Back in 1997 or so, the only hunting rifle I had was a Winchester Model 70 XTR in .257 Roberts. I had taken my first deer, my first elk, and my first antelope with it. But, I felt I needed something with a bit more oopmh for a big bull elk.
My dad gave me a Model 70 in .35 Whelen that was custom built. I hunted with it that season. Then my wife at the time said she was doing an insurance review and needed to know what my guns were worth. I ended up finding out that custom Winchester was worth about $8k. Well, that was the end of hunting with that!
So I bought a Ruger M77 with a black synthetic stock and shiny stainless barrel and action. I didn't like how shiny it was in the woods, so I taped the barrel up with camo tape and gave it a custom camo job. Hunted with it for years and years, but never really liked it because it wasn't all that light, the trigger was heavy at 6lbs, and it kicked like a mule.
I replaced it with a Winchester Model 70 pre-`64 in .30-06 Ackley Improved that is at 7.5 lbs and is a sweet rifle.
I figured the Ruger was only worth maybe $300 or so since it was the epitome of 90's cheese. Apparently not. They call those rifles the "boat paddle" rifles due to the stock design, and they are now collectible. I searched online and they are going for around $900 to $1200 in good condition.
But, mine is camouflaged. So, I took it apart tonight and am painstakingly restoring it to factory new condition. No scratches in the finish and no dings or imperfections in the stock. The tape and paint perfectly preserved it all these years.
I never would have guessed that rifle would become a collector's item. Hopefully going to get it all cleaned up and put together tomorrow and then list it on Gunbroker. Need to buy a new garden shed.
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