Ruger Customer Service

[Kevin J.]

Just thought I would give a shout out to Ruger for excellent customer service.

My LCP Max that was not locking back after the last round on the empty 12 round magazine. Called customer service, spoke with very nice lady, and four days later a new functioning magazine was in my mail box, no charge.

[505Gibbs]

Generally speaking - Ruger Customer Service is pretty good as compared to others which I'll omit tp protect the guilty!! 😁🤣

[Michaelp57]

In my experience, Ruger has the best customer service that I have ever dealt with. I had a similar problem on my ruger american 45 and they sent me 4 brand new magazines, a hat, a bunch or stickers, and a patch.

Another time, I lost a pin to my 57 and called them. 3 days and one refused payment later, my 57 was back together. They are pleasant to deal with, and take very good care of their customers.

[MSD2343]

Over the years, I’ve called Ruger to order miscellaneous parts such as operating springs and extractors. On more than one ocassion, I’ve told them, “I didn’t call looking for a freebie, I’m happy to pay for whatever I need.” But quite often it is indeed a freebie.

Customer care like that really stands out these days. Good for them.

[haywood]

I worked at a Gun Shop. A Customer brought a Ruger 22 pistol with the magazine shoved in backwards. Sounds like an easy fix. We could not budge it. We didn’t want to damage anything so, we sent it to Ruger. It came back working fine and it looked like. A new mag. No charges for shipping or repair.

[robertrwalsh]

I have had four or five reasons to contact Ruger customer service over the years. ALL of these contacts were extremely positive.

[BKLooney]

Originally Posted by Kevin J.

Just thought I would give a shout out to Ruger for excellent customer service.

My LCP Max that was not locking back after the last round on the empty 12 round magazine. Called customer service, spoke with very nice lady, and four days later a new functioning magazine was in my mail box, no charge.

Exact same thing here!

[TheTinMan]

My only experience with Ruger customer service was about 30 years ago. I won’t bore you with the entire story, but a woman in New Hampshire named Beverly replaced the stock and forend on a brand new Ruger Red Label sporting clays over & under with the most beautiful walnut I’ve ever seen on a Ruger. For free.

I still worry leaving that gun in a rack because guys see that stock and start tripping over their own feet.

[Kevin J.]

TinMan, the fact that you remember her name thirty years later speaks volumes.

[chief38]

Back 30 - 40 years ago (and earlier) gun manufacturer's customer service was pretty darn good from almost every gun company - including S&W. I had to have a new M10 2" RB replaced because it was unrepairable. Colt replaced the 4 stock screw bushings on a 1911, Marlin was able to find custom deluxe furniture for a 38-55 I have, Winchester replaced a barrel of a shotgun for me and all this was done free of charge and while I waited in their facilities! They were more than willing to do anything they had to, to make a customer happy and do it in an incredible time frame (instantly)!

I own no Ruger's however most of my friends do and from what I have seen Ruger's CS is excellent. They are efficient, quick and almost always fix the issue on the first go-round. I have gained a lot of respect for Ruger's products over the past 3 years not only because of their CS but their products have greatly improved both in design, take down and quality. NOW....... if they actually start shipping guns with descent triggers, especially their "target" marked Mark 4 pistols, I will be impressed. What Ruger calls a target model is a laughable joke out of the box - because of their 5-6 pound, gritty, creepy and horrible trigger!! Thankfully, after a Volquartsen trigger kit is installed, the Mark 4 is incredible for the price of just over $500 plus $125 for the trigger kit. The combo shoots just as good as a M41 and the trigger is as good as well. Yes, Ruger has come a long way - now to get them over the finish line - LOL!

[diyj98]

I’ve found Ruger’s quality control to be a bit lacking over the years, but their customer service has always been tops.

[D Brown]

I bought a Ruger Stainless Steel New Bearcat a few years ago and was fairly happy with it even though the hammer cocking action was a "little rough" and occasionally, the hammer would require a little bit of finessing to take it out of half cock (loading mode).

One day I picked up the gun and pulled the hammer to full cock. At this point, the top half of the transfer bar fell out of the gun.

I called Ruger Customer Service and they had a new transfer bar sent to me in four days!

That's very good service in my opinion!

[robvious]

my only interaction with Ruger customer service was 25 years ago.. purchased a 50th anniversary pistol.. the "safety warning" sticker on the magazine was jambed in the gun and the magazine would not release.. there and back with an extra magazine if I remember correctly... hopefully I won't have the same problem with their 75th anniversary pistol...

[Well Armed]

Does anyone find it funny and odd that whenever the topic of Ruger's CS comes up, soooooooo many people who have owned Ruger semiautos and the LCR line have stories about issues they have had at one point of time or another???

