Anyone know the release date for the Craig Boddington Ruger #1 in .450 NE?


Thanks

Don't know the "official" timing but I started following the Boddington series due to an interest in the .300 H&H. Ruger started distributing the series - a total of five - in early 2008 and seem to have been following a release every 6 months or so. The third in the series - the .300 H&H - just came out in January and I understand the 4th will be later this year. Based on this I'd guess early 2010 for the .450 NE.

Initially, the hype was big on these rifles so I thought it may be difficult to find only one in the series. I was not really interested in the big bores but only the .300 H&H and the 7x57. Since have found a nice #1A in 7x57 so the H&H may be the only one I get (mine is being shipped now) . It has been fairly easy to find one to purchase as it appears many of the "sets" have been broken up now dealers are moving the rifles one at a time. I have seen all three of the current calibers for sale on the web or have heard of availability through a couple of dealers.

If you are really interested, don't think you will have a problem getting one. I have couple of dealer contacts if you are interested (not affiliated with either and have only used the first for my .300 H&H with a good experience so far)

1. High Mountain Hunting Supply (luvtohunt.com) - Wenatchee, Washington (509)665-9362 (ask for Kelsey)
2. Boggs Gun Shop (Chuck Boggs) - West Virginia (304)344-1900 - never spoken to him but his name comes up on several boards as a good Ruger dealer

Good Luck!!

Phil

Thank you for the info Phil.

The No.1 Kudu in 300 H&H is most of the way to my dream Ruger. If only they'd used a 28 inch tube and gone with an ebony foreend tip. Have to keep an eye opend for dealers breaking up the sets...

So 7x57, 300 H&H, and 450NE....what are the other 2 offerings?

Thanks

quote:

Originally posted by AzGuy:
So 7x57, 300 H&H, and 450NE....what are the other 2 offerings?

450/400 and, of course, the classic 375 Ruger...

Hello,
Chuck Boggs dealer was mentioned above and from my experience over the years, he is fine fellow and fair dealer and probably can find whatever when others can not. He's been selling Ruger products or a long time now and probably could provide or tell you where to find about any Ruger.

martin

There are a few of the Boddington Series Ruger No.1's for sale on GunBrokers.com. Prices seem to be about the same as what I am paying to get them retail. My undrstanding is that the 7X57 will be out June/July and the 450NE 3 1/4 is planned to be released Nov/Dec. 2009

I'm negatively surprized about the fit and finish of the Boddington Series Ruger No. 1's. I've handled a half-dozen of the rifles chambered in .300 H&H, .375 Ruger Lion, and a 400/450 Buffalo.
The price range has been over $2,000 USD and the fit and finish isn't close to the off the shelf No.1. What gives? This has not been my experience with Ruger limited editions in the past.

I picked up the Ruger #1 in 300 H&H just more of an impulse than anything. I have been looking for a 300 H&H in single shot or bolt and never saw anything I liked or what I could afford.

I was on the fence but with only 250 being made per caliber what do I have to loose.

I only wish they where coming out with a 375H&H versus the 375 ruger. Would have made a nice pair. I would like to know the thinking on what calibers where chosen.

Number 4 is now out - 7X57; I got mine today. The wood looked great ....... I love Ruger #1's.

Sorry, I simply gotta weigh in here. I love Ruger No 1s but if the only one I could own was one with Boddington's name on it....I'd either grind his name off or else give the rifle away.

I like some of the chamberings but absolutely REFUSE to give my approval to anything even remotely connected to that poor lying, bragging egotistically insecure sorry specimen of humanity. I DON'T think Bill Ruger would have approved.
End of rant, regards, Joe

Hey Joe,

Maybe you should read your signature and thank Craig since he was an officer in the Marine Corps instead of needlessly spewing your opinion.

J.D., if you are going to be so forcefully negative about Mr. Boddington; you need to be specific. Never met the man, but #1 he is a former Marine and #2 he has been pleasant and helpful to me on this board.

I'll need some idea of the problem with him to take your post seriously.

j

What Josh A. said ....... also, he has the BEST shows on the outdoor channels, is very accessible, & is a gentleman at the Dallas Safari Club show that will help you with any hunting questions you might ask him. Although I don't personally know him, I have great respect for his knowledge of African hunting & his willingness to participate in this forum.

