If a Ruger revolver has been on your wish list, the clock just started ticking. Sturm, Ruger & Co. told its distributors in a memo dated October 13 that it is pausing production on a long list of guns, including nearly every revolver it makes.
The news broke through trade and NRA publications this past week. Ruger has not posted a public press release, but a company spokesperson confirmed the changes to NRA’s American Rifleman, and the company gave a clarifying statement to TheGunMag.
What stops now, and what stops at year’s end
According to the distributor memo as reported by American Hunter, Shooting Times and TheGunMag, four revolvers were suspended effective immediately, with open distributor orders halted:
- GP100
- SP101
- LCR (and, per Shooting Times, the LCRx)
- Bearcat
A second group gets a final production run through the end of 2026, after which production pauses:
- Revolvers: Redhawk, Super Redhawk, Blackhawk, Super Blackhawk, Single-Series and Vaquero
- Pistols: the SR1911 line
- Rifles and carbines: PC Carbine and PC Charger, LC Carbine and LC Charger, No. 1, 77-series, Hawkeye and the Ruger Precision Rifle
What Ruger says it is doing
Ruger calls this a pause, not a funeral. A company spokesperson told American Rifleman, “This does not necessarily mean these product families are permanently discontinued.”
The company describes the move as part of a “Ruger 2030” plan. As reported, Ruger reviewed its lineup against consumer demand, changing market preferences, how complicated each gun is to build, and long-term profitability. The goal, it says, is to put factory capacity into the products selling best and into modernizing its manufacturing. Ruger has paused and later revived models before, and it told distributors it expects many of these names to return “in new forms” down the road. No timeline was given.
Revolvers are among the most labor-intensive guns to manufacture, which helps explain why so many wheel guns are on the list.
What is still in the lineup
Ruger is not leaving the handgun business. Reports list these as continuing: the LCP family, Security-9 and Security-380, MAX-9, RXM, Ruger-5.7, Mark IV, 22 Charger, and the Wrangler and Super Wrangler rimfire single-actions. On the long-gun side, the 10/22, Mini-14, Ruger American family, Harrier and Precision Rimfire continue.
That means the Wrangler line would be Ruger’s only revolvers still in production once the year-end runs finish.
What it means for GUN Crusade readers
For a lot of folks in the Southeast, a GP100 or SP101 was the first serious handgun they owned, and a Blackhawk or Super Blackhawk has ridden along on plenty of deer hunts. Here is the practical side:
- Your gun is still supported. Nothing in the reports suggests Ruger is dropping service or warranty support for guns already sold. If that matters to you, call Ruger’s customer service and ask before you buy.
- Expect tighter supply and firmer prices. What is already on dealer shelves and in distributor warehouses is likely what there will be for a while. Used prices for popular models may climb.
- Don’t panic-buy. If you want a GP100 or LCR for carry or home defense, buy it because it fits your hands and your needs, not out of fear of missing out. Other makers still build quality revolvers.
- Stock up on spare parts sensibly. Grips, springs and sights for paused models could get harder to find over time.
It is a hard day for revolver fans. Ruger’s own words leave the door open for these guns to come back, and GUN Crusade will report any official announcement as soon as it is made.