Sturm, Ruger & Co.

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Sturm, Ruger & Company, Inc.
Company type Public
NYSE:  RGR
S&P 600 Component
Industry Firearms
Founded1949;75 years ago (1949)
Founders William B. Ruger,
Alexander McCormick Sturm
Headquarters,
U.S.
Area served
Worldwide
Key people
Ronald C. Whitaker (Chairman) [1]
Christopher J. Killoy (President and CEO) [2]
Products Revolvers, pistols, rifles, shotguns
Revenue$664 million [3]  (2016)
595,840,000 United States dollar (2022)  OOjs UI icon edit-ltr-progressive.svg
$88 million [3]  (2016)
Number of employees
2,120 [3]  (2016)
Subsidiaries Marlin Firearms
Website www.ruger.com OOjs UI icon edit-ltr-progressive.svg

Sturm, Ruger & Company, Inc., better known by the shortened name Ruger, is an American firearm manufacturing company based in Southport, Connecticut, with production facilities also in Newport, New Hampshire; Mayodan, North Carolina; and Prescott, Arizona. The company was founded in 1949 by Alexander McCormick Sturm and William B. Ruger and has been publicly traded since 1969.

Contents

Ruger produces bolt-action, semi-automatic, and single-shot rifles, semi-automatic pistols, and single- and double-action revolvers. [4] According to the ATF statistics for 2021, [5] Ruger is the second largest firearm manufacturer, [6] in the United States (behind Smith & Wesson).


History

Ruger's MK II 22/45 target pistol. Ruger-22-45.jpg
Ruger's MK II 22/45 target pistol.

Sturm, Ruger & Company was founded by William B. Ruger and Alexander McCormick Sturm in 1949 in a small rented machine shop in Southport, Connecticut. [7]

Just prior to their partnership, Bill Ruger had successfully duplicated two Japanese "baby" Nambu pistols in his garage, from a captured Nambu that he acquired from a returning Marine, at the close of World War II. When it came to designing the Company's first product, Bill Ruger designed a semi-auto pistol that incorporated the looks of the German 9mm Luger and the American Colt Woodsman into their first commercially produced .22 caliber pistol (see Ruger Standard), which became so successful that it launched the entire company. [7]

The 1970 Ruger Sports Tourer was a brief attempt by Ruger at building a high-end, retro car. In the end, only two prototypes were made. 1970 Ruger Sports Tourer in yellow, front left (Lime Rock).jpg
The 1970 Ruger Sports Tourer was a brief attempt by Ruger at building a high-end, retro car. In the end, only two prototypes were made.

Ruger is a dominant manufacturer in the .22 LR rimfire rifle market in the U.S., due primarily to the sales of its Ruger 10/22 semiautomatic rifle. [8] The 10/22 is very popular due to its reputation for being relatively inexpensive and of high quality. [9] As a result, a wealth of after-market accessories and parts were made available for it, which has further increased its popularity. [8]

Ruger similarly dominates the .22 rimfire semi-automatic pistol market with the Ruger Mark IV, a descendant of the Ruger Standard pistol. Like the 10/22, the Mark Series is supported with a wide variety of after-market accessories. The 22/45 is similar to the Ruger Standard family of pistols but features a different grip angle, that of the Colt 1911 (as opposed to that of a Luger utilized in the Ruger Standard). [10]

Ruger is also renowned for the production of high-quality revolvers, such as the GP100 and Redhawk lines. They also have some presence in the semi-auto pistol market, with the SR1911 and SR22 lines of handguns.

From 1949 through 2004, Ruger manufactured over 20 million firearms. The company is headquartered in Southport, Connecticut, and maintains manufacturing facilities in Newport, New Hampshire, Prescott, Arizona, and Mayodan, North Carolina. Ruger's subsidiaries are Ruger Precision Metals LLC in Earth City, Missouri, Pine Tree Castings in Newport, New Hampshire, and Ruger Sportswear & Accessories in Mayodan, North Carolina. [11] Ruger's Pine Tree Castings division makes ferrous, ductile iron, and commercial titanium castings. Ruger had a division known as Ruger Golf, making steel and titanium castings for golf clubs made by a number of different brands in the 1990s. [12]

Sturm, Ruger stock has been publicly traded since 1969 and became a New York Stock Exchange company in 1990 (NYSE:RGR). After Alex Sturm's death in 1951, William B. Ruger continued to direct the company until his death in 2002.

