doublegunshop.com - home Forums General Discussion DoubleGun BBS @ doublegunshop.com Status of the Ruger Gold Label side-by-side?

Additionally, these two models may be linked closer than we think; with its market share decreasing Ruger's management may be a bit sheepish into putting more money into the Red Label after being bitten by the Gold Label model. I hope that's not the case as the Red Label is a adequate HUNTING design that needs a little tweaking to be a good all around design.

I bought a Ruger GL SXS when they became available from Cabelas. I paid the going retail of $1950.00 for it, and am satisfied that I got my money's worth. It has the English stock, and I kind of wish that I had bought another with the pistol grip, just to have.

The wood is nice but not fancy. I am a shooter and hunter, and don't worry about taking it through the brambles. The stainless receiver is nice, as you don't have to worry about rusting up blueing from sweaty hands. A lot of hunting and shooting down here in Texas is during hot, humid weather.

I have not had a single problem with it, and have let several others shoot it. I'll let them comment on how it handles for them.

I think that it is a nice gun, and I imagine my sons will like it when I have gone to the happy hunting ground and it becomes theirs.

HHH

The Ruger Gold label is a very good gun, I wish I had of picked up one at list price.

Don't know of any particular problems with the GL . . . and if you look at the used prices, you'll see that they've already appreciated a good bit--closing in on double--what they cost new, originally. They are decidedly barrel-heavy, which some people don't like.

RWTF, I know Phil and I know the gun of which you speak. Unless I'm misremembering, it's the standard DT/extractor gun. I think what he wrote was that if he added the purchase price to all the work Briley did on it, he'd about break even.

A beautiful double and sweet handling 12 gauge at just a bit over 6lbs., but as it turned out a complete waste of time and money and now Ruger is slowing production of their Red Labels, if figures from the ATF can be believed.

The Problem I had with the Red Label was that the lever sometimes fell back over when the gun was open. This would allow you to close the gun but only one barrel would fire. I had mine fixed twice and it still did it when I sold it. It would probably do it every 100 shots.

The strange part was that I talked to other guys who shot them and theirs did the same thing but they didn't seem to mind. I probably talked to 5 guys who has the same problem and only a couple of the guys I saw shooting Red Labels had never experienced it.

Have you guys who have Red Labels had this problem?

As far as the Gold Lable, everyone I know who've had one liked it. I don't have any idea why they put 3" chambers in it.

Not me. I have two Red Labels, both 20 gauge. One very early with 26" Sk/Sk barrels and blued frame, the other a late Sporting with 30" barrels. Both very nice guns. Only problem is a sticky safety on the newer gun.

L. Brown- you are correct my friend. I went to the back issue of F&S and what you observed is correct- it was a std. 12 Sterlingworth with DT and extractors, and when he added the purchase price (not $1800- my mistake) and the "restoration" he could most likely fetch the restoration but not much more. Back in 1989 Mike McIntosh, another "Hawkeye Stater" of note, wrote in Best Guns about a fellow who bought a 12 VH Parker DT- had it "Restored" didn't say if it was DelGrego, Turnbull- LeFever & Son- and found when he went to trade up for a higher grade Parker, he was at a "Mexican Standoff"--

This exactly why my 12 bore Smiths and my 12 GHE project Parker will stay "as is": if the action, safety, ejectors, trigger pulls are right, the barrels true and shoot to POA and the stock fits me (like a field grade Model 12 stock does) then I just shoot 'em and clean 'em-- besides, when you send one away for "restoration" you lose contact with that gun for a long time-and the more you handle and shoot a shotgun (or shotguns) the more they feel a part of you, and the better you may well perform on game birds- Clays, that's a whole 'nother ballgame-RWTF

At the shot show in January, I was told that the gold label would never, ever, be made again. This was from someone who appeared to be in charge, and was said with such force that I dropped the topic quickly. I have one Gold label myself & I'm trying to get one from a friend. They are good guns, light weight, very nice for 7/8 oz loads.

I was also told that all of the new (at the time) .380 pocket pistols had be shipped out of the factory. Some took that to mean that they were history also, but what was really meant was that they were selling well and they had to make another run of them. I stood right next to a guy who went away saying that Ruger wasn't going to make anymore 380's and they were going out of business! That's how rumors get started.

Regards, Ron

Obviously, Ruger has no idea about the shotgun market, having attempted to market a dedicated ATA trap gun to guys who have no interest in anything that doesn't fall in the higher price and quality brackets.