New Ruger red label

CZ does make some fine guns. I shot one on the trap range for a couple of months and it worked fine.

In trap guns I am big on Browning. I had a 686 and while it was lovely to look at it just never got to feel like an extension of me the way my two Brownings do.

On the moderate price side, I have a Franchi Instinct L and while I have had no mechanical issues with the gun I have always felt the two barrels have different points of impact. I haven't taken it to a range to check but it sure feels that way. Maybe I just need to shoot it more and find the right chokes for it. It only has a couple of hundred rounds through it... 100 sporting clays, 25 in a five stand and a bunch of ducks. It kills ducks just fine and feels pretty good.
 
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I have Ruger Red Label. Mine is stainless, and it is a beautiful shotgun, but it is so heavy I hardly ever use it. If I were to buy another over under I would consider the weight before purchasing. Beautiful gun... I'm sure it will last several lifetimes. The weight is my only problem I have with the gun. Jeff
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I had a 12 ga. Citori Lighting that I hit well with but didn't like the fat in the hand action. Back around 1994 I traded it plus some cash for a new Ruger Red Label Sporting Clays model. The Ruger is heavy, too heavy for me to carry in the upland, but not a problem in the duck blind. They only made that sporting clays model a few years, but with it's longer barrels it is perfect for swinging on passing ducks. As for reliability, unlike Todd, I had zero issues with my gun. I know my gunsmith thinks the Citori has better parts inside, but like I said I have had zero issues in over 20 years of hard usage in a harsh climate.

As a matter of fact Ruger's customer service gets very high marks from me. A couple years ago I placed my gun in my built in the boat gun rack, upside down uncased. By doing this I unwittingly dented the vent rib between two post supports. I sent the gun back to Ruger with a letter explaining how it happened and admitted it was 100% my fault and was willing to pay if they could please repair the rib. I didn't hear anything from Ruger and after a few weeks was just going to call when a package arrived at my door. In side was a new Ruger box and inside that was my gun. They had either replaced my vent rib and reblued my barrels or just given me new barrels. They were so new looking I couldn't tell. In addition they said the replaced every part inside the action including the trigger, trigger guard, safety and opening lever. Basically a new gun except for the stock and original receiver for on charge.

I sent them a letter of thanks and they replied with gratitude that I appreciated the service. After that I'm a big Ruger fan.
 
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I find any over under a pain in the ass in a duckboat.
They need too much room to break open, and I have seen a lot of unsafe practice with one because of that.
Like bringing it into the boat to load and then closing it in the boat at other hunters
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My hunting buddy and I both shoot over-under's or side by sides out of out duck boat. It just takes a little consideration to be safe, plus you can easily see the gun in safe action-open action mode. If I was hunting with a guy who was careless in where his barrel was pointed I would tell him or her twice, then never take them out again. It just takes knowledge and the will to be safe. It might take a different angle to open and close the action in a safe direction but it isn't that hard. Most people think break action guns are safer than pumps or autos due to that ability to leave the action open.
 
loved my 20 ga ruger. best shooting o/u i have owned, also charles daly O/U's are nice, older models made from late 60's to early 70's good bang for you buck
 
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I had a 12 ga. Citori Lighting that I hit well with but didn't like the fat in the hand action. Back around 1994 I traded it plus some cash for a new Ruger Red Label Sporting Clays model. The Ruger is heavy, too heavy for me to carry in the upland, but not a problem in the duck blind. They only made that sporting clays model a few years, but with it's longer barrels it is perfect for swinging on passing ducks. As for reliability, unlike Todd, I had zero issues with my gun. I know my gunsmith thinks the Citori has better parts inside, but like I said I have had zero issues in over 20 years of hard usage in a harsh climate.

As a matter of fact Ruger's customer service gets very high marks from me. A couple years ago I placed my gun in my built in the boat gun rack, upside down uncased. By doing this I unwittingly dented the vent rib between two post supports. I sent the gun back to Ruger with a letter explaining how it happened and admitted it was 100% my fault and was willing to pay if they could please repair the rib. I didn't hear anything from Ruger and after a few weeks was just going to call when a package arrived at my door. In side was a new Ruger box and inside that was my gun. They had either replaced my vent rib and reblued my barrels or just given me new barrels. They were so new looking I couldn't tell. In addition they said the replaced every part inside the action including the trigger, trigger guard, safety and opening lever. Basically a new gun except for the stock and original receiver for on charge.

I sent them a letter of thanks and they replied with gratitude that I appreciated the service. After that I'm a big Ruger fan.
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Just to remind you John, you had to have work done one the safety detent spring. One of the problems I had too.

"The only problem I've had with my Ruger was the safety detent spring ..."

From this thread back in 2009:

http://duckboats.net/cgi-bin/forum/gforum.cgi?post=92442;search_string=%26quot%3Bred%20label%26quot%3B;#92442
 
I had a 12 ga. Citori Lighting that I hit well with but didn't like the fat in the hand action. Back around 1994 I traded it plus some cash for a new Ruger Red Label Sporting Clays model. The Ruger is heavy, too heavy for me to carry in the upland, but not a problem in the duck blind. They only made that sporting clays model a few years, but with it's longer barrels it is perfect for swinging on passing ducks. As for reliability, unlike Todd, I had zero issues with my gun. I know my gunsmith thinks the Citori has better parts inside, but like I said I have had zero issues in over 20 years of hard usage in a harsh climate.

