Bill Ruger’s .22 Pistol
The late William Batterman Ruger is admired and respected by firearms enthusiasts all over the world. No doubt, history will remember Bill Ruger as one of the greatest firearms designers of the Twentieth Century. Most are familiar with the Company’s products and their history. Unlike Colt and Winchester with beginnings from the 19th century, Bill Ruger’s guns were (and are) produced in our lifetime; high quality, economically priced firearms the working man can afford. Mr. Ruger lived and died in our generation.
The collecting of Ruger firearms and related items has become a serious activity. It is not uncommon, in today’s market, for a collectable Ruger firearm to bring thousands of dollars, depending on the model and the extent of its rarity. That’s not to say all collectable Rugers are priced in the thousands. Like collecting anything, often it’s just a matter of being at the right place at the right time.
This article is about the gun that gave Ruger his start, the .22 Ruger Pistol. My favorite is the “Red Eagle”, a collector’s term given to pistols produced before the death of partner Alexander Sturm. These .22 semi-auto pistols have a red logo medallion in the left grip panel.
As collectors and sellers became aware of this variation, some figured all you need is a can of red paint to make your gun fetch a few extra dollars. Before the public became educated to serial numbers and production dates for these guns, counterfeiters often prevailed. I’ve seen these red grip medallions in shades of bright “nail polish” pink to metallic purple. The authentic color is bright red. Check to see if the paint is dry. Look closely to see if the red is painted over black with traces of black in the “wing” tips. Ruger did not market an old model single action with red logo grip medallions.
THE RUGER RED EAGLE YEARS
William Batterman Ruger became friends with neighbor Alexander McCormick Sturm in the late 40s. Sturm, author, artist, and firearms collector was looking to go into business and had money to invest. Ruger had a promising gun design but lacked the capital to start a new venture. With Sturm’s investment of $50,000 Sturm, Ruger & Co., Inc. was formed in January of 1949.
The original factory was a small, wood frame shop on Station Street in Southport, Connecticut. Bill Ruger had occupied this shop in a failed tool manufacturing operation in the mid-40s, The Ruger Corporation. This facility has come to be known as the “Red Barn”. Tools and materials were put into place and they were off and running.
A small ad was placed in the August 1949 issue of the American Rifleman magazine. Components for the Ruger pistols were being produced. Sturm, a student of heraldry, designed the grip panel medallion in the figure of a falcon or eagle. This figure also became the Sturm, Ruger & Co. logo and appeared on Company letterheads and advertising. A logo medallion was installed in the left grip panel of each Ruger pistol. Panels were black, checkered hard rubber. In the earliest guns the medallion eagle was hand painted red. Magazines were 9 round capacity. Welding two metal stampings together produced the grip frame. Receivers were stock tubing with a four and three quarters inch barrel. A cylindrical breech bolt was incorporated [the bolt moves inside the receiver, sights stay stationary]. Hardened pins through the grip frame serve to pivot the trigger, hammer, and safety. The main pin (bolt stop pin) has two functions, to connect and fasten the receiver to the grip frame, and retain the bolt from going back too far. Both front and rear sights are fixed. The only screws are those to hold the grips on. Steel parts are polished and blued. Ruger's design was new and original, a semi-automatic blow back action .22 pistol, a quality handgun for only $37.50.
Orders were coming in by the hundreds from advertisements placed in outdoor magazines. Checks had been put away until shipments were ready. By October 1949 enough components had been produced to manufacture 655 pistols. In the same week the original $50,000 was paid out, 100 completed pistols were ready for shipment. The checks were deposited, and Sturm, Ruger & Co. has never had to go in debt to operate since.
The first shipment went out on October 6, 1949. Shipments were via Railway Express. Guns were packed in a red cardboard box, included was an instruction sheet with directions for cleaning and take down. Shipping cartons were made of wood, and were referred to as "salt cod" boxes. These boxes were not built at the Ruger plant but “contracted out”. 1138 pistols were shipped that first year.
November 1949, the American Rifleman magazine’s "Dope Bag" section reviewed the new Ruger pistol. Major General J. S. Hatcher conducted the tests. Hatcher was impressed with the performance of the Ruger pistol. Warren Page, shooting editor for Field and Stream magazine, had also been given a pistol to try out. Page published his report in an article in the December, 1949 issue of Field and Stream. Page wrote of the two young fellows, [Sturm and Ruger] who visited him and gave him a .22 pistol, serial number 8, to test. “The Ruger shot most respectably well right out of the box”, Page wrote.
It was 1950; the Dope Bag report and the Field and Stream article had introduced the Ruger pistol and the Company to the public. Magazine ads were still running and sales were good. Retailers were taking all the guns Ruger could produce. Sales to individuals had been terminated. Ruger took time to make some minor changes in the pistol; modifications to either speed production or improve the pistol or both. Hardly any changes would occur (in Ruger’s .22 pistol) for the next 32 years.
A target version of the Ruger pistol was on the drawing board. Several prototypes were assembled using standard frames and receivers with heavier barrels and adjustable sights. No target versions were shipped until the next year. 9,147 pistols were shipped in 1950.
The first of the new target models was shipped in January 1951. The new model was called the Mark I Target. The original model, previously unnamed, was officially designated Standard Auto. The Mark I had an improved trigger, 6 7/8 inch tapered barrel, with a blade front sight and a Micro adjustable rear. Except for the improved trigger, the grip frame assembly was the same as on the Standard Pistol. The price for the Mark I was $57.50.
Sales were good and production was running smooth. Ruger took some time off for a hunting trip to Quebec. He returned to find Alex in the hospital in serious condition with hepatitis. A few days later Alex Sturm was dead. This was November 13, 1951. In memory of his friend and partner, Bill Ruger ordered the grip medallions changed from red to black. The stock of red medallions wasn’t depleted until the end of February 1952. The serial number on guns shipped at this time had reached approximately 33500 for the Standard Model and 25,300 for the Mark I Target.
Check with Sturm, Ruger’s records department for the shipping date for your pistol. Sturm, Ruger & Company, Inc., 411 Sunapee Street, Newport, New Hampshire 03773. Records were not kept on the color of the grip medallion. The date your gun was shipped will be the key. Pistols shipped before late February, 1952 should have the red grip medallion logo.
Photo Captions:
1. Ruger Standard Pistol serial number 0194 as shipped, Oct. 1949 with original boxes and papers.
2. Ruger Mark I Target shipped in 1951 with letter and 1951 catalog from Ruger to original owner
