doublegunshop.com - home Forums General Discussion DoubleGun BBS @ doublegunshop.com Should Ruger upgrade & offer enhanced Red Label ?

Should Ruger possibly add something like this to the Red Label line to upgrade their sales?

http://www.gunsamerica.com//934551496/Ruger-Red-Label-Highly-Embellished-20-gaug.htm?wl=1

Rapidfire

wow! that is sum thin else...

dont see that kind of work being executed on a production basis...

Back in the 80's there was an article that Bill Ruger said he was going to do just that. Bring out various upgraded models of the then 'Red' Label, next grade would be the 'Blue' label then the highest was the 'Black' label. Then he brought out that lousy SxS 'Gold' label that existed all of, what, two years, maybe.

I just don't understand their thinking. Wasting all that money on producing a side by side when that had a perfectly good over and under they could have improved on. If they could make a 12 gauge SxS that weighs slightly over 6 lbs. why couldn't they or why didn't they save that money and just make their over and under weigh slightly over 6 lbs. Beats the heck out of me. But its their money and I guess they're lucky that everyone loves and almost everyone owns one of their revolvers.

No.


Best,
Ted

Sadly, no. I suspect their next shotgun, if there is one, will be a "high-tech," low-cost, bumper jack. "Ruger American Shotgun"?

I would not buy one, but many would. Those things work. And sell.
(My "Ruger American" .243 is an ugly little hijo de puta, but it outshoots my brother's really beautiful Kimber all day long, right out of the box.)

I think the last reiteration of the Ruger Red Label O/U has already been discontinued.

thank God...

I'm 99% sure that the wood and metal work on that gun was done by a friend of mine. He takes a Red Label and treats it like a rough forging. He not only files up the receiver and for end iron, but he also rejoints the gun and moves the for end lug to improve the mechanical advantage. His later guns have an oval shaped for end latch which is much more attractive. Others have a Boss 1/4 rib which is sexy as hell. His Rugers open and close as smoothly as a fine custom Italian O/U. He also re strikes the barrels so they are ripple free. He has done a few for himself and some friends. If you were to pay a 'smith to have this done, along with an excellent restock, you would have probably $8K to $10K in your Ruger.
It's common to upgrade Ruger rifles and handguns, but not their shotguns. They have a decent basic design, but Ruger builds guns to a price point - rather successfully. This strategy has not worked for them with break open shotguns. I am very surprised that they don't make a $300 plastic stocked pump gun. If it was reliable they'd sell lots of them.
I did my own custom Red Label, but did not put in all the work in smoothing out the action. I filed up the receiver, turned it into a straight stock, removed the rib and turned it into a 1/4 rib. It's a 30" 20 gauge and I took off about 13 oz. It's not fancy, but I like it and shoot it well.

Regards,
Jeff

Ruger is very set on how they are going to do things. They have been screwing in the barrels on their revolvers too tight for decades so that you have to lap/firelap them for best accuracy. Smith somehow managed to stop pinning their barrels without incurring a similar problem. I would have thought they could have elevated the sales price to do whatever was necessary to make the Red Labels dependable and still sold a bunch, but they were bound and determined to do it for 'X' price or nothing.

There are very few people who will spend the money on that sort of work. There are way more who will buy a crappy gun to save the money.

I work with plenty of guys who consider a $400 gun tolerable and really wring their hands if the price approaches $500.

Plus, that Ruger in the auction is as gaudy and unattractive as an 80 year old hooker that has a birth certificate with a man's name on it.