Give us your Ruger story - win a shirt!

[Captqc]

My Ruger story goes like this, I purchased a Mark III Hunter last year and took it on a trip to shoot ground squirrels (we keep side arms on just in case the little buggers charge our shooting positions). At the end of the day we were about to leave the field when my son spotted a squirrel out in the field watching us leave. I took out my range finder and it was 45 yards away, I said it was too far for an off hand shot but my son said he'd give it a try. Well sure enough he got it on his first try! Now it's hard to get my pistol back!

[Swamp Yankee]

Here is my Ruger story. I went to the range with a fellow member of our Club  to work on our shooting skills. He uses a Ruger
MKIII Target model with Remmington Thunderbolt Ammo at 50 ft it was all over the place. No good groupings to speek of . So I had him try the Federal Auto Match ammo and to his surprise all ten shots where in the 9 an 10 ring. So for this he let me shoot his ruger Super Redhawk in 454Cas that has a 3" barrel  and says to put the target out at 10ft.  But to me that is too close so I set it at 50Ft ran 16 rounds through it in 45 LC  and had all of the shots on paper with only one out side of the 8 ring. I was quite surprised at how well  this pistol shot. I would have liked to try the 454Cas load but it is not alowed at this range and I doubt that I would have been able to keep them on paper.  I really liked this pistol it has a very smooth trigger with a steady rate of pull and settles back rather quickly for a follow up shot. (I know  if I was using the 454Cas  loads it would have been different but who knows). The grip is wonderful and fills my hand nicely andthe sights are easy to see. . I am going to have to put one of these on my wish list.

Mike Mc.

[usaf46270]

Ive got a nice ruger 10-22 magnum I converted to 17hmr, got a mini 14 ranch, and gp-100.
I love my rugers

[Scott Moore]

Being a columnist for downrange.tv I’m not in the running for the really cool Ruger shirt, but I could not resist the opportunity to relay my first Ruger story.
My first Ruger was, and is, a New Model Blackhawk .357mag/9mm with a 6 ½ barrel purchased in the late ‘70’s with a matching Lawrence Leather Western Rig. This handgun has been with me through college, numerous trips across the country and now resides here in the Great Southwest where all single actions should end up. This amazing pistol survived my days of learning to reload (also known as my attempts at fusion), which taught me that you should not feed anything a steady diet of 10 grains of Unique topped with a 125 gr bullet. It as been with me through thick and thin, through 45, 40, 44 and auto-loader; even now as it rests in the safe, I know it still ready to answer the call when I reach for it!

[sungunner]

I have a number of Ruger revolvers and long guns, and find them to be built strong and dependable.  I especially like the single-action revolvers like my Vaqueros in .45LC and .357 Magnum, and my Super Blackhawk.

My story involves a friend and frequent shooting partner, who coveted my Ruger Super Blackhawk .44 Magnum so much that he eventually bought his own.  Since he was interested in handgun hunting, he decided to buy a nice combination scope and red-dot to mount on it.  He liked the look and feel of the scoped handgun so much, he urged me to accompany him to our outdoor range for a sight-in session.  I must say I was jealous of the scoped Ruger as he uncased it, and eagerly awaited my turn to try it out.  Not wanting to steal his thunder, however, I stood back to let him enjoy the maiden voyage at the firing line.  He aimed at a sight-in target, squeezed the trigger.......then the next thing I knew, something arced through the air toward me, and I instinctively caught it.  I was now holding the scope and mount that dislodged itself from the Ruger.  Since I knew about the strength of Ruger products, I asked my friend about how he had attached it.  It turned out that he spent so much on the scope that he cheaped-out on the mount.  The screws that came with it were not long enough to go more than two threads into the tapped holes.  Realizing this, but obviously succumbing to his zeal to get the Ruger out to the range, he had used glue the night before in hopes of strenghthening the attach points.  Luckily, my instinctive catch kept the unit from being damaged, so he only needed to budget for the proper mounting hardware.  We eventually sighted-in the Super Blackhawk, and have enjoyed using to  test out some stout hunting loads.

[Sponsor]

[MR D]

I have had so many great Rugers over the years - but my favorite one I never owned... 

When I arrived overseas (while in the Army and assigned to an aviation unit) as aircrew I was to be issued a sidearm - the army was going away from the colt .45 to the Bernetta 92... Many of us had reservations about the change over, boy was I relieved when I reported to the arms room and was issued a brand new Ruger Security Six! 

I knew that God had smiled on me that day! While I loved my 1911's, with that revolver I knew that if I ever needed it - it would do it's part with whatever ammunition I could find for it...

I still have a couple of Rugers in my safe - my son is looking forward to inheriting them - and adding to his collection of rugged, dependable firearms.
   

[Ronald38]

Many years ago my young son showed much interest in trading guns, knives, books, etc. when we attended gun shows in the midwest.  Every show he would trade for something, use it a while then take it to the next show.  He started with a rusty bayonet, moved on through many items, and ended up trading a black powder pistol and a few bucks for a new Ruger 10-22.  He is nearly 40 now and still has the Ruger and says it is his favorite.  After all the promotion by Michael for his give-away 10-22, and thinking about my son's adventures with his 10-22, I went in the local gun store and bought one for me for Christmas.  I am so happy.  It is a great gun.  Thanks for Down Range and the opportunity to win.