Ruger is like Taurus (worse IMHO) but with top of the line customer service. I've had Rugers semiautos fail miserably out the box with brand new guns. FTF, FTE, mag almost impossible to load, stove pipes, completely dead trigger, etc, with a brand new out the box pistol. Ruger is the only and only firearm manufacturer that I had to send stuff back for repair. Yes, they repaired it quickly and got it back to me in 3 weeks there and back with a holiday in-between, BUT all of these QC issues should not have ever happened in the first place.

It's crazy how much members here and on other forums will give S&W so much hate over mostly minor issues with their revolvers most and, to a lesser degree, their semiautos, but Ruger, who is 10x worse, always seems to get a pass. The only Ruger handgun I'll buy and will be in my home are their revolvers. I wouldn't recommend Ruger semiautos to anyone I actually liked.

[Well Armed]

Originally Posted by diyj98

I’ve found Ruger’s quality control to be a bit lacking over the years, but their customer service has always been tops.

Their QC has been lacking for over a decade now, but no one seems to care because it's Ruger. Had this been Taurus, Kel Tec, Hi Point, Sccy, etc., the manufacturers would be crucified for having so many reports of QC and reliablely issue even if they had great customer service like Ruger. I've literally seen several pages of members who were posting about all of the issues they had with their Ruger firearms but how they were so happy with Ruger and they were a great company because of their customer service. But what about their QC issues and lack their of?!?!

I see owners sending their Taurus, S&W, Sigs, Keltecs, Berettas, etc in for warranty work. They get them back within 3 or so weeks. Then I hear most of these owners claim that the gun is fixed, but they no longer trust it. They end up selling it off. When it comes to Ruger, and ONLY when it comes to Ruger, it seems like Ruger owners love to high five and celebrate when they get a problematic gun back.

[chief38]

Originally Posted by Well Armed

Does anyone find it funny and odd that whenever the topic of Ruger's CS comes up, soooooooo many people who have owned Ruger semiautos and the LCR line have stories about issues they have had at one point of time or another???

Ruger is like Taurus (worse IMHO) but with top of the line customer service. I've had Rugers semiautos fail miserably out the box with brand new guns. FTF, FTE, mag almost impossible to load, stove pipes, completely dead trigger, etc, with a brand new out the box pistol. Ruger is the only and only firearm manufacturer that I had to send stuff back for repair. Yes, they repaired it quickly and got it back to me in 3 weeks there and back with a holiday in-between, BUT all of these QC issues should not have ever happened in the first place.

It's crazy how much members here and on other forums will give S&W so much hate over mostly minor issues with their revolvers most and, to a lesser degree, their semiautos, but Ruger, who is 10x worse, always seems to get a pass. The only Ruger handgun I'll buy and will be in my home are their revolvers. I wouldn't recommend Ruger semiautos to anyone I actually liked.

Unfortunately the anger members here and on other sites spew against S&W is well deserved and warranted. Over the last decade or so their QC has gotten to the point that I would no longer buy a new product from them! Send a gun back to them for repairs and aside from the fact that the repair time period is way too long, there are many times the problem is not fixed and you get a gun back in worse condition that you sent it to them in. There are many many reasons for this but I will not go into a rant here. As a S&W fan I own older models and have not experienced these new QC issues as many others do. This has saddened me for many years now - they are NOT the same Company they were 30, 40, 50+ years ago!

[Well Armed]

Originally Posted by chief38

Unfortunately the anger members here and on other sites spew against S&W is well deserved and warranted. Over the last decade or so their QC has gotten to the point that I would no longer buy a new product from them! Send a gun back to them for repairs and aside from the fact that the repair time period is way too long, there are many times the problem is not fixed and you get a gun back in worse condition that you sent it to them in. There are many many reasons for this but I will not go into a rant here. As a S&W fan I own older models and have not experienced these new QC issues as many others do. This has saddened me for many years now - they are NOT the same Company they were 30, 40, 50+ years ago!

Like I said. Ruger is the only company whose terrible QC record is ignored and no one really cares about all the junk they've been putting out over the years. Mention any other manufacturer including S&W and blood pressures go up.


FYI, I owned 7 M&Ps and 4 newer S&W revolvers (2 686+'s, 69 Combat Mag, and a 640 Pro). I didn't have any major issues with any of them like I have with Ruger pistols. The same goes for the 8 Taurus handguns and other manufacturers' firearms I've owned. That said, I trust S&W much more so than Ruger or Taurus.

[SnidelyWhiplash]

As others have so eloquently already said.****ger QC has been suspect and iffy for quite some time but their customer service has an enviable reputation. I've heard a few complaints about it over time but I suppose that's natural...they do slip or someone had unrealistic expectations.

