"Sadly no Rugers or related Family, or anyone old enough to understand history."
True enough. While many of the management folks at Ruger are older,, I don't think many of them have the "connection" of feeling like we old time Ruger fans have for the older types of guns. Blue steel, walnut, classic lines, are really heartwarming. Bill had an appreciation for such stuff,,, AND so did the buyers of his era. Once the company went public,, and people who bought stock wanted to profit,, it did create some subtle changes over time. Once Bill & the family were out of the company,, corporate types,, who who are both stockholders & want to make bigger profits,, look at what the marketing departments say is the direction they should go to sell a lot. Which also points to this;
"Nostalgia ain't selling well ….. new buyers is what they're chasing."
Sadly,, us older folks are more nostalgic than the younger crowd. That is evidenced by the general attitude of many nowadays in everything they buy. The attitude of; "I want it to look good, and if it breaks, throw it away & get a new one." Older stuff in most areas is more & more of a niche market. When it comes to firearms,, we old curmudgeons are way behind the "modern gun types" that the younger folks want. Black, plastic, tactical, etc are what the younger types want.
We older folks grew up with westerns, sixguns, lever guns, and the like. Bill understood this,, and was able to build the company on what others left behind. While westerns & older movies or TV shows still enjoy some popularity they are lagging behind. I've heard of kids nowadays refusing to watch any TV or movies that were made prior to the 1990's. They say "It's too old & the graphics are lame" kind of stuff.
So trying to sell a lot of guns,, Ruger is trying to cater to the younger crowd,, while using time proven designs. We old pharts who prefer a more classic type of gun,, well,, we are slowly losing ground. Our numbers are lower because we are getting old & passing on. And our preferences aren't what the mass market wants.
Heck,, just look at how often we discover real treasures in a gun shop or pawn shop or an estate where the younger family swapped off a prized Ruger for something "more modern."
I too would have preferred to see more "classic" stuff to celebrate the 75th Anniversary,, but I also understand why they made the guns they are offering.
