Of course the next logical step was to come out with a centerfire bolt-action magazine rifle, and in 1968 the Model 77 made its appearance. Basically a Model 98 Mauser variant, many feel the Model 77 has become, in terms of collectibility, the Pre-64 Model 70 of recent years.

The basic rifle is a handsome piece of fairly classical styling, though ultimately it has been sold in more variants than any of the other Ruger long guns. Available in everything from Standard to African grade and in long and short actions, different barrel weights and so forth, the Model 77 is very popular with many Ruger collectors (plus I can attest it’s a heck of a shooter). I have seen some spectacular displays of Ruger Model 77s at some of the higher-end gun shows, and they never fail to attract an appreciative audience.

Nicely blued and well-fitted to the stock, early 10/22 barrels were cleanly rollmarked.

In 1973 Ruger came out with one of its more controversial arms, the Mini 14. Looking much like an un-Sanforized M14 service rifle, this elegant little half-stock was initially chambered in .223 Remington and later offered in 7.62x39 (as the Mini-Thirty) as well. The Mini-14 Ranch Rifle, a new version sporting some cosmetic differences, came out in 1982, and both Stainless and Target variants of that gun were ultimately cataloged.

To be honest, I haven’t noticed the collector movement in the Minis to the same degree that I’ve seen in other Ruger models. Most prices reflect their values as shooters rather than artifacts.

As well as the above mentioned arms, Ruger has also come out with a few other interesting rifles over the years, including the Model 96 Carbine lever action in .17 HMR (introduced in 2002) .22 LR, .22 Magnum and .44 Magnum. It’s not one of the higher profile Rugers, and as it is a fairly recent addition to the line (1996) it has yet to establish much of a collecting rack record.

As noted in the 29th edition Blue Book of Gun Values, when collecting Rugers it is important to be aware that they are divided into three periods, differentiated by when the guns’ frames were produced: 1949-63, 1963-73 and 1973 to date. Early models are usually the most elusive, sought-after and pricey.

One of the nice things about collecting Rugers is that you can amass a pretty nice accumulation of lovely guns without having to mortgage the farm. For those interested in pursuing the hobby further, I recommend you check out the Ruger Collectors’ Association. As well as being extremely helpful to new collectors, the organization produces a quarterly journal.