Billy Ruger was a Superb Copy Cat and Marketeer

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Kynoch

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I was just thinking how Billy Ruger was such a superb copy cat. The MKI .22 pistol that really started the company was largely a knock-off of the Japanese Nambu pistol. Without the MKI, Ruger would not have made it as an arms manufacturer. I wonder if Billy ever paid any royalties to General Kijiro Nambu?

Then came the knock-offs of the historic Colt Single Action Revolvers. Again I have to wonder if he paid any royalties? At the very least Ruger keep the SA revolvers affordable and available while making him a ton of cash.

The Mini-14 is little more than a downsized/re-chambered Garand with a removable magazine. I wonder if Billy had to pay any royalties to the US Government?

Ruger's SR-556 (the very sort of weapon Billy said he had no intention of ever building) is a nice knock-off of the Colt AR-15. The piston system was largely designed by any number of AR-15 copycats who improved the basic design.

The ever-growing number of polymer framed Ruger pistols are thanks to the pioneering work of Gaston Glock and crew. Glock wasn't the absolute first, but his company's designs are the very basis for Ruger's newest handgun offerings along with just about every other semi-automatic handgun manufacturer.

Long after Billy's death the company he founded jumped on the bandwagon and finally knocked off a version of John Browning's M1911 with their own SR1911.

I'm sure there are other examples of copying by Ruger. Nothing illegal or immoral about it (I don't think at least) but I am amazed at just how big of a deal copying has played in post WWII gun design.
 
I'll pick just one;

The ever-growing number of polymer framed Ruger pistols are thanks to the pioneering work of Gaston Glock and crew. Glock wasn't the absolute first, but his company's designs are the very basis for Ruger's newest handgun offerings
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:rolleyes:
 
Actually I have some Ruger stock. Interestingly enough it never took off until fairly recently, well after Billy's passing.
 
BCCL said:
I guess there's a point here??????
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Just thinking out loud. Lots of companies knock-off a product now and then. Ruger on the other hand is a full-line company that seems to pretty much have knocked-off all their product designs.

No question Ruger was innovative when it came to manufacturing, particularly in the use of investment castings. I think old Billy was also a remarkably shrewd marketeer -- he said and did the right things at the time, just like the current company management is doing, even though it remarkably different than what Ruger proclaimed was the Ruger way.

But Ruger was never a big innovator in terms of pure product design. There is no John Garand, Eugene Stoner or Gaston Glock in the history of Sturm-Ruger.
 
armarsh said:
PF9 and LCP are both heavily Kel-tec inspired, to put it nicely.
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Exactly. Kel-Tec (for better or worse) seems to be way out on the cutting edge when it comes to product design. They don't however seem to have the manufacturing or marketing expertise of Ruger.

I'm waiting for Ruger to knock-off either an AK-47 (or Akdal MKA 1919) based shotgun. The only thing that might stop them (they don't have to worry about shotgun sales cannibalization) would be politics.
 
The Ruger Old Army is a Remington 1858 New Model Army with a coil hammer spring for cryin' out loud! Oh, and since we're callin' a spade a spade, how about promoting the high-cap magazine bans and not insuring Ruger employees who ride a motorcycle!
 
DammitBoy said:
Ruger #1's are pretty
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Yes they are. The No. 1 is largely a Farquharson design with borrowed embellishments from Mannlicher, Alexander Henry and others. Ruger did provide a service by making the gun affordable through the use of investment castings. But an original design? No way.
 
The Ruger LCP is a near exact copy of the Kel-Tec P3AT. That bothers me. You cant blame old Billy for that one though.
 
Modern industry is all about "make what the people want" and "make what has already been successful." ESPECIALLY if it is a larger company which answers to investors. That goes for movies, video games, TVs, cars and guns. Designing new things is expensive. If the design is a flops, a company can go belly up or lose investors. Innovations in the modern age come from small/independent/privately owned companies.
 
Hocka Louis said:
The Ruger Old Army is a Remington 1858 New Model Army with a coil hammer spring for cryin' out loud! Oh, and since we're callin' a spade a spade, how about promoting the high-cap magazine bans and not insuring Ruger employees who ride a motorcycle!
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Yes, the Ruger Old Army is a Remington knock-off as is the Bearcat .22 revolver. But at least Ruger made both available at a decent price. Billy supported a regular capacity magazine ban when it suited his company from a marketing standpoint. This was the same time he was telling anyone that would listen that his company would never build an AR-style rifle or a polymer framed pistol. Even though he paid a small price with the hardcores (and possibly with his own conscience), it was absolutely brilliant in terms of marketing and sales.
 
BemidjiDweller said:
Looks like a Ruger bashing thread with no real point. Other than obvious jealousy of Ruger firearms and their quality with an affordable price.
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It's not a "Ruger bashing thread." That's simply not true I own several Rugers. I have read a great deal about Mr. Ruger's life and I have deep admiration for him in the areas of manufacturing and marketing/sales.

I am just amazed however at how effective he was at capitalizing on the original product designs of others.
 
Troll much.

Really the MK I was a knockoff of the 22 Luger with a straight blow back action. Very many fundamental design differences between the MK I and the Luger and Nambu. Very improved upon and simplified. Bravo Ruger on this one.

The Single action Rugers. The patents had long expired by the time they came out. Sure they were pretty much a verbatim copy with a few changes. They made a killing on them and did not have to legally pay any royalties. Patents expired. They made a quality clone and reaped the profits. Once again, bravo Ruger.

The Mini 14 is probably more accurately a revamped M1 Carbine to shoot 223 rather than a Garand. Even still it came out decades later than either rifle. It turned a lackluster M1 Carbine into an effictient and soft shooting plinking platform. Accuracy is not as good as a similarly actioned M-14 style but it has proven to be a decent ranch rifle and is probably a very nice HD rifle if it is given the chance. Bravo again.

As for the SR 556 it came after Billy's passing so it is a moot point but they did decide to offer the gas piston as factory equipment even if it is totally unnecessary in an AR platform. Another question, why condemn Ruger for making an AR clone when soooooo many already have before them even without the standard gas piston option? AR platforms sell and Ruger needs profits too. Hey, they still make stuff in America unlike other American companies.

Once again, Ruger is not the only one capitalizing off Gaston Glocks pioneering of Poly pistols. Virtually every other gun company is as well. You really should be condemning S&W in the same light too. But you are really just trolling here so whatever.

1911s, see above.

Why dont you also condemn Rock River Arms (1911 and AR15) Les Baer (1911 and AR15) Kimber (1911 and Poly pistols) and a huge host of others.

Did I mention this is a total troll post?
 
Lots of newbies lately coming on just seemingly to try to stir up something, must be something in the water. It sure would be nice if we could get some new folks that want to actually contribute something to the site.
 
Ruger was founded in 1949. How many of the other top 10 arms manufacturers have been rolling out completely new and original designs since the 40s? ESPECIALLY those which are American companies.
 
Yeah darn copy cats, Just jumping on the bandwagon with all the other polymer frame revolvers;). Seriously, I am good with any company that puts out a quality product at a price that most people can afford. Additionally it is a true american made product, I know not everyone here is from America, but stimulating our economy is kinda a big deal here.
 
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