If you were CEO of Ruger Inc.

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Take a job on the floor as a new guy. Learn what everyone thinks about how things are done and the decisions that are made above them. Take lots of notes.

Split the firearms portion of the company from the rest creating and entirely new entity and escaping much old legal bagage. Of course we would have to store the safety roll-marks at the factory still making golf clubs.

Fire all the dead weight in management. Promote the clever and tallented people from the floor to R&D and management. Impliment the good ideas we can afford to in production.

CC line a must in todays market. Look how well the SP sells.

All new design firearms would have shared magazines with another company. Mostly CZ/Tanfoglio due to MecGars history of making quality and inexpensive magazines for them. Pistol caliber carbines re-introduced taking redily available magazines such as UZI, Sten, etc . . . .

All 223 rifles would be made to take USGI magazines. On bolt actions it would be an option.

In the interest of public safety the reliability of the weapons would be optimized. Unnessisary complications such as magazine disconnects, internal locks, and complicated loaded chamber indicators would be removed except for special runs for states suffering 2A violations.

All new guns would include 2 flush fit and 2 maximum capacity magazines (except where prohibited).

Maximum capactiy magazines for restricted states would be made (10, 15 rds, etc . . .) in every gun where practical. This would include making extended magazines in some models.

Make special editions FUNCTIONALLY special. Like off-caliber runs, odd barrel lengths, integrated scope mounts, etc . . .

Everything else would be determined by sales. I know the preceding items would sell like hot-cakes. It will take a while to recover from the capital investment to pull it off. Once the company can afford it, fulfill a personal fantasy and release an extensive line of 10mm firearms in autos, revolvers, and carbines.
 
Ruger makes pretty good cash flow, and has no debt. However the legal implications of the industry make its future price prediction volitile. Investors would probably balk at the takeover.

They do tap an underserved market with their value price offering though. If I want a brick ????house of a handgun I'll get a Ruger, $350's new everywhere. If I want to look cool I'll get a Glock $450+. If I want a Swiss watch I'll get a Sig $650+ or a real 1911 for the same.

Nice thing about the Rugers is they make great glove box guns or under the seat guns. Who cares if they get scratched up or a little surface rust?
 
If I woke at the helm of Ruger...

There would be a 10mm autoloader. Both polymer and metal framed

A 1911 would follow shortly there after...chambered in 9mm, .40, 10mm and .45 (perhaps .38 Super as well)

Purchase Colt

Begin making a new AR-15 replacement. A piston system as well as chambering it for a better caliber.

Carbines and SMG's geared towards police/military use. H&K has a huge stranglehold with their stupidly simple MP5 line. Ruger could wrest that away under my eye.

A CCW line of pistols

Research revolvers and begin with modest improvments

The Mini-14 and Mini-30 would get overhauls. I may also add the option to chamber the 30 in 5.45.

A Mini-308 would be added-with options for other calibers available from the next idea.

A "Performance Center" that acts like a full custom shop/gunsmith/testing facility.

Oh, everything comes with full capacity magazines
 
First and fore most I'd talk to the bean counters and lawyers to get their views on what is the number one issue that is likely to affect Ruger's profitability.

Next I'd talk to as many of the workers on the various manufacturing floors as I could. There's got to be lots of stuff they see that could or should be done better / more cost affective. I honestly want to hear from them. While I probably wouldn’t initially implement many of these suggestions I want and need as CEO know what the workers are feeling and seeing.

Establish a stock price goal for 6 months, 1yr, 18 months, 2yrs etc.

Then I'd look at reducing the current line of guns by about 25% - 35%. Reducing non-profitable or marginally profitable items will help with the bottom line. I'm sure there would be many people who will get upset by this but my focus initially would be on those items that are popular and are making the company money.

Next I'd look at those items that are Ruger's "best sellers" and see what if anything could be done to increase their market share even more.