Yes, he's a former Marine.

Please also notice that he no longer uses his 'title' of 'General' in his article bylines since he wasn't entitled to it and never has been. That basic bragging dishonesty, in my book, is plenty enough to justify my negative opinion in any objective analysis.

In a subjective analysis, I simply don't care for folks who find it necessary to constantly publish pictures of themselves with dead animals. The animals are interesting; the poor fellow trying to bolster up his faltering ego by his bragging self-serving photos is not interesting but actually IMO is rather pitiful in some ways.

One of my friends hunted at a later date with one of Boddington's PHs, he had some interesting tales to tell about the fellow. Strictly hearsay and probably big lies but nevertheless interesting.

Apparently he's quite popular with some folks, so I hope you enjoy his products.
Regards, Joe

Got to thinkin' about my negative post, and I'm sorry I wrote it. Yes, it's the truth as I see it, but that didn't give me the right to rain on anyone else's parade. Lots of folks obviously like him and his products & get enjoyment from them, and I shoudn't have mentioned his personal shortcomings since they have little to do with his words.

But I still don't want one of those Boddington rifles....
Regards, Joe

I hope to own the 450 NE when they become available. I have a 470 Krieghoff double and could not justify spending another 10K+ for a 450 double. The No 1 will fill that need. Now I just need to buy the 450-400 Jeffery I keeep drooling over.

And Joe everybody is entitled to their opinion. The Single Shot forum tends to be one of the least controversial I read. Your statement probably would not raise an eyebrow in the Political Forum.

Joe

I'm really quite shocked. In the relatively short time that you have been posting here I have come to enjoy your posts and respect your level of expertise regarding rifles.

I see that your expertise does not include publishing. CB's photos are not published to bolster his ego, the are published to pay his bills. I the magazine business most writers make far more money from their photos than they do from the articles they write.

And as far as you not caring "for folks who find it necessary to constantly publish pictures of themselves with dead animals", I guess that means that don't care for nearly every hunting writer who has ever put pen to paper?

CB has stated here on this site that he never asked for his rank to be included in his byline. Including or omitting it was up to the editors. And a quick internet search will show you that CB's improper frocking was more due to him following orders that any intentional wrongdoing.

I really don't see how your signature line can ask us to thank US soldiers, then you slam one who served our country for more than three decades.

IMO your vague mention of a second or third hand negative story, with absolutely no details, was in poor form.

I have spoke to him twice and my impression is that he is a regular guy who does not show any sings of an inflated ego.

Jason, my third-hand rendition of the existence of some hunting stories contained absolutely no negative statement about Boddington, the only negative was about the 'big lies'. Your mind jumped to a negative conclusion, it seems. 'Cause you still don't know the subject of the stories, now do you?

The fact that someone served honorably, in any of the services (but IMO most especially the USCG), entitles them to my respect; my signature line spells that out pretty clearly. Most of the males in my family have been serving officers in several services including the USMC. For instance My Bride's half-brother is a REAL retired USMC active duty general officer, my father was an active duty Naval Aviator and my active duty USAF uncle is past president of the Society of Experimental Test Pilots. But by the same token, a former USMC veteran bilked me of lots of money for an unfinished home renovation job, so I don't think that guy deserves ANY respect...

Concerning publishing expertise, I haven't published nearly as many articles as Boddington but suspect I've published a LOT more than you think! The photos in the articles themselves add little to the payment for the articles, believe me, I speak from personal experience here. The photos make real money only when used on the covers, not in the articles.

Even Elmer Keith, one of the biggest self-promoters ever, at least occasionally showed someone other than himself! Maybe it's a cultural difference, my father raised me to think that only punks brag.

