Ruger is auctioning off two rifles to support Honored American Veterans Afield, or HAVA. Both are no longer in production, giving bidders a chance to own not only uncommon rifles but donate to a charity that helps soldiers returning from duty with disabilities make a healthy return to life in America.
This represents a milestone for Ruger’s charity auctioneers, as these are their 100th and 101st rifles to go up on the block.
The 100th rifle is a special M77 Hawkeye Alaskan that was once owned by Ruger President Mike Fifer. Fifer used this big game rifle during a brown bear hunt on the Alaska Peninsula in May 2010 and brought down a large 8-foot, 10.5-inch brown bear. The hunt was featured on the Ruger TV series, “Ruger’s Adventures.”
It is a mid-size bolt-action game rifle chambered in .375 Ruger, a big-bore cartridge that excels even with this rifle’s comparatively-short 20-inch barrel. It has a Hogue overmolded stock, express sights up front and a drilled and tapped receiver for the included Burris scope.
It comes with an autographed copy of Fifer’s photo album of his Alaskan hunt.
The 101st rifle is a Ruger .44 Carbine, and while it has a less impressive pedigree, is no less interesting as a rifle. In fact, some may find it a little more appealing, as the .44 Carbine’s a bit harder to find these days.
This particular rifle was made March 5, 1974, and it does not have any warning stamps. It has the original American Walnut stock with a metal buttplate, sling studs, a gold bead front and folding rear sight and is drilled and tapped for a scope.
The .44 carbine has an 18.5-inch barrel to ensure you get every ounce of energy out of your .44 Magnum cartridges. It feeds from an internal four-round magazine for a capacity of 4+1.
Both auctions started at $300 and are already selling for over $1,000, but for HAVA’s sake we hope they sell for a lot more.
If you’re interested in bidding on these fine and charitable firearms, the auction page for the Hawkeye is here and the auction page for the .44 Carbine is here.
Since 2010 Ruger, working with GunBroker, has raised over $176,000 for charity.
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