Possibly the original street price of a Ruger, which is less than Browning/Beretta guns has something to do with it.

There's also an underlying question on the handling/swing dynamics with RRLs. Not everybody thinks they handle like a 4x4, but IMO the barrels are overbuilt and feel that way. The one I had was a pretty good gun with nice wood and decent fit/finish. I bet the older fixed choke guns have some of the best fit/finish of the RRLs.