[chief38]

Originally Posted by Well Armed

Like I said. Ruger is the only company whose terrible QC record is ignored and no one really cares about all the junk they've been putting out over the years. Mention any other manufacturer including S&W and blood pressures go up.


FYI, I owned 7 M&Ps and 4 newer S&W revolvers (2 686+'s, 69 Combat Mag, and a 640 Pro). I didn't have any major issues with any of them like I have with Ruger pistols. The same goes for the 8 Taurus handguns and other manufacturers' firearms I've owned. That said, I trust S&W much more so than Ruger or Taurus.

I own no Ruger's and I am certainly not covering for them. The only experience I have with Ruger's QC & CS is through friends, shooting buddy's and what I read here and on other Forums.

When I was in my prime buying mode, one would always expect that the S&W, Colt & Browning QC was way above a workingman's Ruger. IMHO Ruger WAS always the cheaper alternative and not in the same class as the others. That scenario has changed drastically. While still somewhat less expensive for most competitive models, the price differential has faded and their QC has improved - again in MHO and from what I have seen.

For the prices S&W charges today, their QC and CS should be at the top of the ladder! IMHO that simply is not the case - but others like yourself are free to evaluate this by your own experiences of course. I am actually happy to hear you have had positive experiences with S&W - maybe there IS some hope after-all. Believe me, I do not take pride in posting the pathetic excuses for product they let ship! I wish it were different!!

[jeffrefrig]

I've owned a few new Rugers, and the Lipsey 5" GP100 was the only one I had any issues with. Twice I sent it back and it was returned inside of ten to 14 days, both times, different issues. That one, which was my favorite revolver at the time, got traded for a nice M629-6. They gave me $600 for the Ruger and I was happy. Another more popular brand took 2+ months for return, and had to be sent right back.
The only issue with Ruger's excellent customer service department is, perhaps, maybe they've had too much practice with issues that maybe their QC Dept. seem to miss? (Not to look for something to nit pick!)

[BB57]

Ruger customer service back in the day was exceptional, and not needed all that often.

Things have changed.

The first example:

I bought a new SP-101 in .22LR in 2016, and it had a poorly cut forcing cone. It leaded so bad it would start key holing by the third cylinder full of shots fired.

Long story short:
- it cost me $75 in never reimbursed shipping (Ruger lost the original receipt and would not reimburse based on a copy) on the first return;
- they didn’t fix the issue and it had to go back again, and they promised a supervisor would look at it, a gunsmith this time they stated;
- they then advised is was not factory repairable and offered me a refund, if I could produce the original receipt, or they could send a new one to an FFL. I’d been there and done that with the shipping receipt so I opted for a new one; and
- it wasn’t until I followed up a month later that they told me I’d have to wait for the next production run for the new revolver. Yep, they didn’t keep any in the warehouse at the factory for possible replacement of returned revolvers, they were not willing to have a distributor ship one, or even authorize by local gun shop, a Ruger dealer to replace it out of his stock and reimburse him.

In total it was 8 months until I had a working revolver.

—-

A second example:

A couple months ago I bought a new SP101 in 9mm. They had two in stock. The most recent (highest serial number) felt like someone through a handful of sand in the works. It felt awful. A QA fail.

The second one was nothing special but was ok.

I got home and then realized that the little brown envelope with the three moon clips in it was not present. I called the shop and they said they’d just get the envelope out of the box for the other 9mm SP101 they had in stock. However, they discovered it didn’t have them either. That’s another QA fail.

I called Ruger customer service and they agreed to send me moon clips. This was their chance to shine. They could send extra moon clips, send a hat or tee shirt, even just send me a sticker. What I got was a brown envelope with three moon clips, without even a “sorry we goofed” note. Not exactly stellar customer service.

When I opened the envelope I discovered one of the laser cut mon clips had slag that had dripped and cooled on one side. It needed to be filed flat before it could be used. Another QA fail.

The next day at the range, it would dock and fire fine, single action. But when fired double action, especially with a slow DA trigger pull, it would lock up on 2 of the 5 chambers.

I had to call and get an RMA to return it. I called 3 weeks later and they advised their normal turn around time was 4-6 six weeks and six weeks is what it took.

They indicated they replaced the trigger, hammer and hammer strut. But the entire revolver feels much smoother and the cylinder now freely spins on the ejector rod so it appears they gave it a general going over in the process. I’ll see if it shoots in a day or two.

——

In short, I’ve found that at present Taurus revolvers have better quality, at least in their executive series (costing over $300 less than this SP101), and Ruger customer service is adequate, but nothing special.