Ruger Sponsors Shooting Team

Ruger has announced that they will be sponsoring a shooting team. The official announcement is below but their PR Manager, Paul Pluff, let the cat out of the bag on Sunday on Tom Gresham's Gun Talk radio show. One of the things he noted on the show was Ruger's interest in developing up and coming junior shooters. Given Pluff's service on the Board of Directors of the Scholastic Shooting Sports Foundation, he has seen many of these juniors in action.

Sturm, Ruger & Company, Inc. (NYSE-RGR) is proud to announce the launch of its professional shooting team. This move marks Ruger's formal debut in the competitive shooting sports arena. Leading this team is newly signed world champion shooter Doug Koenig and more shooters will be announced in the coming weeks.

"We are very excited to introduce Team Ruger, and particularly with a shooter of Doug Koenig's caliber at the helm," said Chris Killoy, Ruger's President and CEO. "Doug is an outstanding addition to the Ruger team, bringing both a winning attitude and a true passion for growing the shooting and outdoor sports to the team."

In addition to serving as Team Ruger's Captain, Doug will also represent the Company as an official Brand Ambassador. Highly regarded for his talents, Doug is an athlete, lifelong hunter and world champion professional shooter. Doug began shooting competitively at the age of 17, winning both regional and national competitions. Since turning Pro in 1990, he has shot a perfect score of 1920 an unprecedented 17 times at the NRA Bianchi Cup. As he approaches his 31st year competing, this 18-time Bianchi Cup Champion's wins include more than 70 National and 10 World titles.

"I am thrilled to join Team Ruger and partner with such an iconic brand in our industry," said Koenig. "Ruger's depth and breadth of products is a perfect fit for both my competitive shooting and hunting endeavors," he concluded.

Doug also hosts his own TV show, "Doug Koenig's Championship Season," where Ruger is now the Presenting Sponsor. Each week, the show features a gritty combination of fast-paced shooting competition and wild hunting adventure - all with rugged, reliable Ruger® firearms.

Media and team inquiries should be directed to Paul Pluff, Public Relations Manager and coordinator for the new shooting team.

Getting Doug Koenig from Smith & Wesson is a coup for Ruger. Not only is a coup but it indicates the seriousness with which they are embarking on this new endeavor. Someone with the stature of a Doug Koenig is not going to switch teams on a whim and he had to be assured Ruger was serious about it. I would not be surprised to see a "Doug Koenig Special" 1911 being released down the road.

From what I understand, the rest of the Ruger shooting team will be introduced at the SHOT Show. It will be interesting to see who all is on the team in addition to team captain Doug Koenig.