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Well I got a chance to shoot one of the Ruger Gold Labels today. The best part is I didn’t even have to lay out the money to get to play with the gun, as it belongs to my father-in-law.

Well my first impression was, ”Wow this thing is light.” I’m not sure what the weight of the gun is but it felt very light overall. It felt a little front heavy but not really out at the muzzle, kind of right at the forward hand.

Metal fit and finish seemed to be very good. The action was tight but seeing as this gun had just been picked up earlier today it hasn’t had any chance for break-in. The barrels were nice and smooth with no ripples. The action was the nice satin stainless with no tool marks visible on the outside.

Wood fit and finish. To me this is where this gun really went down hill. The wood wasn’t of a very high quality in figure or seemingly in density. On top of that the wood to metal fit was horrible. The wood stood at least 1/16th of an inch proud of the metal. The wrist was on the thin side which I normally like a lot however in this gun it is almost a completely round wrist and just seems to have an awkward feel. It could be that I’m just used to grips being thin on the sides and yet full on the top and bottom lines to fill the hand. Not sure but as I said it was awkward. The checkering also left a bit to be desired. It also could use something other than the plastic buttplate.

I started the day shooting it (well half the time) in the field. I used it on pheasant, rabbit, woodcock and grouse. The light weight of the gun made it quite pleasant to carry in the field. The light weight is also noticeable in the guns response in recoil. It seems to really want to twist in your hand. Perhaps this is a combination of weight and the round wrist, not really sure. Even though I didn’t notice it while hunting I still think the buttplate needs changed even if it is something like a ¼ inch rubber. The gun seemed quick to shoulder but seemed to take effort to get a good smooth swing on game. Its nimbleness was appreciated much more when we were hunting grouse as it came up quick for the types of shots grouse in this area present. However I think a little more gun weight overall would probably be a good thing. In all I shot 1 pheasant, 1 rabbit, 2 grouse and 2 woodcock with the gun. I experienced no mechanical problems with the gun.

After the days shooting the action still seemed to be awful tight (probably about 1 box of shells through the gun between me and the father-in-law. Not sure how many rounds will need to break it in a little bit.

Overall the gun was light (perhaps to light); the wood was overall horrible, metal work nicely done. Did I mention the wood was horrible? This in mind I’d have a tough time recommending the gun at its $1,700 price tag. Perhaps a quality restock would fix any and all “problems” I had with the gun. However why go buy a gun for that money an restock it when you could get a decent classic for the same investment.

Those are just my initial thoughts, as usual all my opinion so other may and probably won’t agree. Just thought I’d share.

BB