Today’s Ruger Press Release is worth a read

The important paragraph:

Effective immediately, Ruger is ceasing production of its LCR, SP101, GP100 and Bearcat revolvers. The company plans to complete its final production runs of the following models for 2026: SR1911, LC Carbine, PC Charger, PC Carbine, LC Charger, Redhawk, Super Redhawk, Blackhawk, Super Blackhawk, Single-Series revolvers, Vaquero, No. 1, 77-Series rifles, Hawkeye and Ruger Precision Rifle.

That doesnt leave a whole lot left in their production lines other than their AR15's, 10/22, Mini 14, and American I think... Definitely an interesting turn of events..

Well that’s not the news you want to read. I was hoping for some new Hawkeye chamberings… guess that hope is now dead. Glad I picked up a Guide Gun in 30-06 when I did .

It sounds like they’ve decided to make blenders instead.

I wonder what influence Beretta has over this decision.

I read elsewhere that Beretta sought to eliminate Ruger, so they were likely in the mix.

I’m a big time wheelgun guy, all of this genuinely makes me sad.

Relatively small companies and corporations often prosper under the vision and leadership of one individual. Take him away and the whole thing grinds to a halt. Bill Ruger had the vision to create things that didn't necessarily make a lot of money - the No. 1. the Gold Label, and Safari Magnum were largely negatives on the balance sheet. But they fueled a lot of broad interest in Ruger products.

Guess no new Lipseys lefty's then.

I am hoping that they are re-tooling to improve the quality of there firearms! Which by personal experience has severely declined, as has just about any American company in the last 6 years!
Unfortunately my experience with several large corporations that I have been involved with put some people in place that look really good on paper, but in my experience can’t count their balls and get the same number twice. Most have been released from other companies that they have molested, and sent away with a golden parachute and a raving letter of recomendation to move on to the next company to destroy. Very rarely is this level of management held to account for the things they destroy.
I hope Ruger/Beretta can fix their problem but my level of hope is very slim! I have supported Ruger because it is one of the last truly American firearms companies in existence that produced a decent gun for reasonable prices in cartridge options that we want.
Freedom Arms will be the only revolvers that I will buy from now on, even it Ruger returns to market they can find another customer to replace me. (Not that I will have any bearing on the bottom line). Thanks Ruger for the loyalty to your customers, just like when they quit selling Mini-14s to the civilian market!

I'm as bummed by this as anybody. I have a Lipsey's Hawkeye in 275 Rigby.

But I shoot twice a week at a public rifle range with ~30 booths and it's a rare day that anyone but me is shooting a rifle with a wooden stock. I can't speak to the revolvers etc involved in this decision but my guess is that the wood stock rifles just aren't selling.

For years companies drove new rifle sales by bringing out new cartridges that were supposedly sooooo much better than the old ones. Beyond interest in black guns, another factor in the falling sales of wooden stocked rifles is that we may have reached peak cartridge. And people finally saw through the strategy as the new offerings got more absurd. I don't see many people on here extolling the virtues of their short magnums.

Absent a new must-have cartridge, there are so many better rifles on the used market if you are a wood stock buyer why would you buy new?

The internet is an important factor here. When we were kids and you wanted a certain rifle in a certain caliber you had to hope the local gun store had a used one otherwise you had very few options and almsost had to buy new. (There was Shotgun News but you were buying a gun sight unseen.) One of Ruger's biggest competitors for wood stock rifles, I would imagine, is its own used rifles.

Five year return of negative 45%. Market cap under a billion dollars. Something needed to change.

Unfortunately I think their next announcement will be that they are filing for bankruptcy.

Phasing out, GP100, Ruger 77, no1?
What is left?

Well, new era is coming. Era of cost cutting managers.

They follow Zbrojovka footsteps.

All goes down the drain, to non recognizable products without identity on mass consumer market, polluted by tactical frenzy.

Keeping the plastic stuff and getting rid of their best stuff is sad.

Do they happen to be suspending everything that used their specialized casting processes? Or is it just likely all the margins not high enough stuff? I imagine the margins on a ruger american even at their low prices are quite high and no doubt the volume of them is far higher than any 77 series rifle.

I dont own any ruger rifles, only a few ruger handguns. Ive long loved their product line and have lusted over a ruger guide gun since they first came out. Hopefully they keep up the marlin line and resurrect at least some of these great products.

