View Full Version : Why does everyone seem to hate Rugers?
I have owned several Rugers, both revolvers and semi autos and I dont see why a lot of guys just seem to hate the word "Ruger" Then you get others that look at you like youre some kind of fool for owning it. If you know please fill me in. Thanks das
i personally dont hate em. as a matter of fact i own several myself. imo its just that some of their models are better than others. example: ive never shot a M77 that didnt need some trigger work right out of the box. their revolvers are flat out tanks and i love them for hunting, and im not the only one. as for their semi auto pistols, there are simply guns out there that are a far better choice for slightly more money. the Mini 14s have gotten so high priced id sooner buy an entry level AR, but i will say this, they are getting creative and have came out with a couple new models (LCP, LCR) that i have considered, so they seem to be moving the right direction.
I haven't kept up with their latest offerings.
I don't "hate" them, but my last experience with them was that all of their guns were bigger, bulkier, and crunchier than the competition, and for a CCW none of those were desirable traits for me.
Some also blame Bill Ruger for the magazine capacity limit portion of the assault weapons ban. Whether right or wrong, some are never going to get over that.
Yeah, lots of Bill Ruger hate. Sins of the father sort of thing.
They make great revolvers, .22's, and hunting rifles.
Old man Ruger shot himself in the foot by supporting the GCA of 1968 and the AWB of 1994. He publicly stated that "no honest man needs more than 10 shots".
Now, he's gone, and the company has definitely taken a new path, which is a good thing, but their "tactical" rifles and pistols still aren't up to the level of other companies'.
They excel in their sporting gun offerings, just not their LE or tactical arms.
Ruger produces commercial/sporting grade firearms which serve pretty well in that use. Some are bright spots in the line, and do better than others. There are several offerings I do like. Credit and criticism will be given where it is due.
Some do indeed latch onto Bill's politics, but there's ample enough reason to avoid Ruger for serious purposes otherwise.
MarshallDodge
04-07-10, 10:00
I have not seen a lot of hate for the product per say, just folks that don't find them to be the best fit for their needs. I have a Vaquero and multiple 10/22's which have all been good guns but their pistols just don't appeal that much to me.
Like Rob said, they tend to be on the larger side due to the investment casting process that they use. The SR9 and 9c product is one that I would be interested in seeing how it holds up under long term use. The price point is attractive for those that would like something a little more affordable.
Hate is overstating it. I'm not a revolver guy but plenty of people seem to like their revolvers. Their semi-autos just don't interest me. They either seem cheap, like the SR9, or clunky like the P whatever it is series. i just do't see any reason to own them I mean why would you buy an SR9 over a Glock or M&P?
They make great revolvers, .22's, and hunting rifles.
Old man Ruger shot himself in the foot by supporting the GCA of 1968 and the AWB of 1994. He publicly stated that "no honest man needs more than 10 shots".
Now, he's gone, and the company has definitely taken a new path, which is a good thing, but their "tactical" rifles and pistols still aren't up to the level of other companies'.
They excel in their sporting gun offerings, just not their LE or tactical arms.
Templar has nailed it: these are all the concerns/objections/whatever that I have "against" Ruger, though I do not "hate" them.
I own multiple 10/22's configured in different ways--currently own 3 of them--and currently own a 22/45 Mk III .22 pistol. They are all great. A few years back I tried a Ruger Mini-14, and then I threw good money in after bad, and tried to customize it. What a waste of money! At the time I moderated a forum of Mini-14 owners, and saw this same story repeated countless times, although in fairness, there were far more Mini-14 owners who said they were very satisfied with their rifles than there were folks like me who ended up disliking them.
Bottom line: Ruger is a great American-owned and American-run firearms company that makes some great products, and some mediocre products. They have done some good things, and they have done some things I strongly disagree with. Overall, I'm glad they are there and I will keep buying stuff on their 10/22 and Mark III platforms, plus I will seriously consider their revolvers if I ever get into revolvers. For now, I would not seriously consider any of their "tactical" offerings, though I will try to keep an open mind.
The Ruger hatred is completely uncalled for since Bill Ruger is dead & the Ruger family has nothing to do with the business anymore.