In September 2020, the company bought the Marlin Firearms company from bankrupt Remington Outdoor Company. [13] Just one year after the acquisition of Marlin, Ruger introduced the first Ruger-made Marlin lever-action rifle, the Model 1895 SBL.

In 2024, Ruger is celebrating their 75th anniversary.

Statistics

Ruger was ranked the number one U.S. firearms manufacturer from 2008 to 2011. In 2011, Ruger manufactured 1,114,687 firearms, as their promotion, the "Million Gun Challenge to Benefit the NRA", played a significant role in the company maintaining its top U.S. manufacturer status. [14] The company has set a new goal of 2 million firearms produced per year. [15] From 2009 to 2012, Ruger was the top-seller of handguns. [16]

Products

Ruger breaks down its products into nine categories: [3]

Rifles

Bolt-action rifles

Ruger M77 Mark II Stainless Bolt Action in .204 Ruger 77MII 204 Action.jpg
Ruger M77 Mark II Stainless Bolt Action in .204

Autoloading rifles

Ruger 10/22 "Stainless" With an aftermarket Butler Creek Folding Stock and a TRUGLO Red Dot Sight Ruger 10-22 (2).JPG
Ruger 10/22 "Stainless" With an aftermarket Butler Creek Folding Stock and a TRUGLO Red Dot Sight

Lever-action rifles

  • Model 96 (96/44, 96/22 and 96/17 discontinued)

Single-shot rifles

Shotguns (discontinued)

Red Label shotgun Ruger Red Label 12ga Gen1.jpg
Red Label shotgun

Submachine guns

Handguns

Centerfire pistols

Ruger P89 Ruger P89 3.png
Ruger P89
Ruger SR1911 (.45 ACP) Ruger-SR1911.jpg
Ruger SR1911 (.45 ACP)

Rimfire pistols

Ruger MK I 68-577-B Pistol, Cal 22, US, Ruger MK1 (7516155658).jpg
Ruger MK I

Double-action revolvers

The first variation of the Ruger LCR .38 Special with laser grips Ruger LCR.jpg
The first variation of the Ruger LCR .38 Special with laser grips

Single-action revolvers

Stainless New Model Super Blackhawk and Redhawk Ruger revolvers comparison.jpg
Stainless New Model Super Blackhawk and Redhawk

See also

Related Research Articles

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Single-shot</span> Firearm that holds one round of ammunition

In firearm designs, the term single-shot refers to guns that can hold only a single round of ammunition inside and thus must be reloaded manually after every shot. Compared to multi-shot repeating firearms ("repeaters"), single-shot designs have no moving parts other than the trigger, hammer/firing pin or frizzen, and therefore do not need a sizable receiver behind the barrel to accommodate a moving action, making them far less complex and more robust than revolvers or magazine/belt-fed firearms, but also with much slower rates of fire.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Ruger Mini-14</span> Semi-automatic rifle

The Mini-14 is a lightweight semi-automatic rifle manufactured by Sturm, Ruger & Co. Introduced in 1973, the design was outwardly based on the M14 rifle and is, in appearance, a scaled-down version chambered in 5.56×45mm NATO, though with its own gas system design.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">.22 Winchester Magnum Rimfire</span> Rimfire cartridge

The .22 Winchester Magnum Rimfire, also known as the .22 WMR, .22 Magnum, .22 WMRF, .22 MRF, or .22 Mag, is a rimfire cartridge. Originally loaded with a bullet weight of 40 grains (2.6 g) delivering velocities in the 2,000 feet per second (610 m/s) range from a rifle barrel, .22 WMR is now loaded with bullet weights ranging from 50 grains (3.2 g) at 1,530 feet per second (470 m/s) to 30 grains (1.9 g) at 2,200 feet per second (670 m/s).

