What new Ruger would you like to see in a limited special run?

[Cohle]

Maybe a No 1 RSI in 30/30 Win. That round is the pipsqueak visual duplicate of the 450/400. Where I came from in NW Pa., the 30/30 likely killed more deer than anything except harsh winters.

 

[Bandera]

A left handed M77 MkIi African in

• 458 Win Mag with the Safari magnum barrel profile
• 416 Ruger would be nice. The did a limited run of LH 416 Rugers.
• 30-06 or 300 mag in an African.

For Ruger No.1’s they have made them in a bunch of different calibers over the years and a bunch of configurations, but not that many with a C weight barrel or the tropical configuration.

A medium sporter:

• C weight barrel like the 450-400’s or 45-70’s,
• 24” barrel.
• Express style sights
• Barrel band sling point.
• Caliber 30-06 or 300 Win Mag.

A heavy sporter, tropical configuration.

• 450-400 NE. This has been done in a medium sporter but not heavier D barrel.
• 24” barrel.
• Barrel band front sight.
• Another run of the 450NE
• 300 H&H

 

[Noah_McCoy]

I think Ruger would do well to bring back the RSM to try to fill the market gap left by the CZ550. As far as the No1 it would be pretty cool to see them offered with a side lever, even if on a limited basis.

 

[VertigoBE]

I think Ruger would do well to bring back the RSM to try to fill the market gap left by the CZ550. As far as the No1 it would be pretty cool to see them offered with a side lever, even if on a limited basis.

That idea of a ruger no 1 with a sidelever is actually not a bad one… and I assume not the most complicated modification to make

 

[cajunchefray]

A left handed M77 MkIi African in

• 458 Win Mag with the Safari magnum barrel profile
• 416 Ruger would be nice. The did a limited run of LH 416 Rugers.
• 30-06 or 300 mag in an African.

For Ruger No.1’s they have made them in a bunch of different calibers over the years and a bunch of configurations, but not that many with a C weight barrel or the tropical configuration.

A medium sporter:

• C weight barrel like the 450-400’s or 45-70’s,
• 24” barrel.
• Express style sights
• Barrel band sling point.
• Caliber 30-06 or 300 Win Mag.

A heavy sporter, tropical configuration.

• 450-400 NE. This has been done in a medium sporter but not heavier D barrel.
• 24” barrel.
• Barrel band front sight.
• Another run of the 450NE
• 300 H&H

@Bandera, I like your style.

I would add a .500 NE with a D weight 26" barrel, fixed shallow V rear.
Weight at 10.5 pounds. I'm sure some would want a threaded barrel, I don't I'd probably Magnaport it.

 

[cajunchefray]

.375 h and h in a 77 African.

Another vote for the 375 Holland and Holland in a 77 African.

Ruger would have to modify that action, opened up like Winchester did in the 1930s for their Model 70.

Dave Scovill, editor of Rifle and Handloader had one built on a 77 Mk II action.
Opened up, ejector moved back, new magazine box and follower.
As I recall, the only issue he had was stock splitting. 2 crossbolts and a threaded rod epoxied into the wrist of the stock fixed that.

As Ruger would not want to cannibalize sales of their 375 Ruger, they could make the 375 H&H a premium edition, commensurate price.

Hell, while I'm dreaming make a 404 jeffery as well.
My Dad always said, When you dream, dream a good one.

 

[Ridge Runner]

I like all of the suggestions being considered but since this hypothetical I'm going to upset a few and go for a limited run of the Ruger 44 carbine. I don't remember the model number, maybe 10/44, but it's a sort of similar version of the 10/22. A handy "truck gun" and "pack gun".

 

[Dross289]

I like the 318 WR in a Hawkeye African idea. And would buy one or two. Maybe with enough interest hornady could make a run of ammo.

 

[Rafiki]

How about a RSM chambered in a 505 Gibbs or 500 Jeffery (although the Jeffery doesn't require the RSM's magnum length receiver), with one caveat, one piece bottom metal.

The nice thing about the Ruger No 1 is that it can be chambered in about anything (and has), Adding this or that caliber to a No 1 wish list is kind of uninteresting since it is so easily done and not that expensive. The RSM however, with it's integral rib, magnum length action, and just the mechanics of a bolt action is a whole different story. I have No 1's and a RSM and love them all.

 

[mchusmc]

A few days ago, @MontanaGrant started a thread about the Ruger African in 450 Bushmaster that was made exclusively for Randy's Hunting Center in Michigan. This thread eventually devolved into a discussion about what it would take to have a special limited run of rifles made for a group of people (like us!). So I sent RHC an email to ask that question and here is the response I got:

Darryl,

We work very closely with Ruger on exclusive rifles for our company. Generally they require between 75 and 100 firearms (same model and caliber), but we believe that they would run a minimum order of 50 rifles.

Please, let us know which model and caliber you are considering.

Best regards,

Randy’s Hunting Center

So there you have it. We need to specify a Ruger rifle model, a single caliber and 50+ of us would all agree that we would part with the money to make that happen. Is this possible? I don't know but my guess is it could be a challenge to come to a consensus. But I thought I would at least pose the question just because I was personally curious to see what your responses would be.

For the sake of this particular exercise, here's the "rules":

1. If you would buy a Ruger No. 1, specify the calibers you would be willing to purchase. You can get more detailed if you like about stainless, blued, RSI, barrel length, etc. But the main goal is just to see if there is at least one chambering that a significant number of people would purchase. Also keep in mind that at least 49 other people are going to need to agree with you. So while it might be tempting to list something esoteric, you might want to include something with commercially available ammunition on your wishlist as well.