I personally refused to buy anything from them until they started offering 20 round Mini magazines, and offering tacticool stuff which they have.
I'm not too interested in their centerfire lines, but you can't beat their .22LR line ups.
ThirdWatcher
04-07-10, 13:58
Substitute the word "hate" with "indifferent". In addition to some of the reasons given above, I don't want to join the "Recall of the Month Club".
Their 10/22 and revolvers are great, imho.
Also, I owned a Ruger MK77VT in .223 and at 415y using Q3131, I could get 1/2 MOA groups after I threw out the fliers. (usually 3 out of 10 or so were fliers, as in, completely off the target). That is one of, if not the most accurate rifles I ever shot.
The mini-14, well...it just sucked for me.
I've shot the SR9c. Not sure it would hold up to a year with Todd G, but it's not a bad gun. Trigger is firm but not overly heavy, with a strong reset. Better fit in the hand than Glocks (even with large hands) for me.
I will echo what other people have said. Ruger Autos tend to be clunky with heavy DA triggers.
In all of the carbine and handgun classes that I have taken in the last 4 years (gotta be more than 10) I cannot remember a single person carrying a Ruger.
On another note the Ruger Security Six and Speed Six were great revolvers. But they replaced it with the GP-100, which while sturdy as hell, sucks in terms of bulk and trigger pull.
MarshallDodge
04-07-10, 16:42
In all of the carbine and handgun classes that I have taken in the last 4 years (gotta be more than 10) I cannot remember a single person carrying a Ruger.
I was in a handgun class last year and one of the guys had a Ruger P90. As far as I could tell the gun ran great and the shooter was one of the top in the class. :cool:
We have an older gentleman that runs a P95 at our informal classes and the gun runs good for him. He needs to work on a couple bad habits and I think his shooting will improve as well. ;)
There were 5000 KP95D's issued to the Iraqi police. I wonder how those are holding up?
I actually carried a P85 as my PDW for awhile in the early 1990s (being a Group XO at the time probably had some bearing on my ability to do so...). It was totally reliable. I later sold it when I was going through law school.
Flash foward to 2007. Nostalgia hit, and I decided to get a P89 as sort of a usable commemorative of some good times with some good people and a good unit. My timing was fortuitous-all the stars were truly in alignment. Ruger had just gone through a company-wide product/production/materials improvement program, and I got mine benefitting from the product improvements (and, to be fair to Ruger, they'd quietly instuted multiple product improvements to the P85/P85MkII/P89 platform throughout its 20 year production cycle)-literally right before the P89 was discontinued (due to a combination of the introduction of the SR9 and the concurrent production of that and the P95 in the 9mm handgun niche).
Mine has turned out to be a relative tackdriver, with 1" to 1.5" groups being the norm to 25 yards. Both DA and SA triggerpulls are quite nice, and the gun has been totally reliable to date, even handling some very hard-primered Israeli military SMG ammunition. Performance has been flawless in some very adverse weather as well. The only physical changes that I've done was to replace the grips with a set of Craig Spegel-designed Uncle Mike's rubber grips, and replaced the mainspring retention cap with an OEM lanyard loop cap. To date, it's singlehandedly defused my "requirement" for a HK P30 (at least from a logical/need point of view). With the newer safety/decocker levers, the Ruger P-Series ergonomics actually aren't really bad at all. Yes, their slides tend to be a bit heavier/bulkier than their competition's, bur Ruger grossly overbuilt the P85/P89 for the DoD XM10 trials (it just missed competing in the XM9 trials). Mine carries nicely in a Blade-Tech IWB holster.
They're certainly not the most svelte of duty 9mm handguns, but my P89's a keeper. I think that they're an often ignored and underrated handgun. The jury is still out on the later polymer frame P-Series guns, in my opinion.
And I also am very favorably impressed with my 1978-vintage Security Six, and my contemporary production GP100 revolvers.
