Ruger - The Gunmaker of Our Age

[Jeff Higgins]

First things first, or the inspiration for this thread: I just picked up one of the new Ruger SR1911's. I fully admit it was an impulse buy, but standing there in the gun shop and checking it out made this a very easy decision. Simply put, it's one of the best basic 1911's I have ever handled. Everything you need, nothing you don't. And, as it turns out, it shoots as well as it looks. I didn't bother taking a picture of it, but here is one right off their website:



It has all of what has become "the usual" stuff. Beavertail, Commander hammer, lowered and scalloped ejection port, polished feed ramp, throated chamber, Novak sights (that were spot-on at 25 yards right out of the box), extended safety. What is equally notable, however (at least to me) is what was left off: no extended magazine release, no ambidextrous safety, no extended slide release, no full length guide rod, and no "bushingless" barrel/slide. It struck me as pretty much what I would build if I were inclined to do so.

So much for that - on to my real point. It strikes me I buy a lot of Rugers. They make "everything" - rifles, shotguns, handguns. Centerfire and rimfire. Broken down further, semi auto, bolt action, and single shot rifles (lever actions for awhile as well). Modern double action pistols, now a traditional single action pistol, double and single action revolvers, over/under and (just discontinued) side-by-side shotguns, a cap and ball revolver (now discontinued as well, unfortunately), and on and on. No one covers the full spectrum like Ruger. No one ever has.

Ruger is acknowledged as a real force in any market they enter, with quality, affordable working guns. They cover niche markets like no one else, as far as the "big" manufacturers are concerned. My own two favorites - the Number 1 single shot rifle and Blackhawk single action revolver - as widely acknowledged as among the best ever, if not the best ever, in their little niches.

The 19th century had some real notables, like Colt, Winchester, Remington, S&W, and others. Those companies survive to this day (every one of them after being sold at least once), but Ruger has eclipsed them all. They really do strike me as "the gunmaker of our age".

[mossguy]

Agreed on all counts, Jeff. But tell me this, what is the value, attraction, or use of the Commander hammer?

[Jeff Higgins]

Originally Posted by mossguy

Agreed on all counts, Jeff. But tell me this, what is the value, attraction, or use of the Commander hammer?

Its spur doesn't pinch the web of your hand between it and the grip safety. The Commander hammer works pretty good with a standard grip safety, but with the beavertail grip safety it works even better. There is a big trough in the top of the beavertail safety into which the hammer spur drops as the slide goes over it. There is no chance at all of getting pinched by this arrangement.

[Superman]

Yeah? Well you sound like a guy who doesn't know what he's talking about.

[ODDJOB UNO]

ya know..................YOU ARE A CHARACTER!


nice buy/best damn warranty on the planet/best damn customer service.


i wanna see GROUPS 3 flavors. ASAP!

[mossguy]

Originally Posted by ODDJOB UNO

i wanna see GROUPS 3 flavors. ASAP!

What does this mean Charles?

[genrex]

OJU should open a gun range so he can heap scorn on shooters like me.

"Lemme see that gun!... hmm, nuthin wrong with this gun, soldier!"

_

[legion]

Ruger is a weird company IMO. In some products, they are very high quality, in others, they are rather cheap and inexpensive. For example, in shotguns, they are very high quality and relatively expensive. In rimfire stuff, they are pretty cheap and inexpensive. I had a Stainless Ruger P95 decocker as my first 9mm. I found it to be better than a Hi Point in quality but not as good as a Glock, Sig, Beretta, H&K, Browning, Colt, or S&W.

[Jim Bremner]

a ton of gun for the price

[BlueSkyJaunte]

Very nice. The Ruger has been the next 1911 on my list for a while. Hell, I have a stainless ambi thumb safety--still in the package--waiting for it.

[on2wheels52]

Anyone else think Ruger has become a better company since Bill passed?
Jim

[sc_rufctr]

We're are they manufactured? (for real)

Parts in Mexico with final assembly in the US?

[fred cook]

Originally Posted by sc_rufctr

We're are they manufactured? (for real)

Parts in Mexico with final assembly in the US?