The Ruger 10/22 is a series of semi-automatic rifles produced by American firearm manufacturer Sturm, Ruger & Co., chambered for the .22 Long Rifle rimfire cartridge. It uses a patented 10-round rotary magazine, though higher capacity box magazines are also available. The standard carbine version of the Ruger 10/22 has been in production continuously since 1964, making it one of the most successful rimfire rifle designs in history, with numerous third party manufacturers making parts and accessories for upgrading and customization. The 10/22's aftermarket is so prolific that a complete 10/22 can be built without using any Ruger-made components.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Ruger Police Carbine</span> Semi-automatic rifle

The Ruger PC-9 Pistol Caliber Carbine is a blowback centerfire semi-automatic pistol-caliber carbine manufactured by Sturm, Ruger & Co., designed as a companion to certain Ruger P series semi-automatic pistols, using the same 9 mm Parabellum and .40 S&W caliber cartridges and magazines of the P-Series pistols.

Marlin Firearms is an American manufacturer of semi-automatic, lever-action and bolt-action rifles. In the past the company made shotguns, derringers, and revolvers. Marlin owned the firearm manufacturer H&R Firearms. In 2007, Remington Arms, part of the Remington Outdoor Company, acquired Marlin Firearms. Remington produced Marlin-brand firearms at its Kentucky and New York manufacturing facilities. In 2020, Sturm, Ruger & Co. bought the Marlin business from bankrupt Remington Outdoor Company.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">H&R Firearms</span> Firearms brand

Harrington & Richardson is an American brand of firearms and a subsidiary of JJE Capital Holdings. H&R ceased independent production February 27, 2015.

The Marlin Model 60, also known as the Marlin Glenfield Model 60, is a semi-automatic rifle that fires the .22 LR rimfire cartridge. Produced by Remington Arms in Huntsville, Alabama formerly in Mayfield, Kentucky, formerly by Marlin Firearms Company of North Haven, Connecticut, it was in continuous production from 1960 to 2020 and the company says it is the most popular rifle of its kind in the world. Major features include a micro-groove barrel, a cross-bolt safety, hardwood stock with Monte Carlo comb, and brass or blued steel inner magazine tube. The Marlin Model 795 is a very similar rifle and based on the Marlin Model 60, changed only to accept a detachable box magazine.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">William B. Ruger</span> American inventor (1916–2002)

William Batterman Ruger was an American firearms designer and entrepreneur, who partnered with Alexander McCormick Sturm to establish Sturm, Ruger & Company in 1949. Their first product was the Ruger Standard, the most popular .22 caliber target pistol ever made in the United States. After Sturm’s death in 1951, and under Ruger’s continued leadership, the company produced one of the widest varieties of firearms of any manufacturer in the world.

The Marlin Model 336 is a lever-action rifle and carbine made by Marlin Firearms. Since its introduction in 1948, it has been offered in a number of different calibers and barrel lengths, but is commonly chambered in .30-30 Winchester or .35 Remington, using a 20- or 24-inch barrel. Currently, the model with a 24-inch barrel is only available in .30-30 Winchester. The Model 336 is now back in production as of March 27, 2023.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Ruger GP100</span> Revolver

The GP100 is a family/line of double action five-, six-, seven-, or ten-shot revolvers made by Sturm, Ruger & Co., manufactured in the United States. Since its introduction, it has been produced with a number of variations including various barrel lengths and profiles, fixed or adjustable sights, and in blued carbon steel or stainless steel.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Ruger SP101</span> Revolver

The Ruger SP101 is a series of double-action revolvers produced by the American company Sturm, Ruger & Co. The SP101 is a small frame and all-steel-construction carry revolver, with a five-shot ; six-shot ; or eight-shot cylinder.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Ruger Standard</span> Semi-automatic pistol

The Ruger Standard Model is a rimfire semi-automatic pistol introduced in 1949 as the first product manufactured by Sturm, Ruger & Co., and was the founding member of a product line of .22 Long Rifle cartridge handguns, including its later iterations: the MK II, MK III, and MK IV. It is marketed as an inexpensive .22 caliber rimfire intended for casual sport and target shooting, and plinking. Designed by company founder William B. Ruger, the Standard model and its offspring went on to become the most accepted and successful .22 caliber semi-automatic pistols ever produced.

