Full List of Ruger Rifles, Revolvers & Other Innovative Firearms Explained
Officially known as Sturm, Ruger & Company, Inc., Ruger is one of the most popular firearm manufacturers in the USA. Based in Connecticut, it has production facilities in North Carolina, New Hampshire, and Arizona, too. The company was set up in 1949 and has drastically diversified its portfolio over the past decades. These days, it produces various types of pistols and revolvers, rifles, and shotguns. Many of these products are used all over the world. Given its history, there are lots of Ruger models out there, some of them are more popular than others. Here's a full list of Ruger rifles, pistols, and other firearms.
Bolt action rifles
Ruger has quite a few useful bolt action rifles in its portfolio.
- Hawkeye M77 was originally designed as a hunting rifle. It was designed in 1968 and feels like a modern version of Mauser 98. Ruger M77 Mark II models were better than the original version due to a series of upgrades.
- Gunsite Scout Rifle was brought in 2021. From many points of view, it’s a redesigned and modern alternative to Model 77.
- Model 77/22 has been in continuous production since 1983. It's chambered for .22 WMR, .22 Hornet, and .22 Long Rifle cartridges.
- American Rifle has been designed as a hunting rifle, but it’s also used at sporting competitions. It’s been in production since 2012.
- American Rimfire is similar to the American Rifle. From many points of view, it can be considered a variant with a few adjustments.
- Precision Rifle was introduced in 2015 and boosts a few different calibers, .308 Win, 6.5 Creedmoor, and .243 Winchester. It has a few modern variants.
- Precision Rimfire is quite similar.
It’s worth noting that newer models tend to turn to different calibers. For example, there are a few Ruger 450 Bushmaster models out there today in limited availability.
Autoloading rifles
No list of Ruger rifles would be complete without mentioning the autoloading rifles, a category that Ruger has constantly focused on. Unfortunately, many of these rifles have been discontinued.
- Model 44 used the .44 Remington Magnum cartridge. Introduced in 1960, it was discontinued in 1985, after more than 250,000 units were produced.
- 10/22 is chambered for the .22 Long Rifle cartridge. Despite being designed in 1964, it’s still being made today. There are quite a few Ruger 10/22 models out there, mainly as variants.
- 10/17 is a semi-automatic unit produced in more than seven million units. It has a bunch of different variants, too.
- SR-22 was designed in a classic AR-15 size and shape. It relies on classic 10/22 rotary magazines and can easily compete against other AR-15 style firearms.
- Mini-14 has been in production since 1974. It’s one of the lightest rifles made by Ruger and comes with a semi-automatic mechanism.
- Mini Thirty uses the Russian 7.62×39mm caliber. It’s excellent for hunting in states that prohibit hunting deer with calibers under 6mm.
- XGI was mostly designed as a prototype. It was chambered in .243 Winchester and .308 Winchester cartridges. It never went into production.
- Police Carbine relies on the .40 S&W and 9mm Parabellum cartridges. Variants include PC4 and PC9. After being ceased, the production restarted in 2017.
- Deerfield Carbine uses the .44 Magnum, 9mm caliber. It didn’t gain too much popularity, so it was only made between 2000 and 2006.
- AR-556 is an AR-15 style unit in production since 2014. All models and variants come with a 30 round magazine carrying the Magpul standards, apart from units sold in states that prohibit such magazines.
- SR-556 is a discontinued unit that boosted a wide variety of variants over its short lifespan, from 2009 to 2018. SR-762 was its most popular variant.
Lever action rifles
Unlike other brands, Ruger didn’t bother too much with lever action rifles. Model 96 is its only official release in this segment. Each variant had a different caliber, .17 HMR, .22 LR, .22 Magnum, and .44 Magnum. All models came with a hardwood stock.
Single shot rifles
The single shot rifle market hasn’t been touched too much either, with only two models released by Ruger. No. 1 was introduced in 1967, and it's still popular these days. There are a bunch of variants out there, such as Standard, Tropical, Light Sporter, or International, among others. No. 3, on the other hand, was discontinued in 1986 after a continuous production of 13 years. It was often described as one of the most accurate rifles on the market.
Shotguns
Ruger produced two shotguns, Gold Label and Red Label. Gold Label was a double barrel shotgun made between 2002 and 2006. It replicated British shotguns and was mainly used for practice shooting and bird hunting. Red Label was designed as an over and under unit. About 150,000 units were made. Believe it or not, it had about 35 variants.
Submachine guns
Only one submachine came out of Ruger’s manufacturing facilities. MP9 was produced in 1995 and 1996 in 1,500 units only. It's still easy to find these days. It was designed much earlier, though by Uziel Gal, the same designer who invented the traditional Uzi. MP9 only used the 9x19mm Parabellum cartridge and represents one of the most overlooked Ruger 9mm models.
