What happened to Ruger?

A

alaskabushman

New member
Okay, I know this will be controversial for some folks, but hear me out.

Let me first say I am a HUGE Ruger fan. Ruger is by far the brand I own the most. I have a Mark II, LCR, LCP, a couple M77's, Old Army, Single Six, Single Seven, 10/22...I love and shoot them all on a regular to semi-regular basis.

If you look at Rugers place in firearms history you see a company that is proud of their firearms, produces a quality product, and offers them at a "working mans" price. In my mind Ruger has been a company that is the best "bang" for your buck. The Security Six series, the original M77's, the 10/22, blackhawks, Mini-14...all were considered working guns, not show guns, not flashy guns, not even target guns (although they could be very accurate). People heard the name Ruger and knew it was a quality tool at a price that was reasonable.

Fast forward to today.

The Scout rifle MSRP's at $1,200!!! The M77 Hawkeye for $979. The SR-1911 is listed at $939, with the target model going up to $1,019. $829 for a stainless GP100??? Almost a grand if you want the match version. Blackhawks listed at almost $800.
Not to mention the SR-556 series, Mini-14's and No. 1 rifles.

Now I know there are some budget geared guns, like the American series. I do not say that these firearms have gone down in quality, I feel like they are still reliable guns. But the pricing? I mean c'mon Ruger, what happened?

Am I wrong in feeling like Ruger has edged out of the "working mans" category and into the "prestige" category? I don't know what the "average" wage is right now, but I know that if I wanted an $800 blackhawk I'd have to save for months in order to have that kind of money.

I guess my frustration is that I WANT to buy more Rugers but I feel like unless I want to collect American rifles and 10/22's its going to cost me quite a bit of money. I realize that the numbers I listed were MSRP's not "street" prices, but my argument holds. Of course there is always the used market, but often its not much better.

Some of you will say its just inflation, or cost of materials going up. I feel like Ruger has gone the way of Toyota, even old beat up models are being sold for too much money, not because its "worth" that much, but just simply because "its a Ruger".

Am I the only one that feels this way?

P.S.
I got a Taurus PT111 G2 for Christmas, I've been impressed with its features and reliability, and I've been hearing good things about the effort by Taurus to increase quality and customer satisfaction.

Maybe Taurus is the new Ruger.
 
Nothing happened to Ruger. MSRP for a S&W 686 is also $829. Both can be had in the neighborhood of $600 and both are worth every bit of that. Unless you are buying at Bass Pro or Cabelas MSRP is irrelevant.
Take a look at Taurus's MSRP for a "comparable" revolver $729. Is S&W and Ruger $100 better? I would say yes.
 
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Living in this world is more expensive that it used to be.

Labor is expensive.
Machine time is expensive.
Raw materials cost more, while scrap prices are waaAAYYY down.


I see the price increase of Ruger products to be roughly in line with beef, fresh produce, clothing, and personal hygiene products.



What makes me (rhetorically) ask, "What happened to Ruger?" is:
The M77 Mk II is essentially dead.
The M77 Hawkeye is on its last leg.
The 77/-- series is dead (77/22, /22M, /22H, /17, /357, /44).
Their only metal-framed centerfire semi-auto is the SR-1911.
And more...
 
But the pricing? I mean c'mon Ruger, what happened?
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Ruger's pricing is very reasonable and competitive if you ask me.Yes prices have come up over the years, but so has every other manufacturer. As you pointed out, its the result of inflation.

The AR 556 is $499 at CDNN right now. I believe that's a reasonable "working man's price" for a very a good quality AR.

The LCP can easily be had for well under $250. Again, good quality and priced lower than much of the competition.

The SR1911 are listed around $675-725 around me.

Blackhawks can easily be had brand new for $550.

I think Ruger still offers some of the best bang for the buck in the firearms industry.
 
Must just be because I am in Alaska then, because I never see the prices you guys list.

