I am so cracked up about ruger paddle stocks being collector items . They are bringing more than win model 70 pre64 are now .They cost ruger $12 to make those stocks when they made them .They kick like heck in bigger calibers .I had a 338 win mag and it was like boxing Mike Tyson .I had a 264 win mag too just terrible to shoot .I love ruger rifles but the wood ones not the $12 plastic stock ones .Mine didbt shoot good with that stock .I put a laminated stock on that 338 and it shot 3/4 inch at 200 yards with factory loads with just a 3x9 scope on it .
Ruger wood stocks are awesome but that paddle stock is plain ugly !

A lot of people like them.. Obviously. The reason they sell for high prices. Are you just complaining because people don't view them the same way you do? Also to say they are selling for more than pre 64's is funny. I'm kind of liking the fact they are bringing good money though, as I buy such items for low and sell high... The perfect example:


Bought complete rifle, as you see it for $500.00 locally last year. Sold silver leupold for $325.00. Think the rifle by itself is worth $175.00? Yes, I recently saw just a boat paddle stock sell for $379.00 on ebay. Makes you think.. I might be selling the stock here shortly... Oh, yeah, I sold a pre 64 stock on ebay a few weeks ago and it didn't last 9 hours before someone hit the buy it now button. That one sold for $425.00, so no boat paddle stocks aren't selling for more than pre 64 stocks.. Close, but not quite..

I recently bought a guide gun in 30-06 with the 20" barrel, open sights, and sling mount on the barrel. I don't like the ugly laminate stock on it with the plastic extension so I'm going to put a boat paddle stock I have on it.

I'm having second thoughts though because I need to open up the barrel channel a bit and I don't want to hurt the value of the boat paddle.

My friend roled a horse over his boat paddle stock and the stock was fine. I like the idea of a 20" SS 30-06 with open sights for back up as a handy all around rifle. I need to find a stock off of a 300 win or 338 so it has the wider barrel channel already.

Bb

They were rugged stocks, but they were not good at soaking up recoil. After a range session with my 30-06, I'd have a bruised shoulder. I don't bruise easily either. Seems a lot of stuff that Ruger discontinues because it didn't sell well becomes a collectors item.

Here is the only place I 'hear' or see composite stocks referred to as plastic.

just another way to express a superior attitude and criticize others likes.

btw -- I have both Wood and Composite stocks.


Jerry

There's a seller on ePay right now that is selling a lot of 8. Reserve price for the lot is $2300. Bid was at close to $1800, last I looked.

Sometimes it takes awhile for things to catch on.

I sold mine and it was good riddance.

My first bolt action rifle was a mk 2 boat paddle in 223 rem. It was also the first rifle to give me a one hole group at 100 yds.

Guy had a brand new Tohatsu 9.8 outboard in the box. He saw that boat paddle stock, got cook monster eyes, and traded me straight across. That deal went down quicker than I could blink. Remember looking at the ugly rifle, and asked myself: what the hell just happened?
Them 9.8s' we're about $1400-$1600 new.

Anyways, up and down the Yukon River I went, never looked back. That motor piloted my canoe all over the place.

I've got a stainless 223 and 338 with those stocks. Not the most comfortable off the bench, but great hunting stocks.

Good snag.

By the time you sell that $300 boat paddle, you'll have negative value in the barreled action. So, if I bought it, you'd have to pay me....

I love stories like that...

Good work.

DF

Another story book trade.

Love it.

DF

I have one in 300WM.......recoil is noticeable but I wouldn't say uncomfortable......


I like them.



image sharing

I've always liked them. And for Ruger, they aren't bad looking.

Don't like them enough to pay what they seem to be going for however.

I guess a guy could ask why rifle stocks are good enough to be called composite but other plastic items aren’t. Excuse me while I go pour a glass of milk out of my composite milk jug.