Anyway I'm sorry I rained on your parade and I hope that you and Craig continue to have good relations.
Regards, Joe

It is understood by most educated folk, that the main reason to speak negatively about another man, is to cover up ones own shortcomings. My Father raised me to be better than that. I have read Mr Boddingtons articles for most of his writing career, and in my mind, have never found them more or less then what they should be. Good writing! Elmer Keith was not a self promoter, but simply told it exactly as he saw it. He was a down to earth cowboy that could shoot. To complain publicly about these men shows lack of common sense or intelligence, and is an effort to cover up one's own negative issues. Better done at the counselor's office.

quote:

One of my friends hunted at a later date with one of Boddington's PHs, he had some interesting tales to tell about the fellow. Strictly hearsay and probably big lies but nevertheless interesting.

I believe that if you reread this quote you will see that, in the context of your very negative post, anyone would have concluded that the stories were of a negative nature and were about Boddington. Your reply:

quote:

Jason, my third-hand rendition of the existence of some hunting stories contained absolutely no negative statement about Boddington, the only negative was about the 'big lies'.

does not fit with what you wrote. Maybe you misstated your point the first time around?

It would be nice if you mentioned the 'big lies' so that we could judge for ourselves if we believe there is any validity to these tales.

I'm not going to argue the active duty Vs. reserve thing, but I think it is safe to say that Boddington served far more than his share.

Having read so many of your posts I had assumed that you wrote professionally, and that is why I was shocked when you made the comment about the photos being self-serving. Many technical magazines don't pay for photos that accompany submissions, and the same can be said for the second and third tier magazines. The top magazines where you will find CB's articles generally pay about $100 per published photo. If you have four photos published you stand to make more from the photos than the articles.

As to Elmer Keith occasionally showing someone other than himself, I also see CB include photos of others with their trophies in his books and articles. He seems to show other people in his articles more often than most other writers.

Don't worry about raining on my parade, I was already well aware that CB had his share of detractors. So far all of the detractors I have come across have been jealous, small-minded people whose opinions hold little weight with anyone. I was just shocked to find that someone of your caliber would count yourself among them.

There is no reason to bash someone,when all you have is second or third hand info.My Dad said if you have nothing good to say about someone,keep your trap shut!!!!

The man did see the "error of his ways..." and stated that he wished he had not said negative things about the subject individual. He aplogized and I for one see that as a character plus. JMO

martin

quote:

Originally posted by OLBIKER:
There is no reason to bash someone,when all you have is second or third hand info.My Dad said if you have nothing good to say about someone,keep your trap shut!!!!

True on a personal level, but people who put themselves up before the public eye should always expect scrutiny and criticism. Especially when they stand to make a profit from the public's opinion! And IMO the folks who are expected to support the public figure should be able to talk about all sides without censorship.

I counted Elmer among my long-distance acquaintances, corresponded and over the years got him to autograph several of his works for me. I also know some third-hand-but-true-and-embarrassing stories about Elmer's WW2 employment at Ogden Arsenal, so what? Elmer showed many, many photos of animals actually killed by Elmer himself but displayed by his companions, so as to add more interest for whatever reason. The fact that Elmer's face wasn't always dominating his articles and books may have been accidental or purposeful on his part, but it made me believe that he was not naturally a self-centered or egotistical person. By contrast.....

The funny story about Elmer involves his mechanical blunders while checking headspace on 1917 Enfield rifles, the funny story about Boddington involves his extreme reaction to snakes. Neither story makes the subject appear to be A Bad Person but rather a person with feet of clay like the rest of us. Personally I would not have wanted Elmer helping me in my shop or CB backing me up on a DG hunt in snake country but that doesn't make either one a bad person, just human.

If we were never allowed to criticize or question public figures, we'd still be believing Jim & Tammie Fay Bakker and Bernie Madoff and Jimmy Carter.

Sorry I didn't measure up to you guys' expectations but I always call 'em like I see 'em. Perhaps I didn't see perfectly clearly this time, I hope your good relations with CB continue.
Regards, Joe

quote:

the funny story about Boddington involves his extreme reaction to snakes.

What is funny is that any of us who read Boddinton's stuff already know of his phobia. He was written about it extensively.

He even has a photo in one of his books of him holding a small non dangerous snake at a reptile farm. The caption below the photo reads something to the effect: You know there had to be a bunch of marines around for me to get me that close to a snake.

Boddington's writing always makes him seem pretty human IMO.

It seems like all of us unknown people have inside information about well-known gunwriters and that inside information is always very negative.

