Savage CEO Ron Coburn Announces Retirement
Having led one of the most remarkable turnarounds in the outdoor industry, Ron Coburn is stepping down as Chairman and CEO of Savage Sports Corporation. Ron’s retirement follows a 25-year tenure as CEO where he led the Company out of insolvency to the Company’s current position as one of America’s top rifle makers. Coburn took the helm of Savage in 1988 shortly after the Company filed for bankruptcy protection and Coburn guided Savage’s subsequent rise to market leadership.
“Everybody wants to go out on top,” Coburn said. “We’ve had many years of strong, sustained growth, and it seems like every year has been a new record year for Savage. The business has never been better positioned for the future. I’m turning 65 this year; the time is right for a transition.”
Coburn’s retirement has been in process for several years, as he has slowly delegated the day-to-day leadership to the Company’s management team. “Some people say that Ron Coburn rebuilt Savage Arms. That’s not true. I helped build a team and together we rebuilt Savage Arms,” Coburn stated. “The management team is still in place, and Savage is in very good shape with a very, very bright future.” Coburn will maintain a substantial personal financial stake in the company: “I may be moving out, but my money is staying. I can’t think of a better place to invest right now.”
Coburn Shoots What He Sells
You have to love a gun company CEO who actually gets behind the trigger. In this “behind the scenes” video made during the filming of a Savage Arms commercial in Utah, Team Savage Captain Stan Pate guides Ron Coburn in the use of the Savage Palma rifle chambered in .308 Winchester. Ron successfully hits targets at 1200 yards. Ron comes away smiling, as do members of the film crew who get “trigger time” at the end of the video. We love Stan Pate’s closing line. With a big grin, he says that the Savage rifle’s accuracy makes long-range shooting “So easy — even the Boss can do it“.
Many visitors to the site ask us, “I’ve got a .223 and .308. What will a 6mmBR Norma (6BR) give me that I’m not getting already?” Well first you will probably average consistently smaller groups than your current .223 or .308 rifle (assuming the 6BR has a quality barrel and trigger). A good .308 Winchester can be superbly accurate, no question about that, but the lesser recoil of the 6BR works in the shooter’s favor over a long string of fire. Even with a Rem 700 or Savage action factory action, a 6BR with a benchrest stock, premium barrel, and a high-quality chambering job should deliver 5-shot groups in the high twos to mid-threes, provided you do your job. We have one 6BR rifle that shoots Lapua factory-loaded 6BR ammunition in the low twos and high ones. That’s exceptional, we admit, but it still shows how the 6BR is an inherently accurate cartridge, even with factory loads.
Would you like to write about guns for a living, and “call the shots” at a major gun magazine with a huge readership of shooters around the country? Well, here’s your opportunity.
