Ruger Red Label Blues

deadman

deadman

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Southern Saskatchewan
Bought an old 20 gauge Red Label last summer, and was so impressed with it I ordered a new 12 gauge last fall. Got it by the end of bird season so it sat until this summer when I got out to try it. Works great, feels great. Ready for bird season, I took it out for a morning duck shoot and the thing fell apart on me after a couple shots. Filler strips between the barrels flew off and disappeared, and the rear spacer block? is loose and sliding the entire length of the barrels.

Just contacted Ruger through their website, we'll see what their customer service is like. Great shotguns, very disappointed about this.
 
Please post pictures. Most of us will want to see this. Sorry about the unhappiness/disappointment you must be feeling. Hope Ruger comes through for you. Keep us updated.
 
deadman said:
. . . .
Just contacted Ruger through their website, we'll see what their customer service is like. Great shotguns, very disappointed about this.
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I bought a Ruger Red Label a few years back and had ejection issues with spent shells. They wouldn't always eject which was annoying in the middle of a duck hunt. Nothing near as serious as your problem but Ruger fixed it and I have never had that problem again. I told them that I was a Ruger fan and was quite disappointed that an expensive shotgun like that would fail right out of the box. They agreed and made sure it worked properly. I think they will do right by your shotgun. I have to say that they had it for four months so you may have a bit of a wait.
Good luck and let us know what happens.
 
M77 said:
Please post pictures. Most of us will want to see this. Sorry about the unhappiness/disappointment you must be feeling. Hope Ruger comes through for you. Keep us updated.
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Not much to see, can snap a pic later today. Wish I had been able to find the missing pieces, don't even know how far they went. Too much grass.
 
Rugerman said:
I bought a Ruger Red Label a few years back and had ejection issues with spent shells. They wouldn't always eject which was annoying in the middle of a duck hunt. Nothing near as serious as your problem but Ruger fixed it and I have never had that problem again. I told them that I was a Ruger fan and was quite disappointed that an expensive shotgun like that would fail right out of the box. They agreed and made sure it worked properly. I think they will do right by your shotgun. I have to say that they had it for four months so you may have a bit of a wait.
Good luck and let us know what happens.
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Was it the bottom ejector? Both of mine are sticky with the bottom. A four month wait is better than a useless shotgun sitting on the shelf. At least I have the 20 to fall back on to finish out the season.
 
deadman said:
Was it the bottom ejector? Both of mine are sticky with the bottom. A four month wait is better than a useless shotgun sitting on the shelf. At least I have the 20 to fall back on to finish out the season.
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Yes, it was the bottom ejector. You're having that problem as well? You should mention that when you send it in. I still think they will do right by your Red Label. Mine sure is a joy to hunt ducks with now, deadly combination with Black Clouds, works like it's supposed to.
 
Yes, they are sure nice to shoot. Everyone who tries them has been impressed. I've never owned a shotgun that I've shot as well as these. Never tried black cloud, usually run Kent fasteel. Will I have to send it to the States or is there a warranty place in Canada (assuming they agree to fix it)? One other thing I'll say is there is no comparison between the wood on the two. The 20 is solid and I have no complaints, where the fore end of the 12 feels like balsa wood. Oh well, Ruger's wood selection is typically all over the map.
 
I thought that those strips between the barrel were removeable just by loosening that block, so it might not be such a disaster, though my memory may be failing again....Ben
 
deadman said:
Yes, they are sure nice to shoot. Everyone who tries them has been impressed. I've never owned a shotgun that I've shot as well as these. Never tried black cloud, usually run Kent fasteel. Will I have to send it to the States or is there a warranty place in Canada (assuming they agree to fix it)? One other thing I'll say is there is no comparison between the wood on the two. The 20 is solid and I have no complaints, where the fore end of the 12 feels like balsa wood. Oh well, Ruger's wood selection is typically all over the map.
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There are a couple of places you can send it to in Canada. I sent mine to Snap Shot in Montreal but I didn't find them the easiest people to deal with. Don't know where you are but there is also a Ruger warranty place out West here. Here is the Ruger website page with all the warranty/distributors:http://www.ruger.com/service/international.html

Yeah, you're right. They are a beautiful shotgun to shoot. Everyone wants to shoot it. The wood on mine is good. Surprised yours isn't. Good luck with it.
 
That was actually one possibility I considered. I suppose it would be easy enough to check on the 20. Not sure why I haven't done that. There was zero finish under the block that is loose, I guess I just assumed it was supposed to be soldered in place. Thinking about it now, it makes with the set screws that it wouldn't be fixed. Wonder if they will argue that I should have ensured that everything was tight. Regardless, at minimum I need a new set of fillers.
 
As it turns out, Ben's memory hasn't failed him. The fillers are in fact removeable, although the block on the 20 barrels seems to be fixed in place. Didn't want to try too hard to move it, still need this one serviceable.

Pic of the 20, with plate removed (and placed forward). The block it fastens to seems to be fixed.

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Pic of the 12, with block and plates slid forward to show original placement where I assume it was soldered/brazed. It moved backwards releasing the filler pieces, which have a concave set to them. When it moved, they must have sprung far. No wonder I didn't find them.

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Rugerman, thanks for the link. In Sask, so a western repair depot would be best.

And a shot of the two together, just because I haven't done that yet. Obviously the 12 is the one with the fillers missing.

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Trusty old shed, my faithful backdrop. Been looking for that screwdriver since I put the hasp on the door!

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Ruger Red labels are solid shotguns. The side plates are removable with a set of screws into a block that doesn't move. ( Not supposed to anyways)
I took my side plates off the day I brought mine home. Water and crud gets in behind them so it's far easier to keep it clean with them left off. Plus when I was shooting clays with it the barrels cooled quicker.

Mine out of the factory had a rough bottom barrel (machine marks). I had the forcing cones lengthened so I had that section polished out when they did the cones.

I never had any ejector issues with mine, it would toss empties into the next field.

Like I said good solid guns but a little rough in the quality control area.
 
I have to agree with all that like the Red Labels. I purchased mine (20G) used but in excellent condition with really nice wood and enjoy shooting it with no problems at all.
 
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