| Bill Ruger: A Man on a Mission - Page One | |
In celebration of Sturm, Ruger & Co.’s 50-year journey in the firearms industry, Shooting Times conducted this exclusive interview with company founder William B. Ruger.
“Bill Ruger
stands tall, shoots straight, and speaks boldly in support of America’s
firearms passion. Bill has become a literal icon of the firearms industry....The
Buffalo Bill Historical Center (which houses the most significant collection
of U.S.-manufactured firearms in the country and is based in Cody, Wyoming)
has been the recipient of his generosity, energy, intellect, and wit. In 1998
we awarded our longstanding trustee and friend our first Spirit of the Scout
award to commemorate his lifetime of remarkable achievements.”—
Former U.S. Senator Alan Simpson on William B. Ruger
nter
the home of this famous American “original” and you’ll find him
surrounded by rare, original artwork brushed by such famous talents as Frederic
Remington, Charles Russell, Alexander Pope, and Carl Rungius. First-edition
books—the exploratory journals of Lewis and Clark, Teddy Roosevelt’s
African adventures, and others—are stacked on tables and stand tall in
burled walnut bookcases. An absolutely incredible collection of classic firearms,
a wonderful cross section ranging from British double rifles to original Sharps
carbines, complement the surroundings. Even an original Lowell Battery Gun rests
quietly outside the home office of the most famous arms designer of the 20th
century.
Yes,
this is where William B. Ruger calls home, within view of the picturesque and
peaceful Blue Ridge Mountains. Close by, in Newport, New Hampshire, is the manufacturing
headquarters of Sturm, Ruger & Co., the largest firearms manufacturer in
the world.
Passionate about
firearms, fiercely tenacious and competitive, forever energetic, still designing
guns at 85 years of age, and continuing to take an active role leading his company
into the 2lst century, Bill Ruger recalls in our exclusive interview the early
days of the company; the thinking that took many of his famous firearms designs
from the drawing board to production; and what it means to have designed and
manufactured 20 million pistols, revolvers, rifles, and shotguns since 1949.
ST: How well do you recall the birth of Sturm, Ruger & Co.?
WBR: The year was 1949. The year of tooling up. My special concern was to get into production with the small amount of capital that we had. Everything we bought was carefully bargained for. It (the purchasing of equipment) all fell on me. I had the whole grand design in mind. (Alexander) Sturm was the money. He was the silent partner, a very good silent partner who essentially stayed silent.
ST:
Did you and Sturm feel good about the startup of the company? It was obviously
a risky venture in 1949.
WBR: I was concerned
about satisfying the market. There was a lot of work to be done. I had to make
parts drawings, I worked on the drafting board a lot. There was tooling to be
done, special tools that would be essential to the operation. I did all the
tool buying. I remember buying premium Pratt Whitney tools for $10 or so apiece.
Over the course of the year, I got the tooling done and set up, part by part,
operator by operator, you know, millers, profilers, and so on. Keep in mind
we only had four or five people, a small group, to produce these parts.
Then we initiated a plan to produce a lot of 2500 guns (the Ruger Standard .22 pistol) for the initial run. The trial run, we went that way through the summer of ’49. We had a complete set of finished components and started assembly operations. Then we had a polishing operation to set up.
We realized early on we had a compromise firing pin/bolt assembly design. I remember being so perturbed about it. But I’ve learned that’s part of design evolution, to have the ability to be flexible, be able to compromise. We ended up transitioning to a flat, stamped firing pin that we use to this day.
At
the end of ’49 we shipped about 2000 guns. We sailed into 1950, our first
full production year, we completed the transition of the firing pin, changed
shape of the ejection port a little...but that was it, and we were on our way.
ST: Are you surprised at the millions of .22 pistols sold during these last 50 years?
WBR: I’ve had a long time to get used to it. Let me say that I am very proud of that gun and the number of guns sold. They are still in demand.
Page One - Intro,
Birth of the Company, First Steps
Page Two - Thoughts
on Colt & Browning, Competitors
Page Three -
Why
Buy Ruger, 50 Years, Failed Designs, Single-Six, Flattop
Page Four - Bearcat,
No. 1, Red Label, Super Blackhawk, Redhawk, Old Army, Security-Six
Page Five - .44
Deerstalker, GP100, SP101, Super Redhawk, Mini-14, 77, 77 MK II, 77/22
Page Six - 10/22,
Model 96, P-Series, Looking Ahead
This article was originally published in Shooting Times magazine in March, 1999.
