Home Forums Hunting & Shooting Hunting Rifles Ridiculous Boat Paddle Ruger prices!

Was in the LGS of a friend today and he was selling 2 boat paddles on consignment for a customer. They let sellers name their price.

Had a stainless 22 LR for $1800
Stainless .243 for $2000

Holy crap! Not with my money.

Hope he’s prepared to have them sit. They bring good coin, but not near that much.

Never even liked them when they were cheap…..

For that kind of money….

Yeah, they will sit a long time at those prices.

My 308 cost under 5 bills. Dad borrows it almost as much as I borrow his Superposed when it comes to grouse hunting. My folks are kind of awesome....

Well... we all know asking and getting are two different things. But I'm thinking those asking prices are so high, they won't get any offers.

I recently saw a 280 boat paddle listed where the seller said $2500 would get his attention. It has a Nikon Pro Staff scope in a set of see-thru rings. 🤣

Just missed a 7mm-08 boat paddle at my LGS a month ago. They sold it for $600

I've never seen a set of see through rings on a Ruger 77 rifle....never knew such an animal existed.

Just sold a boat paddle 30-06 that had Weaver see thru rings.

there is a 300 WIN MAG in my area for $1500 if I remember correctly

If the seller renamed them and included the word "tactical", and added a note that both are just back from a job in Ukraine, then maybe, just maybe, there's an itsy, bitsy market for them....

Probably used a Ruger to rail adapter then the rings

I never liked those things anyway, I wouldn't buy one if they were $100 each (if i had to keep em) ...Hb

Damn, I should have bought one few years back. It was 338 for $400. Past it up as I heard these kick like a mule.
Seems like it might have been a good investment

x2

Nope,mine were Weaver made for the Ruger,had no idea they made such a thing.

X3

I’ve owned both the 77/22 and a .308. No more, and certainly not at the going prices.

They're not a bad rifle, have had quite a few over the years. Killed some moose with the one in 338 Win Mag, lots of deer and antelope with the 243 Win. Have also had a couple in 30-06, rifle sights and no rifle sights, current one is a 7mm Rem Mag.

LGS I go to wouldn't let a customer price something so high like that, he wants to sell rifles, not show rifles.

Anyways, I'm more interested in selling prices than asking prices.

I bought a used 6.5 Win Mag, with a boat paddle stock long ago, and that thing kicked like hell when wearing light clothes. I bought a regular stock for it and gave the boat paddle to somebody here on the fire, and I paid the shipping. miles

that's what I always thought about them the felt recoil of that kind of stock is severe for the chambering your shooting

Jim,
That rifle was uglier than homemade sin. I see why you parted with it. 🤣

I’d entertain a .223, maybe, but the .308 I had kicked too hard for that cartridge.

Way out of line pricing.

They are smoking something. Not going to get that kind of money at a LGS. Pipe dreaming

Prices of all the rifles have gone up. Glad I got what I needed years ago.

My skeleton 260 rem is a kitten to shoot.
My 270 win does kick like a mule-but a LimbSaver is a game changer.

Pretty or not I want to have the ugliest gun in the group. If I miss I blame it on the ugly gun. If I hit it must be my hidden marksmanship. And my great marksmanship is very well hidden!

A rising tide raises all ships. What’s a Ruger American these days OTD? $500?

I paid $275 for my boat paddle 77/22 new in '95, and have never really cared for the stock. At the time, it was the only stainless/synthetic bolt .22 available....so I really had no option. I'd honestly never sell it, but if prices to get too crazy, I may have to unload one in 7mm Rem Mag.

I hate boat paddles. I put out a WTB ad about 2000. I got a call about a boat paddle and it was I think $400. I passed real quick.

Couldn't hardly give them away when new.

That pricing is unreal. I know everything has gone up but for that price go buy a Model 70 Supergrade and not be sorry you’ve done it. 🤷‍♂️

I didn’t like the damn things in the 90’s and still can’t figure out how 30 years would make them appreciate.

I’d like to give Ruger a little credit that factory synthetic stocks were kind of a new thing at the time, but crappy stock dimensions and design are just that, regardless of material used.

