I just went over to the dark side...

Longwalker

Longwalker

CGN Ultra frequent flyer
Super GunNutz
Rating - 100%
217   0   2
Location
Saskatchewan
I was looking through my gun room yesterday and picking out some candidates for trading at the Saskatoon gun and collectors show. I passed over the rows of classic Brno and Sako and Anschutz bolt action rilfes, the fine sidelock sxs shotguns and the German combination guns. All works of functional art that I use a lot and cherish. A very nice win. 9422 with a highly figured stock caught my eye. It hasn't been seriously used for hunting ever, and was only used for a few plinking sessions. So in the soft case it went and off to the show, looking for something I would enjoy using.

I was at the show, contemplating a backpack hunt for mountain caribou in the fall, and trying to determine which of my rifles would be best for the task. When my eyes fell upon an ugly duckling. A Ruger 77 Mk II 30-06 with the canoe paddle stock. Hideous lines, big logo impressed on the stock, glaring, shiny stainless steel barrel, and soulless industrial heritage. I tapped on the stock, heard no hollow sound to spook game. I inspected the pristine condition of the rifle, the fit of the stock, tried the trigger, and was hooked. Perfect!

A rifle I can use as a tool, in rain, mud and snow, and heat and cold, strapped to the frame of my pack while I, unconcerned, stumble up and down the scree slopes and through the muskeg. I gave the man a little money and we traded rifles. It was almost a relief.

Nobody will actually see me using the ugly tool on top of a mountain and I can always store the Ruger in a dark corner of the gun room so it doesn't disturb the ambiance!

I'm not about to give up my classic walnut / blued steel hand crafted guns and rifles, but sometimes a concession to practicality intrudes on a collection. Anybody else have similar conflicting interests?
 
Very clever story. I laughed out loud. I don't have a conflicting interest. I guess I am too practical. I have some nicely stocked rifles and I do have a couple of stainless Ruger rifles with the canoe paddle stocks. I am paranoid about damaging the wood on those rifles when out hunting. They end up being shot at the range under very controlled circumstances. So, the stainless Rugers are my go to hunting rifles. They have harvested the majority of the game that I bring home. They have been out in the rain and snow and keep on working. They have never let me down. Very practical solutions. No conflict here. So I don't need to hide them, LOL!
 
I too, have gone through the stainless/synthetic rifle bit. My first one was a Ruger 77 Mk II in 7.62x39
that had walnut inserts in the stock.(Davidson's dealer exclusive) I hunted the heck out of that little
rifle back in the 80's and now regret selling it. I then went on to owning all manner of stainless
Marlins, Savage,Rugers and Brownings. They were all nice,accurate rifles ranging in calibers from
.22LR to .375 H&H.

Then one day I looked in the safe and saw a sea of stainless and plastic and found it to be
boring to look at. Everything in there looked the same. I've since gone back to classic
blue and walnut stocked guns, plus a few laminate stocked ones. For me, they just plain
look and feel proper, and now that I don't hunt a whole bunch over hill & dale, these
rifles are perfect for me.

For the serious hunter who goes bush bashin' and rock climbin' in all weather conditions
though, the stainless/synthetic rifle makes an excellent tool. Ugly or not.

Now here's a paradox. The only Tupperware stocked gun I own is my 870 Remington
trap gun, complete with Arma Coat paint job!
Gotta be different. ;)
 
I also have many fine examples of figured wood and deep rich bluing, but my two main go to rifles are synthetic stocked. One is a model 7 stainless synthetic in 7mm08 that I purchased and tweaked for sheep hunting which now doubles duty as a deer rifle. The other is a Browning X-Bolt Stalker in 325 WSM that works wonderfully as a large game rifle in bad weather or thick and nasty bush. The Browning handles beautifully and is very accurate so it tends to get used more than any other rifle I own when seeking Bullwinkle.

I will never stop admiring and loving nice lumber and blued steel, but at the same time, the less aesthetically pleasing black or grey rifles have earned a place of respect beside the rest in my collection.
 
Longwalker said:
I was looking through my gun room yesterday and picking out some candidates for trading at the Saskatoon gun and collectors show. I passed over the rows of classic Brno and Sako and Anschutz bolt action rilfes, the fine sidelock sxs shotguns and the German combination guns. All works of functional art that I use a lot and cherish. A very nice win. 9422 with a highly figured stock caught my eye. It hasn't been seriously used for hunting ever, and was only used for a few plinking sessions. So in the soft case it went and off to the show, looking for something I would enjoy using.

