A lot of interesting, diverse and even contradictory opinions here about why there has been a dip in Ruger sales this year. NICS data tells us that the firearms market is stable again and where it should be after the dramatic Newtown-related bump in sales. The Obama factor ("best gun salesman ever") has calmed down as well as it appears that the Dems will lose control of congress after the election. The NICS data does not correlate well with the economy as some have suggested, but rather it correlates more closely with elections and political threats to our 2A rights.

If anyone else listened to the entire 3rd quarter investor conference call, it explained very well what has happened since Newtown and how Ruger intends to get itself back to normal and why Ruger is temporarily suffering a bit more than some of its competitors. The explanations were plausible and, agree with Ruger's business strategy or not, Ruger management has their plan and intends to stick with it.

The first gun I ever bought for myself back in the 70's was a Ruger Mark I target pistol. I remember how disappointed my dad was that it was not a Smith & Wesson 41 like he had... but money was tight and a Model 41 was out of the question. Eventually, my focus (and finances) changed and S&Ws became much more attractive to me than any other brand. The majority of my collection is now S&W products. Ruger comes in a very distant second. In general, it is only when an S&W product, new or used, cannot meet my wants or needs that I turn to the possibility of buying a Ruger product.

While I am not really a "Ruger Guy", I respect the company for its diverse range of good quality American-made products, some of which I like a lot and some of which I have no use for. I have every confidence that they will return to stability and increased profitability once over this excess inventory hump. Just like S&W, I do not hold past mistakes against the name or the company. What matters is the future, not the past.

As I told our financial advisor when Ruger stock dropped: "BUY! BUY! BUY!"

It still cracks me up when people say "there's no 22 ammo". Are you ignoring Internet shopping?

I understand that certain locales can't do that anymore, but there's reasonably-priced 22 all over the Web.

Bill Ruger might not have seen eye to eye with many of us on some issues, but he did one heck of a lot to bring affordable guns to the masses, and force some of the other gun makers to step up to the plate. Would Colt still make the SAA without Ruger marketing the Blackhawk series? How many shooters cut their teeth on a Ruger standard pistol, or 10-22?

When one mans runs a company, what they produce is largely at his whim. They always covered the self defense market in the guise of the mini-14, P series pistols, and the Security Six series revolvers. Tastes and markets have changed, and the ultra compact stuff is "in". Would Bill Ruger still feel the same today about CCW and magazine restrictions given todays changing political climate if he was alive? Who knows, but it doesn't diminish what his company has contributed to the firearms community.

Larry

Smith & Wesson saw the pent-up demand and reintroduced some of it's most popular revolvers. Ruger should get a clue. I'm sorry, but the GP/SP series can't hold a candle to the Speed Sixes and Security Six revolvers; and I have a GP100. They should consider re-introducing them. Or at least re-introduce the GP/SP that came out early on without the full under-lugs. Smith or Ruger; they're just plain ugly.

They only new revolvers I have bought this year have been Ruger's (Redhawk Alaskan and 357 Blackhawk) due to them not having the dreaded you know what...

I also purchased a NIB Talo Classic V 10/22 in August. The stock was too amazing for me to pass it up. If the company is not meeting expectations it's probably not because they aren't selling guns.

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Ephesians 6 (Armor of God)

I am sorry to hear Ruger is not making a lot of money; they have been doing OK by me.

In the last seven years, I have bought more Rugers than anything else. (That's not saying much, as it is only two guns.) When I go to the big gun stores Ruger has more products under glass saying "buy me" than anybody else, especially the most appealing range of .22s that anybody has to offer: the birdshead Bearcat, so darn cute I'd buy it in a second if I had the dough, the Single Sixes (I did buy one of those on impulse), the Mark IIIs (got one, could easily do another), and the only polymer auto that I am ever likely to buy, the SR22. Apart from CZs, and some flavor of 1911, Rugers are the only new guns I am likely to buy.

Of course, appealing to my taste will not sell many guns. I don't buy that many, and I don't seem to want those that lots of folks want to buy.

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Not in jail.

If ruger brought back the different calibers in there redhawk line I buy them.

Though not likely to ever inhibit function, the billboard size warning Ruger is roll marking on to the sides of everything they make is just as asthetically unpleasing as the you know what......

