Ruger Gold Label Shotguns Side BY Side

About this product

The Ruger Gold Label is a 12-gauge side-by-side shotgun that Ruger produced for only a few years in the early 2000s at its Newport, New Hampshire plant, making surviving examples a genuinely limited-production piece rather than a currently available model. Ruger has not manufactured the Gold Label since production ended, so any Gold Label available today is a used or collector firearm.

Was the Gold Label ever made in 20 gauge?

No. Despite how some listings and descriptions circulate online, Ruger built the Gold Label exclusively in 12 gauge throughout its entire production run — a 20-gauge Gold Label was never manufactured. Buyers should treat any 20-gauge claim about this model with skepticism and rely on the gauge stamped on the barrels of the actual firearm rather than secondhand descriptions.

What are the Gold Label's specs and history?

Ruger produced the Gold Label from 2002 to 2006, a short run that ended production entirely rather than continuing at reduced volume. It's a break-action side-by-side with a stainless steel receiver and blued barrels, a 28-inch barrel length, an overall length of about 45.5 inches, and a weight of roughly 6.5 pounds. The stock and forend are AAA-grade American walnut, and the gun uses a single trigger with a barrel selector to choose which barrel fires first, rather than the double triggers found on many traditional side-by-sides. In its short production run, the Gold Label won Shooting Industry News's Shotgun of the Year award in 2002 and the American Rifleman Golden Bullseye Shotgun of the Year award in 2005.

Who should buy a Ruger Gold Label today?

This shotgun is best suited to collectors and upland hunters specifically drawn to a genuinely well-regarded, American-made, discontinued side-by-side rather than an entry-level field gun. Because production ended nearly two decades ago and there is no current factory support beyond Ruger's general parts and service department, buyers should have any example inspected by a qualified gunsmith before relying on it for hunting, and should expect used-market pricing that reflects both scarcity and the model's award-winning reputation rather than a simple field-grade shotgun price.

Because this is a firearm, it cannot ship to your home address. It transfers to a licensed FFL dealer near you, where you will complete a background check and the required paperwork in person before taking possession. California buyers should confirm current compliance requirements for this specific shotgun with their FFL before ordering, since used and discontinued firearms can occasionally raise documentation questions that a current-production gun would not.

Because the Gold Label was discontinued after such a short run, replacement parts and gunsmith familiarity with the specific action are less common than for Ruger's higher-volume shotguns, so buyers planning to shoot this gun regularly rather than display it should factor in the added effort of sourcing parts or a specialist gunsmith if something eventually needs repair.

Ruger built the Gold Label at a time when the company was pushing to prove it could compete with dedicated European side-by-side makers on fit, finish, and handling, and the AAA-grade walnut and stainless receiver reflect that ambition rather than the more utilitarian finish typical of Ruger's higher-volume, mass-market shotguns. Collectors researching the model often cite that short-lived attempt at a premium American-made side-by-side as exactly why the Gold Label draws sustained interest on the used market well over a decade after Ruger ended production, despite never becoming a high-volume seller during its original run.