| Manufacturer History |
Sturm, Ruger & Company, Incorporated is a Southport, Connecticut-based firearm manufacturing company, better known by the shortened name Ruger. Sturm, Ruger produces bolt-action, semi-automatic, full-automatic, and single-shot rifles; shotguns; semi-automatic pistols; and single-action and double-action revolvers. Ruger is the fourth largest firearms manufacturer in the United States. Sturm, Ruger & Company was founded by William B. Ruger and Alexander McCormick Sturm in 1949 in a small rented machine shop in Southport, Connecticut.[3] Just prior to their partnership, Bill Ruger had successfully duplicated two Baby Nambu pistols in his garage, from a captured Nambu that he acquired from a returning US Marine, at the close of World War II. When it came to designing their first auto pistol, Ruger decided to incorporate the looks of the German 9mm Luger and the American Colt Woodsman into their first commercially produced .22 caliber pistol (see Ruger Standard), which became so successful that it launched the entire company. Ruger is a dominant player in the .22 rimfire rifle market in the U.S., due primarily to the sales of its Ruger 10/22 semiautomatic rifle. The 10/22 is very popular due to being relatively inexpensive and of good quality as well as the wealth of aftermarket accessories and parts available for it. In fact, the availability and variety of aftermarket parts makes it possible to build a 10/22 using only aftermarket parts, most of which are marketed to target shooters at premium prices. Ruger similarly dominates the .22 rimfire semi-auto pistol market with the Ruger MK II and Ruger MK III. Like the 10/22, the MkII is extremely well supported with a wide variety of good aftermarket accessories. Ruger Casting has plants in Newport, New Hampshire and Prescott, Arizona, making ferrous, ductile iron and commercial titanium castings. Ruger Golf makes steel and titanium castings for golf clubs made by a number of different brands. Sturm, Ruger stock has been publicly traded since 1969, and became a New York Stock Exchange company in 1990 (NYSE:RGR). After Alex Sturm’s death in 1951, William B. Ruger continued to direct the company until his death in 2002. From 1949 through 2004, Ruger manufactured over 20 million firearms, and currently offers models for hunting, target shooting, self-defense, collecting, and law enforcement. |
(702) 558-7890 
