What made you a Ruger rifle fan?

[Ken S.]

My father gave me 2 of the 3 rugers I own.
A blackhawk in .357
And a matching single six in 22lr with the matching 22 mag cylinder.
The 3rd, a mk2 in .243 16.5" barrel.
Not sure if I'm classified a "Ruger" collector, but with 41 firearms that call my gun safe home. I would have to say I enjoy all firearms. The 2 firearms I would have to say are the "pride of the fleet" are:

1936 Winchester model 71 chambered in .348 win. graded at 95%
1899 winchester model 1892 chambered in 38-40 graded at 88%

they are "safe queens".

 

[chapped lips]

I'm late to the trough but these are my reasons.
#1- Mr. Bill Ruger
#2 - Mr. Len Brownell
I read about the No. 1 in 1965 or '66. Fell hard for the looks. I was 16 in '65 when i started working in hot-mix- raking and shoveling asphalt around a Barber Greene laydown machine during the summer. My dad was not a firearm enthusiast.....guns were like hammers. He wasn't crazy about $167 for a single shot rifle or $130 for a 10x German scope ( WW II vet and the scope was a Unertl) even if it was my money. So i was permitted to buy a Rem 700 and a Weaver.
In 1967 i graduated and went on delayed entry to the USN for the Seabees.....i was an operator by then and saved money all that year for a few things-one being a Ruger No.1.
Ordered it in May '68.....boot camp in Aug.....May '69 i was in my bunk in VN after mail call and my dad had sent me 4 Polaroid Instamatic photos of my #1B 22/250 (gorgeous figured wood) and an Unertl 10x Vulture. Photos moved the Playboy bunny to a new location. I didn't get to hold them until July 1971.
I had wanted a 284 chambering or a Swift but had to settle on the 22/250.
While overseas i read about the new bolt rifle-M77- and wanted that in 284 but had to wait a few years before finding one.
After the service i packed everything gun-wise up and didn't get back to hunting until 1988.
I still have that No. 1 and a few others. I have the 284 M77R......and a few others.

 

[DGW1949]

What I like about Ruger rifles is what I like about Ruger guns in general;
A fair price for what you're getting.
Made in USA.
Unbeatable customer service.

DGW

 

[The Blackhawk Kid]

I learned how to do trigger jobs on Ruger rifles using a centerless grinder. It was my first gunsmith job working at what my Dad said was only a hobby. Well, 40+ years later I ain't broke and am retired so I can shoot! A friend and I had just got our M77's in 22-250. We decimated the ground hog population around our area. We even went to the Rosebud Indian reservation and shot prarie dogs til we were wore out and out of ammo! We reloaded every night using a Dillon 550. We loaded 3 50 cal cans full, and off we'd go. My friend shot a coyote at over 600 yards, prone, 6 x 18 redfield scope. That coyote never knew what hit him. That's why I like Ruger rifles. bhk

 

[Bullseye]

About 15 years ago I was at a local shooting club rifle shoot. Not a bench rest shoot, just a club shoot. There were several heavy barreled Rem. 700s, a few very expensive custom guns but most of us were shooting our coyote/varmint rifles. I was shooting my 788 .243 8) The man who won was shooting a pencil barreled, beat up, camoed out M77 22-250 :shock: A Ruger outshot my 788 ! :evil: I still have that 788 but have since added several Rugers to the stable.

 

[Divernhunter]

For bolt action rifles the price but most important was the tang safety. Enough to say I do not like the new ones or win rifles. I have a number of them.
For pistols the 22rf semi auto and its price/reliabably. I also like the buckmark(Browning) 22 semi-auto pistol. For rev the durablity when shoot hot loads especially. For semi-auto pistols other than 22rf they fit me and work.
For a 22rf rifle I like the 10/22 because of the mag and size. It also is reliable

 

[357Maximum]

Back in the mid 1970's I spent too much time reading Shooting Times.

Jon Sundra is the reason for my addiction to #1 and M77, first Ruger I purchased was a M77 in .280 Rem. Why .280, because other then Ruger at the time only custom gun makers chambered the cartridge.

Skeeter Skelton is the reason for my addiction to Ruger single actions, I also have an early K17 Smith, and owned a Model 66 as well shouldn't have sold that one.

Should have kept the # 3's , who would have thought they would be worth so much now ?

Only own a dozen SA now, including 2 , 357 Maximums , and 14 # 1, 12 10-22 and 77-22 RSI as well as a M77 in 280 and .338.

Thanks Jon and Skeeter, otherwise I would have just peed it away on whiskey and women .

357

 

[RugerForMe]

Started out with loaner for my first deer rifle, it was a M77 tang safety .30-06 Ultra light, you know the ones with the black piece on the forend. And I have never hunted with anything else.

 

[Jimbo357mag]

Because, back in 1978, the classic, understated look of the M77 just appealed to me in every way.
Deciding to skip physics class in college one afternoon, I drove to Edelman's, a huge supermarket of firearms, looking to buy my first new deer rifle. Among the glossy ...
This one isn't going to slip through my grasp EVER.

Jeff

Nobody gets that emotional over a gun do they???

Great story!!!

 

[BlackEagle]

Because, back in 1978, the classic, understated look of the M77 just appealed to me in every way.
Deciding to skip physics class in college one afternoon, I drove to Edelman's, a huge supermarket of firearms, looking to buy my first new deer rifle. Among the glossy ...
This one isn't going to slip through my grasp EVER.

