As the largest firearms maker in the United States by number of guns sold, Sturm, Ruger & Company still has to make tough choices when it comes to what products it focuses on.
CEO Todd Seyfert laid out the company’s priorities during its second-quarter earnings call.
“Our priorities for the balance of 2026 remain unchanged. Improving profitability through focusing on direct material cost, insourcing of components, and driving product premiumization,” he said.
Seyfert then followed up with a comment that suggested product cuts could be coming.
“Aligning factory capacity with demand by redeploying capital assets across locations that can better leverage our footprint, and cross-training employees to create flexibility across product lines. Right-sizing the business to our future product portfolio by intentionally mapping product life cycles and roadmaps to meet consumer demand,” he added.
Now, Ruger has actually laid out a plan to stop making a number of guns, some which have a very long history.
Sturm, Ruger makes product cuts
As part of its Ruger 2030 plan, the firearms maker is ending production on a number of models.
“These decisions reflect our review of consumer demand, evolving market preferences, manufacturing complexity and the long-term profitability of each product family,” Ruger Media Director Abbey Clary told Guns.com in an email.
“The goal is to focus our resources on the products consumers want most today while creating capacity for future product development and manufacturing modernization.”
Production of four revolver lines, including the Bearcat, which first entered production in 1958, has been suspended, effective immediately, while the Blackhawk, which dates back to 1955, will end production at the conclusion of 2026.
The models impacted include:
- LCR
- SP101
- GP100
- Bearcat
Ruger plans to complete final production runs for a larger group of models by the end of 2026. They include:
- SR1911
- LC Carbine
- PC Charger
- PC Carbine
- LC Charger
- Redhawk
- Super Redhawk
- Blackhawk
- Super Blackhawk
- Single-Series revolvers
- Vaquero
- Ruger No. 1
- 77-Series rifles
- Hawkeye
- Ruger Precision Rifle
Clary noted that the production shutdown does not mean the products have been permanently discontinued.
“We recognize how important these platforms are to Ruger’s heritage and to our customers,” she wrote. “…We expect some of these names and product families to return in new forms in the future, but do not have specific product plans or reintroduction timelines at this time.”
Existing orders will be filled until stock runs out, and then any remaining orders will be canceled.
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Ruger’s cuts are all about sales
Seyfert said Ruger is aligning production with consumer demand.
He noted that the company was “listening to voice of the customer feedback, innovating where possible, and exiting unprofitable platforms where demand is waning.”
The Outdoor Wire‘s Jim Shepherd thinks the cuts are aligned with what products sell and which ones don’t.
“While I’m not privy to Ruger’s sales numbers, I’m reasonably confident that the sales of all the products slated for suspension represent less than 5% of the company’s current sales,” he wrote.
He equates the production changes with smart management of the company’s production capabilities.
“That’s not a slam on any of the products; it’s simply a reflection of the changing tastes of consumers and the fact that many legacy products can find themselves more significant in a historical perspective than a commercial marketplace,” he added.
Ruger has a new partner as it reshapes its business
Ruger’s plan to end production of these guns comes at a time when the company has a significant new shareholder.
Beretta Holding, the Luxembourg-based corporate parent of Beretta and numerous other firearm and outdoor brands, began buying Ruger stock in 2025 and, by March 2026, reported owning 1,587,000 shares.
That represented 9.95% of Ruger’s outstanding stock and made Beretta the company’s largest shareholder.
In May, the two companies reached a partnership agreement.
“Under the terms of the Agreement, Ruger is expected to allow Beretta Holding to increase its investment to up to 25% of the company’s outstanding shares. The minimum partial tender offer price shall be $44.80 per share in cash — which represents a 20% premium to the company’s 60-day volume-weighted average share price prior to Beretta Holding’s tender offer announcement,” according to an SEC filing.
In connection with this increased investment, Beretta Holding will have the right to nominate up to two independent directors following the 2026 Annual Meeting of Shareholders and regulatory approval.
“As part of the agreement, Beretta Holding has committed to a three-year standstill, during which it will not, among other things, initiate or support any proxy contest or similar action. Over that period, Beretta Holding will also vote its shares in alignment with the Ruger Board’s recommendations on all matters,” the filing added.
The Federal Trade Commission (FTC) got involved in the agreement by accepting a proposed consent order that prevents anticompetitive entanglements between the two companies.
“Under the terms of the FTC’s proposed consent order, Beretta will be prohibited from appointing or nominating anyone to serve on Ruger’s board of directors unless that person is independent of Beretta,” according to a press release.
The proposed order addresses FTC concerns that the deal could create an illegal interlocking directorate arrangement under Section 8 of the Clayton Act, which generally restricts the same person from serving as a director or officer of competing corporations.
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