Ruger Demonstrates Industry Leadership by Winning Both Handgun and Rifle of the Year

Sturm, Ruger & Company, Inc. (NYSE: RGR) is proud to announce the Ruger® LC9™ has been named the 2011 Handgun of the Year by the Shooting Industry Academy of Excellence. Ruger has received this honor four years in a row - an unprecedented accomplishment in the firearms industry. Ruger also received the "Rifle of the Year" award for the Ruger Gunsite Scout Rifle, a second testament to the innovative design work at Ruger.

"The industry has once again recognized Ruger for the high-quality, innovative product designs that we have produced in direct response to our Voice of the Customer program," said President and CEO Mike Fifer. "Our top priority is to make the products our customers are asking for, and the LC9 and Gunsite Scout Rifle were designed on this premise. The fact that we have now won the Handgun of the Year award four consecutive years, and a record setting seven times total, demonstrates our transition to the leading American handgun manufacturer," Fifer concluded.

"We could not be more pleased to have two of our firearms receive product of the year recognition," said Vice President of Sales & Marketing Chris Killoy. "The Ruger Gunsite Scout Rifle was created in conjunction with world-class training center Gunsite Academy and has proven to be a credible and affordable rendition of Col. Jeff Cooper's Scout Rifle concept. We want to thank our retailers and other industry partners for this tremendous recognition."

Ruger is especially honored that the Ruger Gunsite Scout Rifle received this special recognition as this was the final firearm designed by Roy Melcher, one of the most prolific and talented designers the firearms industry has ever known. Over the years, Roy had made significant contributions to the Ruger product line, providing design guidance on the Mini-14®, Redhawk®, GP100®, 77/22®, M77® MKII, and P85®. Roy lost his battle with cancer in December 2010 and is greatly missed by his friends at Ruger and across the industry. Recognizing his final contribution to the firearms community with the "Rifle of the Year" award is a fitting tribute to a great designer.

The awards were presented during the 9th Annual Shooting Industry Masters on July 22-23, 2011 at the Rockcastle Shooting Center, Park Mammoth Resort in Park City, KY. The Academy, a 500-member group consisting of manufacturers, editors, writers, distributors and retailers from within the shooting industry, votes to honor outstanding achievements in product design and service to the industry.

For more information on the Ruger LC9 and Ruger Gunsite Scout Rifle, along with the extensive line of award-winning pistols, rifles, revolvers and shotguns, visit www.Ruger.com or Facebook.com/Ruger.