I hate laminates.
While the Ruger boat paddles are ugly, they are tough and if a guy is gonna work a rifle hard, make sense.
Only thing I wish was they had studs instead of stirrup type swivels.
My 308 win w reg factory pad and 150 grainers was not the beast many had warned me about.
Reason why I sold it?
Fuggin Ruger chit ring system.
Could tolerated matte rings swapped in from Burris or somebody else.
Screw Leupold and their damn L logo on everything.

Years ago I thought they were downright ugly. Over the years I guess I got accustomed to seeing them and gradually accepted them. Now they look pretty decent, but not decent enough to run out & buy one. If I had one it would probably get a custom paint job. They look like a good candidate for that.

Hook

Later model boat paddles had sling studs.

I don’t like the stirrups either.

Jerry

Kid,

All composites are NOT plastic...eg. rubber is not
plastic.

Jerry

I say Ouch because that's my recollection of the 1 shot from the 1 time I fired 1.

Mike

if mine had been a .223 or even a .243 i would have kept it. and shot it a lot more.

^^^This^^^

I believe they are called Mannlicher style sling swivels .

Why is it that the short action stocks command a premium over standard and magnum length ?

I'd like to remove the swivels from mine and add studs. It looks like I'd need a pretty short stud screw. Has anyone converted there's?

Bb

They're actually made of Zytel which is considered nylon. 😎

I have handled a few but never shot one, they feel funny and are ugly. I have a couple of friends who had them and said the kick like hell. I don't think you could run fast enough to give me one.

They don't kick any worse than any other gun, but they do have hard recoil pads.

I'll take the ones you don't want. Guy I know asked me one day if I knew anyone looking for a 22-250 m77 boat paddle said I could move for him. I took one look and gave him what he wanted $325 had a world class trasco on it 3x9x50 he threw in 2 boxes of WW 55gr power points . Told me it likes these best so I got it out 3 days later heavy factory trigger pull 3 shots in one oblong hole. Weren't an accident either did that 2 times. Some pd's , 2 coyotes and 3 antelope later I knew it was a keeper. My brother told me they were bringing big bucks so I pulled off the scope cleaned it up lasted 5 minutes at the gun show had 950 on it and sold for 900. miss it still, finest gun I ever had, oh well have 1in 223 and 308 both good shooters. Different strokes for different folks. They are a go to sob dead reliable. Mb

For me they’re the Ugliest, hardest kicking gun stocks extant.

Not for me but it’s what makes the world go round.

They are popular because they are hard to find.

They are hard to find because they weren't popular. People didn't like them.
For good reasons.


Not the first incident of this, it's common.

Look at the Original Hawkeye.


People are idiots!

Exactly what material (s) are the boat paddle Rugers made from? Asking for a friend ...

Plastic.

Zytel same as the Reminton 66's. The recoil is more because the square area of the butt is less than most and they are somewhat lwt.

I have one on my Whelen, I don’t think the recoil is bad a all.

Boat paddle? Always found an outboard more productive.

Never dated ugly wimmen either.

I have handled one in 270. It didn't appeal to me. But the guy that owned it was thrilled with it. He bought it to replace a 7400 30-06.

Ugly has it's place in the rifle world I guess!! The imitation win. safety and crappy trigger are just part of the deal! Mine is 30-06 and makes me smile every time I shoot , mr. ugly as its called here! Of course the trigger was replaced!

I've used a couple of Ruger Paddle stock rifles for years. I have a 30-06 and a 338 WM. They are all anyone needs in the US. Limbsaver has a good recoil pad that is simple to put on the Zytel stocks. It's no big deal. Out in the bush a rifle can get used hard, and and you want one that is tough. Between the (what I consider) best stainless on the market in the M77 MK II barreled actions and the zytel stock you have a rifle that will last forever. I see no reason a person would need anything else for big game hunting.

I own the 77 RS version in 243 and the 77 R in 223. Both stainless and have two stocks.. The Zytel and a Hawkeye stock for each. Like the Hawkeye stock for formal occasions..

They're good stuff!

