Home Forums Hunting & Shooting Single Shots Ruger #3 prices this week!!!

Local show and shop tour this week. Saw a 45-70 for $1000 and a 30-40 scoped for $1580! Don't know what the scope was.

I've had several, but all were under $400 at the time.

Bruce

Pity. I had alot of run restocking and tweaking one a couple years ago. I'd love to do another, but not with crazy high donor prices.

Those are the prices I am seeing as well.

I have one in 223 that I picked up a few years ago for a project. So fun to shoot that I left it as is and mounted a 4x FX-II.

I keep a saved search on gunbroker for Ruger single shots and have been watching the No. 3's particularly since they are still in the "relatively affordable" category compared to the "you gotta be schittin' me" category of most No. 1's. The ones that have actually sold in the recent past went for just under $900 to around $1200 in excellent condition. A few customs went for more than that but it took a while to find buyers.

The trouble with refusing to buy at current high prices is that, before very long, those prices won’t seem so high anymore.

Guns are valuable; it’s the money that’s worthless.

I bought my Centennial #3 Hornet for $125 bucks through the Navy Exchange special order and I think retail was $165 at the time. 😁

Perfectly said.

I have a couple of Brownings, and have owned a number of Rugers over the years. I’ve decided that the SS fun is also to be found in break-actions, specifically the Henrys, for a lot less money, and with wood that’s usually just as nice, sometimes better. My sole No.3 was a huge disappointment, though I know many are just fine, like your .223.

10 years from now Ruger #3`s will be around $1500.00 and Ruger # 1`s will be $2000.00 -$ 3000.00 depending on caliber/cartridge . the reason is everyone is so black gun nuts and that`s kinda sad these were some very fine rifles Ruger #1`s and #3`s will be considered more as collector rifles.

Two .45 70 number 3s at nearby gunshow a month ago.
One had a junk scope on it and swivel studs in both chunks of wood. 1450 or best offer tag said.

Another guy had a clean one w a tag of 1100 IIRC.
No scope, wood was minty.

I have one bought from an estate, w mis drilled scope base holes. Windage rear setup got it zeroed. McGowen bbl shoots good, but is oddball .219 DW and wears Number One wood ( I changed that ).

Bastard rifle, all around, but kinda cool. Shoots good

But if I went to sell it I reckon Id have to part it out, and dunno what a #3 action fetches these days. Thought about redo to .35 rem but would need lever mod.

Many years ago I had the chance to buy a Ruger #3 that had been rebarreled to 25-35 WIN, should have bought it......

I've got the bug for a #3 in .256WinMag.
But I have a high wall that okie and I have been working on for longer
we should have. It ain't him that's at fault. I've been dragg'n my feet.
It's a 6x57R Ackley Improved... 6mm E&W... If you consider that we put our heads,
my money, his brains (along with a couple of beers), together with
the first letters of our last names... And there you have it.
I still want a #3 in .256WinMag.

Pops had a TC Contender rifle in .256 win mag.
Never shot it.
Still got 2 boxes of the factory winchester Super X ammo.
Yellow box.

Thought a Contender in 5.7 would be a neat varmint rig

Years ago I had a No.3 in 375 Win. It was very accurate but ugly on the recoil. Due to the type of buttplate on it wasn't practical to mount a recoil pad. I think I traded it out on something I wanted more. With its short overall length it would have made a good gun for use in a tree stand.

Jim

I bought my pristine 45-70 for $450 about 15 years ago.

I would think that the 30/40 kraig would be one of t rarer versions. Always wanted one. I’ve only seen one in that caliber.

I had one in .223 that I never could get to shoot accurately. My 45-70 is unbelievably accurate

Ruger should just start making the dam things again. They are more popular then the Number 1's ever were.

I tried to sell a #3 in .30-40 Krag at a gun show a couple of weeks ago. I've had the gun more than thirty years and have shot mostly cast bullets in it. I was asking $750.00, maybe $800.00. Apparently that was too high as there was almost no interest in it. These may be hard to find in .30-40, but I doubt they're rare. I had another #3 in .30-40 Krag some years ago.

Bought a red pad 218 bee a year ago, think I paid $1500. Was in like new condition.

I remember when they were new stock and very slow moving. It's amazing what catches fire from "fermenting" over many years. I wish I had a 30-40; I'll turn my lowly Savage 219 30-30 into a 30-40 soon, and that'll have to do.