Best, Jon
lethal dose
04-07-10, 16:56
The gp100 and 'hawks are some of the best wheelies in the game. Their bolt guns are great, too. As for semiauto pistols, the p series are spotty at best. The sr9 has had pretty favorable reviews but not enough to make me buy one.
the first Pistol I owned was a Ruger security Six ,Great revolver But to big to conceal.I have had the 10/22 But sold it after the 94 crap.never like their semi auto Pistols to bulky .Never liked the Mini-14 either the sights where god awful to me .Now I don't even look at Rugers .My 22lr now is a Glennfield Model 60 Made By Marlin .Never really Hated them though.
Ruger makes some kick ass products like th m77,10/22,mini 14/30, semi auto 22 pistols, sr556 and great revolvers; however, I would never buy a ruger semi auto pistol other than 22 cal to save my life. To me its like buying a HiPoint. jmo
the first Pistol I owned was a Ruger security Six ,Great revolver But to big to conceal
I carried a 4"bbl Security Six for a while (damned hard to find made to fit holsters for it...). Worked well for me.
It was also my first handgun, and really the first quality handgun in my family's possession.
Ruger's core competency is in investment casting. It's the reason many of their weapons are so large. You have to build it bigger if the part is weaker. Ironically, uninformed shooters mistake the bulk of their weapons for strength.
Ruger uses casting to keep costs low and offer sporting guns at cheap prices. I love my 10/22 and my Mk 1 and Mk II pistols. Their duty caliber weapons are typically bulky and comparatively HARD to field strip and maintain.
I'd always admired Bill Ruger and do appreciate his contribution to the industry. I remember that when the Mini-14 first hit the market 35 years ago, his policy restricted 20 rd magazines to le. Then, capacity was not a hot button issue, and this policy was not controversial. Those who wanted these mags got them from boot leg sources without even a shrug of shoulders.
If Ruger were alive today, he would be in his 90's, and it is probable that his viewpoint was influenced by a conservative mindset typical of his generation.
The famous gunsmith P.O. Ackley detested military weapons and stated this view in his writings many times.
Williejc
Robb Jensen
04-07-10, 21:17
I have owned several Rugers, both revolvers and semi autos and I dont see why a lot of guys just seem to hate the word "Ruger" Then you get others that look at you like youre some kind of fool for owning it. If you know please fill me in. Thanks das
They make some of the toughest guns on the market. I'm a big fan of their .22s and their revolvers (DA and SA revolvers).
Their auto pistols are big and clunky but they work and are actually pretty damn accurate. I'm not a fan of their new SR9 but it's a step in the right direction as far as ergos. For a 9mm pistol from them I like the P95. Even with its plastic frame rails it's a tough gun and can handle at steady diet of NATO pressure ammo and high round counts. I prefer the decocker only version. I have no use for a manual safety on a DA/SA auto. Whenever I see one come in on consignment at work I'm always very tempted to buy it. Sure it's not a Glock but it's a good beater pistol. Heavy trigger pull and a high bore axis but it's usable.
Don Robison
04-07-10, 21:36
Like the other have said; hate is probably too strong.
I have several Ruger revolvers, a MKII, 10/22, Mini14 and a M77. I've owned a couple of P85s through the years. They aren't anything to write home about, but they always worked.
i dig my MKII. most reliable autoloading 22 i have ever used.
I think the 10/22 is one of the all time great firearms, along with the Blackhawk SA revos. I'm currently in love with my integrally suppressed Ruger 77/44 from S&H Arms.
But I prefer Browning Buckmarks to the Mark I-III series and Citori's over Red Labels. S&W DA revos are much better in terms of action quality and lock time, to the point that a DA Ruger revolver in competition is an oddity.
I've actually owned a Ruger P-97 (during my "own one of every major pistol type" phase) and while it shot well, I consider EVERY centerfire Ruger semi-auto pistol to be uninspiring at best and an ergronomic disaster at worst. There are just so many better pistols on the market that only Ruger fanboys should own one.
What really turned me off on Ruger was their horrible sevice and parts policies (which I understand are better these days). As one who considers the ability to service and repair your own sidearm as integral to being a good shooter, telling me I can't buy factory parts for my gun is unacceptable. You'd better be willing to overnight me a loaner free of charge if you expect me to ship my pistol back every time it needs something done.
