Ruger Red Label

[JJ Roberts]

Any one have problems engraving a Ruger Red label O/U shotgun? J.J.

 

[Marrinan]

Seems to me someone mentioned shooting themselves before they cut another red, black or gold. Fred

 

[Weldon47]

No more of those for me, JJ. Great gun but they're just too hard for me to enjoy engraving.

 

[Idaho Flint]

I looked at doing a Red label O/U in SS. Test scratches found it to be very hard. I decided to not cut it after test and hearing about other peoples "Pains" in cutting them.

Mike

 

[fegarex]

I'm too old and cranky to do another.... Once in a while there is one that is tolerable but most are just too hard to mess with. Too bad as they scream for engraving.

 

[Roger Bleile]

The earliest Red Labels were blued carbon steel. I did a couple of those without difficulty. The worst thing I ever had to cut was a Gold Label. The "factory engraved" SS Red Labels are machine cut. I think they use some kind of computerized diamond drag operation. There have been factory engraved Red and Gold Labels but, as I recall, Paul Lantuch said the factory annealed them before engraving.

 

[JJ Roberts]

Will the factory anneal them for any of us engravers?I had two request this weekend at the gun show to engrave Ruger Red labels. J.J.

 

[BrianPowley]

Just say NO! The factory most likely will not anneal them for you.
I recall Paul Lantuch telling me he engraved them before the factory tempered them.
I highly recommend you steer clear of them.

 

[Big-Un]

Ruger just opened a manufacturing plant near here (10 miles from home) but I haven't talked with them yet. I'll make it a point to go see them and get some information about helping engravers with their guns. I'm hoping I can at least get in the door and see someone knowledgable.

Bill

 

[JJ Roberts]

Bill,If you are able to talk to someone at Ruger tell them it would be in there best interest if there firearms were engraveable,it would be a great sales pitch I just don't know why there firearms parts have to be so hard. J.J.

 

[Tim Wells]

Probably for "product liability" and as such I'd bet they care about avoiding any possible lawsuits, frivolous or not, more than making things easy for engravers. Jim Small did a few of these stainless red labels, I'd call him up, he didn't seem to have a lot of trouble with them. Although, I've always heard they were hard.

 

[Beathard]

I've done one. It's hard, but do able. It was about the same as a ruger vaquero loading gate. I'd do another for the right price.

 

[fegarex]

The hardness can vary. I did a few that were "really hard but OK" so I tried a few more and the rest were just plain terrible. Big-Un, good luck with your talk but I am guessing you will get nowhere. A company isn't going to anneal a gun for an outside vendor just for liability reasons. They usually won't even touch a gun that has been "modified" including engraving because of this. Anytime it touches the factory's hand the lawyers are going to go for the deep pockets in a suit. If a customer "had" to have one done I would suggest you have the customer contact a reliable house like Turnbull and have them anneal and re-harden. I usually have the customer do this so they can understand the cost/delays/and issues associated with this.

 

[SamW]

Good advise Rex!!

 

[LVVP]

Good advise Rex, thank you

 

[Big-Un]

JJ, I don't expect much co-operation from Ruger, but I will try anyway. Wish me luck. Remington's home office is here also but they don't talk much either.

Bill