77/22 .22lr all-weather paddlestock factory threaded

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Hillbilly686

Bearcat
Joined
Mar 12, 2017
Messages
3
A few years ago I bought a rifle from a close friend of mine. He picked it up in 2012 at our LGS. It was a 2005 new old stock 77/22 all-weather paddle stock that is factory threaded 1/2x20. Model number in 07022. Catalog number is K77/22RP-SPL. I can not find ANYTHING online about this rifle. I called Ruger and posted on a couple forums when I first picked it up and it seemed to stump them as well. They gave me the contact info for Jay Hanson. They said he is in charge of the Ruger Collectors association. I called and messaged him but never heard back. So it has just been sitting in my safe for a few years. I pulled it out last week and it sparked my interest again so I called Ruger back and talked to a super nice lady in customer service named Chris. She made it her personal mission to find out something about this rifle. After a couple of hours she called me back with some interesting info. These rifles were made for EXPORT ONLY from 1995-2009. This was right through our Assault weapons ban when nothing was being threaded and at a time that I believed that Bill Ruger was not threading anything. I was wrong. This rifle sat on a shelf from its manufacture date in 2005 til 2011 when it was sold as new old stock to a distributor called Acusport. What she could not tell me is how many were sold off at that time to this US distributor. Due to the lack of info out there on this rifle, I believe I'm sitting on a fairly rare rifle. There can't be many of these floating around the US. If anyone could shed some light on how rare this rifle is , or any other info really, I would greatly appreciate it. I found a Silencerco stainless 1/2x20 to 1/2x28 adapter that matches the finish perfectly. This rifle is stil unfired. Should I shoot it and enjoy the rare find? Should I keep it unfired as I have the box and everything for it? Decisions...........
 

chet15

Hawkeye
Joined
Jan 22, 2001
Messages
5,993
Location
Dawson, Iowa
To me it is highly collectible.
Just ask the one guy here on RF what he thinks of the threaded T514 he has.
The threaded barrel end 77/22's were probably made for England where they believe it is a nuisance to other neighbors if you hear gunshots going off at the range...so they prefer some of their imported guns to have threaded muzzle ends.
Send me a PM on the serial number so I can add it to the reference.
Yes...they were made to shoot...but nothing becomes collectible if nobody knows about it. You've taken the first step in ensuring your gun can get a premium if you ever decide to sell it...instead of just selling it as a "shooter". I like having my guns worth more than the average shooter...after all, it was the reason I put them away in the first place.
Chet15
 

Big Old Boy

Hunter
Joined
Dec 31, 2013
Messages
2,401
Location
Tn
I shoot every single gun I own but, if it was mine it would be my first unfired gun and would be a one gun display at the Ruger display shows. By the way if you want to sell it let me know.
 

Hillbilly686

Bearcat
Joined
Mar 12, 2017
Messages
3
Thanks for the input guys. I agree with the "they are made to shoot" theory in nearly all cases. It's what drew me to these paddlestock all weather 77s in the first place. I have several. They are great packing and impervious to weather. My main deer rifle is a 270 all weather paddlestock.. It has been through rain, snow, sleet and continues to deliver year after year. I've got a 22 magnum all weather paddlestock that typically stays in the back seat of my truck. And honestly, I planned to shoot this threaded one. I bought an adapter from Silencerco that takes the threads from 1/2x20 to 1/2x28. It is stainless and matches the rifle perfectly. Then I , after an 8 month wait, just got approved for a Silencerco White Sparrow stainless suppressor just to match this rifle. The NFA stamp should be at my LGS any day. However, I'm having second thoughts. Once I started finding out how rare this thing is, it has me changing my mind. I still don't know exactly how rare it is. Have you guys ever heard of or seen one of these threaded versions before?
 

contender

Ruger Guru
Joined
Sep 18, 2002
Messages
25,138
Location
Lake Lure NC USA
Pay VERY close attention to chet15's advice. He is the one that provides us with the Red Eagle News Exchange,,, and is more up to date & on top of things than Jay Hansen. Rare guns like that can & will command a premium to the right person.
Many, many years ago,, there was a run of MKII rifles in a caliber not seen here & they were made for the European market. There were about 100 of them as overruns left here. Well, a distributor got them & I was able to buy one,,, keeping it NIB. It sat patiently in my safe until one day,,, a poster placed a WTB ad in our Classifieds. He bought mine,,,, BECAUSE it was NIB,,, and rare.
 

Hillbilly686

Bearcat
Joined
Mar 12, 2017
Messages
3
Contender, I appreciate and pay close attention to all your comments, but especially someone with as much knowledge and industry insider resources as someone like Chet15. I've PMd him all my info on this rifle and I hope to hear from him again soon. Thanks guys. Your advice is not falling on deaf ears.
 

huntsman22

Blackhawk
Joined
Nov 16, 2012
Messages
655
Location
Kiowa/Deer Trail, CO
Just how much more do you guys think this is this worth NIB, instead of used and cared for? Enough to retire on? Is it so rare that the only way to get rid of it, is to a collector in a specialized market? If it's only a $100 bucks or so, I'd get more than $100 bucks worth of enjoyment outta shooting the dang thing. Heck, I pay more than that in ammo in a week of shooting.....
 

contender

Ruger Guru
Joined
Sep 18, 2002
Messages
25,138
Location
Lake Lure NC USA
huntsman22,,,, you are not alone in how you feel. Many folks do not care if a gun is a rarer variety or not,,, they buy them to shoot. And some folks will knowingly take a rarer gun,, and have custom modifications done to their desires,,, making it "just a shooter."

That is fine,,, as it IS their property,,, to do with as they please.

And there are collectors,,, who also appreciate the rarer things,,, and build collections around them. They also buy regular production guns to shoot,,, instead of adding wear to a rare gun. To want NIB,,, mint examples of a rare gun is what they desire,,, and when they find one that is used,,, even well cared for,,, quite often the value is severely decreased due to the wear.

Only the market can forecast the amount of the value.

I do know that the differences in what I paid for my rifle,,, as compared to what "shooters were selling for,,, compared to what a NIB one sells for is enough of a difference to make me leave rare guns alone.

You mention spending $100 in ammo a week. Look at it like this. If you can afford to spend that much in ammo,,, then a $500 purchase,,, not used,,, put away,,, as an investment,,, or for collecting purposes etc,,, is not much to invest. And if you desire a shooter,,,, then one variation that is more common,,, or even the same but used will cost less,, and you can use it as much as you wish.

It all boils down to each individuals outlook on things. NEITHER type of person is wrong. They just have different viewpoints.

I do collect,,, and I also shoot. While I often feel sad when I see a rare gun that has been used or abused,,, I do not chastise the owner,,, as it is his property. But,, when I desire a rare variation of a Ruger,,, I often pay a premium for a nice specimen. As do many who collect.
 

chet15

Hawkeye
Joined
Jan 22, 2001
Messages
5,993
Location
Dawson, Iowa
yes...and you always hear of the old timers saying they would have held on to that Hawkeye...or wish they would have bought all the Hawkeye pistols they saw for $85 in the 1970's.
On the extreme case, I bet that factory plated .357 flattop that showed up on a thread a few years ago on Rugerform would make a nice shooter as well!
Most guns aren't collectible...but for those that are worth the extra premium, their owners sure appreciate them for what they are.
Would I take a NIB 10" flattop out of the box and lightly use it. No. But just one opinion of many.
Chet15
 
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