Sent from my SAMSUNG-SM-G870A using Tapatalk

I hate to say this but another tragedy like Sandy Hook and business will pick up. At least until guns are outlawed.

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"He was kinda funny lookin'"

My Ruger wish list if an corporate execs are reading are as follows:
1) Bring back the .44 Mag Deerfield carbine (rotating bolt model with box mag).
2) Same gun in .357 Magnum in blue and SS (wood stocks)...
.......bolt action .44/ .357 rifles make no sense to me ?
3) Since Ruger is already making $600 SS 1911's would one in .357 Mag/38 special be asking too much as a dream gun ? (nobody else is offering one)
4) Same full size SS 1911 in .22Lr for same price or 2 gun set ?

Well, you know what they say: "Ruger is all about safety"!

I'd probably own an SR9c by now except that I can't get by the obnoxious loaded chamber indicator. Although I have to admit that cheap, ugly takedown pin/plate combination looks even worse.

I don't know about their other guns, but on their single actions they have moved the warning to the underside of the barrel. Much better.

Well if they produced something we want other than all of this plastic stuff maybe they would be selling more. I'm looking for MKIII's but not in my area. I also want a 41 mag lever action, 357 lever action, 44-40 lever action, 44mag lever action, 22mag Golden Boy, 10MM semi autos, another 610, a lever action in 10mm but no way all I see is Tupperware guns. I want cold hard steel and quality wood.

Really?

What Ruger are they claiming is guilty of this??? My email inbox gets a new product warning from Ruger at least every other month...

And they have the whole SR series to now turn into the E series and they haven't even dropped the 45c on the market yet. If anything, my wallet and others can't keep up with what Ruger is offering.

Last, I find it hard to count loss when you just had record shattering sales. I think it's more of a return to normal stable amounts of sales. They had to cancel the return of the .480 Ruger revolvers they were going to reintroduce a year ago. I still want a .480 Alaskan!!! And they just dropped a limited run snubbie Redhawk!!! Oh, and the new limited run .327 Single Six!!! I cannot keep up...

Lack of significant new product intoductions... They must be demanding that new Ruger laser pistol....

You just described ALL the brands.

New Redhawk's, GP100's, and SP101's also have new rollmarks placed under the barrel that just say "Read Instruction Manual" instead of all the wording it had before. Honestly it doesn't bother me a bit. Not like the front end is ever going to be pointed towards me. That's for the perp to see.

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Ephesians 6 (Armor of God)

Well they are showing up somewhere else other than West Texas. Haven't seen hide nor hair of those Ruger selections.

A few months back, Ruger announced a new gun that I desperately wanted-the single seven in 327 Magnum.

I called three local shops and talked to them about it to make sure I got one. Two shops came back and said that they just weren't able to get it-the third still thinks they can get it, but say that it's back-ordered and they don't know when.

That's a gun that I'm ready to go down and pay cash for as soon as one becomes available locally. From talking to other folks, I'm not the only one who feels that way about it. Despite this, I can't seem to get one.

I'm surprised. During the last shortage I kept hearing from LGS's how backlogged Ruger, as well as Smith and Glock were.

Didn't Ruger get some contract for their polymer handgun for some foreign police contract?

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Cheers, Charles
SWCA #2442

I'm sure I'll be shouted down but with one exception I have never owned a Ruger that was a quality piece. Mainly the problems were with accuracy and triggers that were awful. Some single action revolvers were badly machined.
Single Six
Bear Cat
77/22
Mini 14
SP 101
M77 (243)
None were tolerable

I have kept my MKII which is a wonderful piece.
I've been tempted by the New Vaquero but I can't quite make myself take the risk!

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Regards, Ron
USASA 1965/69

Yep, I'm itching to buy a 10/22 of some sort, but not going to mess with it until .22 ammo is more readily available. My wallet would fly open though if they scaled up the LCR to s 5 shot .45 ACP.

I enjoy shooting semi-auto center fire handguns. There's nothing in the Ruger SR series is a stand out product. Their lightweight compact lineup was a money maker when there was less competition, but now that lineup isn't significantly better than their competition either.

I want to like Ruger center fire pistols, but haven't been drawn to one since the demise of the metal framed hammer fired P-series.

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-John