I wrongly posted this bit of Bill Ruger history atop another members thread of which I'm sorry. So rather than scrap it I'll post it here for what it's worth. When a guy can't shoot and he frequents forums like this it's hard to keep quiet. So here is the violation:

From the people I knew in NH that knew Bill Ruger he was as ethical as a businessman can be and still keep people working. I knew Warren Center and Ken French of Thompson Center and over a eight person lunch one time they told stories of Bill Ruger and were all really bummed about his crippling arthritis and health. According to them when he still ran the business all customers were foremost, in other words keep them satisfied with Ruger products within reason and don't let customers take advantage with any deceitful fast ones. Similar to S&W's situation after British takeover. 

When he passed and Bill Jr. took over he was kind of overwhelmed with too many new faces and after a while a number of gun saavy advisors from outside the Ruger confidential circle came into play. Bill Jr. wasn't well either but like his Father extremely gifted as a production engineer and though he deviated from the ' old man ' by catching the market wave for high capacity tactical weapon designs he was getting weaker all the time leaving the inner circle door ajar for new foreign blood to take seats at the boardroom. Gradually this infusion began to influence and change the company's ethos. Much of the QA problems are no doubt associated with this gradual conversion. I personally knew a lot of engineers, machine operators and designer types who worked for Ruger and Pine Tree Castings in Newport, NH. Three of them left good jobs at  SigArms which at the time was located in Exeter, NH. Last time I saw them they never regretted it. They said the Germans had the attitude that Americans can't do anything right ! 

Interesting story about Bill Ruger Sr to show how ethical and loyal he was. When he and Alexander Sturm started the company in a converted barn in Southport, CT they started with the ' Ruger Standard ' 22 cal slant grip pistol still in existence today and made from sheet metal and now hammer forged barrels. Sturm died. Sturm had money and financed the start up in 1949 but succumbed to hepatitis at age 28 in 1951. Bill Ruger until his death continued to send profit checks to his family out of respects and what he termed m obligation. Who does such things today?

Bill Sr. was no John Browning able to design and

Bill Ruger was in a pinch in the 1980's unable to source quality barrels for a company that was really ramping up. His normal sources were apparently unreliable. He made several trips to Germany, Poland and Austria in search of hammer forging barrel machinery. In the late 80's he located two Krupp hammer forge machines with barrel tooling. Had them inspected and bid on both. Came back to the U.S. and tried to talk Warren Center of T/C to buy one with the understanding he'd buy everything they couldn't use. Center declined.  Too big, too much real estate/floor space, etc. He'd have to build another building and bring in more power and crew. Sorry Bill we can't handle it. So Bill bought both I'm told. Loaded them on a ship in Germany and offloaded them up river in Portsmouth, NH. Then trucked to Newport, NH. From what I heard it took close to two years to rig it, set it up and get it running up to production. Ruger has offered hammer forged barrels since the late 80's early 90's.

I never get tired of learning stories like this, thanks for the post. By the way, when the Germans say that Americans can't get things right mention the M1.

Last paragraph of my Bill Ruger post went missing but here it is. 

" Bill Sr. was no John Browning able to design and invent gun designs in his sleep and on his bench. Ruger knew guns but his genius was the ability to walk the production floors at night and devise detailed machining methods and techniques to improve quality and speed up manufacturing. Plus he kept his ear to the ground and always seemed to be a step ahead on what shooters wanted. According to Warren Center ( Thompson Center )  there was not a machine or material that he couldn't improve upon. He was, by all accounts, a one of a kind manufacturing genius that nobody has replaced today. " 

Rick

Someplace in my stuff, I have a copy of a letter from Bill Ruger to Winchester, applying for a design job.   They turned him down......

CHRIS

Bill Ruger and Bo Clerke were old friends, Bill Ruger called Bo and told him that he was trying to make up a Ruger 10-22 in 22 Magnum but was having problems. Bill Ruger sent Bo their prototype parts to see if he could make it work. Bo did quite a bit of engineering and machining to get the rifle working, and so then Bill Ruger had a working prototype in 22 Magnum, but as far as I know none were ever produced.

rgchristensen wrote on Mar 9^th, 2026 at 9:08pm:

Now the only question is did Winchester finally fail because they didn't hire Bill or was this a decision that proved to keep them from failing much quicker had they hired Bill. We will never know. LOL 

pretty sure Ruger helped Callaway Golf perfect their metal investment casting of their wood !! heads , I once owned a driver withe them mentioned ,a big bertha no 1. cheers Mal in au.