History of the Ruger Pistol

Although primarily known for its long guns, the Ruger line of pistols extends back to the founding of the company.

Officially the Strum, Ruger, & Co., Ruger was founded in 1949, which makes it somewhat of a newcomer to the American gun maker scene. Despite being founded by Alexander Strum and William Ruger on $50,000, Ruger is now a public company worth $1B today.

Ruger is the largest gun manufacturer in the United States today, having produced 1.67 million guns in 2015, including revolvers, pistols, rifles, and shotguns. By comparison, in the same timeframe, Smith & Wesson produced 1.47 million guns.

Long guns make up the majority of Ruger’s sales, but their line of pistols makes up 38 percent of their firearm sales in 2016.

Beginning with a .22

Despite rifles making up the largest portion of gun sales for Ruger, the company was founded on its pistol. In 1949, when Ruger opened its doors, it started with only one product – a rimfire semi-automatic .22-caliber pistol designed by William Ruger himself. This became the inaugural member of the MK line.

The first of these pistols shipping in early October of 1949, and by the end of the year the company had shipped over eleven hundred guns, with five thousand more on back order by February of the next year. Demand only increased, and by the middle of 1950 Ruger was producing one thousand pistols a month with nine thousand more on back order.

Even before the .22 was launched, Ruger was considering expanding their line to include a target pistol. He hired John “Jack” Boudreau, a self-taught gunsmith and successful target shooter since 1932. Boudreau held a patent for an Olympic-style Free pistol and had proved the Ruger pistol made for an excellent target gun by winning several matches with it in September of 1949.

The Ruger .22 remains the bestselling autoloading pistol in its caliber, having produced and sold more than two million to date.

The Centerfire Addition

It took almost 40 years for Ruger to add a centerfire pistol to its product line. In 1987, the company released the P-Series, starting with the P85 9mm. Since its release the P-Series has continued to evolve and improve, living up to Ruger’s expectations that their products would be so good he’d “want to own one, even if it was made by the competition”.

Following on the heels of the P-Series, Ruger has produced the LC9 and LCP, with the LC standing for “Lightweight Compact”. The LC9 is a 9mm recoil-operated semi-automatic pistol featuring a locked breech, a loaded chamber indicator, and a magazine disconnect safety.

The LC380 was introduced by the company at the 2008 SHOT show. It’s a tiny, ultra-light pistol making it ideal for concealed carry and as a police backup weapon.

Ruger has since introduced a number of additional auto and semi-auto pistol lines, including the SR-series with a 9mm entrant in 2007 and a .40 caliber version in 2010. In 2011, the company introduced the SR1911, modeled after the famous Colt M1911. In 2015, Ruger released the American Pistol, a semi-auto that uses a Browning-type locked breech short recoil action.

The article History of the Ruger Pistol originally appeared on Clipdraw

The History of the XD Pistol

The XD is a fairly recent edition when compared to some of its counterparts, such as the 1911 and the Ruger. Despite being a modern addition, the XD has an interesting and varied past. Based off of a Croatian pistol, the XD was adapted and has evolved to meet the needs of the U.S. market.

An Inauspicious Beginning

The path to the development of the XD pistol had its humble beginnings in eastern Europe. It’s foundations tie back to a service pistol from Croatia known as the PHP. This sidearm, initially created by industrial parts manufacturer I. M. Metal, was first produced in 1991.

While the design was solid, it was challenging to manufacture anything during the early 90s in the midst of the Yugoslav War. The result was a pistol that had promise, but initially experienced issues in quality.

The designer, Marko Vukovic, and his team continued to make improvements to the weapon over time. There were two later releases of the PHP – the HS95 in 1995, and in 1999 the release of the HS2000.

Adoption in Europe

Thanks to the improvements developed over the ten years since it’s initial release, the HS2000 became a reliable, well-made pistol. In fact, the increases in quality lead to both the Croatian military and Croatian law enforcement to adopt the handgun as the standard issue sidearm for officers and military personnel.

The Move West

Despite its success in eastern Europe, the HS2000 experienced challenges in the move to the lucrative U.S. market. Initially sold as only a 9mm, the pistol was considered cheap by American gun enthusiasts, and the $200 price point didn’t help to shake that perception. The pistol saw limited success in its first few years in the U.S.

But in 2002, Springfield Armory, Inc., acquired the licensing rights to the HS2000. Re-branding the handgun as the X-treme Duty 9x19mm Parabellum – or the XD-9 – the handgun began to catch the interest of the American market.

The XD Evolves

Since then, Springfield Armory has continued to evolve and expand the line of the XD series.

Initially, ten models were added to the XD family. This included the inclusion of 3 separate calibers, the introduction of multiple colors and finishes, as well as supporting 5 different cartridges, and offering 7 barrel lengths.

The improvements and re-branding paid off, and in 2006 the XD-45 was recognized by the Shooting Industry Academy of Excellence and American Rifleman as the Handgun of the Year, while in 2009 that distinction went to the XD(M).

Springfield has continued to evolve and improve the pistol since then, creating new lines and features to the approval of gun enthusiasts and concealed carry owners. For instance, in 2012, significant fail-safe editions and other features were introduced in the XD-S line, with a 9mm pistol added to the S series in 2013. Sights were also upgraded, and the grip was improved to include anti-slip surfaces and aggressive texturing where needed.

Despite humble and even difficult beginnings, the pistol we now know as the XD has proven itself as favorite, thanks to flexible choices and good design. It’s clear why this pistol has received multiple awards and appeals to many gun owners.

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The article The History of the XD Pistol originally appeared on Clipdraw