My Search for a Ruger Red Label: Looking Back

With the early morning sun at our backs we admired the vast Montana sky and let the dogs out. This was to be our first day hunting in the infamous Montana grasslands and with a few maps and a full day ahead of us, we were raring to go. As the dogs ran out into the adjacent fields and began attaching their noses to the ground, I turned back to the truck to grab my vest. At the same time I could see Mike reaching over to grab his gun case and in that instant, he slowly pulled out what would be the most impressive shotgun I had ever seen. Not just any gun, but a gun that immediately proclaimed his status as a bird hunter and made the then unfamiliar culture something that I wanted to be a part of. His gun was a Ruger Red Label, and it was fascinating.

When Mike, James, and I went on this trip I had never been through an entire bird season. I had shot my first bird with James the previous year but as of that point did not have any real hunting identity. I knew I was passionate about getting out into the woods but nothing had kept me up at night like so many of the stories guys tell around camp fires. Montana, Mike, and his Red Label changed all of that.

When Mike pulled his shotgun out of that truck I was immediately floored. It was an over-under, 12 gauge with obvious battle scars from the 30 or so years of use. The clean, smooth receiver plate gave the entire gun character and the barrels made for both an imposing and elegant sight. When he moved the top lever over and the gun broke the sound resonated with me. The initial click of the action breaking, followed by a much deeper tone as the weight of the barrels began to swing away, and finally commencing with a heavy bass like thud as the gun was fully broken. After loading his shells, the barrels were once again united with the receiver and stock. The ensuing click was simply perfect. Looking at Mike and then back at the gun I was totally fixated. I couldn’t take my eyes away and by the end of the day it wasn’t only the gun itself that made me want it but the way it was used.

For a guy like me who was unsure of his hunting identity, that day in Montana was a game changer and what I witnessed throughout the week would drive me for months to come. At one point during that day, James and I were walking out in front of Copper, Mike’s dog, and as he was pushing though the brush a sage grouse exploded up from the grassland and flushed out behind us. Without any real shot it was left to Mike to make the move. In all honesty, and without exaggeration, what happened next was hands down the day I knew I wanted to be a bird hunter and own a Red Label. With the bird flushing out away from us Mike crouched down to one knee right until the bird was passing by him. With nearly 40 yards between him and the bird he stood up and in one shot I saw the grouse buckle and fall to the ground. Making a quick attempt to fly off again, Copper came in to grab the bird and it was over. The grouse had fallen and Mike’s technique was for me, the stuff of novels. As he broke his action to remove the spent shell it all came together. How I wish I had a picture of that moment. How I wanted to be a bird hunter.

We would end up hunting for much of the week and I was witness to the beauty of Mike’s Red Label day after day. As my interest in the firearm grew he would tell me of its reliability and how that gun had been slung and dragged though more duck blinds than there are miles on my truck. He had gotten the gun in his twenties and it was still his go to shotgun. That was saying something.

Also, beyond what happened in Montana that week, simply the name, Ruger, spoke to me. I know that personally, and as I am sure many other Americans feel, owning an American made gun is something to be proud of. Having a New England city stamped on the receiver really means something and at this point, the pieces were coming together perfectly in my mind. I knew I wanted to be holding an over-under shotgun. I knew I wanted to be holding a piece of American craftsmanship.

And so the weeks began to pass and with Ruger’s Red Label page saved on my computer, my searching was incessant. Each night I would search for pictures, YouTube videos, and gravitate towards reviews far and wide. The following for Red Label’s was strong, people almost obsessed with their guns, their reliability, and what could be done with them. But there were those that thought the gun too heavy, made poorly, and too expensive. Voices from all around were screaming out in every direction but in the end, I knew I wanted a Red Label. Mike’s endorsement was all I needed and while it would take a serious commitment to save up the money needed, I was ready, and willing.

Until the day I can hold one again in my hands the attempt to save money continues. Tonight, just like every other night, I will open the Red Label page and view it with a smile on my face as I head to bed. My search will continue, my resolve will not be shaken, and after this past hunting season if there is any single, undeniable fact, it’s that I am a bird hunter and that is my passion. That is my identity, and when I finally do save enough for that gun; it will be a great day. It will be the day I get one step closer towards becoming the bird hunter I saw that morning.