Ruger Red Label

The Ruger Red Label is an over and under shotgun that Sturm, Ruger & Co. sold under the direction of company founder William B. Ruger. It was aimed at American sportsmen who found imported European double guns, and the Belgian Browning Superposed, too costly, and it was offered first in 20 gauge in 1977, then in 12 gauge from 1979 and in a scaled-down 28 gauge version in 1994. Early guns had a blued receiver and fixed chokes; stainless steel receivers became standard in 1985 and most guns made after the mid-1980s accepted screw-in choke tubes. It was meant mainly as a sporting shotgun for waterfowl, upland game, skeet and sporting clays, not as a military arm, and critics complained about its weight, balance and fit. Ruger ended production in 2011, offered a redesigned Red Label II from 2013, and dropped the line again in 2015.