founded in 1949
Connecticut, Arizona, North Carolina
Ruger is currently America’s largest firearm manufacturer
second largest handgun manufacturer after Smith & Wesson
second largest rifle manufacturer after Remington
- 1949 founded by Alexander McCormick Sturm and William B. Ruger in Southport, Connecticut
- Rugers first pistol, serial Number 8, was “hand delivered” to Warren Page
- Oct. 6, 1949 first shipment of pistols
- 1,138 pistols produced and shipped by end of 1949
- November 1951 Alexander Sturm (28) died unexpectedly
– Bill switched the company eagle logo from red to black from then on - 1953 first single action revolver
- 1960s rifles were added
- 1969 publicly traded
- 1980s Opened the Prescott, Arizona factory to manufacture semi-auto pistols
- 2000 Bill Ruger retired
- Bill Ruger passed
- 2006 Bill Ruger, Jr. retired
- 2008 LCP semi-automatic pistol
- 2013 Factory in Mayodan, North Carolina
– 24-year old vacant yarn plant
– built in 1989 and has over 194,000 sq. feet - 2018 Bill Ruger, Jr., passed
- 700 variations of more than 40 product lines
- the only American firearms company that is not as a part of a parent company
Arms Makers for Responsible Citizens
Sturm, Ruger & Co., Inc
411 Sunapee Street
Newport, NH 03773
Telephone: 336-949-5200
About Sturm, Ruger & Co.
Sturm, Ruger & Co. was founded in 1949 by William B. Ruger and Alexander McCormick Sturm in a rented machine shop in Southport, Connecticut. Its first product, the Ruger Standard .22 pistol, set the pattern for the company: practical, durable firearms produced at prices ordinary shooters could afford. Alex Sturm died in 1951, and Bill Ruger led the company for the next five decades until his death on July 6, 2002, at age 86. Ruger stock was first publicly traded in 1969 and moved to the New York Stock Exchange in 1990 under the symbol RGR.
For gun owners, Ruger is one of the most familiar names in American firearms, with revolvers, rimfire rifles, bolt-action rifles and concealed-carry pistols that are staples of hunting camps, ranges and nightstands. According to ATF manufacturing data, Ruger was the number one U.S. firearms manufacturer from 2008 to 2011 and again the largest in 2022, ahead of Smith & Wesson. In September 2020 it acquired the Marlin Firearms brand out of the Remington Outdoor Company bankruptcy and returned Marlin lever-action rifles to production. The company celebrated its 75th anniversary in 2024 and operates production facilities in Newport, New Hampshire; Prescott, Arizona; Mayodan, North Carolina; and Hebron, Kentucky.
Key Facts
- 1949: Founded in Southport, Connecticut, by William B. Ruger and Alexander McCormick Sturm.
- 1951: Co-founder Alex Sturm dies.
- 1969: Ruger stock is first publicly traded; it joins the New York Stock Exchange in 1990.
- July 6, 2002: Bill Ruger dies in Prescott, Arizona, at age 86.
- September 2020: Acquires Marlin Firearms from the bankrupt Remington Outdoor Company.
- 2022: Ranked the largest U.S. firearms manufacturer in ATF production statistics.
Sources
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