I do see decent prices on-line but the only FFL in my area (60 miles away) refuses to do on-line sales. They dont sell used guns, and the ones they do have are pretty much retail, maybe $50 or at most $100 off MSRP. The next nearest FFL is 6 hours and a ferry ride away...
 
When all that stuff was being first marketed(The Security Six series, the original M77's, the 10/22, Blackhawks, etc. The Mini-14 has always been way overpriced and inaccurate for the money demanded.) Ruger was run by Bill Ruger. Not the current crop of MBA's in the marketing department.
However, the cost of doing business anywhere has gone up and up and up along with wages and taxes.
That Security Six was introduced in 1972. The average annual wage in 1972 was $7,133.80. (Compared to $44,888.16 in 2014.) Average price for a loaf of bread was 25 cents. 52 cents per gallon for gas. $3100 for a new car.
Then you need to look at all the stuff that used to be made in North America that is not made in China or SEA. You want lower prices, you'll have to take a huge pay cut.
 
I do see decent prices on-line but the only FFL in my area (60 miles away) refuses to do on-line sales. They dont sell used guns, and the ones they do have are pretty much retail, maybe $50 or at most $100 off MSRP. The next nearest FFL is 6 hours and a ferry ride away...
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That is certainly a wrench in the spokes. They have a nice little slice of monopoly pie.
 
Factored for inflation, and looking at real street prices those guns are not any more expensive than ever. You can't expect to pay 1980's prices and earn 2017 wages. And you can't expect the man building those firearms to earn 1980's wages.

The real problem is that today we have more things that we think are necessities draining our bank accounts. Most products available 30 years ago are actually cheaper than ever. But in the 1980's TV was free with an antenna. I didn't own a computer or pay for an internet provider. I didn't have a $100/month cell phone bill. I could go on and on.

I'll concede there are some exceptions. The Mini-14 is WAAAAY over priced in today's market. But most of the others are actually pretty well in line.

Most of the gun companies are offering 2 distinct lines of guns. The Hawkeye is still available at prices to reflect the more expensive manufacturing design, decent wood and decent wood and metal finish. A gun with a street price of $1,000 today would have been a $450 gun new in 1987 when inflation is factored in. About $400-$450 is what I was paying for a new GP-100 in SS in the 1990's.

They also offer the American line at an excellent price for those only interested in function rather than aesthetics. The truth is you can buy a far more functional firearm today and work less time to pay for it than at any time in history. And Ruger is still the value leader in this regard. I have 3 of the American rifles, all shoot far, far better than any version of the 77 I've ever seen, shot or owned.
 
They have all gone to the point of unaffordable for the average person. Look at the new Marlins, high price and questionable quality.
I remember 40 yrs ago having the same discussion with my shooting partner, but we kept on shooting and buying when we saved enough cash.
 
Your dealer / FFL has you over a barrel. The high prices are more a factor of his actions than they are Rugers.
 
I agree with the original poster. When I bought my Ruger M77 in the early seventies, I think I paid about $117 from Montgomery Wards. At that time the Remington 700 and Winchester M70's (the Ruger M77's chief competition) were about three times as much. Over the years, Ruger M77's price gradually caught-up those guns, and there was little apparent difference in price. So, I agree...Ruger stopped making guns for us "po folks". Also consider the price of the old Ruger .22 Automatic, the .44 Carbine when they first came out. All affordable and way cheaper than the competition...compare the price of the new Ruger .22 autos with Browning's now.
 
I think Ruger still offers the best bang for the buck in several categories that interest me. The SR series of pistols, especially the 9 and 40 compacts are great values​. The LCP and LC9s are both fine pistols for the money. The LCR series is another great line. The GP100 and SP101 are still quality revolvers at a reasonable price. Ruger may not be competitive in all lines, but they certainly are in these.
 
One would have to be pretty desperate to pay MSRP for any Ruger. I think Ruger is using a marketing strategy of showing a high MSRP for their firearms while giving a very reasonable wholesale price to dealers. This mean dealers can sell the gun for much less than MSRP. Folks see Rugers and S&Ws have a similar, if not the same MSRP for similar models, but the OTD price of the Rugers are less. This gives folks the impression they are getting a better deal on the Rugers. MSRP means nuttin........OTD does. If guns really are worth the same, then they cost the same...OTD.
 
