Hello,
Recently, as in today, spoke with Ruger Product Service Group regarding warranty on stock warranty or warranty in general and the answer is simply that there is NO stated warranty and each case is dealt with on a case by case basis.
Very clearly explained to me, as in the past, any removal of the barreled action from the fitted factory stock eliminates any warranty, stock or otherwise. Such action by the owner is considered tampering. Thought an answer from the factory might clear up any questions those owning the fine RSM's might have.

Well,

Looks like until scientists discover a way to replace the crappy Ruger trigger without taking the barreled action out of the stock I’ve voided all my rifles warranties….

Matt V.

I wouldn't warranty a stock so as long as I was in my right mind.

I knew Ruger was pretty strict, considering my experience with my RSM (put aftermarket recoil pad on, voided the warranty--short version), but this is a bit ridiculous to me.
What happens if you end up dumping your blued steel and walnut rifle in a lake or river...do you let it rust away, or do you clean it properly and void the warranty? If you let it rust, can you send it to Ruger for replacement, or will they say "Owner neglect, not covered"? I am disappointed in Ruger, as it appears that it is up to the discretion of the person unpacking the firearm at the factory if it is covered or not. I still own about 6 different Ruger's, but will have to rethink any future purchases if this is the way they run business.
One last thought, and then I will stop beating the horse....why does Ruger, in all of it's owner's manuals give detailed takedown instructions? My Ruger 1 manual shows complete disassembly instuctions...I guess THEY WANT YOU TO VOID the warranty, non-existent as it seems to be!!

My only dealings with the Ruger Warranty have been over a Searcy-made .338 WinMag O/U double rifle using the Red Label 20 guage shotgun.

After a little use the bottom firing pin stuck in a protruded position, preventing the rifle from opening.

I disassembled it and put the 20 guage barrels back on it with the original forearm.

The Ruger boys quickly deduced that Searcy had modified the action in fitting the .338 WinMag barrels to it, though I did not tell them about that.

They sent it back with a "Sorry" about the warranty being voided.

I took the gun to a local smith with a lot of shotgun experience and in 15 minutes, as I watched, he had polished a burr off the offending firing pin that was otherwise undamaged, cleaned and lubricated lightly with BreakFree CLP, it has functioned well since.

The problem was probably due to the Ruger factory not polishing the pin smooth to start with, and/or maybe just some old grease that got sticky, dried up, or thickened in cold temperature.

Morals of the story:
1. Ruger has a tight budget for warranty repairs expense.
2. Clean and lubricate your double rifle lock mechanisms now and then, whether Searcy/Ruger, Merkel, or "Good Lord deliver us" H&H.

Sure makes a WR droplock or H&H hand-detachable sidelock appealing, eh?

Let me encapsulate the entire warranty program since Bill Ruger Sr, passed away: If you took it apart, the warranty is null and void. If you fired anything but factory ammunition, the warranty is null and void. If you did anything else, the warranty is null and void. If it will not shoot any better than 3moa, that is "within" factory specs.

Did I miss anything? The current management team likely has quite a few of the guys that took Winchester to such heights of glory the past twenty years. It's a crying shame too...

Rich
DRSS

I returned a new Ruger 77/17 shortly after the came out as it did not shoot groups [patterns only].

They very kindly removed the aftermarket trigger parts [Volquartsen] and returned them to me in a baggie. They replaced them with factory parts.

They then replaced the bolt and returned all to me within a week - no charge .

I didn't think that was bad service

Hello Idaho Sharpshooter,
Statements from Ruger Product Support group were directed at the RSM rifles, not the std. ones. Stocks on the RSM's, knowning the recoil level is considerable, are closely fitted and as mentioned by the service gal, simply not to be tampered with by anyone other than Ruger. Ruger's warranty is second to none in the firearms industry and if you wish to avoid any warranty help/assistance from Ruger, get the ol' screw driver out and have at it or send it to your favorite gunsmith. Either approach will end up with the same results, additonal cost and no warranty, ever! You spend your money and you take your chances as they say. Personally in the event my Ruger RSM's develop a stock promblem or any other problem, it will merely end up on the bench at Ruger and receive whatever repairs/replacements required.
I paid for all that service and expertise and plan on using it when required.

