Sturm, Ruger & Company, Inc. manufactures all its products in the United States to this day. Besides its home state Connecticut, it has factories in three other locations: New Hampshire, North Carolina, and Arizona. The company was founded in 1949 by two men whose names it still bears: Alexander McCormick Sturm and William B. Ruger.

The largest firearms manufacturer in the USA

Ruger consistently ranks at the top in annual firearms manufacturer rankings. Due to its production of both rifles and pistols, it can be considered the largest, overall, manufacturer in the USA. For instance, in 2015, it was the top-ranking company in the USA according to the American ATF agency, while in the segments of pistols and revolvers, it ranked second behind Smith & Wesson, and similarly second in the rifle market behind Remington.

An exceptionally wide portfolio

The nearly three-quarters-of-a-century-old company, which went public on the New York Stock Exchange 20 years after its founding, has an exceptionally wide range of firearms. These include bolt-action and semi-automatic rifles and single-shot rifles, shotguns, semi-automatic pistols, and single-action and double-action revolvers. The offering is indeed rich.

Ruger offers its customers almost 800 different variations in more than 40 product lines, which are marketed under the Ruger and Marlin brands. It uses the slogan “Arms Makers for Responsible Citizens,” which has become its trademark.

A turbulent history

Do you know why the company Ruger is called after the "second" founder Ruger and not after Sturm, who is listed first in the official name? It’s because Alexander McCormick Sturm died quite young. Just two years after the company's founding, in 1951, he succumbed to viral hepatitis at the age of 28. He left behind a young widow, the granddaughter of American President Theodore Roosevelt, and a small daughter. His wife survived him by only six years, dying in 1957 at the age of 31 from an overdose of sleeping pills. Their daughter was then raised by her grandmother.

When Sturm died, Ruger temporarily changed the company's logo from a red eagle to a black one. Although they had relatively strong financial backing – mainly thanks to Sturm's wealthy ancestors – they started the firearm production almost from scratch, in a small rented factory in Southport, Connecticut. Sturm died just as the company was starting to achieve some financial success.

First steps

Before his partnership with Sturm, Ruger successfully replicated two Japanese Nambu pistols. Subsequently, in their joint venture, he designed his own semi-automatic pistol based on the German 9mm Luger and the American Colt Woodsman. The very first firearm of the company Ruger was, in the mentioned year 1949, the Ruger Standard caliber .22. Its success then ensured the further growth of the enterprise.

Ruger company's successes

Sturm, Ruger & Company, Inc. is a successful company, with one of its most popular firearms being the Ruger 10/22 semi-automatic rifle. As you might guess, the number 10 refers to the number of rounds in the standard magazine, and number 22 indicates the classic .22 LR small-caliber cartridge. This firearm makes Ruger the number one in the USA in terms of rimfire rifle production (those for rimfire ammunition) of this caliber.

Ruger is also similarly successful in the market for rimfire semi-automatic pistols caliber .22, thanks to the Ruger MK IV model, which is the latest generation in the line of pistols following the Ruger Standard.

Noteworthy are also quality Ruger revolvers, such as those offered in the GP100 and Redhawk series. The manufacturer also performs well in the market for semi-automatic pistols and shotguns in the SR1911 and SR series. And one more interesting tidbit: in 1970, Ruger attempted to enter the market with a luxury retro automobile, the Ruger Sports Tourer. However, it remained just two built prototypes.

After Alexander Sturm's death in 1951, the company was led by William B. Ruger until his death in 2002. In September 2020, Ruger acquired the Marlin Firearms brand from the bankrupt Remington Outdoor Company.