I was at the show, contemplating a backpack hunt for mountain caribou in the fall, and trying to determine which of my rifles would be best for the task. When my eyes fell upon an ugly duckling. A Ruger 77 Mk II 30-06 with the canoe paddle stock. Hideous lines, big logo impressed on the stock, glaring, shiny stainless steel barrel, and soulless industrial heritage. I tapped on the stock, heard no hollow sound to spook game. I inspected the pristine condition of the rifle, the fit of the stock, tried the trigger, and was hooked. Perfect!

A rifle I can use as a tool, in rain, mud and snow, and heat and cold, strapped to the frame of my pack while I, unconcerned, stumble up and down the scree slopes and through the muskeg. I gave the man a little money and we traded rifles. It was almost a relief.

Nobody will actually see me using the ugly tool on top of a mountain and I can always store the Ruger in a dark corner of the gun room so it doesn't disturb the ambiance!

I'm not about to give up my classic walnut / blued steel hand crafted guns and rifles, but sometimes a concession to practicality intrudes on a collection. Anybody else have similar conflicting interests?
Click to expand...


It may be just a phase you're going through. If you find your fetish for Tupperware expanding you may want to talk to a counselor.
 
coyoteking said:
Maybe I'm just sick in the head but I love the look of those canoe paddle Rugers.:p
Click to expand...

Personally, I don't care for 'em.

My s/s 77 MkII 7.62 x 39mm came with one with the wood grain inserts. Kinda fugly if you ask me. I switched it out for a factory current synthetic.

Like it much better.

Old [factory Ruger synthetic 'paddle stock' with inserts]:

DSCN1980.jpg


DSCN1979.jpg


New [latest model Ruger factory synthetic stock]:

DSCN4753a.jpg


DSCN4754.jpg


DSCN4759.jpg


The old paddle stock is now a 'wall hanging' in the gunroom..... :p

:canadaFlag:
----------
NAA.
 
Cleftwynd said:
I also have many fine examples of figured wood and deep rich bluing, but my two main go to rifles are synthetic stocked. One is a model 7 stainless synthetic in 7mm08 that I purchased and tweaked for sheep hunting which now doubles duty as a deer rifle. The other is a Browning X-Bolt Stalker in 325 WSM that works wonderfully as a large game rifle in bad weather or thick and nasty bush. The Browning handles beautifully and is very accurate so it tends to get used more than any other rifle I own when seeking Bullwinkle.

I will never stop admiring and loving nice lumber and blued steel, but at the same time, the less aesthetically pleasing black or grey rifles have earned a place of respect beside the rest in my collection.
Click to expand...

SHEEP RIFLE? Where are you hunting, Egli's? LOL!!
 
Kilo Charlie said:
SHEEP RIFLE? Where are you hunting, Egli's? LOL!!
Click to expand...


Lol, no, northern BC where I lived for 10 years. Still to west every year to hunt. This year myself and 3 others will be hunting the Hinton/Cache Creek area. Next year will be somewhere around Lliard or Trutch BC. I like to move around.
 
my youngest son is deep into the s/s Ruger M77 canoe paddel short action rifles, he gets Ruger Walnut stocks for them, and is in 7th heaven. Any one selling a short action walnut stock, please PM me. Anyone wanting to buy a short action canoe paddel stock, you may PM me, not sure if he will sell one or not, though!
 
I have tried stainless rifles on three occasions, first a ruger canoe paddle in .270, second a 10-22, and most recently a marlin 1894ss in .44. Some how each one of these rifles found there way next door to my neighbors house.... Meanwhile I continue to carry my more traditional blued steel walnut stocked rifles about, being a bit of a traditionalist at heart. To my eye, a well used, long carried and well loved wood stock is a thing of beauty, and the same goes for the blued steel. No safe queens kicking around here! I have taken to carrying a ziplock bag with a small cloth and a bottle of break-free on my longer hunts and have found that a 3 minute wipe down at the end of each day in the field has proven 100% effective as a rust preventative. And I can say I truly enjoy the time spent, sitting under a big spruce tree in front of the fire at some valley bottoms floor, often at the end of a long rainy day in the mountains ......
 
I have mostly Blued steel/Walnut rifles in my gunsafes.
However, practicality also is there, in the form of 4 or 5 synthetic sticks and stainless metal.

I hunt my wood/blued rifles, but always take one of the others in case the weather/conditions get very rough.

All have a time and place to shine.

Regards, Eagleye.
 
i saw that exact gun, i picked it up and immediately noticed how front heavy it was, dealer wanted way too much $$ for it so i passed it by. A common theme at this years show was rifles at current american prices, i was quite dissapointed in much of the show, but there were a few gems out there to be sure, but just a few.
 
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