Friend bought one in 7mm Mag and it was pretty miserable. Replaced it with an A Bolt II and it was more pleasant to shoot, and even it could have used a better recoil pad.

Bro-in-Law has a .22 Mag boat paddle that’s worth a mint, but at least it’s shootable.

Oh well, maybe I’m weird. I didn’t care for Nylon 66’s either……

Ditto. They are one of the cheapest looking, cheapest feeling guns ever created.

I have them in 22 and 22 Mag. I intend to just keep shooting them though. The 22Mag is pretty darned accurate w/30 V-Max Hornady ammo.

I’d trade my 22 or 22 mag for a 410 or 28 gauge over under in a browning.

New Christensen Ranger 22s are $750 at Cabelas. If I needed a bolt action 22 that is about my top end price. RAR 22s are good rifles too! Can’t imagine paying $1800 for a used 22 unless it was a pristine copper or Kimber. And then only maybe

Must have been a regional thing.

For $395 out the door in the mid '90s the shop we used sold a ton of them.

You couldn't give me one .......well I take that back I'd take it and so it's somebody else.....
Awful looking 🤒

Had a stainless one in .308.
Recoil w 150s and stock "pad" was fine from bench, w just a T shirt.

Shot OK (not great) and ugly.

For a no frills workin gun.......proly hard to beat.
Yup, shoulda kept it LOL

I had one in 30-06. Thet were well built. The stocks were remarkably tough. Mine was accurate enough. They discontinued them because they didn't sell well. People didn't want them. People covet what they can't have.

Niche market for sure, but they do have dedicated fans. I've never handled one, but the stock looks like it could be awfully rude to my cheekbone.

I'm old enough to remember when I could buy them all day long for 450.00. I never cared for the stock, still don't. One of my son's has one in 270win and he's quite satisfied. To each his own.

I like my boat paddle 358...but not at those prices.

https://www.gunbroker.com/item/1006359119 and a few days left. I have the identical rifle but with sights so I'll be keeping my eye on this one.

g

Dumb photo clip, full auto is going to walk all over.

I traded a pistol for one in .280 back in the early 90’s. Pistol was worth about $450, and I kinda felt like I was taking a beating, but it was a stainless .280 which was exactly what I wanted. It has proven to be quite the shooter with my H414 load. Also I’d say they are tough as hell, and every time they get scraped on a rock or branch…ya just don’t even think twice about the marks! Many years and deer later, my daughter fell in love with the damn hideous thing and has shot some deer with it too. Gave it to her after she got her first deer with it. I’m betting she wouldn’t sell it for $2500 even if somehow there was a buyer willing to pay that for it. 😎

What would a common 270win boat paddle be on the blocks for?

I like my .22 mag's, but never got along with anything bigger.

Certainly wouldn't pay that kind of money for them.

That is absolutely crazy to see what they go for these days 😯

My old man has a few of them he got steeply discounted back when they were new. The 77/22 is nice, but the centerfires kick like hell for the chamberings. They rate right up there with Savage 99 and the old synthetic 7600 stocks for me when it comes to recoil amplifiers.

Wow! I've got two, .22 mag and a .308. Should've bought a truck load in the late 90's.

I have a boat paddle 243 and a Hawkeye ultralight 7mm-08 with the current synthetic stock design. Both have had a trigger job and the magazines floated. Neither seems to shoot to what I believe the barreled actions are capable of. I have had better luck with walnut or laminate stocked Rugers. I have found torquing the front and rear action screws with a T-handle screwdriver as tight as I can and the center screw bottomed out but not torqued gives me the best accuracy. YMMV

Must have been from PA

many Ruger Rifles ,shotguns and handguns have great resale value compared to other brand guns

Other gun manufacturers should build something similar out of plastic. Imo it’s the look not the function of the boat paddle that gets these prices.

