gunman42782

On another forum a fella made the statement that he did not miss Bill. He was happy with the direction the company is going in. While I am not dead set against some of the decisions the company has made, I, for one, sure do miss Bill Ruger. This was my response:


I can't say I don't miss Bill. He was a traditionalist, for sure, and a lot of the products Ruger puts out I am sure he is spinning in his grave over (the LCR comes to mind.) But, Bill was a gun guy. He may have been an old time gun guy, but one none the less. With no one from the family running the company anymore, it is just another gun company now to me. Yes, they are putting out products now that people want. No doubt about it. But, they are also doing things I don't agree with, such as the plastic trigger guards on 10/22s, the cheap coatings on their rifles, instead of real bluing, putting mag disconnects on some of their pistols, discontinuing the Old Army (which Bill made clear would never be done while he was alive). I could go on, and I do realize a lot of this is pure business decisions, but that is what I mean. Bill would not have allowed this to happen. He was a gun guy, and he would not put out a product he would not buy himself.

sheepdog

...I agree with that...and, owning the company, he had the right to make what he wanted...he did give us better-built and more quality out of the box than the new guys...I don't know if the old Ruger Co. could have survived in today's marketplace...but I miss him and his quality ethic...I'm in the used market when it comes to Ruger...with possible exception being the GSR and the new 10/22 mags...

XLCH

I like the old Ruger company, wish the family had not sold out….I like the new because they are more open minded and do listen to what we as the customer have to say. They have changed back to normal Ruger bluing this year on most of the riffles, and there C/S is still very good. The problems that they have had with the new guns are not much worse then what they had when Bill was running the show, just seems like it because they are releasing more new stuff in a year then Bill did in two or three years, jmho

sheepdog

...OK, that's true...releasing more new stuff, there's more problems out there to hear about...that's fair...may NOt be a higher percentage of problems/vs/products made...but it seems like quality's poor when you hear so much about it ...

deputy125

like ruger all the way around...........

while i am more or less a traditionalist when it comes to guns, i have also seen in my lifetime basicly the rise and fall of many businesses that do not stay in step with market demand and fail to "innovate".........

Colt...........lost market share, many models dropped, no longer a factor in the leo circles or civilian circles for that matter....

ithaca.......again failed to innovate. the company is but a shadow of its former self

high standard.... failed in marketing and now gone.....only the name remains in a different shell company and no longer the benchmark of .22's

board of directors and share holders demand increased profit. Men like Bill Ruger were satasified with matching their level of desires in product value/reliability/self wants/image with a certain profit margin.

corporations are about the big picture. Men like Bill Ruger were more about the brush strokes.

XLCH

I think a lot of it comes from the world being smaller and faster now then it was then, the internet has made things (good or bad ) more apparent .

Taurus_9mm

Thankfully with the abundance of Ruger products out there, new and old, we're not limited to "either or". If you want a new Ruger they're on the shelves of virtually every gun shop in the country. If you want used or older models, you can find some there as well in addition to pawn shops, online sites and through individuals on gun forums who may wish to part with theirs. I liked when Bill Ruger ran things but I also like the direction the company is taking under new management.

Bountyhunter

I like Rugers. Especially the revolvers. I do not like the price hikes as of late, but I guess it's not just Ruger. I like that I can still buy a used Ruger for a good price, in most cases. I think that they will make more money with Bill gone though, simply because they are putting out what people want.

sheepdog

...you really think, BH, that people prefer the SR9 to the P89 and P95???
...the P345 to the P90 and P97???
...I really don't...they just yanked the older models and told us what we're gonna get for them...I'd like to see a poll of what people who've owned the older ones would rather have...it CAN'T be just me that feels that the older ones are better than the new ones...and I'll give you rails...they added those to the P95...but other than that....

XLCH

P90,P97s grips did not fit most folks, the P345 was a better fit, again jmho

Bountyhunter

Yep. They're looking t0 sell to bigger audiences. The newer guns fit more people and carry better. The 1911 is something people have wanted. The LCP was a long time coming and same with the LCR. The GSR and the Alaskan are 2 more examples of new and nice.

b.roberts

Danny nailed it. I like p90's alot and will get one someday. The p345 fits my hand much better. I like the new and the old. I do miss Bill Ruger. Still hoping they turn out some .480 bisleys.

deputy125

its the over-all trend and following the demand............

the current trend is towards some sort of consistant (light pull)action style trigger

beretta and sig are loosing market share in the da/sa market. Smith bailed on that market, and ruger is playing catch-up.

i would not be suprised if sig introduced a striker-fired auto in the next couple of years with a shorter/lighter trigger pull than the p250......

sheepdog

...guess I have big paws...never thought so...I din't like the Redhawk grips at all...too big for me...

gunman42782

Well, Dave, I never thought the P series guns where any bigger through the grip than a Glock, Sig, and are not as big as most HKs.

deputy125

the grips of the "p" series are fine by me and feel smaller than the beretta 92 and definately smaller than a glock 21.

where ruger seems to stick out like a sore thumb is the width of the forward frames/slides. i believe that is where most of the "brick" comments come from.

i still read up with interest about the sr9/40 series..............comments like fixing pins that are walking out with super glue does not amuse me......

problems with the metal frame "p" series seem to be far and few.....but of course they had some years to get it right............just like glock and classic sigs and beretta 92's..............

arkansas45

Guns are just like Clothing. Keep it a few years and the Style will rotate where you will be in style again. Look at the 1911 style. I'm going to keep my P90 until it comes into style again.

44s Rock

Yep! 1911s & SSAs, got to love em!! I still like and cary my P226 though.

sheepdog

...the 1911s, P series, will be shootin' when the newer ones are broke and parts are no longer available...if I could have but one handgun...I'd have to have a P90...or GP...or 1911...and prolly in that order...

b.roberts

And you would have picked well.