[Austin Justice]

Ok First post here. This story could be made into a great "Chick Flick"

You always hear the story of the father that is sitting in front of the TV cleaning his gun when his daughter's date shows up to take her out and proceeds to aim at the TV and dry fire while talking with the young man.

Well I was that yound man back in 1985. I went out to West Texas to meet the future wife's parents for the first time.
It seems as though her Dad was President of the local rifle club and a Ruger Single Action gun collector.....
Yep he was one of those TV shooting kind of dads that seem to earn instant respect from any young feller coming into their home...

Future Daddy in law was in for a suprise that day.

He recieved a call from a fellow member of the gun club shortly after I arrived. They started talking Rugers and about a new model that had just come out and how neither one could find one to inspect.
When he got off the phone I ask if they were talking about the New Ruger Redhawk with Factory Rings. Well he was some what suprised that I knew something about guns and very suprised that I knew a little about Rugers.
He said that there was quite a bit of excitment over the new model and to his knowledge there were not any shipped yet and he would have to wait for them to make it out to his neck of the woods.

Well imagine his suprise when I took him out to the car and showed him my Tuned and ported Redhawk with the new Factory Rings. The look on his face was priceless! When he found out that all the handguns I owned were Rugers he just grinned.

My wife of 23 years has told me that at very moment I became his favorite son, displacing her two older brothers.

I had gotten the first Redhawk with rings that came into my Houston dealers just weeks before.  I had a friend who was a custom gunsmith and we did a porting job on it much like the now current Taurus Raging Bull Series.  I had added the new silver Leopold 2X pistol scope on it and the action tuned for a smooth and light single action release. Who knew it would gain me such acceptance.

I was invited back into his home and and he began to show me his entire collection of Blackhawks.

We are both still adding Rugers to our list and enjoy shooting together when we visit. 

I now own several Ruger Single actions I use in SASS. My favorites are the Special Edition Last Cowboy 45LC Birdsheads SS.
I still have the Redhawk, I just cant let that one get away with such a great story tied to it!

Austin Justice

 

[Don H.]

My Ruger story, as everyone starts out goes like this; My step-dad, AKA Dad, was a WW2 Vet [as I am a Viet Nam vet] he flew in the heavy bombers out of the Philapines. Anyway I grew up playing cowboys with cap pistols like every young American boy, until I was old enough to have a BB-gun. My  Dad taught me a lot about safety with a gun and I would say its only a bb-gun, he'd explain that it was still a gun and it shot a projectile out the end, his main statement was not to point it at anything you didn't want to shoot or kill. Well on my 13th B-day He gave me my 1st .22 SS rifle. One he had baught new when he was a boy in 1927. Living in the city limits, use of it was really restricted, except when we went to Grandma's, then it was happy time with the rifle.  When I got older we moved to a farm, there was lots of rabbits for dinner then. I got my 1st summer job, and worked with a neighbor that was my age and he had a pistol we liked to plink with, so I had to get one of my own. On one of the usual Friday night trips to town I had Dad to stop at the local Western Auto Store, after some careful shopping I examined this little .22 Ruger Bearcat it fit perfect, I liked everything about it, that was my gun! I gave $39.95 for it and $9.95 for a fast draw [looked good anyway] holster. I was about 15 or 16 yrs old at the time, I wore that gun everywhere I went [except to town, Mom wouldn't let me].  I can't even think of how many rounds has been fired thru it now. Later I purchased a Ruger Super Blackhawk .44 magnum, I thought the little Bearcat was a little small for me at this time, and it was better for hunting larger game. I eventually gave the .44 to my brother he kept it until about 5yrs ago when some thieves broke into his house and stole all his guns and other valuables. [no recovery, good law enforcement]. My next Ruger was a Mini-14 ranch rifle. Even tho I haven't modified it any I still enjoy shooting itwhen I go to the range [no farm life anymore back in the city]. Of all the guns I have I still cherish the little .22 Ruger Bearcat,it still shoots although it's in a display case above the mantel I look at it and remember all the younger yrs and the fun I had with that little gun. Its retired now along with me. That's my story and I'm sticken to it!     

[HillJackJDS]

My first .22 was a 10/22 that I bought as a kid from a friend of my dad's.   I had no idea at that the time how nice the 10/22's were, or for that matter who Ruger even was; I was just given the opportunity to buy my first .22, had my parents' approval, and jumped on it.  Many, many paper targets and squirrel fell to it.  (Editorial note: The squirrel are much better table fare.)    Years later, I lost my 10/22 to my dad in a trade where he traded up to my 10/22 and I traded his less accurate, less reliable .22 semi-auto for a brand new, limited edition Ruger 10/22 for myself.  We both won in that deal.
At one point in time, I did have the rare problem of my original 10/22 carbine occasionally jamming.  I spoke with Ruger and shipped the gun back to them per their instructions.  They fixed the gun and shipped it back to me.  On the bill, which itemized their work, parts, etc. was a big N/C    at the the bottom.  I have been a huge Ruger fan ever since.  I wasn't even the original owner!  Try doing that with almost any other product!
I now own a Ruger Mk2, M77, and the limited ed. 10/22.  I love them all.  I have league trophies and NRA distinguished expert honors for my work with each of the .22's.