My wife and I spent a week in Alaska late last summer. NOTHING was priced similarly to the same product or service in the lower 48 states. This is NOT a slam on Alaska - prices have to recover the costs of shipping to the retailer.
 
Most of the responses are what I sort of expected. Most of you say that MSRP is not realistic and you are seeing much lower prices. Honestly I'm glad that's the case, since like I said, I'm a big Ruger fan. I don't think any company is paying as close attention to what its customers actually want, and them make steps to produce it.
Personally I don't see these low prices everyone else seems to see.

The LCP can easily be had for well under $250
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Great for you, but that's what I paid for mine, which is retail.

I tried to buy a .357 Blackhawk used from a local guy and he wanted $700 for it. I tried to talk him down to $550 and he was like "no, I'm not taking less than 7 for it, since I paid 8". I didn't buy it.

I fully understand how inflation works, and I'd agree that most firearms are now more affordable than they've ever been. Ammo is another thing that is cheaper today than the equivalent ammo 20-30 years ago, better quality too. So I understand that the price will go up! I'm not expecting a company to make a good product today and sell it at 1970's prices.

I also understand that Ruger does have some budget models, as I stated in my OP.

It just feels like Ruger is getting to the point where Colt used to be, almost a prestige tacked to them. "You have a Charter/Taurus/Uberti??? Well MINE is a Ruger!" I have no issue with pride of ownership, none at all. But don't try to convince me that Ruger is still a bargain brand. Do you get what you pay for? Absolutely! But we no longer shake our heads in wonder as to how Ruger makes any money.

I fully agree that Ruger is at the forefront of the firearms industry, as indicated by the fact that they sell more guns than anyone else.

I guess I just want more Rugers without needing to save for two months.
 
I don't think any company is paying as close attention to what its customers actually want, and them make steps to produce it.
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Take a closer look at Henry.
While some of their design and aesthetic choices irritate some owners and potential buyers, they do have a record of bringing new models/variants out, based almost solely on customer requests. (Henry must also think they're financially viable, of course.)
 
Take a closer look at Henry.
While some of their design and aesthetic choices irritate some owners and potential buyers, they do have a record of bringing new models/variants out, based almost solely on customer requests. (Henry must also think they're financially viable, of course.)
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Very true, although Henry's line is not as extensive, Ruger certainly hasn't gone out on a limb to produce any rifle chambered for the .327. Lord knows enough people asked for one.
 
Well, our currency has a value that's manipulated by various factors. The Bail-out didn't help matters. So, inflation happens, partly as a planned thing, being considered beneficial, (To whom?!?), as long as it doesn't become to startling to the masses. Since the mid-'60's, the coinage was debased from real SILVER, to something less, never mind what the Constitution says it MUST be made of. And so, we now have a fiat currency that has no intrinsic value beyond everyone's faith in it. Technically, American paper money is counterfeit, since no bank will exchange genuine Silver Dollars for it at dollar-for-dollar, face value. Of course, wages often increase along with inflation as a sort of consolation compensation for the inevitable. But the tendency is for workers to make increasingly more dollars while ending up with less buying power and a lower percentage of their income left after the basic costs of living eat up more and more of one's income. This is not for everyone, mind you. Clearly, their are winners, and losers, as the game rules keep changing. I get the feeling, that making more dollars can also lead to paying more taxes. The current prices of gasoline is the one bright exception that I know of. I hope it lasts, but doubt it can for very long.

So, yes, the prices of Ruger products have escalated faster than many people's income. Good Cabernet is no longer a bargain and forget about Pinot Noire. For Ruger to make a quality product and then sell it to you for mere paper or digital dollars takes an act of faith on their part; faith in an unstable situation that could fail us all. Buy what you need while you can, and then hope things will get better for the sake of the grandkids.
 
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