I won't even go into how Ruger hosed me when I was a Ruger direct LE stocking dealer back in the 90's. :mad:
ThirdWatcher
04-08-10, 01:39
As one who considers the ability to service and repair your own sidearm as integral to being a good shooter, telling me I can't buy factory parts for my gun is unacceptable.
Absolutely right.
I carried S&W revolvers 'back in the day" and when I needed to send one back to the factory, it was 'no muss, no fuss'. S&W bent over backwards to keep law enforcement happy and I'm still happy with their customer service. (The S&W Model 442/642 revolvers must be about the most popular revolvers on the planet.)
I hated them for more than 20yrs. Of course, I did have a NIB Redhawk .357 blow up in my hand on round number six. Strangely enough, I know of two other357 Redhawks that did the same thing. I have finally put that in the past and recently purchased the LCP and LCR.
I don't hate Ruger. They just don't make anything I want right now. I was in the market for a poly pistol and I looked seriously at a SR9 but went with a G17 instead for a variety of reasons. I owned a Mini 14 for a short time and it was reliable with good mags, only problem was that good mags were near impossible to come by at the time
Moose-Knuckle
04-08-10, 12:22
They make great revolvers, .22's, and hunting rifles.
Old man Ruger shot himself in the foot by supporting the GCA of 1968 and the AWB of 1994. He publicly stated that "no honest man needs more than 10 shots".
Now, he's gone, and the company has definitely taken a new path, which is a good thing, but their "tactical" rifles and pistols still aren't up to the level of other companies'.
They excel in their sporting gun offerings, just not their LE or tactical arms.
Couldn't have said it better myself. With that said, I do own Ruger Revolvers and rimfires...can't beat'em.
I have been raised in something of a Ruger household. My brother and I got 10/22s for Christmas about 8 or 9 years ago as our first firearms. Dad has had the same ol P89 for years with no issues, but I have no clue how old that ol horse really is. Dad also got a Super Redhawk .44 mag a year and a half ago. About a month ago I bought myself an LCP, which has been in my back pocket ever since and it was some of the best gun money I ever spent. It sucks spending $600 on a FS 9mm auto and being discouraged to carry it because of its size. With an LCP, you forget its even there. New offerings from S&W and Taurus in the pocket pistol market are straying too far from ultra compact, lightweight simplicity, in my opinion. I don't care if an LCP is very similar to a P3AT, if you want the best little gun for your money, the Ruger is where its at. I personally don't care for mini 14's because they are way too heavy for what they are. I would choose my M4 any day over a mini.
theblackknight
04-08-10, 18:26
The SR9's safety just looks way too small for a fighting gun.
I've been a ruger fanboy for a good 5 years now but lately I'm starting to fall away. my blackhawk .45lc needs to have the throats reamed which is a common problem and when the hammer on my p345 wouldn't stay cocked anymore I took it apart to figure out why and that's when I formed the opinion that the gun just has too much crap jammed into it, overly complicated. not only that but ruger refused to sell me the parts to fix it. they have to be installed by the factory for best functioning and reliability or some such but I'm pretty certain that they're not fitted parts. I will say that with the exception of my p345 going DAO on me my 6 rugers have functioned very well and I'm happy with them for the most part but it just seams like over the last few years the quality and workmanship has been going down hill. I'll hang onto my p95 even though it pretty much gathers dust since I got my glock, but the p345 is getting sold when it gets back and I'm probably done with new ruger pistols.
To echo what some others have said here, I think their 22s are great, both the 10/22 and the pistols. Maybe I'm biased, I own several 10/22s, as well as a Single Six I bought with wood cutting money back in 1977. I also own a 4"stainless Security Six which is probably my favorite revolver. I had it and a S&W Model 686. The SW is long gone but the Security Six is still around.
Now their centerfire auto pistols are another matter. They seem serviceable but are overly bulky and to me rather awkward feeling. Sorry. My dad and sister both own P series pistols and I've shot them a lot. Their centerfire rifles, with the exception of the No. 1, leave me cold as well.
FMJs-of-Freedom
04-09-10, 10:23
For the the many previous reasons stated I am also not a fan of Ruger pistols. FMJs-of-Freedom
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