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Bill Ruger’s .22 Pistol

Sturm, Ruger & Co. has produced more than 40 million guns since its founding seven decades ago. It all started with one gun: Bill Ruger’s .22 pistol.

Drilling Down Into Ruger’s Past

Ruger produced and marketed a line of precision hand drills, spiral screwdrivers and bit braces, but It was clear from the beginning that Bill Ruger’s eventual goal was to manufacture firearms.

The First Ruger

Its firearm production is now measured in the millions each year, but Ruger sold its first gun on Sept. 15, 1949. It was a .22 pistol, Number 3.

Ruger's First Target Pistol

Soon after launching his company with the Standard Model, which quickly became America’s most popular and best-selling .22 handgun, Bill Ruger had his sights set on a more precise goal: a design that became known as the Mark I Target Pistol.

Ruger's Lightweight Single-Six

After Colt’s discontinued the Single Action Army, William B. Ruger, Sr., brought out his Single-Six in .22 Long Rifle.

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