I guess we are all just jealous of the way they get to live out our dreams of hunting and writing and making a living from it.

The truth is that of all the outdoor writers since Elmer Keith, Craig Boddington is one of my favorites. Being a former Marine is a positive, of course.

I see no reason for us to make ugly, veiled comments about someone like Mr. Boddington especially when he makes himself available on a forum like this.

Just my thoughts,
josh

This is the gospel truth, straight from the horse's mouth*: my wife's hairdresser's sister's ex-boyfriend's next door neighbor's cat groomer's CPA told her that Craig Boddington actually is recoil sensitive and uses those 30 carbine sub-caliber inserts in all of his big rifles and relies on pinpoint accuracy to drop all of his DG with one shot. My wife told me this yesterday after she got home from the Beauty Shop about one pm.

Rich
4-bore shooter

* on second thought, it may be more likely to have come from the other end of the horse; just like JD's.

I've already apologized, and did it BEFORE any complaints from the peanut gallery.

Most of you guys are still jumping on me. Shows a lotta class.

Hope you have a good day.
Regards, Joe

Wait just a second there J.D., who's this peanut gallery of which you speak?

"No more ryhming, and I mean it!"
Anybody want a...never mind

the dread pirate

I would like to point out that Soldier should be capitalized...

JD,

I think it's because we took a minute to formulate a well thought out response...

That, and it is a great American pastime; piling on. You have to have a thick skin to make an unpleasant statement, and then run from it. Personally, I would have taken the easy way out: deleted the post and denied it ever existed.

Rich
4-bore shooter

For all you professional journalists and critics out there, CB may not be up to your literary standards or high ethical standards (pompas). The guy is able to make a living doing what he enjoys. We are all different and may view life in different ways.
In my mind what CB offers is insight for younger viewers to experience hunting and Africa from a guy who is not 400 lbs in overalls and has no teeth (BUBBA). Which is most of our hunting programing.
We are going to have a real problem in our favorite pastime if there is not a youth movement to take our place. Our largest delimma is how the cost of hunting has sky rocketed for the average guy. It is difficult to find public land to hunt on these days. Private hunting leases have just about priced themselves out of the reach of the average family guy.
It is becoming more difficult to take a child out and having him enjoy hunting and the outdoors.
CB, through his programming brings a little of the outdoors to the kids hungry for the opportunity.
If we do not have a future generation promoting our love, we could loose it.
Take a kid hunting! CB does it 3 times a week (Saturday, Sunday and Thursday morning)
Kudo's to Jim Shockey as well!
EZ

quote:

Originally posted by Idaho Sharpshooter:
JD,
I think it's because we took a minute to formulate a well thought out response...
That, and it is a great American pastime; piling on. You have to have a thick skin to make an unpleasant statement, and then run from it. Personally, I would have taken the easy way out: deleted the post and denied it ever existed.
Rich
4-bore shooter

I agree my response should have been thought out better. And unfortunately I usually don't run away afterward.

In my state, MS, we have so many deer that they're considered more of a dangerous nuisance than a big-game animal. For instance while I was still commuting to the nukie, I killed 5 deer with my truck over a 2-year period. Most of the hunters I know are under an 8-point-or-better rule and are happy with it. Perhaps you guys can get CB to urge the other states' wildlife agencies to copy our state's practices? Just don't tell him how us goodoleboys treat snakes! Google this YouTube video for an idea of why we laugh so hard!
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=gEh8Y--EzdQ
This works well at night also, since they'll come to the light. Just be sure you don't get surprised like one of my HS classmates did, when at a 6" range the light suddenly went out!
Regards, Joe

eezridr,Bubbas my friend.He probably served in Nam.Teeth are way over rated.The women around here average over 400 lbs.We call them skinny.Truth is any body gets all their hunting knowledge from watching hunting shows,probably never gets off the Couch anyway.
#1 Rule of life.I have had several businesses.Never judge anyone by appearances.

OLBIKER; You are right! Sorry for the insinuation. I returned from a physically challenging archery elk hunt in New Mexico last week where a individual was in camp that was way out of shape. He paid allot of money for that hunt and essentially stayed in camp all week. He was miserable! A nice fellow none the less.