather than try to keep up with all the BS laws about what has to be in a written warranty (which varies widely in different places) they have decided to simply say "We stand behind our products" and let it go at that.

Ruger isn't perfect, but they are very good.
 
Ruger makes a fair product (not great)for the average shooter . A bunch of people would not be shooting if not for the price of Ruger Guns .

Ruger has a ruff history in the shotgun world . Ruger is known is bring out shotguns and discontinue shotguns the same month . Remember the Wood Side the 99T the Gold Label and more .
 
Lots of great comments, and I agree with most of you. Calling them a Jack of all Trades company is a very good description.

There are definitely more refined options in pretty much every market segment (except the good old 10/22), but I think it's great that they're willing to innovate and have such a diverse product line of reasonably priced and good quality firearms. It's good for the industry.
 
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