FWIW, I found a few pictures of 77/22's with black synthetic (not boat paddle) stocks and blued metal. And they sort of shook some old cob webs loose where I almost remember them being in Ruger catalog's now. Guess I had just seen too many stainless versions with either syn/boat paddle stocks to remember them. One of those found was from a gun auction that closed 3 1/2 months ago, sold for $385 after 9 bids from a $350 starting price. Walnut stocks for them come do up for sale if you want to change over later.
In case you are new to auctions... they do vary - some have reserves some don't; some have proxy bidding some don't; some have "minute rules" some don't for when a last bid can be placed. I've been doing auctions since the 50's, live for decades and then on-line when it came along. You are playing a game, one that can have different rules but all that can be played either smart or not.
In a live auction bidders use any of several tactics trying to get others to drop out during the bidding war, but the one willing to spend the most to be the winner will always be the winner at the end.
Those on-line that do have a minute rule is to prevent last second sniping. IOW if at the very end somebody bids, the auctions close is extended X more minutes (typically 15 minutes), so similar to a live auction in that the higgest bidder will always eventually win. Best chance to win is babysitting the auction at the very end and making a bid at the end to see if it will hold for the X minutes. If not it will be extended and you can bid higher... as many times as it takes to get to your maximum before someone else out bids you if someone does.
On proxy auctions that do not have a minute rule the highest last bid or "snipe" will win at the original closing time. Snipers on proxy auctions are not horses butts at all, but are rather being very smart bidders for the chance to buy for the lowest possible price. The butt head buyers with on-line proxy auctions are those that engage in bidding wars, bid over and over during the run of the auction that drives the price up for all interested in buying the item. And they seldom win the auction at the end. They weed out the dreamers, but not the ones that will be in the running at the end to be the winner. Sellers love them, so does the auction house with both getting more money.
And there are a few folks that when they do finally find something wanted for a very long time that seldom if ever comes up for sale AND find it on a proxy auction will snipe at the end with a maximum that no one else will beat. IOW willing to pay whatever it takes to win no matter what. When filling in holes in collections or for specific wanted finds I have snipped with a bid as much as 10 times what would be considered current value to a sane person to be certain I won the item. Risky, pucker time when I first starting doing so. But I've been lucky to never run into anyone else who did the same on an auction so far, and bought all for the very reasonable price just over the next higest proxy bid. Like with most things in life, it's how willing you are to be the winner more often than not to be the winner.
Respect those who do beat you out on any auction, they earned the win, you didn't.
Only you know what you can afford to pay - how bad you want it right now, how long you will wait to find another you can afford if you don't win this auction. Just play the game as far as you are willing.
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