Thread: Looking for a Ruger 99/44, or importing one...

Hi All,

Looking for a Ruger 99-44 rifle - but they are hard to find!

I am located in Australia, but need one to test a Ruger 99-44 accessory I am developing.

Needless to say obtaining the rifle is a no-go in Australia, and NZ is the closest country where I can get to one!

So please let me know if you know of one for sale.

Failing that, does anyone do custom imports of firearms from the US to NZ?

I work with exporters in the US so I could source a 99-44 ex USA no problem - but would need to work with a firearms dealer in NZ who could receive it for me.

Thanks for your help -

Richard

Your not asking much for a new member.

One would have to ask Why , and What for? If you are developing an accessory and you dont already have a rifle for it, presumably you are looking to sell these afterwards. If that is the case why develop something for a rifle that is pretty uncommon. Noy much chance of selling many.

Second, Why the Ruger carbine? Will the carbine need to be modified in any way? And what sot of "accessory" is it that wont work on anything else?

If you can source one in the US, Why not travel and do your development there? Otherwise it will be a case of calling / emailing gunshops here and see if anyone really wants to do that much paperwork.....

(I'm sorry but this almost sounds like a nigerian Prince scam but with a gun instead of money...)

All good questions-

1) Ruger made at least 16,000 Ruger 99-44 rifles, that's plenty big enough market for me.
2) My accessory is unique to the Ruger 99-44, and it will fit a standard carbine with no modification.
3) It's standard commercial practice not to release too much information about your product until it is ready for release.
4) NZ is much closer and easier to get to (and nicer) than the US, and I can possess and use firearms in NZ with a tourist firearms licence, which is much easier to obtain than the US equivalent.

I'm surprised there isn't anyone exporting firearms from the US on a custom order basis. There is a big market for that in Australia.

Originally Posted by RichardW

I'm surprised there isn't anyone exporting firearms from the US on a custom order basis. There is a big market for that in Australia.

Your about to learn why not, it's bloody expensive! Unless you are ordering a container load at a time

It's expensive in Australia too - people only do it for something that is not commercially available.

I was doing it on a commercial basis for a while - when all the Australian pro-shooters were restocking with MSSAs, from July 2013 to now.

The cost was approximately half the value of the rifle again, I found.

Still worthwhile if there was no other way to get the rifle.

It is probably going to cost you the same getting that us rifle delivered in New Zealand or Australia .and if you can't find easily one in Australia or New Zealand , there might not even be 1% of those rifles in the two countries! Unless your accessory can be freely exported with no paper work to usa and Europe ( where a few of those rifles have been sold) you will be lucky if you sell more than a 100 units on the oz/ NZ market.
Good luck anyway

Rare as hens teeth. I work at a Gunsmith and I dont think I have seen one. I did have a model 96 past once though....Never really took off here. With the availibility of 303 early onand modern rifle chamberings later, the 44mag has never been a popular cartidge for rifles here. To many other cheaper offerings...SKS, AKs in the 90s, Saigas now, with cheap ammo as well really put paid to the Rugers.

Develop an accessory for the 10/22 that has not been done yet and you will have a huge market.....

Thanks for the comments. You're right about the tiny market - I think there's a niche there though.

It's applicable to other rifles as well, but ideal for the 99.