The Ruger Model 44 is a semi-automatic rifle chambered in .44 Remington Magnum designed and manufactured by American firearm company Sturm, Ruger & Co. It uses a 4-round tubular magazine and was produced from 1961 to 1985.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Ruger SR22</span> Semi-automatic pistol

The Ruger SR22 or SR22P is a compact semi-automatic pistol manufactured by Sturm, Ruger & Co., chambered for the .22 Long Rifle rimfire cartridge. The SR22 is mainly targeted at plinking and competition shooting.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Ruger AR-556</span> Semi-automatic rifle

The Ruger AR-556 is a semiautomatic AR-15 style rifle manufactured by U.S. firearms company Sturm, Ruger & Co. Introduced in 2014 as an entry-level AR-15 using a direct impingement action, with variants since being released such as the upgraded AR-556 MPR in 2017 and the AR-556 pistol in 2019.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Ruger Wrangler</span> Revolver

The Ruger Wrangler is a single-action rimfire revolver produced by Sturm, Ruger & Co. Chambered for .22 Long Rifle cartridges, it was announced in April 2019. The revolver makes extensive use of aluminum and zinc castings for ease of manufacturability, and also has an unfluted cylinder and uses metal injection molded components for further cost reduction. The Wrangler's price point has been described as "very attractive", and is less than half the MSRP of Ruger's Single-Six and Bearcat models.

References

  1. Ruger. "Board of Directors - Ruger" . Retrieved June 20, 2019.
  2. Ruger. "Corporate Officers - Ruger" . Retrieved June 20, 2019.
  3. 1 2 3 4 "Corporate Report" (PDF). February 22, 2017.[ dead link ]
  4. "BATFE Annual Firearms Manufacturing And Export Report". 2006.
  5. BATFE Annual Firearms Manufacturing And Export Report 2021
  6. "Top 25 Largest Firearm Manufacturers" . Retrieved March 22, 2024.
  7. 1 2 Wilson 1996, p. 47.
  8. 1 2 House, James E. (July 6, 2006). Customize the Ruger 10/22. Iola, Wisconsin: F+W Media. pp. 6–12. ISBN   978-1-4402-2413-3.
  9. Garrison, Kerry (March 14, 2014). Getting to know the Ruger 10/22: Everything you need to know to shoot, clean, maintain, and modify your Ruger 10/22. Kerry Garrison. pp. 2–5. ISBN   978-0-9831639-3-0.
  10. Sweeney, Patrick (December 24, 2007). The Gun Digest Book of Ruger Pistols and Revolvers. Iola, Wisconsin: Gun Digest Books. p. 18. ISBN   978-0-89689-472-3.
  11. "Directory". Ruger.com. Retrieved July 12, 2018.
  12. Ph.D., Gregg Lee Carter (May 4, 2012). Guns in American Society: An Encyclopedia of History, Politics, Culture, and the Law [3 volumes]. ABC-CLIO. p. 930. ISBN   978-0-313-38671-8.
  13. "Remington Auctioned Off to Seven Bidders in Bankruptcy Court". September 28, 2020. Retrieved September 28, 2020.
  14. "US Firearms Industry Today". Shooting Industry. 2013.
  15. "The Ruger 2 Million Gun Challenge". Ruger.com. Retrieved July 12, 2018.
  16. "US Firearms Industry Today". Shooting Industry. 2012.
  17. "Gallery of Guns - Shooting Times - Gun Reviews". Archived from the original on September 27, 2007.

Bibliography