I'd defiantly want to increase the commercial casting operation. There's tons of money to be made in the golf club industry and if Ruger is not the top or one of the top makers of golf club's/heads then I’d want to know why and how we could get there. As CEO I'd actually focus as much if not more effort here as I would on the firearms side of the house. It’s all about the Benjamin's baby! No doubt the casting operation is bringing them in - now how can it do more.

I'd make sure someone is running Customer Service who knows what they are doing. There would be lots of focus in this area. While I believe Ruger has good customer service there is zero margin for error here. Quality customer service needs to be more than a catch phrase. My goal would be to have Ruger customer service rated #1 by independent industry analysts within 1 year of me walking in the door. If that were not to happen, I'd be one PO'd CEO!

Lastly I'd look at the issue of what products made Ruger great and how they can be made better or at least more marketable. The answer from here seems obvious.

Ruger MK II .22RF pistols - there is no doubt I'd keep that line - probably reduce some of the variations that are not best sellers.
Ruger single action revolvers - they are a keeper for sure- reduce variations that are not best sellers.
Ruger SP101 line - a winner line of handguns IMO.
Ruger M77 rifles - bread and butter line of rifles but too many variants this line would take a big hit in getting reduced.
Ruger No 1's I imagine this line is not a big money maker, I know I'd reduce this line for sure.
Ruger Mini 14's look at costs of improving accuracy while reducing the line overall. Sorry no .308 Win. would be in the plans in my world. However I'd look hard at the 7.62x39mm variant and see what if anything could be done to increase sales of it.
Ruger 10/22's this has got to be the number 1 seller at Ruger I'd probably slightly increase the cost to wholesalers while reducing the line to no more than 5 basic models. #1 basic basic model, #2 longer std. stainless barrel model, #3 heavy target barrel syn stock model, #4 target wood stock, target barrel, #5 fancy wood Manlicher (sp) stock model.

My thoughts about "Hi Cap" magazines is that they should be available but only as an accessory purchase through the factory. For many different reasons I would not ship guns with hi caps but they would be available to anyone who might wan them by purchasing direct through Rugers customer service department.

Things I would not or probably not do. Change the design of Mini 14's so that they could take AR 15 magazines. Initially increase product line. Make a "Tactical .308 heavy barrel bolt action rifle" - too many already out there. Bring back the Security Six (I've got one and love it BTW). Make NO apologies for Rugers past behavior. I would emphasize Rugers new future potential and the continued commitment of Ruger to quality, innovation and customer service. Look at outsourcing any jobs overseas.


Anyway that's what I would do and then I'd probably wake up from my dream.

Rob
 
As y'all will surely note I'm no fan of RUGER!

If I were CEO of RUGER...

I'd convert all my stock options to stock that I could convert.

File the appropriate forms with the SEC and sell each and every share all at once - (NOTE: the CEO of a major firm doing this would heavily impact investor confidence in the company)

Then quit without giving notice. Notice hell. I'd just walk out the door one day with a hearty "kiss my @ss and a see ya - wouldn't wanna be ya" parting comment.

However, since a company officer has a fiduciary duty to the stockholders I couldn't/wouldn't do what I would really want to do which is liquidate the assets, dissolve the corporation and put the Ruger family out on the street! I'd feel sorry for the Ruger employees but - well - they'd just have to suck it up.

Disregarding the fact that I despise Ruger's politics my experience with their products is that they are poorly built, poorly engineered CRAP! :cuss: The gun community would be better off without 'em.
 
Werewolf,

I find Ruger products to be quite innovative in theory, and some are just poorly executed..

That's all. No need to be so bitter, he's dead.....
 
That is SO weird!!! All of MY 20 - 30 Rugers over the last 30 years were tough as a tank and lots of fun. :neener: :evil:
 
I'd design a 1911 using existing P-Series parts. It would be a modified lower shaped to be smiliar to a 1911, ditto with the slide. It would also be a single-action. A hybrid p89 and 1911.
 
you guys know what I want...:evil:
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