My boat paddle 308 wore a laminated stock for a while. It's back in oem form now, albeit with the addition of a Limbsaver recoil pad. The new pad made a major difference. The one from the factory really is just awful. A meatal buttplate may be friendlier. As far as the stocks looks, it doesn't matter to me.

Maybe a .22 rimfire to stay in the utv . But other than that I got no love for one , never did .

They look like poop and kick like a mule

They sure don't have eye appeal but they've been tough IME. My old .338 Win, despite its recoil had been rolled over on by a couple horses and was ran over by one 4 wheeler. Pretty much any wood or other cheaper synthetic stock would have snapped in half. I like 'em, though I don't own one anymore.

If I was bouncing a rifle in and out of my canoe during the rainy season on the coastal side of the Olympic peninsula on a daily basis, I'd go with plastic, composite, fiberglass, rubber, or whatever. I do not do that, and like my rifles to have character. I.e. if we put 30 similar make rifles in a rack, I like to walk up and pick mine up without having to memorize and read serial numbers. That being, I prefer and am capable of maintaining the warmth and unique look of wood.

I rarely if ever comment on plastic units, as they don't even get a passing glance.

Looking for good stock wood a couple years back, found exactly what I wanted, but $700 for board was a bit much.

To each his own, however.

I have one of these left. It's on a limited production 7.62x39 that Ruger did for Davidson's about thirty years ago. People today have poorer taste in everything than ever before. Ugly stock, to say the least, but they seem to be pretty stout and impervious to everything in the way of rough handling in the field and solvents during cleaning. I couldn't imagine paying a premium for a rifle with such a stock, but I'd certainly accept a premium at sale time.

Limbsaver pads are the way to go.

Had one in 30-06. Kicked like a mule. Anyway, whatever you like go for it.

I saw the .308 plastic stock 77 I bought as a terrific place holder for a Mk ll action for a replacement Chet Brown Kevlar stock and a 7mm-08 match grade Shilen barrel.

Since Zytel is a nylon, it’s not really a composite stock per current common usage since the stock is not made from a layered or co-cured construction like graphite, Kevlar, or Fiberglas in a resin or epoxy layup. Not that any of that matters. Happy Trails

+1

I had one on a 338 Win Mag and hated it. Ended up selling the rifle. It kicked like hell and was about the ugliest stock I'd ever seen. At the time, I thought I HAD to have a 338. In reality, it didn't do anything my 35 Whelen wouldn't do except kick harder.

T
Amen, brother! Sounds like you copied my experience! Happy Trails

I had one, in 7.62x39, sold it. I think they call the stock Zytel.

I do like mine, now. First bought the rifle back around '95 after I broke the pretty wood stock on a Browning. Decided to go tough and ugly. Still good after all these years except for some scratches. Decided to sand them out this week and after applying a little Break Free CLP she looks good as new. Now I'm finally going to install a limbsaver butt pad. They apparently make an adapter for their 10011 pad which screws right on the boat paddle stock. After learning how to fix the 77 MkII trigger pull and installing a pad that can absorb some recoil I just may decide to keep her another 25 years.

I will say it has killed more big game than any of my other rifles. That counts for something. Keep your pretty guns safe at home and take your boat paddle hunting.

Have one in .300 Win that I won on a $10 raffle ticket. So I can't sell it or the capital gains tax would eat me alive.

Used it for a LOT of years as my meat gun. 180 grain Grand Slams around 3000-3050 fps. MOA-ish accurate and I never really thought the recoil was hateful at all. It got kinda heavy to carry if the walk was far. Ugly as a mud fence. But rugged as they come. It just sits in the safe now. But I'd likely grab it first if I had some deer hunting to do.

Yep, I agree. Plus it adds about a 1/2" to the LOP. I've shot of lot of 338 ammo through mine. I see no point in having anything but the Ruger MkII with the Zytel stock. They'll do anything I need them to do.

