Background and History of Rgr & Swhc
Background and History
Sturm, Ruger & Co. (RGR)
Provide details on the background/education of their founders and current leaders.
Founder, William B. Ruger, first took an interest to guns when he was a child. He first started building and designing them when he was in high school. Ruger studied liberal arts at the University of North Carolina. He attended college for only 2 years before he quit school and decided to venture on his own to fulfill his dreams of designing and building various guns. In 1939 Ruger started working on a design for a machine gun. He had moved to the “seat of the country's firearms industry” with hopes to find work with any of the numerous firearms companies. By the end of 1939, Ruger has not found any work and moved back to North Carolina where he received an offer for work as a gun designer from the U.S. government's Springfield Armory in Massachusetts. By 1944 World War II was at its end and the government no longer required the services of Ruger so decided it was time to open a store of his own. But after a few years he was forced to close the doors. Soon thereafter, Ruger contacted an old acquaintance by the name of Alexander Sturm.
Sturm was only 26 and came from a wealthy family. Sturm was a graduate of Yale Art School. He was also an artist (writer), and a "student of heraldry," who happened to have an interest in firearms. In 1949, Sturm’s family provided both Ruger and Sturm with $50,000. Both the men agreed to the location of Southport, CT and they also agreed on the name “Sturm, Ruger & Company” and six employees. Ruger was made responsible for the designing and manufacturing while Sturm was in charge of the company's advertising, which also included the company's trademark.
One year later Sturm, Ruger & Company produced their first product, a .22 caliber target pistol. This pistol made it possible for Sturm, Ruger & Company to repay the $50,000 they had originally borrowed to start their business. The company never
Sturm, Ruger & Co. (RGR)
Provide details on the background/education of their founders and current leaders.
Founder, William B. Ruger, first took an interest to guns when he was a child. He first started building and designing them when he was in high school. Ruger studied liberal arts at the University of North Carolina. He attended college for only 2 years before he quit school and decided to venture on his own to fulfill his dreams of designing and building various guns. In 1939 Ruger started working on a design for a machine gun. He had moved to the “seat of the country's firearms industry” with hopes to find work with any of the numerous firearms companies. By the end of 1939, Ruger has not found any work and moved back to North Carolina where he received an offer for work as a gun designer from the U.S. government's Springfield Armory in Massachusetts. By 1944 World War II was at its end and the government no longer required the services of Ruger so decided it was time to open a store of his own. But after a few years he was forced to close the doors. Soon thereafter, Ruger contacted an old acquaintance by the name of Alexander Sturm.
Sturm was only 26 and came from a wealthy family. Sturm was a graduate of Yale Art School. He was also an artist (writer), and a "student of heraldry," who happened to have an interest in firearms. In 1949, Sturm’s family provided both Ruger and Sturm with $50,000. Both the men agreed to the location of Southport, CT and they also agreed on the name “Sturm, Ruger & Company” and six employees. Ruger was made responsible for the designing and manufacturing while Sturm was in charge of the company's advertising, which also included the company's trademark.
One year later Sturm, Ruger & Company produced their first product, a .22 caliber target pistol. This pistol made it possible for Sturm, Ruger & Company to repay the $50,000 they had originally borrowed to start their business. The company never