Yesterday morning, I listened to the on-line stockholders’ report from Sturm, Ruger Inc., delivered by Mike Fifer, the current CEO.
I had the impression of an honest man giving honest answers to honest questions.
I knew and admired the late Bill Ruger, Sr., the company founder. He was always proud that his corporation had no debt. That’s still true today. Too bad we never elected a man like that to run the whole damn country. Congrats to Fifer and his crew for keeping that paradigm intact.
Item: there are some 300 different SKUs (Stock-Keeping Units, or specifically different products) now being shipped out of the Ruger plants in Newport, NH and Prescott, AZ.
Item: the newly introduced products are the ones that are selling best. Welcome to typical American consumer values. “We want new! We want it now!” (That’s me talking, folks, not Fifer…but apparently Fifer is seeing the same thing.) The small frame LCR revolver introduced last January, and the LCP .380 pistol introduced the year before, figure hugely in those massive sales, which seem to be up somewhere around two-thirds higher than the previous year.
Item: innovation is alive and well in American gunmaking. Said Fifer, “We took orders for three times what we thought the best case scenario would be, during the first 48 hours of the (2008) SHOT Show. (Shooting, Hunting, and Outdoor Trade, the primary industry show in the firearms world). We’ve been adding engineers left and right, made offers to two this week, and are still looking for more.” Concluded Fifer, “I don’t think we have enough new products.” Fifer later added that while there are teams working on new platform products, established products are still getting “line extension” – modifications that better suit them for specific purposes for which a market has been identified. The bottom line is that new projects are getting the most attention.
This blogger’s take…
Fifer has done his homework. He has under his command some of the most brilliant engineers currently working in the firearms industry, and some of the most savvy marketing folks who best understand the real motivations of the people who buy guns.
Personally, I was impressed as hell with their SR556 interpretation of the AR15 rifle. Fifer was candid enough to say in his talk to the stockholders, “There were some cost overruns on the SR556, but it will be a good long term product for us.” (Damn, in this blog several months ago, I TOLD ya the SR556 would be a good buy for the consumer. When the manufacturer admits it costs too much for him to make, that’s nature’s way of telling the consumer he just got a helluva deal.)
Fifer and his people get out and go into gun shops. They talk to consumers. (Interact with those who buy and sell what you make? THERE’S an idea whose time has come!) They’ve noted that empty shelves are filling back up again, more with guns than with ammunition.
Bottom line? Ruger is a profitable company to invest in because it listens to its end-user marketplace. That’s what makes companies successful in this country. That’s what Bill Ruger, Sr. did to make his company successful.
I still remember standing beside Bill Senior’s grave on the day of his funeral…but right now, I have to think he would be proud of where his company has gone since he left us.
Ruger’s LCR, introduced this year, is selling extremely well.
I feel your pain, Mas. RGR took it on the chin, didn’t it. But I think it’s good they cut their dividnd so they can retain capital to expand production. We all benefit from that.
Mas, on the SR-556 have you heard of plastic -er, polymer- front sights suffering near the gas ports on piston AR’s?
“Too bad we never elected a man like that to run the whole damn country.”
Why would anyone like that put up with what it takes to get the office. You, and your family, are dragged through the mud. Compared to other CEOs, you are paid poorly. And, you would have people hating you for making the tough calls that resulted in zero debt.
As an aside, as soon as I can afford it, I plan on getting an LCR.
Brian, that’s not something I’ve run across. I’ll keep an eye (and an ear) out for it, though.
best,
Mas
What Ruger did to be successful is to control costs and still turn out quality product. Controlling costs was key – a lesson its competitors were much later to learn.
I hope somebody at Ruger is reading this. The DA revolver line needs a revamp. Use concepts from the LCR, esp. that trigger. Design a single grip frame/trigger assembly that can take different weights and power levels of frame/cylinder/barrel assemblies on the front. Best case, keep the “modular back end” compatible with LCR grips to allow the broadest possible aftermarket selection – tuning a gun’s ergonomics to your own hand MATTERS.
At the front end of those guns, you need to match the 7-shooters from S&W in a GP100-sized gun. You also need to consider an optional “middleweight”, something with the firepower and ergonomics of the GP100 but with less weight, down around SP101 weight class or a bit less. That means considering titanium frames. Don’t go as insanely light as where S&W has gone, but get at least lighter than where you’re at now plus offer the same firepower as S&W and a better trigger from the LCR. Beat their prices by $100 or more and you’ve got a winner.
Take the Alaskan, throw an 8-shot 357 cylinder in it, do a Ti frame and steel cylinder and people will be lined up around the block.
Your revolver lineup is basically “old line conservative” all the way, with the sole exception of the LCR. Don’t walk away from that market, but do take the engineering you have and just re-jigger it into some creative stuff nobody else has.
Go talk to a guy in Sedona AZ name of Tim Sheehan, of Goshen Enterprises. He has THE best handgun sights anybody has ever come up with, and he’s starving for seed money. He’s completely re-written the book on handgun shooting and nobody’s listening. We’re talking “next big thing” in spades: small hexagonal rear aperture sight, fairly conventional size post front, compatible with standard holsters, totally changes how you use handguns…you can focus on the target instead of the front sight, actually see what you’re shooting at for a change, it makes both-eyes-open shooting a snap and it’s both fast and accurate. Call him up, drop by, shoot his stuff. You’ll be amazed. He has a variant in the design stage that could be added to the LCR or LCP in a heartbeat.
Ruger quality control appears to be slipping some this year. There are more complaints turning up. Not just the early teething issues on new designs, either…Redhawks showing up at dealers with a crown that looks like a hacksaw did it, big cylinder gaps, rust under the grip panels of blued SAs (oops, somebody forgot to wash the bluing salts off?) and other scary reports. This stuff will kill ya…watch out.
