That annoying smile on your friend’s face might be due to the fact that he owns stock in Ruger. The American gun maker’s stock price has more than doubled in the last year. According to forbes.com, “RGR has beat the Zacks Consensus Estimate in six of the last six quarters, with the beats getting significantly larger in the last two quarters. Larger beats in both absolute and percentage terms. The June 2011 quarter saw an $0.11 beat or 33% ahead of expectations and the September 2011 quarter witnessed a $0.16 beat or 40% ahead of expectations. In both instances, the stock moved higher by about 13%.” Just make sure he buys the man-sodas after your next range session. He can afford it.
Good for Ruger. Back in late 2008 after the Crash and in 2009, I considered buying stock in Ruger (and Cabelas). Yet, back then I was also concerned about a government crackdown or new draconian laws reducing or limiting the profitability of gun makers. It has never felt better to be wrong.
You’ve come a long way from being anti-gun, baby!
I’m going to use my psychic powers on Ruger’s execs and predict they want the Obama to win the next Presidential election and the Republicans to take the Senate. Obama was magic for gun sales, and a Republican controlled Senate could pass a version of HR822 and package it so Obama would need to sign it. That would be the jackpot for them.
But … but … but Josh Horwitz of the CSGO – dang it, did it again; Coalition to Stop Gun Violence. For some reason I keep wanting to write Ownership instead of Violence . . . anyway, Josh said that gun sales weren’t going up, that it’s all a big conspiracy on the part of the NRA and NSSF and gun manufacturers (who are really all the same people anyway). I mean he said so on his blog! So how can a gun company’s profits go up more than expected in six out of the last six quarters when their sales are dropping! I mean, Josh said so, so it must be so!
They make nice guns at a reasonable price. I find myself admiring their products and own three guns from them already. My next handgun will probably be a Ruger.
I’ve been eyeing the LCR as a backup gun. I might rent it the next time I’m at the range to see how it feels.
Just buy it. Seriously, it’s that good.
I am not a fan of Ruger’s firearms, but I am a huge fan of Ruger’s business model.
– They release product very quickly after announcing it. No ACR fiasco, no 3 year delay like from the bozos at HK.
– They clearly listen to what the market is after. Other firearms company decision makers are guys with manufacturing or finance backgrounds who are seriously clueless. I think Ruger has folks in the trenches, listening to what folks want and building it.
– They hit price points very well and they seem to nail the feature set.
I’m not a fan of Ruger because I feel they cut a few details that I don’t like seeing cut to hit all the above. Not a fan of cast metal. Don’t like their polymer. Do think their trigger components could use some basic finishing work to make them 10x better from the factory. I don’t think they are bad, they just aren’t my thing.
I *do* wish other firearms manufactures would learn a bit from Ruger and start acting more like them though.
I also respect Ruger without being a fan. Most of their guns look, well, a little clunky, to my eyes at least. Ruger DA triggers are terrible in Massachusetts, but so are all DA triggers — by law. Ruger construction quality is pretty good, customer service is good, but all their pistol and revolver handles suck. The geometry just seems completely alien to me.
Ruger rifles are okay, but they’re nothing special.
All things considered, Ruger sells their guns at a fair price and the management really knows how to run its business.
Autoloader grips I’ll give you, but their revolver grips are either Hogues (same as on the bigger Smiths) or classic curved-bell stocks like 90% of the Colts and Smiths out there. What’s alien about that?
Oddly enough, I prefer Ruger’s grips. For some reason they fit better and feel less awkward when I’m pulling the trigger versus the Snubby Smiths. It’s like I’m not having to reach down to get to the trigger, if that makes any sense.
I needed some parts which I screwed up for my Ruger 10-22 and they were very good in supplying them. I will remember them on my next fire arms purchase.
More people shooting .22’s in this economy (which hasn’t yet fully recovered) and Ruger is leading the way in that market with there .22 being one of the more popular brands out there.
Comments are closed.