Name one thing that hasn't gone up. But yes, asking prices are hefty! But those aren't sold prices either. I've had quite a few of these over the years, from 22LR to 338 Win Mag. The 338 Win Mag was certainly not a bench gun, but, IMO, it's one heck of a hunting rifle. The 243 Win I had was a sub- MOA gun with nothing more than a Timney trigger put in it. Drove my "custom" gun buddies crazy! Killed a lot of deer and antelope with that 243. Used the 338 Win Mag for many moose hunts up in the NW corner of Saskatchewan, and more than accurate for minute of moose. Had a couple in 30-06, one with sights, one without, 7mm Rem Mag... very good, solid, dependable rifles. A seller can ask whatever they want, up to a buyer to decide if it's worth it or not. My dad used to say that he remembered when bread was a nickle a loaf, and his bring home pay wasn't even $100 a week back then. One of the "problems" today, is that too many of remember what prices used to be... lol!

Sold for $1600+.

I've got one in 22-250 that I may be open to moving...

What I've done basically with the same good results. Front action screw gorilla tight, rear reasonable, and center enough to hold.

Everything has gone fugky.

700’s and 77’s are apparently now collectors items. Lol.

Never did like the looks of the stock. I picked one up in 300win in a package trade about a dozen years ago or so. Figured I would use the action and get rid of the rest. Now I live in MI in a pistol caliber only area. Still got the ruger. I should actually shoot it

So it seems.

The nicest thing about that rifle is the scope.

A stainless M70 at $430 is a sore dick deal. Even in WSM.

I have one in my 35 Whelen and my 6mm Rem. I like them.

With y'all pissin and moanin about how craptacular of a rifle they are, you'd think the prices would go down....

I have owned a pretty sizable pile of those over the years. The ones that are staying put are a .22, .30-06, .300 WM and a .30-06 that was rebored to .35 Whelen. I pretty much paid "normal" prices for mine and have abused them regularly with no real damage done. Even with the wear and tear I am sure I could seel well above what I paid. The boat paddles are like when your wife looks hot in grubby coveralls painting a shelf or laying down some flooring....not really supposed to be sexy but kinda is anyway. Functional beauty I guess.

Spot on. I’ve had a couple and wish I still had the 270. I like the stock but they are not kind to the shooter in the heavier chamberings. Nonetheless, if the prices weren’t absurd I’d be watching for a 270.

Same for CZ 550s. What was $800 a year ago is $2000 now.

Back in the later 90s, Ruger 77 Mk 2s were $300 at our local Bi Mart. I bought a bunch of them during that time period. They were cheap, well built and accurate. The Boat paddle stocked ones were cheapest.

I'd buy those ones, and put a Boyd's Laminate stock on them, usually grey laminate finished, which I thought looked good with the stainless steel action and barrel.

I normally just gave those Ruger Boat Paddle stocks away for free....

Who would have known they would later have been so popular and pricey?

Just looked through gunbroker's sold auctions on these, search words "Ruger Zytel". As long as people are willing to pay these prices, I wouldn't expect their prices to go down.

Do I wish I had all the ones I used to have? I guess not, but maybe, back when I sold them, I got good prices for them.

I handload so not an issue but Winchester has recently introduced a lead free load for the 270 WSM and places like Midway have it in stock.

https://www.midwayusa.com/product/1021977747?pid=597066

Too funny.

Two summers ago I gave $1400 for a NIB Kimber Subalpine 30-06 at North 40 Outfitters in Ponderay Idaho. A rifle I would take hands down over a like or higher priced Ruger M77.

Glad I got what I got. If I can find a lefty Hawkeye wood/stainless I might get one. Can't image forking out 2k for a zytel model 77. Most likely the M77 line will be very limited or discontinued soon.

Nah, Ruger does a good job of not keeping the market flooded with the same stuff. Certain styles and chamberings for a while then something new for another while. The wheel comes back around with them.

Id love to have a 30-06 one with irons. I have a boat paddle stock laying around so i may just buy a guide gun and put it in my stock.

Ran across several used a week ago $1200 + no way in hell I’d pay that

My wife bought me that same rifle around 2003-2004 time frame and the price was quite a bit higher than that! Good find! I really like my .270 WSM.