Opinions on Ruger Red Label

huntandhook

huntandhook

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Hi everyone,

I'm looking to step up to an over under shotgun and was looking for some opinions on models before I make such a big investment. I mainly duck hunt in a sal####er estuary, so I was thinking the Ruger Red Label stainless all weather would be a good choice. Does anyone own or have any opinions of this model? Is there any disadvantages to a stainless barrel? I'm just wondering why no other manufacturer offers a stainless barrelled shotgun, and I don't want to invest $1600 in a gun that is a POS.

Thanks,
H&H
 
:rolleyes: The Ruger is an investment cast beast. Stainless on Stainless does not work well. It galls (the molecules rip each other apart!). The Rugers end up with loose forenends. I used a 20( agents gun) very well and used the 28 prototype to finish 3rd and 4th at two World Sporting events. There are much better Euro guns there in the market. If you shoot waterfowl and the occaisional clay target, a Beretta 391 would be a much better tool!:dancingbanana:
Best regards
Henry
At 290 birds so far this year, we will reach our average of 500!:runaway: :dancingbanana:
 
While galling was an issue when stainless guns first came out 40 years ago new alloys have addressed the problem successfully. Ruger has made many different stainless firearms and to suggest any of them, including the Red Label, are vulnerable to "gallling" is not accurate.

Investment casting has also proven the test of time. Ruger has used investment casting from the beginning and led the way for other firearms manufacturers who use investment casting but don't talk about it much (Sako to name one).

There might be good reasons not to buy a Ruger Red Label but stainless galling and investment casting are not among them.

Here are my reasons. The first is that 12 gauge Ruger o/u handle like pigs on shovels. They are very muzzle heavy. Secondly, Ruger's safey/selector system is awkward and poorly designed. Third is that I have never found a Ruger with a decent trigger pull.

I also think the stainless Ruger is the ugliest two-barrel shotgun in existence but opinions vary.;)
 
Ruger is one of the finest investment casters in NA. The number one product produced by Sturm Ruger are the Titanium Big Bertha heads of golf clubs! Ruger's SS alloy galls! The actions wear incredebibly due to galling, sorry Ted (Tilden). You might have workd on some great designs including the SxS, but SS on SS does not work! The Ruger's are somewhat well taught off, just that they have an American "our way is the best way, American is the best" attitude.

Best regards,
Henry;)
 
hnachaj said:
SS on SS does not work!
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Sure it does. There are myriad firearms where it does including the Ruger Mini 14 which operates at much higher pressures and velocities than an o/u shotgun. S&W has almost completely gone to stainless pistols and after 3 thousand rounds through a stainless S&W1911 I can absolutely attest that there is no galling of the steel. To suggest it as a reason to avoid the stainless Red Label is bulls**t.
 
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hnachaj said:
:rolleyes: The Ruger is an investment cast beast. Stainless on Stainless does not work well. It galls (the molecules rip each other apart!).

There's no friction, stainless against stainless on shotgun barrels. It's a fixed breech, so galling is not a concern. This is more of a problem with auto pistols.
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S/S with S/S will gall! Try screwing a s/s nipple quickly into a s/s fitting sans a proper s/s sealer lubricant! It will get hard fast and will leak! Check out Swagelock's website for info on s/s fittings. We do several many 100K$ of s/s work each year, including this year's reworking and connecting of 44 fermenters for Boreal beer! One must use lubrication when two s/s pieces slide over each other.That is were we discovered the great properties of BreakFree in the early 80's. It solved galling problems with the early s/s autos! The Rugers and others will show signs of wear on the pivot points if not lubricated properly. The early 44 Mag Redhawks became very stiff if not lubed properly!

I am a little tight for time, but I will forward info on s/s lubricicosity in the near future.

Best regards and buy a B gun!
Henry;)
 
Thanks for all the advice guys. I ended up getting the Red Label Sporting Clays model. I heeded the warnings about stainless galling, and besides I hate synthetic stocks. Just got the gun a couple days ago and it shoots like a dream compared to my old 870 :) I didn't find it to be muzzle heavy, even with the 30" barrels, but this could be due to the lack of barrel side ribs. Another advantage of not having the side ribs is that it will be way easier to clean between the barrels, and it looks way better in my opinion.

H&H
 
Id like to get one of the "ugly" ducklings but haven't had much luck, especially now that they aren't listed on the Ruger web page. :( anyone know of any new-old stock?
 
Why not get a Semi instead. O/U's do not make the best duck guns (especially shiney ones). :)
 
huntandhook said:
I mainly duck hunt in a sal####er estuary, so I was thinking the Ruger Red Label stainless all weather would be a good choice.
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We get to do some salt water hunting here as well. I would not use anything nicer than an 870 for such use, even if it is stainless. Salt will discolour stainless as well and it gets everywhere.

Buy an old 870 Express and a couple cans of spray oil to take with you for the days afield. Spend the extra cash you saved on a nice field gun for upland. :)



.
 
1shot said:
I had one for a few months, loved it!!
But after approx 500 shells the stock split on me.. One off incident maybe?
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NOPE!:eek: My forend is split, this was glued with a high tensile atrenght wood glue, and it spoplit again.
THEN I got it and acraglased it, and it split AGAIN!!:eek:
Been trying to reach the canadian warranty/distributor several times, was told I would be called back - NUTHIN'!:mad:
I called Ruger and they told me to go to the canadian distributor.
I'm calling on monday , and telling them exactly how the first owner na d myself feel about the lack of service and that I want them to get me a new forend, not that bunch of wankers in Quebec!

I'm really Po'd with that red label I had ( since sold it) and with the lack of service.
Cat
 
I have a 28 gauge Ruger Red Label that I purchased a few years ago.When I first shot the gun I had some failure to fires with one of the barrels.Never could find out why.After about three hundred rounds this stopped and has not happened since.

The 28 gauge RRL is built on its own size frame and weights in at just under six pounds.All the 28 gauge RRL shotguns I have seen all have had very nice wood for the stock and fore end.
 
Win/64 said:
Why not get a Semi instead. O/U's do not make the best duck guns (especially shiney ones). :)
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I was referring to the gun bein' an ugly duckling, Ive been doing some research and some people feel o/u guns with synthetic stocks are an abomination, not to mention stainless, that's just "wrong";)
-But personally I like 4x4's cause you always have the option
-I like V8 engines cause they're a bit more than you need,
...so Naturally I want to add a stainless, plastic o/u 12 guage to the collection of o/u's Im working on for when it rains (heavy) as for the paint/discolloration issue, if it goes bad, it can always be armor coated.

I know its stainless, thats all that matters. There's one on gun-broaker- without the synthetic stocks...:(
pix2233577375.jpg

but the $2500 reserve is fantasy island pricing if you ask me, and besides, I know theres some store in canada, with one thats been sitting on the shelf waiting to be picked up by me. ...the search continues...
 
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