Home Forums Reloading Big Game Rifles Ruger 77 ,boat paddle stocked rifles m

I am wondering how these boat paddle stocked Ruger 77 rifles became so popular .I had one in 338 win mag and it was terrible to shoot .I had ten.other 338 win mags shot them no problem .Ruger has a hard time selling them when they came out .I replaced mine with a boyds laminated stock and it shot like a dream and shot 3/4 an inch at 200-yards .I shot 1.5 inches with the same load at 100-yards with boat paddle stock .They are tough I give them that but they are not shooter friendly in big calibers .I think 3006 or even 270 is about the limit on recoil on these stocks .I am very glad I put the laminated stock on it .The recoil is way less than half with laminated stock and now it's one of the most accurate rifles that's consistent always !

Do you mean popular on the secondary market? They were a good buy for some time since they were pretty miserable to shoot. New ones could be had for a really nice price as well after dealers grew tired of them taking up shelf space. That's how one in 308 came to live with me. It also wears a Boys's stock now.

There are people paying up to $1000 new in the box for them now .The stock was too thin and shaped weird .I know they were tough stocks .People go crazy over them now and I remember Ruger rep saying it was a big mistake to make those stocks .I did see people in Alaska band the heck out of them and leave them on four wheelers for months in case guards .I use to see them super cheap now they are crazy in price .

The ones that I see bring the money are the odd calibures....I have seen the 223s over 750. And they are far from new in box....I gave 199 for mine years ago on a Walmart closout...my buddy and I bought the last 2 they had..I love mine it rides in the truck with me every day and I doubt 1000 would buy it either so there ya go...
Sold my 308 as it was painful to shoot...

My 223 got called up a few years ago for 'just-in-case' duty on the sled, wrapped in a tarp together with rope, pulleys, and snowshoes, for a 500-600 trip up the Yukon River in March. Upon our return, a death in the family, a move across town, and a few other things happened. The tarp package was firmly tied to the sled and simply got left as is and forgotten about...until sometime in June. A blue tarp is basic protection, but they also trap whatever gets inside, and snow has a way to getting through any amount of folded plastic, so the bundle was very 'damp' inside when it was finally opened after 4 months or so. The scope and rifle were 'moist' - - and the scope screws and trigger pins were bleeding a bit red. Other than that, all was good.


A year or so later:




And this is my 375-350 Rem Mag:



The 300 Win mag is very popular locally.

Like so many other guns, they are now popular because they are no longer made; probably no other good reason. I've had three, including two of the limited run Davidson's 7.62x39s in early 1990s. The other was a .308. All shot well, but none were outstanding. While the stock was ugly, it was stiff and functional. I can't say recoil with my .308 was any more or less uncomfortable than a similar rifle with a more conventional stock. I sold the .308.

I was very interested in the 7.62x39 at one time and did extensive cast bullet work with both of my Davidson rifles. These were used primarily as cast bullet guns but they also shot well with jacketed. Eventually decided the cartridge wasn't particularly great for any one thing and sold one rifle to a close friend who still has it. I kept the other but seldom shoot it.

If you see one used in a shop around here it will have a tag of less than $500 on it. Guess nobody knows they are "special".

I had one in a 243, best it would do was 4" no matter the day or scope or ammo, and to think I traded a rifle that shot under an inch for it. Sent the little Ruger down the road.

My buddy bought a 223 and a 300 the day after we graduated high school in '93 with his money he got from graduating. Both shot decent but he had an itch to scratch I am sure so he swapped them for something else.

He then bought a 7 Rem Mag a couple years later before heading west for an elk hunt. Picked it up on a Saturday morning and never got a real load worked up that day before swapping it for the same in 270 before the gun shop closed same day he bought it, said the 7 kicked a hell of a lot worse than the 300 did.

Always wanted one in a 338 Win mag with factory sights. Would have scoped it with a 4x of some sort. Had great plans for a moose hunt in the Yukon and that was gonna be my medicine. Neither the gun or hunt has materialized yet.

My All Weather 270 "had" the skeleton stock on it for a while. Loved the durability but hated the recoil. Put it on Ebay and they fought over it. Ended up getting over $200 for that stock. Replaced it with a standard MKII stock and it's much more fun to shoot.