Ruger red label over under

B

Bfry012

Inactive
I recently purchased a Ruger red label o/u. I only had $500 to spend and I wanted an o/u. My choices were the used Ruger or a new Stoeger Condor. After shooting my new toy I feel confident on my choice. I love the gun, however I'm not sure what kind of deal I got so I wanted to see if anyone could help determine the value. The gun apparently is 20 years old according to the serial number (410-04xxxx) it has a 26" barrel with screw in chokes and is a 12 gauge. The gun is in perfect shape I was shock when I found out the age. It only came with 2 chokes and an aftermarket soft case. Thanks in advance for any help.
 
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If you don't like the automatic safety send it back to Ruger and they will remove it. Most guns you could do it yourself but not Ruger. Most came with a very nice piece of wood just like the catalog shows [that's rare] Enjoy it !
 
A friend of mine shoots a Red Label, and he really likes it. The Rugers don't have the rep of the B guns, but they sure seem to be good guns.
 
I owned one and it had its issues, but it is still head and shoulder above the Stoeger.

Aftermarket chokes are available from a variety of makers, including Briley.

Fit can be an issue with these guns - it appears to be hit or miss. Not saying it can't be corrected.

Watch your extractor/ejectors for issues - that's where mine fell flat - the extractors/ejectors were slipping over the hull making removal almost impossible.

If you like short barrels, then 26" should work fine for you. Some of us prefer longer barrels for better swing dynamics, but that is a personal preference.

Good luck, even at that price, you got a great deal
 
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I think you got a fair deal ...

The Ruger's of 20 yrs ago ....are head and shoulders above the Stoegers - short term and long term.

20 yrs ago - Ruger red labels probably sold new for around $ 650 ...and
they've held their value reasonably well.

On your gun / the downside today is not many shooters like the 26" barrels / many of us have gone to 30" barrels for an all around gun in O/U's for sporting clays and bird hunting...but if you like the 26" , that's good too. What's important is that you like it .../ get out and have some fun with it.
 
When shooting it for the first time I tried shooting from the top barrel. It only shot every other time from top barrel. I had the selector to the top barrel. I would try to fire and nothing, I would break it open then close it and then it would fire. I took it home cleaned everything really good but haven't got the chance to shoot to see if that eliminates the problem. It never missed when using both barrels, bottom first. Any advice?
 
open all of the way.

make sure you are breaking it open all of the way, to ensure it has cocked. if you are and a good cleaning does not fix it, I would contact Ruger. I bet they will stand behind their gun.
 
…then close it and then it would fire.
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Do you mean it would fire upon closing, or when the trigger is pulled? If it's the former, send it to Ruger ASAP!
Most folks shoot the lower barrel first, why were you trying with the upper?
 
When I pulled trigger and the modified choke was in top barrel while full was in bottom. I have switched them up but still wanted it to be right
 
Most guns have a selector that lets you select which barrel is fired first....but some don't ...like a Weatherby field grade O/U I ran into a few yrs ago with a student...where you had to shoot the lower barrel first all the time ( it was made in the early 1990's as I recall ).

Because of the axis of the bore to the receiver, etc ....usually, you want to fire the lower barrel first anyway.

Rugers / when you open them ....reset the safety. You have to click the safety off - every time you reload and close the gun ...or it won't fire.
 
Big Jim, more info please.....

Because of the axis of the bore to the receiver, etc ....usually, you want to fire the lower barrel first anyway.
Click to expand...

I never put much thought into which barrel was better to fire first. Tell us more about the bore axis theory.

J
 
Te lower barrel is more in line with the stock to your shoulder - the idea being that this is more of a straight back recoil, thus making the barrel rise less so your second shot can be done a little quicker with less interruption in your movement to the other target
 
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