Ruger has casting plants in New Hampshire and Arizona. With the possible exception of some small parts (springs, etc.) I believe that all parts are made and finished "in house". Ruger makes a great product, especially for the cost. Dollar for dollar, one would have to look long and far to find better value. Over the years, I have owned several Ruger guns and have two now. One is a Ruger Single Six convertible (.22 and .22 magnum) revolver and the other is a bull barreled 10/22 rifle also in .22 caliber. Both are extremely accurate and fun to shoot!

[ODDJOB UNO]

Originally Posted by mossguy

What does this mean Charles?

groups= where yer shots land.........out in space, the guy nexts to yous target, 1 ring,2 ring,3 ring, 4 ring,5 ring,6 ring,7 ring, 8 ring, 9 ring, 10 ring and our fave....................the "X" dead azz center.

then for the OCD...........you take yer dial calipers and measure the overall "group" usually a string of 3 rds from a COLD CLEAN barrel. once you have shot 3 rounds, you place ice cold shop rag from yer ice chest over spoon to cool barrel down. then shoot another group of 3 rounds from a DIFFERENT AMMO MFG, same bullet weight. in this case 185's or 230 gr. swab barrel again until clean.

measure 3 rd group, mark target, tape over previous group, shoot another 3 rd string. measure, cold rag over barrel


doesnt matter rifle or pistol. samo procedure.


then you will know which ammo yer spoon likes as far as how accurate.


then take what ammo it likes, and shove 200rds as fast as ya can load mags, downrange(hopefully hitting something) and see if ya have any FTE or FTF.


if all goes well, go home, tear apart spoon, clean every damn orfice with a q-tip, add fave lube, and its ready for when duty or dookie calls.


and then when yer totally bored ya go looking for mo betterer bullets/powder combos and start reloading. its a wicked cycle. then group the reloads and by then............there will not be an "X" on yer target its so damn accurate.



wish i had to go to the range with a new spoon. work sucks.

[id10t]

Unfortunately they have a bad habit of discontinuing the greats... the 44 carbine comes to mind first, as does the 77 in 762x39. And copying the 1911 doesn't do much for me - I wanted simple and inexpensive so I went with Phillipenes made Rock Island - if I wanted American made then I would've starved for a few months and bought a Colt. Politically, the stance Bill Ruger had about 10 round mag limits really turned me off of them...

[ODDJOB UNO]

Originally Posted by on2wheels52

Anyone else think Ruger has become a better company since Bill passed?
Jim

yes the "ol man" was very traditional old skool thinker.


since he passed they have introduced many different configs across their product offerings. and just about all have been well received by the public evident by ruger stopping all new orders here in prisskit az a while back so as to catch up with demand on mfg.


thats a hell of a place to be as a mfg. we gotta STOP taking new orders for mfg. to CATCH UP!


our tooling use to do many of the castings. we also were involved in a test involving the 1911 castings for a military contract years back. we machined boatloads of .45 castings.

[72doug2,2S]

Can someone explain the term "spoon" to me? In reference to guns, not honeys.

[Rapewta]

IMHO, the home run for Ruger is the "Ranch Rifle" mini 14.
The rotating bolt design is pretty simple and very reliable.
Combat accurate. Doesn't draw attention like a black rifle.
The P95, as previously mentioned is a great 9mm for the price.

[KFC911]

Originally Posted by 72doug2,2S

Can someone explain the term "spoon" to me? In reference to guns, not honeys.

You'll have to ask Tabs...but he may be AWOL as he's going through a "rough patch" these days. It's something he started many years ago and caught on with the rest of us...

[fred cook]

This is my Ruger Single Six Convertible with the magnum cylinder. I bought it as a used gun about 42 years ago. If I remember correctly, I paid the (then) princely sum of
$65.00 for it! The first time I shot it using the magnum cylinder, I did not have in ear plugs........big mistake! It took my hearing about 2 days to recover! I'm guessing that the first owner added the Micro sights but I think the grips came with the gun. They are marked with the guns serial number on the back and fit perfectly. The PO also must have had an action job done on it as it has the best single action trigger pull that I have ever experienced! The dark red/purple tint on the receiver was the result of some hardness issues that Ruger had early on in the guns production. This one was born in
1956 I believe.