Review: Ruger Red Label Shotgun
Major Pandemic 08.18.14
Functions and Accuracy
The 28″ barreled Ruger Red Label is a very nice setup for the new sporting clays, skeet, and trap shooter who also wants a great gun for upland game hunting. This is the beauty of a the 28″ barrel and the flexibility all the included chokes provide.
I patterned each of the chokes to understand the uniformity and assure pellet spread fell into typical spread widths. Generally I like fixed dedicated barrels, but I was very impressed with the tidy groups and spreads I saw from the Ruger. I certainly did not waste my time counting pellets or measuring spreads; my goal was simply to assure I did not see anything inconsistent, which I did not. The Skeet chokes were screwed in and I set up my Champion electric pedal operated Clays thrower and went to work re-educating myself on shooting clays again after nearly a 30 year hiatus. It comes back, but slowly. Currently I am probably breaking 50%-60% of the clays thrown by the Champion thrower.
Understandably, you may still be writhing from just dropping $1,200 on a new Ruger Red Label shotgun, but if you do not have access to a clays range, the $300 12V electric Champion Clays thrower is really nice to have. My range unfortunately only allows “special people” to operate the electric thrower on the range, so if you are un-special person like me, you need to bring your own thrower. Load in a stack of clays and go to work throwing clays with just a touch of a foot pedal. It’s a neat accessory if you want to really train for any type of shotgun shooting. Of note, I used rechargeable 11.1V 3S lithium-Ion RC Car battery packs to power the thrower, and one pack provided a couple hours of throwing, was easily swapped, and did not weigh 50lbs. My thought was, “Why should I drag around a deep cycle battery if I do not need to?”
The Ruger Red Label fit well as a one-size-fits-all size, but I personally would want to shorten the stock a bit if my wife and I were not sharing the shotgun back and forth. Looking at the old version versus the new version, the new Red Label added about 3/4″ length with the addition of the extra cushy buttpad. In my case, I would prefer the shorter length. In my wife’s case, she likes it how it is. Guess who won that argument.
People claim that back-boring a shotgun bore decreases recoil, and I must admit that it does seem to. The Ruger was very pleasant to shoot through the afternoons of testing. The cushy buttpad helps considerably, as well. Keeping in mind that most people will be shooting lighter “clays” loads and not full power 3″ shells, the shotgun handled recoil well.
Final Thoughts
The Red Label shotgun is not a competitive clays gun, but it is a perfect gun to get into skeet, trap, or for those who plan on being able to have a little fun at the clays range and still have something to hunt with. Comparing it to the higher end FN SC1 shotgun, it lacks the higher rib, extended chokes, porting, stock comb adjustment, and adjustable trigger that most competitive shooters expect at a minimum. The Red Label is also about half the cost of the FN SC1 as well. That noted, the Ruger includes features that are typically not included on shotguns of this price, such as a full set of chokes, custom case, and back bored barrels.
Once again Ruger has produced an excellent gun in the Red Label at a very reasonable price considering its features. In this case, it is the perfect over-under for my wife and I to drag around to a few charity shoot events, break a few clays on a quiet afternoon, or run semi-competitively at a local match.
Specs
- Stock American Walnut
- Receiver Finish Finely Polished Stainless Steel
- Barrel Finish Blued
- Barrel Material Alloy Steel
- Chamber 12 Gauge 3″
- Tang Safety
- Single Mechanical Trigger
- Cold Hammer Forged Barrel
- Backbored for reduced recoil and uniform patterns
- Vented Rid – stress relieved, fitted, and silver brazed
- Length of Pull 14.50″
- Drop at Comb 1.50″
- Drop at Heel 2.50″
- Mod. # 4191
- Barrel Length 28″
- Overall Length 45″
- Weight 7.7lbs
- Also Includes: Custom molded, semi-soft case; Five steel-shot compatible, screw-in Briley chokes and wrench included, featuring two skeet chokes and one full, one modified and one improved cylinder choke, plus a premium-quality Briley® choke tube wrench.
- MSRP $1,399
