Ruger Gold Label

The Ruger Gold Label was a side-by-side double-barreled shotgun that was made by Sturm, Ruger & Company, Incorporated, at their manufacturing facility in Newport, New Hampshire. It was designed to be similar to traditional English shotguns used for upland bird hunting and for clay target games such as sporting clays.[1]

Ruger Gold Label
TypeDouble barreled shotgun
Place of originUnited States
Production history
ManufacturerSturm, Ruger
Produced2002 – 2006
Specifications
Mass6½ pounds
Length45½ inches
Barrel length28 inches
Caliber12 gauge
ActionBreak-action

Features

The Gold Label has a stainless steel receiver and blued barrels. The stock and fore-end are made of AAA-grade American walnut.[2] At 6½ pounds, the Gold Label is relatively lightweight for a double barreled shotgun.[3]

Equipped with a single trigger, a barrel selector mechanism is used to choose whether the left or right barrel fires first. The second shot can be fired even if the first shot was a misfire and the shotgun has not recoiled. The barrel selector is combined with the manual safety and is located at the top rear of the receiver, behind the top lever. Opening the action automatically engages the safety mechanism.[4]

Only produced in 12 gauge, the chambers are three inches in length, to accommodate either 2¾ inch or 3 inch shells.[5] The Gold Label uses screw-in choke tubes that are steel shot compatible.[6]

Models

There are two models of Gold Label. One has an American style pistol grip stock. The other has an English style straight grip stock. Both models have a splinter style fore-end.

The Gold Label was produced from 2004 to 2006 and has not been produced since. While the shotgun was still pictured in Ruger's 2008 Catalog, it was listed as "current production sold out, anticipate availability in 2009." According to most reports, the Gold Label will not be produced again due to its high cost of manufacturing.[3]

Awards

In 2002, the Gold Label was named Shotgun of the Year by Shooting Industry News.[7] In 2005, it won the "Golden Bullseye" Shotgun of the Year award from American Rifleman, a magazine published by the National Rifle Association.[8]

Notes
  1. Bodinson, Holt. "Ruger's Elegant Game Gun", Guns magazine, July, 2002
  2. Hanus, Bill. "It's Time to Make Nice with Your Ruger Dealer", Bill Hanus Birdguns
  3. Lee, Jerry (16 December 2014). Standard Catalog of Ruger Firearms. Iola, Wisconsin: F+W Media, Inc. pp. 115–116. ISBN 978-1-4402-4060-7.
  4. Ruger Gold Label Instruction Manual
  5. Miller, Payton. "Ruger Gold Label", Guns & Ammo, April, 2005
  6. "Ruger’s Gold Label Takes On British 12-Bore Game Guns", Gun Tests, October, 2005
  7. ""Shotgun of the Year, 1992 - 2007", Shooting Industry News". Archived from the original on 28 April 2008. Retrieved 23 May 2008.
  8. "2005 Golden Bullseye Award Winners", nra.org

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