Home Forums Hunting & Shooting Ask The Gunwriters Ruger discontinues Red Label & conference call

Guns must be like cars with good and bad examples of the same model. My red label has been 100% dependable.

I bought a 12 gauge Red Label new in the mid '80's. For several years it was the only shotgun I used (except for where I had to use slugs for deer). I used it for turkeys, waterfowl, upland, trap, skeet and sporting clays. I was shooting several thousand rounds per year at the clay target games in those days. It never let me down. I never had one problem with that gun. I still use it a lot. Last fall I got invited to shoot pheasants with some folks I'd recently met at gun dog events and I took the Red Label rather than the 16 gauge Merkel I usually shoot upland with because 1. I didn't want my new friends to think I was one of those guys with the "$5000 gun and the $5 dog; and 2. I can hit better with it than I can with anything else. Fortunately, my dog was outstanding that day and, of the four other people we were with, three of them had Red Labels also. BTW, mine is not one of the newer versions that drop open. My wife's uncle has one of those and I just don't like that aspect of it.

pabucktail The G-kids may actually like(prefer?)them. Tastes, they are a changing. My kids positively drool over the synthetics like T/C Venture, Marlin XL, SPS, Tikka and Rugar American. Sure they still like wood but their young eyes pop at the site of that plastic. My younger son (26) thought the T/C Dimension was really cool looking. I thought it was butt ugly.

Technically these new rifles shoot very well right out of the box.

I always preferred my Red Label for Sporting Clays over my Browning, Win. 101 and 11-87 Sporting Clays model. I have never had a problem with recoil and it's a natural pointer for me. But everyone has their own shooting style and preferences. Mine has good wood and I like the rounded action. Never had a failure in over 10,000 rounds.

And women! OOPS, yeah they ain't all the same either.

I have actually taken over 20 deer with mine using improved tubes. It was my only shotgun at that point in my life and it tossed a fairly accurate slugger out to about 75 yards. I was told that it would ruin the gun, but it survived.

Hearing from most of you. I guess I wasted my $250 when I bought the one I have. It was in a red velvet fitted case and in about 95%+ condition.

I am not much of a shot gun guy yet and I have not fired it yet.

Maybe some day soon I will have to take it out and shoot it.

You got a great deal. I would not regret my purchase in the least. Like I said, mine has been great.

If you can arrangement shipment to to my FFL guy, I will gladly buy it if is is in 95% condition and give you your investment plus shipping. Let me know. Thanks

When I give my self some time I am going to start playing around with shot guns. It looked at least to me to be a steel at what I paid for it.

Offer to buy is legit. Had a feeling that you would not part with it for what you have in it.

I don't know how much steel is in it.

You got a STEAL of a DEAL!

Had 20ga English stock Red Label for years. No problem at all and my favorite shotgun.

Bill Ruger probably didn't care all that much about what Wall Street thought about his products, otherwise such firearms as the No. 1 and Blackhawk might never have made it into production.

However, short-sighted bean counters are running the show now, not gun guys.

do you know what is happening to the left hand hawkeye line?

They did once. It must not have sold well...
http://www.gunauction.com/buy/10802498#

My speculation is, as much as people complained about how shiny the MkII stainless was, they didn't care for the Hawkeye version at all. The MkII kept it's appearance quite easily where the Hawkeye appeared to rub off or smear in some fashion. It just wasn't as popular as the MkII and with sales down on the Hawkeye and up on the American, what is one to expect if you are in business to make money.

I have owned a couple of 20 ga Red Labels and gave my last one to my son and he loves it. I still have my Beretta 686 20 ga and 28 ga, Winchester Sporting Clay 12 and my Remington 3200 12 ga which has been one of my favorite since its introduction. I won't miss the Red Label since i wouldn't pay what Ruger wanted for them these days, when you can buy a Beretta O&U for close to that figure

Odd, that, bea, apparently great minds think alike. I still shoot my 3200 4-barrel skeet set. Can't think of a compelling reason to change. Beretta 686/687's are just the cat's meow for me. Every hunting O/U is compared to the Beretta's, and I can't break away from them. Just picked up a 687 Silver Pigeon IV 20 gauge a couple days ago. I practically get a woodie every time I bring that gun to my shoulder. Can't wait for spring, and shoot some skeets with it.

Had a 28 and a 12 , no longer own them but never had an issue with either one and both were purchased used. I had more issues with a NIB Beretta Silver Pigeon and a NIB Browning Citori Lightweight.