Bullthrower338 said:

I am hoping that they are re-tooling to improve the quality of there firearms! Which by personal experience has severely declined, as has just about any American company in the last 6 years!
Unfortunately my experience with several large corporations that I have been involved with put some people in place that look really good on paper, but in my experience can’t count their balls and get the same number twice. Most have been released from other companies that they have molested, and sent away with a golden parachute and a raving letter of recomendation to move on to the next company to destroy. Very rarely is this level of management held to account for the things they destroy.
I hope Ruger/Beretta can fix their problem but my level of hope is very slim! I have supported Ruger because it is one of the last truly American firearms companies in existence that produced a decent gun for reasonable prices in cartridge options that we want.
Freedom Arms will be the only revolvers that I will buy from now on, even it Ruger returns to market they can find another customer to replace me. (Not that I will have any bearing on the bottom line). Thanks Ruger for the loyalty to your customers, just like when they quit selling Mini-14s to the civilian market!

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I too wish they’d revamp and come back out with better products. Get rid of that investment casting procedure and move to CNC on everything they possibly can. They’ve always had great designs, but the casting process has always made their guns a bit rough around the edges. I realize certain things like revolver frames probably need to be investment cast in order to remain in a certain price point. But they could make a really nice M77 with a forged receiver, much like the Winchester 70. They’ve already proven they have the capability to make a really nice rifle, in the form of their new Marlin line. Those appear to be excellent.

Bullthrower338 said:

I am hoping that they are re-tooling to improve the quality of there firearms! Which by personal experience has severely declined, as has just about any American company in the last 6 years!
Unfortunately my experience with several large corporations that I have been involved with put some people in place that look really good on paper, but in my experience can’t count their balls and get the same number twice. Most have been released from other companies that they have molested, and sent away with a golden parachute and a raving letter of recomendation to move on to the next company to destroy. Very rarely is this level of management held to account for the things they destroy.
I hope Ruger/Beretta can fix their problem but my level of hope is very slim! I have supported Ruger because it is one of the last truly American firearms companies in existence that produced a decent gun for reasonable prices in cartridge options that we want.
Freedom Arms will be the only revolvers that I will buy from now on, even it Ruger returns to market they can find another customer to replace me. (Not that I will have any bearing on the bottom line). Thanks Ruger for the loyalty to your customers, just like when they quit selling Mini-14s to the civilian market!

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My experience with the C-Suite crowd matches yours! Over the last 30 years of my career, I worked with dozens of Fortune 500 companies and interfaced with many of their senior-level executives. I can count on one hand the true leaders I met, with fingers left over. The CEO cult is simply devoid of talent. Style counts. Substance doesn’t. They flit from company to company wrecking all in sight, take a buyout, and then miraculously are hired by another rubber-stamp Board because the can talk a good game.

Big businesses were built by men and women who have a passion for the products or services they provide. Not Harvard MBAs or finance experts. Car guys built car companies. Aviation geeks built aircraft companies. Somehow, corporations bought into the “professional manager” model.

Most board rooms are now seas of stupidity with no land in sight!

The future?

Doug3006 said:

board rooms are now seas of stupidity with no land in sight!

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Im going to borrow this one

Doug3006 said:

My experience with the C-Suite crowd matches yours! Over the last 30 years of my career, I worked with dozens of Fortune 500 companies and interfaced with many of their senior-level executives. I can count on one hand the true leaders I met, with fingers left over. The CEO cult is simply devoid of talent. Style counts. Substance doesn’t. They flit from company to company wrecking all in sight, take a buyout, and then miraculously are hired by another rubber-stamp Board because the can talk a good game.

Big businesses were built by men and women who have a passion for the products or services they provide. Not Harvard MBAs or finance experts. Car guys built car companies. Aviation geeks built aircraft companies. Somehow, corporations bought into the “professional manager” model.

Most board rooms are now seas of stupidity with no land in sight!

Click to expand...

I worked as a GM for a division of a large Oil and Gas corporation. The company was in business for 114 years, ran by the kind of people that knew the work. When they got their board together of people that knew nothing about what we actually did and they started taking their wives one week and their girlfriends the next to Napa for the weekends I saw the writing on the wall. The day our stock dropped off the board we knew our days were numbered! They sold off all of the high profit divisions, which included my segment, and the rest just dissolved into bankruptcy. Very sad to see of great companies that were started with sweat and blood.

Choupique said:

Im going to borrow this one

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Damn, I love(d) many of their classic models, No. 1's, single action revolvers, the hawkeye, etc...

One of my favorite sayings in criticism of a so called leader, which I heard from my Battalion Sgt. Major many moons ago, is:
"He couldnt lead an alcoholic to happy hour"