Then again, I ask the question...you drop your RSM into water...do you let it rust, or take it out of the stock and void the warranty? Do you immediately package it up, wet, and send it to Ruger?
Accidents happen...it is a real shame that a company would make you choose between voiding the warranty on a almost $2K gun or letting it rust into uselessness....sounds like "service next to none" to me!

Perhaps you have not approached the problem in the correct manner. I recently returned a 77 tang safety stock for warranty replacement that had split behind the tang. It was a 77r in .338wm. When I contacted customer service they tried to sell me a replacement for $235.00. I objected and then wrote a letter detailing my objection to the president of Ruger. Within a day of the letter being recieved by the president I got a call from the manager of customer service asking me to remove the barreled action and send the stock in. Upon inspecting the stock and seeing that the stock and gun were indeed "in new" condition. I had documented in my reloading log that I had fired 480 rounds in this gun in 23 years. I was sent a free replacement stock, with great figure at no cost. My only kick, was they sent the stock with the late black recoil pad and my original had a red one. I have no complaint with them and have, because of this proper customer service, purchased 4 single action revolvers of Ruger manufacture from that time.

I bought a 77/22H, new in the box. Would not put any three consecutive shots under 2" at 100 yds.
Sent it back. They sent it back with a 5-shot target with Winchester ammunition that measured just under 2". Said that was within factory specs. The dealer returned the rifle to the distributor with the target and the letter from rugger saying that it was within specs. The distributor exchanged it immediately, for another that shot just under an inch at the same distance for five consecutive five shot groups with the same ammunition.
That was the last new or used rugger I have purchased. I would buy a tang safety model if a clean one came up at a good price, but I think I'll just stick with CZ or building a Mauser 98 or Enfield 17/M30-series. That hornet is now the only rugger I own. Sounds like warranty coverage is spotty at best, and not something I could count on. Good enough answer for me.

Rich
DRSS

Back on the topic of 'Big Bores', please.

George

Great timing on this posting. I just called Ruger customer service today about returning my RSM in 416 Rigby. Upon returning from buff hunting in Tanzania, I disassembled the rifle for a thorough cleaning. (BTW my rifle had been soaked in a flash flood in Africa so I had to take it apart to prevent rust while in Tanzania.) Back home, I discovered that the stock had split between the magazine well and the cutout for the trigger assembly. There is absolutely no way that I could have discovered that crack without taking the action out! I wonder if Ruger wants you to wait until the guns falls apart in your hands before sending it back for service? I was told by customer service to send it back to them and they would determine if it was under warranty. FYI a new RSM stock is $700 so I hope they repair it under warranty. The only mod to my rifle is a mercury recoil reducer in the stock. I am a big fan of Ruger and I have faith that they will come through. I will let you know what happens. Thanks. Brian

George,

Forgive me! I thought the topic was Ruger Warranty!

Les

Hello snowymtnhunter,
Sounds to me you have a perfectly good reason to remove the stock and it would suprise me if Ruger did not see it the same way. A big bore rifle such as yours, and mine, should not damage the stock due to shooting (that is what they are made for!!) but lest we forget that the original Winchester African 458 was a complete failure in stock life at first. Local fellow has a Win Mod. pre 64 70 in 375HH and upon examining it some few weeks ago, stock cracked 3-4 places inside action inletting area. When asked how many rounds through it, less than 100????
Yes, if you would please keep us posted, would be much appreciated.

I just love threads about warranty and customer service.....if the company made a good gun you don'r need a warranty or customer service.

I used Ruger three times.....all three times they immediately shipped me new parts......exactly like the ones I already had that didn't work.....

There are no Ruger long guns here at all!

I don't believe there is a product made that doesn't need warranty or customer service. Anything mass produced ( or done in a custom shop for that matter) can and will have a problem. I have yet to send a Ruger back, and have some darn good ones, especially the RSM's. Just like cars or anything else,there are some great, good, and bad ones.

