Home Forums Hunting & Shooting Hunting Rifles Owners- Ruger stainless boat paddle advice

Have heard of dropping aluminum arrow shafts in to make the forearm more rigid.

Seems like carbon arrows would bend too easily as they are more flexible than the forearm they are supposed to reinforce????

Thought about the free float because I use a sling when I shoot.

Having a stock that contacts the bbl can produce some wacky results when the pressure from a sling is applied.

And having a forearm that flexes can also be a problem if the action isn't properly bedded.

That's a big reason I always liked Brownings, very little POI shift between bench and being in the sling.

Just my experience, YMMV.

They stiffen up pretty good when you cut them into short lengths.

Mostly though, the carbon shafts just take up space so you don't end up with 2 lbs of fiberglass resin in the channel. I put the arrow shafts both lengthwise and crossways.

Thanks BD.

Appreciate the tip.

Jm

I wouldn't open the barrel channel. I'd see how it shot first. Get a trigger job done. If needed relieve the mag box so it floats in the action, tighten the front screw to 60-65 inlb, the rear screw to 50 inlb, and the center bottomed but not torqued. I used a machine screw base front and wood screw type rear swivel stud.

I just bought one in .30/06 and it shoots very accurately with no modifications.

Same here. Only mine is a stainless Hawkeye that a fellow forum member mounted in the boatpaddle stock for me.

I floated my UL and it helped the groups enough that I was glad that I did it. That combined with reloads have produced 1 1/2" groups out of a 20" UL. Works for me!

I free floated the barrel on my 260 boat paddle. About all I got for the effort was a pile of plastic dust/shavings - still a 1 to 1 1/2" rifle. No gains in accuracy. This with a very light Timney trigger.
I have two other boat paddles, a 270 and a 280. Both shot well from the get go. The 270 shoots ridiculously well with Federal's cheap BlueBox 130s (that rifle is on permanent loan to my sister- that way she's not borrowing any of my other guns and I don't have to reload for it). The 280 shoots 140gr Bergers and 120gr TTSX sub-MOA. Neither rifle has had any work done on them.

Kaiser Norton

I just picked up a stainless boat paddle Ruger M77 Mark II in 223 from 1994 that appears unfired.

Hope to get it scoped up soon and see what it'll do. It'll get a trigger job with an overtravel screw installed too.

Ruger currently lists the Hawkeye 223 with a 9" twist....I have to check this one....anyone know if this one will be 9" twist?

Just picked up a Mk-II 30-06 skeleton stock rifle. Going to be adding a prefit pachmayr pad and some sling studs but hoping the rifle shoots well enough without additional stock work.

just drop the fugly ukker in walnut, and be done with it....

ya mean,...like this?..:-)

1:12 twist on the mkII's. it's the only thing stopping me from picking one up. I'll be picking up a hawkeye 223 soon enough. I just need to locate another SA skeleton to go on it.

Did someone mention walnut? How bout this?

Just shoot the dang thing before you go about "fixing" it. I've yet to shoot an M77 mkII that wasn't accurate, whether a boat paddle or woody.

My first boat paddle stock, home to a blued .300WM, looked like that. Right away I called Ruger and ordered the Zytel inserts and the proper (different) screws for them. Much better!

Here are my two stainless boat paddle rifles, a .338 WM on the left and a .30-06 on the right.



Haven't found a need to float the barrels.

You wouldn't happen to stil have them would you?

My eyes hurt....

I like it. If you could get those grip panels checkered I'd grab a set.

I have found that you can "Tune" the rifle using the forearms insert screws. By tightning or loosening them. It has made a big difference on several of the rifles I have. It changes the pressure on the barrel in the channel.