Loved them since I bought one in .280 Rem in '92 or '93 (I think)I have a handful of them and I always keep an eye out for them. I have a couple of bare stocks waiting for some stainless Hawkeyes to put in them.
Ruger M77 Zytel or Boat Paddle or Skeleton Stock All Weather 100% Stainless Steel in good condition with wooden inserts. The Zytel Stock rifles were discontinued in the year 2000 for center fire and 2005 for rim fire, so if you can find one in good condition, This is the kind or gun you will...
Man I had a collection of these skeletons years ago, back when they were $350-400. I had 1 of the 1/1000 Ultralight 7.62x39, 1 Reg weight 7.62x39, 77/22 green inserts, 280, 223, 260, 308, 338, 10/22 sorta skeleton. I can’t remember what all i had but these I remember. Still have the 77/22 green insert, love that little gun.
Some of the toughest guns made, new trigger and shot pretty decent. Who’d have thought they would become sought after 20 years later the way they were hated on back then? Was just cheap reliable hunting rifle back then.
I put a 375Ruger Alaskan in one of those zytel stocks. Wow, what a difference over that crappy Hogue stock. Much lighter and trimmer feeling. A perfect rifle for anything, anywhere. However, I left that Hogue stock on the 416Ruger Alaskan...you really need the cushy pad on that one.