I absolutely agree with jstevens. The issue here is not whether a product breaks but how well customer service responds when it does. As I said before, I am a fan of Ruger firearms and I will reserve judgement until I see how they handle my problem. Other responses on this thread have not given me a lot of confidence, but rest assured that I will not go away quietly!

I dispute any claim that removal of the RSM stock from the barreled action voids warranty.

First, Ruger does not have an express warranty on their products.

Second, Ruger has an obligation under an implied warranty that is defined in state law. The Magnuson-Moss Act provides limitaions on Ruger's ability to make disclaimers on such implied warranty that cover repair or replacement parts as a result of manufacture defects.

Third, The RSM shares the same KD & KDM Instruction Manual as all the M77 Mark II rifles. This Ruger "consumer" manual gives express written authorization for the following disassembly under the section titled BASIC DISASSEMBLY AND REASSEMBLY sub section DISASSEMBLY:

3. To remove bolt.
4. To remove firing pin assembly from bolt.
5. To remove stock.
6. To remove trigger.
7. To remove sear.
8. To remove safety assembly.

None of the above are alterations to the gun.

Your RSM or any M77 should be disassembled per the owners manual on a periodic basis for safety and maintenance. Snowymthunter's post above underscores my lack of faith in the very tiny webbing area in the RSM stock and the need to LTI your rifle. I say shoot your RSM as is out of the box to verify you have no major issue requiring it to be sent back. At this point, add the second cross bolt and properly bed the rifle.

GVA

GVA- If I am luck enough to get a new stock out of Ruger (does mercury recoil reducer count as an alteration?) I plan on doing exactly what you suggested with bedding and the cross bolt so the problem does not happen again. Thanks.

I have a Ruger RSM wood stock FS for $140 plus shipping.

The wood on my Heym was excluded from the warranty. It's ok, they don't need a warranty.
Since Ruger didn't "make" the wood why would they cover it with a warranty? Is 2 + 2 = 6 now, or something?

Somehow it is ok for a Heym (which is a bit more expensive than an RSM) to exclude the stock from the warranty, but not for Ruger to exclude one that has been altered? Big bores and wood create a lot of problems no matter who made it. The only difference I see is that if the Heym cracked and they fixed the stock, they went above and beyond their stated warranty. I think all manufacturers of big bore rifles have had cracked stocks, it is just a matter of degree.

Hello GaryVA,
Your disputing of the removal of the stock doing away with the warranty is simply that, your dispute. We all can dispute anything we wish, but yours or my dispute is of little meaning to the mfg. other than perhaps listening to us for a brief period of time. Your listing of the items 3-8 are right on, but the trap you just fell into is the adding of the "proper bedding and addition of cross bolt..." Anticipating a problem and taking steps to check out if your concern is correct is not going to be accepted by the decision makers regarding warranty at Ruger I fear. You, I, or anyone else can certainly do whatever they wish regarding their propery/rifle/etc., but when the mfg., reputable one I might add, admonishes the consumer to not do something and yet you proceed is most likely to cause you undue expense and aggrevation. To each his own.

Well, it took me a while to get my act together and send my rifle back but here is how it went when I sent my Ruger 416 Rigby RSM with a cracked stock.
1. Returned rifle to Ruger via UPS.
2. One week later received a postcard from Ruger acknowledging receipt of my rifle and a number to call if I had questions.
3. One week after that, I received a call from Chris at Ruger to discuss the crack in my stock. In short, he gave me the option of keeping my stock since the crack would probably not propagate or replacing the stock. Of course, I took the replacement option.
4. 3 days later received a UPS with my original $12 hard case that I shipped the rifle in. The UPS costs were more than the value of the case but Ruger returned it to me since they ship rifles in their own packaging.
5. 2 weeks later received my 416 back with the most beautiful Circasian walnut stock that I have ever seen on an RSM. Ruger did not charge me a dime with the exception of the original shipping.
In summary, Ruger came through and covered my RSM stock under warranty, no questions asked. Despite my apprehension that they would not cover the stock, Ruger came through with flying colors.

Ruger has once again proven to me that they are a quality company with quality customer service and I will continue to purchase their products. What a great American company!

Thats the same expierence I have had with Ruger. A top rate outfit IMO.