What Gun Would You Pick?

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joed

joed

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Back in 2005 I bought a Ruger Red Label All Weather O/U. Now 12 years later the shotgun needs to go back to Ruger for repair. The Service Rep told me they not have parts to fix the gun as they no longer make shotguns. He mentioned that if this is the case they will offer me a gun at a reduced price.

Anyone ever been in this position before? I'm curious what kind of a reduced price and second what would you pick from their inventory?

Real shame, I liked that shotgun.
 
Mind me asking what parts are damaged? ive recently run thru the gauntlet of repairing a winchester 101, ive found that parts are generally available if you can find them, then just gotta get a smith to do the work. I did my own but it was just installing and timing an ejector.

Why type of gun were you considering? pistol, revolver, rifle?
 
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as I recall, there was a member a while back that has a similar thing happen with a revolver. The discount wasn't all that great. better than dealer cost, but not by much.
 
The problem is the upper barrel is getting light strikes and not firing. I've talked to a local smith (try finding one anymore) and he told me it's either the firing pin is mushroomed or the springs need replacement. He told me best bet is go back to Ruger. Ruger said to send it in and they will evaluate it but there is a chance they may not be able to fix it.

I have 5 bolt action rifles, all Winchester and Remington in heavy and slim barrel configs. So I don't think I want a bolt action rifle. I have a Colt M4 so I know I don't want another rifle that rarely gets fired.

I collected S&W revolvers for years so there isn't much they could interest me in revolver wise. Thought maybe a Vaquero.

But then I wondered what kind of a deal would they give me?

Darn, I wanted a Browning O/U when I bought that Red Label. We do make bad decisions at times. The Red Label is a nice shotgun but I don't think it has 300 rounds through it in 12 years. That Red Label All Weather was quite expensive.
 
Looking for a gunsmith was the first thing I did this morning. Have any of you tried to find one lately? Seems federal regulations have put most of them out of business. I did find one about an hour away that told me go to Ruger as it would be cheaper then paying $50 an hr bench fee + parts.

Heck, I have to send it to Ruger on my dime and they may not be able to repair it. So maybe the somewhat local smith is my best option.

I'm just trying to figure out what direction to go.
 
I'm with the "don't get rid of it" camp.

You like that shotgun. Have a smith at least diagnose it for you (if you can't figure it out yourself). If it's a part that needs replacing there's a good chance you can find it on the net.
 
Pins and springs are sold out at numrich, so I bet they're a wear part. Take a look at your pin. Does it look OK? If so, put a washer under the light spring to shim it and make it stronger.
 
Lots of options but I would choose to fix the gun without any help from Ruger. Pins and springs should be easy enough to replace whether Ruger supports the gun or not.

Ultimately, if a gun broke down after only 300 rounds, I would move it along and say good riddance.

Edit: what gun would I pick.... Meh, likely nothing new from Ruger unfortunately. Mostly because I would want a shotgun. Browning has a good gun for a good price in the Citori CX that you might like. Or not. One thing is for sure. Finding parts won't be an issue and they seldom break. You might have a look at the cynergy line also. These have good reviews and may be the best budget buy currently available.
 
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I had bought a Red Label shortly after they came out as my dedicated skeet gun, maybe 1991 or 1992, had Kolar put tubes in it for all gauges. I really loved that gun, after about 50,000 rounds it went back to Ruger misfiring, light strikes, they repaired it and sent it back on their dime, another 6-8 thousand rounds it broke again, less than a year. It went back, repaired on their dime again, shot it a few more thousand rounds and then I sold it to another shooter with full disclosure, took quite a hit on it. He was only an occasional shooter so it should of lasted him for quite while. Beretta shoots and feels the most like a Ruger to me, and I shoot my 682 Super Sporting as good or better than the Red Label, and it is rebuild-able and just getting broke in at the 50,000 mark.

The firing pins are a floating type pin, and if I remember right do get deformed like your smith told you, the springs do also get tired. I had mine apart to that point to try to diagnose the original problem. If you can find the parts I would suggest you give it a try yourself in replacing them if you have any mechanical aptitude.

I truly wished that Ruger could of made a good reliable shotgun, I would buy another if they ever succeed in that endeavor.
 
Well, thanks for all the replies, it's not going back to Ruger. I did a lot of searches and this is a very common problem with the Red Label. Kudu's experience mirrors what I found in the searches. Probably get if fixed, sell it and move on.

One of the people in the searches I did said Ruger told him his could not be repaired and offered him a new Red Label for $1100. He was quite unhappy after paying $1200 for his original gun.

As Sappyg posted I want a shotgun. I have enough rifles and pistols that I could live without another. I want something to shoot trap with.
 
I'd see what they offer before making up my mind. The Red Label has never been a particularly good gun with lots of known issues. If they made a reasonable offer I'd go for it and then trade whatever they offer still NIB for a better shotgun. If they don't make a reasonable offer then you may decide to keep it.
 
I am in agreement with nearly everyone else; keep the shotgun and have it repaired once you find (it should be worth it) a good 'smith.

But to answer your question regarding which from currently available Ruger inventory might you acquire in lieu of? I like your Vaquero idea, since I am enamored of good single-action wheelguns. I know you said you have many bolt rifles, but do you have a Ruger Scout? That is one bolt gun that shouldn't be overlooked.

Here's hoping you may simply keep your All Weather O/U instead with a quality repair.
 
CarJunkieLS1 said:
If they can't fix it then get your shotgun back. I'm 100% you can get a good smith to fix it.
Click to expand...

This.

A firing pin can be made. A suitable spring can be found.

And it's amazing what can be found with internet searches these days.

The part numbers listed for these on Numrich are:

Firing pin top (12 & 20 ga): 1170440

Firing pin bottom (12 & 20 ga): 1170450

Firing pin spring: 1170470

Numrich shows these as sold out, but others may have what you need.


This site may be of some help:

http://www.gun-parts.com/firingpins/


Also, these firing pins look like something easily turned out on a metal lathe. It may be possible to have replacements made and suitably heat treated to harden them.

You may also look for a "junker" shotgun you could buy on the cheap for parts.


Personally, I'd keep it. I'm sure you could sell it to someone else as a fixer-upper or for parts for a better price than you could get from the company. Unless, of course, they are willing to really do you a goid deal.
 
How was the gun stored, assembled? ...and cocked? No snap caps?

Probably just a weakened spring. I'd just take it apart and stretch the spring. The firing pin shouldn't be mushroomed after 300 rounds unless it wasn't properly heat treated. If that were the case, i'd expect the problem to occur with both pins, not just the one.
 
The gun was stored in my gun safe, never cocked. Also never fired it without a round in the chamber. I dropped it off at the gunsmiths as I was unable to find new pins and springs. I also brought up that I want both replaced even though only the top barrel is having problems.
 
That's odd that the upper pin is causing the problem. The lower barrel on mine, and the guns I see on the range, get most of the work by about 4 to 1.
I wonder if the upper barrel even had the correct pin/ spring to start with?
 
Probably a silly question but why aren't these items hardened? For as long as that shotgun was made it's hard to believe there is no fix for this problem.
 
joed said:
Probably a silly question but why aren't these items hardened? For as long as that shotgun was made it's hard to believe there is no fix for this problem.
Click to expand...
you would think so, but browning also has problems with brittle firing pins breaking. It must be harder to make a good pin than I think it is.....
 
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