2. If you would buy a Ruger Hawkeye African, specify the calibers you would be willing to purchase. Remember that Ruger magazines for the rifles they have been producing lately are 87mm / 3.4" so specifying the really large African calibers may not be practical. Since I'm a left-handed shooter, if that's what you want, mention that as well. I'm assuming the majority of responders will be right-handers but obviously I'm wondering if there's anyone out there like me.

To get the ball rolling, I'll go first. If this is going to be a special limited run, then I'm not really interested in getting a common chambering that is readily available in current rifles. But that's just my personal feeling:

Ruger No. 1 Tropical: 404 Jeffery

Ruger No. 1 RSI: 303 British

Ruger Hawkeye African (LH): 7x57 / 275 Rigby (my top choice by far!)

But I would also spend money to help my fellow southpaws by purchasing any of the following:

Ruger Hawkeye African (LH): 22 Hornet, 257 Roberts, 6.5x55, 7x64, 35 Whelen or 9.3x62

So here's your opportunity to put in a request for something missing & to see how that compares with the other forum members. If this thread produces a meaningful number of responses, I'll tally the totals in a later reply. Maybe start a followup thread with a poll if it appears there might be a doable choice. If the response is anemic, then that will satisfy my curiosity as to the feasibility of this endeavor as well.

I would like to see the reintroduction of the RSM, with one-piece steel bottom metal and caliber-appropriate barrel weight/profile (I LOVE my RSM in .375 H&H, but the barrel profile is far heavier than necessary for the .375). I would also like to see the Ruger Express rifles and/or the Hawkeye African produced in .30-06, 7x57 and 9.3x62. Since I’m dreaming here, a much-slimmed down version of the RSM chambered in .300 H&H would be most welcome.

 

[Huvius]

Makes me think that Ruger could introduce a factory rifle in the 458 Ruger wildcat.
This cartridge has been discussed right here on AH.
Maybe reintroduce the Ruger Express with the integral quarter rib with a barrel profile and weight to take on the 458 Ruger on the standard action length.
A bit of an upscale rifle chambered in the biggest reasonable cartridge in the Ruger lineup.

 

[Jhsmith]

A few days ago, @MontanaGrant started a thread about the Ruger African in 450 Bushmaster that was made exclusively for Randy's Hunting Center in Michigan. This thread eventually devolved into a discussion about what it would take to have a special limited run of rifles made for a group of people (like us!). So I sent RHC an email to ask that question and here is the response I got:

Darryl,

We work very closely with Ruger on exclusive rifles for our company. Generally they require between 75 and 100 firearms (same model and caliber), but we believe that they would run a minimum order of 50 rifles.

Please, let us know which model and caliber you are considering.

Best regards,

Randy’s Hunting Center

So there you have it. We need to specify a Ruger rifle model, a single caliber and 50+ of us would all agree that we would part with the money to make that happen. Is this possible? I don't know but my guess is it could be a challenge to come to a consensus. But I thought I would at least pose the question just because I was personally curious to see what your responses would be.

For the sake of this particular exercise, here's the "rules":

1. If you would buy a Ruger No. 1, specify the calibers you would be willing to purchase. You can get more detailed if you like about stainless, blued, RSI, barrel length, etc. But the main goal is just to see if there is at least one chambering that a significant number of people would purchase. Also keep in mind that at least 49 other people are going to need to agree with you. So while it might be tempting to list something esoteric, you might want to include something with commercially available ammunition on your wishlist as well.

2. If you would buy a Ruger Hawkeye African, specify the calibers you would be willing to purchase. Remember that Ruger magazines for the rifles they have been producing lately are 87mm / 3.4" so specifying the really large African calibers may not be practical. Since I'm a left-handed shooter, if that's what you want, mention that as well. I'm assuming the majority of responders will be right-handers but obviously I'm wondering if there's anyone out there like me.

To get the ball rolling, I'll go first. If this is going to be a special limited run, then I'm not really interested in getting a common chambering that is readily available in current rifles. But that's just my personal feeling:

Ruger No. 1 Tropical: 404 Jeffery

Ruger No. 1 RSI: 303 British

Ruger Hawkeye African (LH): 7x57 / 275 Rigby (my top choice by far!)

But I would also spend money to help my fellow southpaws by purchasing any of the following:

Ruger Hawkeye African (LH): 22 Hornet, 257 Roberts, 6.5x55, 7x64, 35 Whelen or 9.3x62

So here's your opportunity to put in a request for something missing & to see how that compares with the other forum members. If this thread produces a meaningful number of responses, I'll tally the totals in a later reply. Maybe start a followup thread with a poll if it appears there might be a doable choice. If the response is anemic, then that will satisfy my curiosity as to the feasibility of this endeavor as well.

I second the motion for left hand Ruger Hawkeye African rifles in various odd ball cartridges!

 

[Bwana Man]

Ruger Hawkeye African (RH) in .303 British or 9.3x62 in a dark walnut Mannlicher stock with blued steel. A plum colored receiver that mimics an aged Ruger would be an added bonus.

 

[whisk(e)y hunter]

I think that RSM bored above 375, especially in 505 or 500, or a double in the traditional large bores would sell extremely well

 

[Inkgardener]

I want a No 1 in 300 H&H and 450/400.