Last week, Savage Sports Corporation formally acknowledge a transition of leadership that has been underway for some time. Many of us knew that after 25 years at the helm of a company he'd rescued from bankruptcy and built into a leadership position in the industry, Ron Coburn was ready to take the final step in what has been a gradual retirement.

Next week, we'll be speaking with Coburn's successor about how you assume the poisition of a recognized industry leader -and continue the considerable legacy Coburn leaves behind.

Today, we're spending a few minutes with: Ron Coburn

TOW: Ron, what have you seen happen in the industry over the past 25 years?
Coburn: Actually, I've been in the firearms industry for 30 years. I started with Smith & Wesson in handguns, then moved into long guns. One thing I've seen is the cycle of politics influencing the industry. Politics has driven a couple of significant surges in the industry. In the past we've seen great surves, but those surges fell off after the threat was beaten back. Today, I'm seeing that the last problems have gotten the industry unified. We've stayed together as an industry, and I like where we've ended up.

In the past that wasn't easy because gun companies are largely family businesses or privately owned. Entrepreneurs aren't known for reaching out across the aisle to each other. But we have reached out, cooperated with each other and I think we're far stronger as an industry today because of that unification.

TOW: Are guns better today than 25 or 30 years ago?
Coburn: Actually, I think guns of today are more like the cars of today. They're more reliable. They're getting better and better because we're more sensitized to what our customers want. They are largely people who have strong likes and dislikes and they appreciate the fine machines we're making today.

And I think it's significant that more of our buyers today are shooters than hunters. They enjoy shooting as a sport.

TOW: Is that why Savage made a conscious movement into shooting like, for example, your F1 Class long-range rifles?
Coburn: Actually, our improvements in barrels, actions and triggers just moved us naturally in that direction. And we haven't left the hunting market, and we never will. We just added a new area because our improved rifles with the adjustable AccuTriggers made it possible for shooters to have affordable rifles that could be tuned to their liking-safely- and then used for extreme long-distance shooting.

TOW: The AccuTrigger is one of those stories that seems to get bigger each time it's told. I still hear that to prove the reliability of the AccuTrigger you used a shipping pallet and a fork lift. True?
Coburn: Yes. We had built about 200 of the new rifles with the AccuTrigger. And my concern was that it could be adjusted to be so light that it might go off if it were dropped or the bolt slammed shut. We know that some other rifles have had that reputation over the years. I had one of those guns with a really sensitive trigger and would do that.

I was out on the floor one day and we were talking about the safety of our trigger. I took one of the guns, ran the action on it and just dropped it on the shop floor. It didn't go off. And I did that a couple more times, but I wanted everyone to be certain our trigger simply wouldn't go off if you didn't depress the lever in the center of the trigger. So...there was a fork lift there with a shipping palett on it. I jumped on with the rifle and had the operator run the lift as high as it would go. Then I just took the rifle and tossed it. Broke the stock, but the gun wouldn't fire. That's when we knew we had a winner.

And those safety features on a gun are like safety features on your car. If you have seat belts and air bags, you're not going to want to drive something that doesn't have them.

It's worth telling that in the ten years since the AccuTrigger was introduced, we've had not one AccuTrigger problem. None. They just will not go off unless you depress that shoe in the middle.

http://www.theoutdoorwire.com/image_archive/2088876.jpeg> Most of us are accustomed to seeing Savage's Ron Coburn turned out in a coat and tie at one of the many trade shows or industry events he attends (Above) Coburn's stepping out of the day-to-day management of the company to do "more of the things he loves". (Below) One of those things is hunting. Photo courtesy of Savage. http://www.theoutdoorwire.com/image_archive/2088877.jpeg>

TOW: About Ron Coburn...are you getting ready to disappear?
Coburn: Absolutely not. My heart and soul -and my money- are still in this industry, I'm not going away. But after 25 years at Savage, it's time to start over again with someone new. And at 65, it's time for me to get out of that job. But I'm certainly not going away, I'll be at shows and going hunting more, but I'll still be working developing product, that's my favorite part of the job. The business has never been so well positioned for the future. And some people like to say Ron Coburn rebuilt Savage Arms, but that's not true. I built a team and together we rebuilt Savage.

TOW: Any message to your friends and the industry?
Coburn: It's been a great ride. And it's a great industry with a very acute BS meter. That's why not a lot of people from outside industries come in and make it. It's not like electronics, robotics, or other industries I've been in where people will lie to you. You won't last long here if you do that. I think that's the way business should be.

And we know we're only as good as the people who buy our products.

Our customers understand the responsibility that goes along with all our products. They let you know what they want-or what they don't want- but they all understand ours are not frivolous products. For instance, we don't load ammo with a gun around because it's serious work. But we see people driving a car while holding a cup of coffee and talking on their cellphone. If people took their cars as seriously as our customers do our products, we'd all be safer. But they don't.

TOW: What about the political problems we're facing today, what's your take?
Coburn: I believe that after the emotion over Sandy Hook has died down, we'll all be better at talking about what we do. Hopefully, we'll be better at promoting our good work, our good products, and our emphasis on safety.

I believe we will come out of this knowing how to be more accurate in what we say, and I hope we'll be much more courageous when it comes time to speak up again.

Hopefully, I believe this will enable us to do a better job of inviting new people in. We're not exactly the best when it comes to welcoming people into the industry- or into shooting. But we're seen a huge influx of new shooters and we all need to make them feel welcome.

TOW: So what's next for Ron Coburn?
Coburn: I live on a freshwater lake in New Hampshire, but I never got to use it much. This year, I'm going to fish it a whole lot more, and I have some hunts planned: a grizzly hunt in Alaska and a couple of others. But I'm still on the boards of the YSSA and NSSF and the NRA's Advisory Board, so I'm not going to disappear.

At the same time, I'm looking forward to the idea of not being on call and taking time off the treadmill, even though I love my work.

TOW: And...
Coburn: (Chuckling) Who knows, when I get bored, and I'm sure as a AA personality-type I will, so who knows, I might get more re-involved doing something.

TOW: Thanks, Ron.