I have an LCR. I am very pleased and impressed with it. I had to wait about a month for it though. The first gun store I went to –a dealer recommended by Ruger’s website — refused to take my order.
“We just can’t get them in. We have a standing order for LCR’s, but as soon as they come in, they sell out. It’s not worth my time to mess with the orders.”
Surprisingly, the second dealer sold me an LCR and knocked $100 off the list price. I asked him if they were selling a lot of LCR’s.
“I just wish I had bought stock in Ruger,” he replied.
I had to wait a couple of months for the shells too. Cabela’s had the ammo I wanted at a good price, but again, I had to wait. I have been out of the gun loop for a few years. These extended waiting periods for guns and ammo really floored me. Now I need to sign up for a concealed carry course. I suppose I will have to wait for that too. All of this standing in line for everything makes me feel like I am back in the Navy.
Mas —
Ruger jumpoed into the “black rifle” market looking for profits. I rember these being the same guys that stopped selling 30 round mags to civilians to apease the Brady camp. they quit offering floding stock mini-14s to appease the Brady camp.
Now they bringout a rifle and want our money and support. Why should I reward them or trust them?
Colt buckled the same way, have bought one fo their guns since. Between the front screw on their ARs and stopping the sale of collaspable stocks and such I don’t support companies that try to agree with anti-gunners and cut deals to look politically correct.
So why should i trust ruger when they din’t trust us or fight with us?
Todd: the “sporting guns only” direction came right from the top, from a guy by the name of Bill Ruger.
Bill was a strange guy. Strong sense of ethics in some areas, like keeping the name of his long-dead partner in the company name, and in trying to make good guns at a fair price. But he was also strongly opinionated about disparaging the 2nd Amendment. It was a consistent stance against both CCW and civilian ownership of battle-capable rifles.
He’s no longer composing new violations of our rights. All he’s doing now is decomposing. His ideology is as dead at Ruger as he is.
Although I have a bunch of Rugers and they are hell bent for tuff, lately things seem to be slipping a little. Recalls on sr9’s and lcp’s. My buddy has a gun shop and He’s not very happy with the quality of some of the rifles, bolt guns. He gets guns in that don’t work right and that are replaced with ones that don’t work right either. And He was suprised on the last one he called to return because He didn’t get the usual guff from customer service. And then the new model 44 carbine that sat on the repair rack for 2-3 years while Ruger tried to fix the trigger group- never could. My old one is rock solid. I always thought A lot of Ruger, now I wonder a little.
Can one infer that since this information was from a stockholder’s meeting, that you hold stock in Sturm, Ruger? If so, a specific disclosure would be a nice “touch of class.”
Wasn’t Bill Ruger the guy who jumped in bed with Bill Clinton on the “Assault Weapon Ban” so his Mini-14 would be classified as a “good gun” while AR-15s (the “competition”) were classified as “evil assault weapons”?
How honest is that?
Smith and Wesson felt the heat when they signed up, but to the best of my knowledge, Ruger never felt the heat.
Steve, I thought it was pretty obvious. Answer is yes, and I was also a stockholder when I said in a major gun magazine that the trigger pull of their SR9 pistol sucks. (Still does, by the way.)
best,
Mas
It sure seems like a few folks here are unhappy with Ruger. For what its worth, I’ve never known Ruger guns to be the final word in fit or finish. Most of em are slapped together, but they made their mark as being rugged and affordable.
Before everybody gets all peeved about the Clinton AWB, Ruger tried to negotiate with the ban fanatics. He bargained to limit magazine capacity to 10 in order to prevent the foaming at the mouth types from simply scratching certain designs off the civilian ownership list. As I recall, he never liked the result, but once it was done, Mr. Ruger said at least once that he felt his intervention had saved the patient. Remember, people, the ban fanatics were all hot and bothered, with money from several sources, and backing from the corporate flunky media, which spoon fed and lead the opinion of the great uninformed masses. Anyone who honestly thinks that Clinton wasn’t the most openly hostile administration to firearm rights wasn’t born yet, has forgotten, or never paid any attention.
Every new product has bugs-some more than others. If it has too many bugs, it’ll disappear forever. Ruger has come up with a host of new products, from their Colt copy Vaquero, to their new wheel gun, and a few new cartridges to boot. You don’t have to like them, but you should respect their efforts to deliver to the shooting public the products a lot of us want.
When I was young, it was Colt vs. Smith & Wesson. Chevy vs. Dodge. There were people who were so brand loyal that they refused to see reality. In today’s world, with imports crowding out American jobs, and American products, I’m glad Ruger is on solid footing. Its good for our country.
So many other brands have had recalls (S&W, SigSauer, etc) but for some reason only Ruger gets flak. Maybe it’s because Ruger is pro-active and posts their recalls on their front page and pay for ads in magazines. Where as others refer to their recalls as “Mandatory Upgrades”.
As for the 1994 capitulation. Heck, I am sure many gun companies were worried that they were facing a potential ban on all semi-auto rifles.
You think Ruger wanted to lose sales? Or did they rather decide to lose some funds rather than be put completely out of business.
Everyone blames Ruger and S&W. When the people who are to really blame are all of you guys who voted for your wallet instead of your rights.
THAT IS WHO TO BLAME!!!!
I own an SR9 and I like mine. The trigger on the example that I own at least isn’t any worse than a Glock with a NY1 trigger return spring in it. I shoot it better in spite of the fact that I’ve been shooting Glocks set up that way for longer.
I have seen some posts among the web ninjas about something to do with barrel peening, whatever that is. Anyone know anything about that?