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.
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.