Jeff

Nobody gets that emotional over a gun do they???

Great story!!!

Is there a support group for people who have let an emotional relationship with guns damage a relationship with an actual person....?

It is amazing how a gun's value can become so much more than its actual dollar value :? :shock: :roll:

 

[smoke-eater]

Because, back in 1978, the classic, understated look of the M77 just appealed to me in every way.
Deciding to skip physics class in college one afternoon, I drove to Edelman's, a huge supermarket of firearms, looking to buy my first new deer rifle. Among the glossy ...
This one isn't going to slip through my grasp EVER.

Jeff

Nobody gets that emotional over a gun do they???

Great story!!!

Nostalgia, my friend. It gets a grip on us as we grow older, and wish we could recapture something of our youth. :wink:

 

[RSIno1]

I warmed up to Rugers value first when I bought a SS Mini 14. Followed up by a pair of 10-22s. Then I got No1fever and haven't found a cure for it. Buying more does seem to relieve some of the symptoms for a short time. To feed this I sold the Mini And 10-22s as well as a spare SBH and 44 auto carbine. Finally my 5 Garands went. Still going through Claytons book to see what oddities I can now buy with my stash of cash.

 

[OldHickory]

My dad gave me a 44 carbine when I was a teen. I sold it because I "needed" a 30/06. Man, I wish I had that gun back!
Bought a tang safety 308 RSI with one of my first paychecks from a "real" job. Still have it.
Bought a 10/22 on our honeymoon. Wife said we needed one!!
Bought a Mark II 6.5x55 that is my current stand gun.
Bought a stainless Hawkeye .358 Win for deer. Maybe a moose hunt?
I am looking for either a #1 6.5x55 or an RSI in the same caliber.
I use, and have access to 94 and 100 Winchesters, SKS, and my custom 1894 Swedish Mauser Scout rifle.
Love my Rugers. Sure hope I don't have to part with them.

 

[mishtub]

After deer hunting a couple years with a .44 Mag lever gun, I wanted something with a little more "reach". Ruger's "boat paddle" stock was the only gun out of the box with a LOP short enough for me. I didn't want to cut down a nice wood stock. I had owned a few Ruger handguns before and liked their fit, finish, quality and price, still do.

 

[txpitdog]

The one thing that sold me on Ruger permanently, even more so than all the previous years of enjoymentwwith my #1's and SA Ruger revolvers...and unbelievably good customer service, was the run of matte stainless lefthanded Hawkeye 's with the black laminate stocks Ruger made. Up to that rifle, I'd always felt like my options were basic, boring, and bland as far as getting a lefthanded bolt action from any manufacturer, and the lefty ss/lam Hawakeye felt like "Wow, Ruger actually made a COOL gun just for me". I got one in 30-06,and that dang rifle makes a few of my Weatherby's jealous. Then, like a cherry on top the cake, Ruger hit the greatest grand slam home run of all lefthanded time with the lefty ss/lam Hawkeye Alaskan 375 Ruger. Absolutely one of the best rifles ever made, ever. Price, durability, uniqueness, weatherproof, accuracy, balance and handling, tolerable recoil, and raw power. The Hawkeye Alaskan 375 is the only rifle I have ever considered (and still do consider) buying a second one of just in case I wore out the first one.

I love Weatherby Mark V's, and I waste a lot of money on them, but the ss/lam Hawkeye 30-06 and Alaskan 375 Ruger are what gets taken when it's time to hunt.

 

[jaytee]

I've always been the one to pull for the underdog and like it or not Ruger has or was considered that "other" gun maker. So not wanting to have the same gun that everyone else had, ie Remmy or Winney, I opted for a Ruger. And since my older brother had a M77 in .280 that was and still is a tack driver, that just sealed it for me. I now own 10 Rugers I believe including that .280.

 

[kcoop9999]

I bought my 1st Ruger in 1984. The K-Mart in Radcliff, KY was having a clearance deal on all their Ruger rifles and the one that caught my eye was a 77R in .25-06'. I had wanted a .25 since I was in high school, so off to the lay-away counter I went.

Even at a 25% discount, it cost about a full month's pay for a young Army sergeant. 30 years later this rifle has accounted for dozens of deer and at least twice as many coyotes. As long as I do my part, the old 77 can do no wrong. A few years ago I bought a MkII in .257 Roberts, but it sits in the cabinet still un-fired. I just cannot bring myself reach past the -06'!!!!! In my not so humble opinion, if they only build a couple of rifles every year as good as mine, they just can't be beat!!!!! :mrgreen:

 

[sargents1]

Hunting with mums m77 in 30-06 when i was twelve and dropping a 7pt buck with one shot certainly had a role in making me a fan of Ruger rifles. That and getting a 10-22 when i was 10.

 

[JCCVaquero]

Ruger Pistols started my addiction. Good Walnut fueled it and stainless steel (Retirement Engraving Projects) keeps the fire burning. I appreciate Bill Rugers vision too. He had a vision for recreating classics using modern technology. His efforts have filled my gun box with examples of lower cost, high quality of classic guns. Lately I have been reviewing old ads in the American Rifleman and gaining a new appreciation of the man, I hope the new company follows his lead. One of the ads that I like most is the ad "A Father's Advice" New when the Red Label was being introduced. Poetry like that would be much better, seen on poetry posts with in our city parks than some of the c**p I have read while walking my dogs with my children.

 

[Mike Armstrong]

Plain and simple, the Ruger #1.