REVIEWS
Ruger Gold Label
Goin' upland with a handsome, American-made side-by-side
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| MAKER: | Sturm, Ruger |
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| Action: | Side-by-side boxlock |
| Gauge: | 12 (3-inch chambers) |
| Barrel Lengths: | 28 inches |
| Chokes: | S, IC, M, F tubes supplied |
| Overall Length: | 46 inches |
| Weight: | Approximately 6 1/2 pounds |
| Sights: | Gold bead on matte rib |
| Stock: | Straight- or pistol-grip American Walnut |
| Finish: | Blued barrel, stainless receiver |
| Price: | $2,000 |
Ruger Gold Label Specifications
Shotgunners have been moaning over the scarcity of American-made side-by-sides ever since I can remember. Now, thanks to Ruger's penchant for reviving and reinvigorating traditional gun designs such as the single-action revolver and single-shot rifle, we've got a domestic side-by to reckon with.
The Gold Label obviously isn't the company's first shotgun (the Red Label O/U has been around since 1977), so it doesn't represent Ruger's maiden voyage into the smoothbore market. The Gold Label is currently available in 12 gauge only (much to the frustration of those who are salivating for a 20 or 28).
I first saw--and shot--a Gold Label at the last SHOT Show and was very impressed. The gun is available in pistol-grip or straight-grip configruation and sports blued barrels with a stainless receiver. The receiver has no exposed pins or screws and really nothing in the way of engraving flourishes or adornment, which makes sense. Although it's a nice-looking gun, like anything Ruger builds it's designed to be used. A lot. The Gold Label I've been shooting recently is the straight-grip model with a splinter fore-end, which puts me in a bit of a quandary. As much as I love the aesthetics of the straight-grip/splinter fore-end configuration, I probably shoot (marginally) better with some type of pistol grip.
I shot several rounds of sporting clays with the Gold Label using Winchester AA Light Target Loads and found it to be very nimble and quick-handling, thanks to its relatively short (46-inch) overall length and 6 1/2-pound weight. Because of my tendency to overshoot birds when I use a gun with a straight-grip stock, I had to consciously fight to keep my head down and follow through on crossing shots. This wasn't much of a problem when I took the Gold Label out for a go on quail a while back. Then the quick-mounting characteristics, snap-shooting qualities and light weight of the Gold Label paid off in the rugged, brushy Southern California mountains, where my partner Bill Conklin and I managed to put a half-dozen or so birds in the bag with the gun set up in Improved Cylinder/Modified configuration.
However, the stouter loads we were using--2 3/4-inch Winchester Supreme High Velocity 6s--made us acutely aware of the Gold Label's lack of a recoil pad. Although the chambers are cut for 3-inch shells, I would not care to light them off in this gun without some rubber (or gel) in the rear, although, to be honest, I couldn't envision using long mags in an upland gun anyway.
Ejection was positive, the barrel-selector switch is well situated and easy to access, and the choke tubes were easy to install and remove with the supplied choke wrench. To me, the Gold Label handles better than the the O/U Red Label (it weighs roughly a pound less). And the common consensus among everyone I've shown it to is that it's a very attractive number, with its seamless stainless receiver, blued barrels and traditional lines.
While a $2,000 sticker doesn't put the Gold Label in the economy class, the gun is priced competitively with a midlevel Citori or SKB double. You can pay as much as you like for a side-by these days ($75,000 for a .410 Rizzini sidelock) or as little ($350 for a Brazilian-made Stoeger Uplander). But those looking for a classy American-made double gun need look no further than the Gold Label. And it's only a matter of time before it's available in the smaller gauges.