I never could warm up to em, appears folks love em. 👍

Years ago when they originally came out I thought they were hideous. I always have loved rugers. After they discontinued them they grew on me and I regretted not getting one. I picked up a 270 that was a safe queen. Scoped it and loved it since. I’m extremely finicky about keeping my guns it top condition. That 270 I don’t have to worry about. Rain, sleet, snow, mud, nothing. It’s just tough. Has never let me down. I don’t shoot it like a range gun, so recoil is not an issue. I have since bought the same gun in an ultralight 270 also. Same thing. My son now has a 243 set up the same way. All 3 will out live all of us. When it comes down to it, they just do what they are supposed to do. Be reliable, tough, and take game. When the fashion police show up in the field, I may get a ticket. I don’t care. Those rifles will get it done.

So which one of you gun heads bought the zytel in 257 Roberts on GB?

I reckon they look great and I always wanted one.

I think a lot of these markets are driven by what people thought was cool when they were young but didn't have any money. Probably why the model 70 market was so hot once the boomers got old enough to have serious disposable income...possibly the same with the snake guns. I remember drooling over paddle stocks on Ruger magazine adds when I was in Jr. High in the 90s so when I got old enough to afford my own stuff I started buying them. I have had a bunch of them over the years and pared it down to .22 LR, .22 Mag, .30-06, .300 Win Mag, and .35 Whelen (rebore from .30-06).

Killed too much game with the .300 to ever sell it and every time I take it out the cold bore is always 2.5-3"+ at 100 and within a 1/2" of center. Been that way for years.
The .30-06 shoots everything I have tried into nice groups (1.5 if it hates it, sub moa if it loves it) and is a fair bit lighter and handier then the .300 so will be hard to let that go.
The .35 fits my needs for a short, handy, thumper that can take a lot of abuse
The .22 has been super handy and with a worked over trigger does just fine at the ranges I typically shoot a .22 with cheap ammo.

The .22 Mag has been a great gun but won't outshoot my .17 HMRs for reaching out to 100+ on ground squirrels. It is the version with the open sights and the dang thing is getting to be worth so much I am debating whether I can justify packing it around in my truck as a trapline gun. May send that one to the auction block.

My BIL has one in .338 Win Mag. I did load development for it. It kicks like a freaking mule

and I gave most of the ones I had away and just put Boyd's Laminate stocks on them.

Had one in 270, traded it for a 700 BDL in 338. The 338 was easier to shoot than the 270. Hated that stock, worst stock for recoil I've ever shot.

Yea but can you paddle a canoe with the wood ones? lol I hated how loud the Sling swivels were. God I'd love that .260 rem boat paddle back. Bug-holed 125gr partitions. Sold it like a dumb pphuckk

I was born in the late 80’s and by the time I could be interested in rifles the skeleton stocks were out. My uncle had a 25-06 that I lusted over and I was hooked. We all grow up and covet things we could not afford at the time. I have a couple mid 80’s Chevy pickups that I I still drive today. That’s what I remember from my childhood. I see a memory and a rifle that I always wanted. I currently have 4. 25-06, 308, 30-06, and 22lr

I’ll buy yours too for the right price!

Jud

Just like Ford - Chevy......Red - Blue
Diff tastes.

Jerry

Shaq

I never owned a Ruger B P but have several other synthetic stocks.

Later models of the Ruger B P had Swivel Studs instead of what I call stirrups. They were MUCH better. imo


Jerry

An Addendum:

I liked the looks of the R bp stocks when they came
out EXCEPT those sling swivels.

As I said the later models had studs BUT by that
time I was over drooling, having other syn. stocks

If the first ones had studs...I would have had one or
more.

Jerry

I like em in 10/22

I have 4ea former boat-paddle Mark II’s.
As soon as I could afford it, stocks were replaced. And the one that I actually use was bead-blasted to a satin finish. The bead-blast was before Ruger began doing it.
The other 3 are in replacement stocks, and are projects on the back burner. But will definitely have the bead-blast done as well.

No doubt the boat-paddle stocks are tough and unique looking (with or without the fill-in inserts/panels).
But, they are not l.o.p. reduction friendly. Otherwise, I could have lived with the uniqueness. Though the mirror shine of the stainless had to go.