As a matter of fact Ruger's customer service gets very high marks from me. A couple years ago I placed my gun in my built in the boat gun rack, upside down uncased. By doing this I unwittingly dented the vent rib between two post supports. I sent the gun back to Ruger with a letter explaining how it happened and admitted it was 100% my fault and was willing to pay if they could please repair the rib. I didn't hear anything from Ruger and after a few weeks was just going to call when a package arrived at my door. In side was a new Ruger box and inside that was my gun. They had either replaced my vent rib and reblued my barrels or just given me new barrels. They were so new looking I couldn't tell. In addition they said the replaced every part inside the action including the trigger, trigger guard, safety and opening lever. Basically a new gun except for the stock and original receiver for on charge.

I sent them a letter of thanks and they replied with gratitude that I appreciated the service. After that I'm a big Ruger fan.
Click to expand...



Just to remind you John, you had to have work done one the safety detent spring. One of the problems I had too.

"The only problem I've had with my Ruger was the safety detent spring ..."

From this thread back in 2009:

http://duckboats.net/cgi-bin/forum/gforum.cgi?post=92442;search_string=%26quot%3Bred%20label%26quot%3B;#92442
Click to expand...

Good memory, I forgot about that. That spring lost a little of its oomph after fifteen years, and let the safety reset from recoil so I didn't have a second shot unless I remembered to flick the safety off between shots. It was a hassle and put that shotgun out of action while my gunsmith waited for a free spring from Ruger. He charged $30.00 to replace the spring to save me the hassle of sending the whole gun back to the factory.

I never had that problem with my 1964 Remington 870, but I did break a firing pin on the 870 after 30 years of use. I'm not saying my mostly positive experience with Ruger should outweigh somebody else's negative experience. I'm just telling my story for what it's worth.
 
I had a 12 ga. Citori Lighting that I hit well with but didn't like the fat in the hand action. Back around 1994 I traded it plus some cash for a new Ruger Red Label Sporting Clays model. The Ruger is heavy, too heavy for me to carry in the upland, but not a problem in the duck blind. They only made that sporting clays model a few years, but with it's longer barrels it is perfect for swinging on passing ducks. As for reliability, unlike Todd, I had zero issues with my gun. I know my gunsmith thinks the Citori has better parts inside, but like I said I have had zero issues in over 20 years of hard usage in a harsh climate.

As a matter of fact Ruger's customer service gets very high marks from me. A couple years ago I placed my gun in my built in the boat gun rack, upside down uncased. By doing this I unwittingly dented the vent rib between two post supports. I sent the gun back to Ruger with a letter explaining how it happened and admitted it was 100% my fault and was willing to pay if they could please repair the rib. I didn't hear anything from Ruger and after a few weeks was just going to call when a package arrived at my door. In side was a new Ruger box and inside that was my gun. They had either replaced my vent rib and reblued my barrels or just given me new barrels. They were so new looking I couldn't tell. In addition they said the replaced every part inside the action including the trigger, trigger guard, safety and opening lever. Basically a new gun except for the stock and original receiver for on charge.

I sent them a letter of thanks and they replied with gratitude that I appreciated the service. After that I'm a big Ruger fan.
Click to expand...



Just to remind you John, you had to have work done one the safety detent spring. One of the problems I had too.

"The only problem I've had with my Ruger was the safety detent spring ..."

From this thread back in 2009:

http://duckboats.net/cgi-bin/forum/gforum.cgi?post=92442;search_string=%26quot%3Bred%20label%26quot%3B;#92442
Click to expand...

Good memory, I forgot about that. That spring lost a little of its oomph after fifteen years, and let the safety reset from recoil so I didn't have a second shot unless I remembered to flick the safety off between shots. It was a hassle and put that shotgun out of action while my gunsmith waited for a free spring from Ruger. He charged $30.00 to replace the spring to save me the hassle of sending the whole gun back to the factory.

I never had that problem with my 1964 Remington 870, but I did break a firing pin on the 870 after 30 years of use. I'm not saying my mostly positive experience with Ruger should outweigh somebody else's negative experience. I'm just telling my story for what it's worth.
Click to expand...

Mostly positive is very different than the 100 percent positive (as in "zero issues") that you put forward. Funny how you forgot about that issue in your effort to contrast your experience with mine.

Great guns, so great they make the owners forget the problems that they have.
 
The ones that came out in the early 2000s were terrible. I worked at a gunshop while finishing school and we sold several. I believe most all of them came back with issues. 28ga was the worst.
 
I bought a used 20 gauge at a gun shop in Green Bay,Wisconsin in 1988...hunted it for two years on grouse and pheasants(SoDak). Finally realized it just didn't carry well because it was so heavy in the fore end. I was hunting grouse and woodcock with a friend south of Shingleton along a watercourse. I shot a woodcock that jumped on the other side of the stream that Jerry had put up. While working the dog to the bird, I noticed that the lower barrel had seperated completely for about four inches and partially blown. Sent it in to Ruger. Paid the repair bill and then sold the gun.
 
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