Centerfire pistols
Centerfire pistols are some of the main reasons why Ruger is such a popular firearm manufacturer today.
- American Pistol has been in production since 2015 and can use the .45 ACP and the 9mm Luger cartridges. It’s known for its super short recoil.
- Security-9 came out in 2017 as a replacement for the LCP II and SR-Series. It's cheaper, too, since it doesn’t have all the bells and whistles.
- MAX-9 is a front runner among all Ruger 9mm pistols, especially since it’s incredibly reliable, yet affordable.
- SR1911 is often compared to Colt M1911 because it’s pretty similar. It’s a semi-automatic unit in production since 2011.
- LCP stands for Lightweight Compact Pistol. Despite its subcompact size, it’s quite powerful with the .380 ACP caliber.
- LCP II boosts a series of upgrades. Some consider it a variant of the original LCP, but it was released as a standalone version.
- LCP Max has been in production since 2011 and comes with improved geometries, slide serrations, magazine feed lips, extractor, and feed ramp.
- LC9 is another compact design using the 9x19mm and .380 ACP cartridges. It’s a semi-automatic unit produced between 2011 and 2014.
- LC380 uses the .380 Auto caliber and has a 7+1 capacity. It’s known for its accuracy, while the double action trigger makes it super smooth.
- LC9s is the single action version of the LC9. It was widely appreciated for fixing the most popular complaint about the LC9, the trigger issue.
- Ruger-5.7 is a semi-automatic unit designed in 2019 and brought back the 5.7x28mm cartridge after a long time.
There are also a few discontinued centerfire pistols, such as the Hawkeye (1963-1964), P-Series (1985-2013), and SR-Series (2007-2019).
Rimfire pistols
Rimfire pistols from Ruger are less diversified than the centerfire alternatives, not to mention a few discontinued models.
- MK IV was introduced in 2016 and comes with a bunch of different variants, with slight differences in design, materials, and colors.
- SR22 is a compact unit with a semi-automatic mechanism. Introduced in 2012, it relies on the .22 LR cartridge.
- 22 Charger is one of the Ruger 22 pistol models and has been through a few upgrades overtime. It was also discontinued and reintroduced in 2014.
Previous generations and variants of the MK IV have been discontinued, including the original Standard or MK I, MK II, and MK III, also known as 22/45. Double action revolvers Ruger has designed both double and single action revolvers, with the double action varieties being slightly more popular. Here’s a list of Ruger revolvers with double action mechanisms.
- SP101 is a small frame unit boosting a steel construction and featuring numerous variants. It uses more cartridges, including .22 LR, .38 Special, and .357 Magnum.
- GP100 refers to a whole family of revolvers and variants. Made since 1985, it’s also available in a few different cartridges.
- Redhawk is one of the large revolvers made by Ruger. Cartridges include .38 Special, .357 Magnum, and .45 ACP, among others.
- Super Redhawk came out in 1987, a time when Ruger started focusing on more powerful calibers, such as .454 Casull or .44 Magnum.
- Super Redhawk Alaskan is a big bore revolver with a short barrel, the first of such kind made by Ruger. It’s designed for personal protection against large animals and uses large cartridges.
- LCR is a very compact unit. It has been in production since 2010 and comes in a bunch of different cartridges. It also has a few variants.
Security-Six had a few variants, Service-Six and Speed-Six. The revolvers were produced between 1972 and 1988, with nearly 1.5 million units sold. They were used by both civilians and military personnel, but they were discontinued.
Single Action revolvers
Last, but not least, it’s worth mentioning the list of Ruger revolvers with single action mechanisms as well.
- Bearcat was produced in more waves, depending on the version and variant. The third issue has been in production since 1993.
- Single-Six was originally released in 1953. The new model came with some upgrades and was introduced in 1973.
- Blackhawk is one of the most popular single action revolvers from Ruger and comes with multiple variants, styles, and finishes.
- Super Blackhawk is the most common variant of the classic revolver and makes revolver hunting a breeze, being able to take down deer, moose, and even grizzly.
- Vaquero was designed in 1993 and comes with various customizations in terms of design, so users can normally choose what they want it like.
- Wrangler has been in production since 2019 and uses the .22 LR cartridge. Costs are relatively low due to the aluminum and zinc materials used.
- Old Army features an old school design. Introduced in 1972, it was in production until 2008. It used the .44 caliber.
In the end, it’s easy to tell what makes Ruger such a popular firearm manufacturer. With something for everyone to choose from, good reliability, and great prices, the brand has never ceased to innovate with its production.​