The difficulty of getting just what you want

[RonS]

All the announcments recently have me really wishing that Ruger would open a custom shop. I can see several guns on the Ruger website that I could make into what I want but none that are perfect, but all the pieces of the puzzle are there in Ruger's parts bins. I'm pretty sure they sell off the shelf software that would do this, even pulling in current inventory levels of parts.

Welcome to Ruger's online custom shop.
Please select your choices.

Frame, SM Flattop
Barrel 4 5/8"
Caliber, .45ACP/Colt
Finish, blue
Grip frame and internals, Bisley, Polished SS
Grips, smooth wood

Cha Ching, your total is $XXX.XX, CC #?, name of FFL?
Your Fedex Tracking number is XXXXXX.
Thank you for shopping with us today. Exit or configure another item?

 

[Terry T]

Good suggestion!
Lawyers might have some heartburn over different configurations but they could pass on them up front.
Auto manufactures do - just check out a Chevy, Ford or Dodge web site.
Terry T

 

[Stoots]

Yeah, I'd love to see that too.

I'd sell a kidney to get a 4" full shroud Alaskan.

 

[BlkHawk73]

Plenty of gunsmiths that'll make exactly as you wish. Would get more fine attention than anything pulled from the bins at Ruger. Gotta also consider what such a factory custom shop would entail too. More inventory to keep on hand and available - basically would need some of everything just in case but at the same time, some would sit idle. Idle is bad. Now factor in the additional labor for both assembly, shipping, logging, and parts manufacturing. Each is an added expense. Where's it gonna be? They have multiple assembly plants so they'd need all aspects at each plant now. That doubles the added expenses. Now finally factor in the needed area to house such an operation. Space is expensive. With all those added expenses, it's just as easy, and a better business plan, IMO, to make what they do and let the custom stuff be done by those that specialize in such work.

 

[Jimbo357mag]

Sure they could run a custom shop, but they choose not to, for a lot of very good reasons I bet?? 8) 8)

...Jimbo

 

[stantheman86]

Ruger keeps costs down by not doing "custom guns". I think they offer a wide enough array of wheelguns, that at least you can get the "base" for a custom gun, from the catalog offerings........ and then you can pay Bowen or Pinnacle to make the gun into exactly what you want.

If you've got the $$$ , Bowen can do pretty much anything humanly possible with a Ruger wheelgun.

 

[Terry T]

The stipulation was 'off the shelf parts' just put together in combinations that Ruger doesn't nomally do.

Many of their police contract Six Series double actions are essentially such guns. Of course these were larger contracts.

I can think of putting a birds head on a flat top or a Vaquero. Different barrel lengths (standard ones of course) but mated to a birds head?
How about a 327 SP101 on the new SP101 22 adj. sight frame with a short barrel - just would need a bit taller front sight.

Dream on - just must be off the shelf parts.
Terry T

 

[stantheman86]

There's plenty of variation in Ruger's catalog......Bisley Vaqueros, in response to consumer demand.....a bunch of different SP101's......all kinds of GP100's. The only way Ruger is gonna make you exactly what you want is if you order mass quantities like distributors do. If you order 20,000 of them, I'm sure Ruger would make 10" Super Redhawks in .22 Short if you ordered them. 8)


I'm not a fan of "Custom Shop" type stuff........if you want that, Smith & Wesson will gladly sell you a grossly overpriced "Performance Center" revolver and charge you $400 more just for the "Performance Center" laser etched logo on the frame, $200 more for the "premium forged parts", and another $100 for some "PC grips", i.e. Ahrends grips with a "PC" burned on them, that got pulled out of a box and slapped on there. I have no desire for a stock revolver with some "bling" thrown on it, that may let me shoot .5" tighter groups with match grade ammo I don't buy anyway

 

[RonS]

I guess I am just used to being able to spec a system the way I want it, just login, run the configurator, hit the button to email the configuration to a salesman and wait for the quote. Works for machine tools, hydraulic power systems, desktop pcs.

Not a fan of bling, but it does seem to me that Ruger's single action product line would be well suited to allowing customers to build a gun the way they want it.

If I can't get the exact gun I want, how many other potential customers can't either?

 

[stantheman86]

It's why Ruger SA's cost $550 instead of $800-1000..........Ruger sells them "off the shelf" instead of having to pay sales technicians to go over electronic orders, and then have those orders sent to the production floor, and then production techs having to take more man hours to produce each "special order" to spec, and then packing and shipping staff having to take time to direct each order to the right FFL. I don't work in production, but I assume more time = higher cost, because it would take longer to sort through the custom orders, which would interrupt "regular" production. So the techs have to stop cranking out 6" blue GP100's, to make one with a 12" barrel in bead blast stainless for a custom order, and then go back to regular production.

 

[BlkHawk73]

If I can't get the exact gun I want, how many other potential customers can't either?

If Ruger doesn't make it, very good chance no other manufacturer makes the desired configuration either. Sooo, where else is the customer gonna look then? The reason the big boy gun smiths are so busy is because there ARE a lot of folks that bought the Ruger and send it off to achieve the configuration exactly as they want.

 

[Hondo44]

All the announcments recently have me really wishing that Ruger would open a custom shop. I can see several guns on the Ruger website that I could make into what I want but none that are perfect, but all the pieces of the puzzle are there in Ruger's parts bins. I'm pretty sure they sell off the shelf software that would do this, even pulling in current inventory levels of parts.

It's a great idea but just not economically feasible.

But expensive customs are not the only option. We just have to do it ourselves and sometimes with the help of local gunsmiths and always with this forum!

 

[flatgate]

Rats! Having Ruger make all the guns I want would spoil all the wonderful fun I have in "putting together" the stuff I want!

JMHO,

flatgate

 

[Yosemite Sam]

Anyone know where I can get a non-fluted .44 Special cylinder for a NM mid-frame flattop?

-- Sam

 

[Hondo44]

Anyone know where I can get a non-fluted .44 Special cylinder for a NM mid-frame flattop?

-- Sam

I'm afraid that would be a custom only cylinder. However, it doesn't need to be made from scratch. One could be made much cheaper and easier from a 44 Mag full size non-fluted cylinder.

The diameter would need to be reduced by .053" and the length shortened by .086". The reduction in cylinder diameter would of course reduce the depth of the cylinder notches by .0265" which might/probably require them to be re-cut deeper. But still much less work then starting from scratch.

44 mag non-fluted cyls can be had on GB by buying a parts kit from a police destroyed Super Blkhk very reasonably priced and maybe here on the forum. Some of the custom smiths like Clements and Bowen might have one and can give you a price to modify one to fit your mid-frame.

The shoulders in the chambers will be about 1/10" longer than needed for 44 Spl but so what when the chamber mouths are the proper size (not a problem from Ruger).

 

[Yosemite Sam]

Thanks for the post, Jim. I did look into doing this, and when I got around to having to recut the notches I realized it was likely going to cost a whole lot for one small aesthetic point.

Thing is I have one of the 4-5/8" SBHs and figure a "little brother" version in .44 Special would be cool. I also have a 5" Flattop .44 Special that could become a donor gun, or traded for the right length.

Another option would be to start with a .44 Special Bisley cylinder, but I doubt I can get my hands on one of those, either...

But someone asked, so...

-- Sam

 

[Hondo44]

It's always fun to contemplate something different or a one-of-a-kind and I liked your idea. I thought about a Bisley cylinder solution but couldn't remember for sure if there was mid-frame version in .44 Spl. That would be easier to just turn off the engraving and reblue and probably would not require the notches recut. There's always someone 'out there' that wants the opposite like a fluted cylinder Bisley.