One travesty in the world of shotguns today is that there hasn’t been an attainable over/under made in America. Berettas, Benellis, and Franchis are of course made in Italy. Browning Citoris are made in Japan. And then there’s the horde of Turkish-made O/Us, including those offered by Mossberg.
So I felt no small amount of excitement, and patriotism, when I snapped together the new Ruger Red Label III. This 20 gauge over/under has a history as an affordable, American made shotgun for the blue-collar bird hunter. This resurrected version of the gun is made for Ruger by Connecticut Shotgun Manufacturing Company. If you are not familiar with that brand, CSMC is known for building fine, high-end shotguns in, you guessed it, Connecticut. And while the Red Label III is pricier than Bill Ruger’s original vision, it’s safe to say that it’s much nicer, too.
I hunted pheasants with the Ruger Red Label III on a couple outings at the end of the season, and I am not too modest to say that I’ve yet to miss a rooster with it. I also hunted ducks with it in Nebraska (though I might have missed one or two birds there). Beyond that, here are my initial impressions.
Specs and Key Features
See It
- Gauge: 20
- Chamber: 3 inches
- Barrel Length: 28 and 30 inches (tested)
- Overall Length: 47.5 inches
- Length of Pull: 14.5 inches
- Weight: 6.59 pounds (measured)
- Trigger Weight: 3 pounds, 13 ounces (measured)
- Receiver: Steel alloy
- Barrel finish: Blued
- Stock: Walnut
- Five screw in Tru-Choke style chokes included (SK, IC, M, IM and F)
- Cost: $3,299
This version of the Red Label has simple yet thoughtful features. The dark stock (black American walnut and Turkish walnut) is attractive, but not so fancy that you’ll feel bad about putting scratches in it. The wood sits proudly above the receiver, as it should. The stock has a neutral cast and a wonderfully slender Prince of Wales style grip.
The single inertia trigger on my gun broke at 3 pounds 13 ounces with just a little bit of creep, which is very good for a shotgun. It also has a plain polymer butt pad, matte black vent rib, and a rather large, red fiber optic front bead — though I wish it were ivory, and smaller. It has an automatic field safety with a simple and positive barrel selector.
CSMC says that the receivers and barrels are polished by hand to obtain “the perfect finish on the bluing, blemish free.” By looking up the barrels from the breech end and watching the play of light alongside the outer wall, I can confirm this claim. The finish is excellent.
CSMC also says that each gun is hand fitted by “true, formally trained gunsmiths.” While Red Label IIIs are made in Connecticut they have a stamp of “Mayodan, NC USA” on the bottom of the receiver, which is where they are inspected by Ruger before being shipped.
The gun comes with a hard case and five Trulock chokes.
Old vs New
As CSMC explained it to me, “Other than being an over and under in 20 gauge, [the Red Label III] has really nothing to do with the previous Red Label.”
I found the new Red Label to be lighter, sleeker, and livelier than prior iterations. When OL’s former shooting editor Jim Carmichel first reviewed the Red Label in 1978, his two 20-gauge models weighed 7 pounds and 7 pounds, 6 ounces (this about what 12-gauge O/U bird guns weigh). The new Red Label with 30-inch barrels weighs 6.59 pounds. But even at those heftier weights, Carmichel was ecstatic about the original Red Label.
“It is impossible to consider the new Ruger as just another shotgun,” he wrote in the April 1978 issue of Outdoor Life. “It carries about it an aura of excitement and uniqueness that transcends mechanical excellence. On looking at it and handling it, I got the feeling that I was sharing a role in the beginning of a new era of shotgun design.”
The original Red Label had a box-lock action. The new one has a triggerplate action, which means the hammer, hammer spring, and sears are mounted to the triggerplate. This allows for a very slender frame, which the Red Label III certainly has. CSMC uses a similar mechanism in its Inverness line, they say. But it will cost you about 10 grand, or more, to touch one of these guns.
Bill Ruger’s intention for the Red Label was to introduce a quality, American-made over/under 20 gauge for the everyday shooter. The first Red Label went for just under $500, or about $2,600 in today’s inflated dollars. That was about half the price of a Remington 3200 or Browning Superposed at the time. But eventually, high production costs doomed the original Red Label and it was discontinued in 2011.
In just a couple years it was revived as the Red Label II with a one-piece CNC-machined receiver. With a $1,399 MSRP in 2014 (that’s about $1,900 in today’s dollars if you’re keeping score), it had plenty of competition from Turkish-made O/Us of the day and the gun also suffered from some quality control issues. It was discontinued in 2015.
The new Red Label III has an MSRP of $3,299, which puts it a full tier above its predecessors. At this price point you get a precision product, with no short cuts taken, but no unnecessarily fancy adornments, either.
The folks at Ruger say there’s a possibility that the Red Label III will be also offered in 12 gauge eventually, but they want to see how the 20-gauge intro goes first.
The more I’ve shot the gun, the more I’ve come to see that it really is a quality O/U and I’m hopeful that it sees success in the market.
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Field Performance
The Red Label III hits the perfect sweet spot between carrying like a light shotgun, but not shooting like a light shotgun. It proved maneuverable enough that I could easily carry it one-handed through thickets and cattail sloughs chasing my lab Otis, but when a bird flushed the gun came to my shoulder naturally and swung though targets like a Louisville slugger. The balance point is right at the hinge, which is ideal for all-around hunting and shooting.
The gun breaks open easily, without requiring much muscle, but it doesn’t flop open sloppily either. All controls feel precise and crisp and the gun snaps closed decisively.
I think the 30-inch barrels are perfect for most upland bird hunting, clays, and duck hunting (if you wanted to use it for that). The 30-inch barrel is a bit of a modern trend likely coming from clays shooters who favor longer barrels that swing much better, especially on crossing shots. Plus, the 2 inches of barrel really doesn’t add much overall weight. With that said, the Red Label III with 28-inch barrels would make for a perfect little grouse gun.
One morning in Nebraska I hunted with the Red Label III over a warm water creek off the Platte River. Our host had a mobile A-Frame blind on a trailer that he positioned about 15 yards from the center of the creek. All shots would be close and quick as birds would drop down through the canopy of trees around us and then backpedal out just as swiftly. As greenheads, wigeon, and teal poured in, I got to warm the barrels of this sleek little 20-gauge.
In this kind of duck hunting scenario, the Red Label really shined. In only one instance (when a big flock of teal lit over the decoys) was I disadvantaged by being limited to only two shots.
The gun was even more at home chasing late season roosters. In the past I’ve shied away from carrying a sub-gauge for pheasants. They often feel whippy and I have a bad tendency of shooting too quickly with those little guns. But this was not a problem with the Red Label. I was able to track flushing and crossing birds with ease. And, knock on wood, I have not missed a rooster yet with the Red Label.
Final Thoughts on the Red Label III
Ruger and CSMC should be proud of their Red Label III. It is an excellent do-it-all 20 gauge. I think any wingshooter who has the chance to pick one up, mount it to their shoulder, and swing it on a target, will be charmed by its lines, ergonomics, handling, and balance.
The price jump from the previous Red Labels will surely bring complaints from some hunters and online commenters. But, it is a nicer gun and we live in more expensive times. At this price point the new Red Label is an honest competitor with the Beretta Silver Pigeon, Browning Citori, Rizzini BR110, and the higher-end Franchi over/unders, among others.
Importantly, the Red Label is the only one of these guns that is made in America. I’m not sure how much value that will hold for the American bird hunter these days, but it’s worth plenty to me.
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