Ruger red label 3

[warzaw]

Ruger knows they won't sell well it's all about marketing and advertizeing that is why it is outsourced . All reproductions are not money makers and they are not really the same as the original guns example the winchester and browning model 12 clones OK guns close but no cigar that goes for all reproductions. The Ruger o/u was and will be a dud IMHO

 

[gunrunner100]

I’ve had Red Labels in 12, 20 and 28 gauge. I’ve found them all, other than the scaled-down 28, to be club like.
I now have a FAIR 28 and a CSMC 20.

 

[canvasback]

CSMC entered into a similar arrangement with Savage in 2017 to build their (new at the time) Savage Fox A Grade. Just like the Red Label III is unlikely to be a big seller for Ruger, the Fox A Grade didn’t sell well for Savage. Interestingly, while Savage no longer sells the Fox A Grade, CSMC still does. In fact, Savage only ever sold the A Grade in 20 guage, whereas CSMC now makes them in 12, 20, and 28 gauge.

There’s a used Savage Fox A Grade in 20 ga available for $4K CAD at a shop on Vancouver Island. Meanwhile, the same model and gauge costs $6400 USD purchased from CSMC (just this week they reduced some, but not all of them, to $4750). All of those from CSMC have a higher level finish.

I expect the Red Label III will follow the same pattern:

• It won’t sell well for Ruger
• It will continue to be available from CSMC at a higher price point
• Those purchased from CSMC will be better finished (enabled by the higher price)

I wouldn’t be surprised if all of this was deliberate. Both Savage and Ruger are not known for high end models. They can benefit from an arrangement like this because they get a better quality product into the market under their brand. Yet, they don’t have the cost of tooling up to manufacture the model and they don’t have to discontinue the product entirely when sales lag. Both brands stand to be immortalized in the sense that their name would live on even if the company does not - much like Parkers can still be bought new from CSMC.

Just a quick note. The Savage Fox may have worn the Fox brand name but mechanically was nothing like an original Fox, or the other Foxes CSMC currently makes. It was a reworked version of another CSMC model, whose name escapes me at the moment.

 

[canvasback]

Ruger knows they won't sell well it's all about marketing and advertizeing that is why it is outsourced . All reproductions are not money makers and they are not really the same as the original guns example the winchester and browning model 12 clones OK guns close but no cigar that goes for all reproductions. The Ruger o/u was and will be a dud IMHO

I think a fair number of knowledgeable people might disagree with you when considering the Parker Reproductions and the CSMC A H Fox reproductions. The Foxes technically are not reproductions. They are a continuation of regular production and serial numbered in sequence as a result. I don’t have any experience with their M21 Repro.

 

[warzaw]

Respectfully please clarify why are they not reproductions ? Good guns yes no arguement but Remington did not make the orignal Parker that they offered years past ? Savage Fox grey line ? made by CSMC ? dont know.

 

[straightshooter]

Just a quick note. The Savage Fox may have worn the Fox brand name but mechanically was nothing like an original Fox, or the other Foxes CSMC currently makes. It was a reworked version of another CSMC model, whose name escapes me at the moment.

The CSMC model that you refer to is called the RBL (Round Box Lock). The Savage Fox A Grade is, indeed, a modification of the RBL. In fact, the modifications are cosmetic. The guns are virtually the same. However, this doesn’t augment nor detract from the worth of either model.

The RBL has been available for many years. There are those (mostly in the US as CSMC does not retail in Canada) who dislike the RBL. How many of those folks actually own one or have shot one is unknown. There are also those who can’t say enough good things about them. What I do know is that my 20 ga Savage Fox A Grade is the most amazing shotgun it has been my pleasure to own. The gun itself came with no flaws. It looks amazing with beautifully figured walnut, case colored receiver, and blacked barrels.

Functionally, it has performed perfectly. On the last day of pheasant season this year, I missed a shot with it (first miss in over two years of hunting with it). That was frustrating/embarrassing. It happened with 4 other hunters watching. Damn pheasant managed to position a tree between us just as it flushed. Up until that bird, I could honestly claim to have never missed a shot with it.

Those who are fixated on the fact that “it’s not a real Fox” or “it’s just a redesign of the RBL” are focused on legitimate differences that matter greatly to someone hoping to field a 20 ga A H Fox at a fraction of the price. But, this is an unrealistic hope to begin with.

Conversely, for people who are looking for the features upland hunters crave today, these guns are a dream come true. What features am I talking about?

• 26 -28” side-by-side barrels, blued (not chromed, cerakote, or what-have-you).
• Case colored box lock receiver with double triggers
• Smooth functioning open and close without looseness or tightness
• Well balanced, light and lively (6 lbs)
• Checkered English (straight) stock, splinter forend, with attractively figured walnut
• Removable chokes

IMHO, there is no better upland gun for the price in Canada.

 

[patricksbb391]

I have a Ruger Gold Label and a couple ,28 ga Red Labels. Beautiful, so park that debate.

Regarding, Red Label #3, I would look at something else.