[CSA 357]

Do you like the new vaquero or the old one? I just got a stainless 5.5 357 , i realy wanted the 4 5/8 barrel, but so far i am very happy with it,the finish looks like nickel, csa

[jim in Anchorage]

What is diff. between old and new? I traded my circa 2004 Bisly off because the SS finsh is way to bright for hunting[I ordered the gun and didn't know how shiny they are] Would a gun that age be "old" or "new"?

[Glockman17366]

Dfferent frames.
The "old" Vaquero was physically larger and heavier then the New Vaquero (which is more inline with "real" cowboy revolvers as far as size).

Do a search for Vaquero and New Vaquero both on THL and an internet search. There's many many threads and articles on these guns.

What is diff. between old and new? I traded my circa 2004 Bisly off because the SS finsh is way to bright for hunting[I ordered the gun and didn't know how shiny they are] Would a gun that age be "old" or "new"?

I wonder if bead blasting would have reduced the reflectivity of your Bisley? What did you trade for?

BTW, my New Vaquero is blued/color case hardened finish with the 5½" barrel. Like CSA357, mine is also .357 Mag. I would have prefered the 4 5/8ths barrel, but I got a nice deal on a used gun. Guess I can always have the barrel cut down.

[jim in Anchorage]

New model single six,32 H&R mag,as new. I still have a blue Vaquero .45, so I felt I could let the Bisley go.

[RippinSVT]

It all comes down to use. The Old Models are inherently stronger and heavier, basically a Blackhawk. The New Models are easier to handle, based upon the SAA frame, and reek of sexiness. :)

[jim in Anchorage]

Any obvious identifying features?

[bakert]

Any obvious identifying features?

This not too good photo shows;
The frame is marked "Ruger New Vaquero" and the checkering on those plastic grips chew on my hand like sandpaper:)

http://i48.photobucket.com/albums/f241/brumanj/Picture990-1.jpg

[jim in Anchorage]

So since mine just says"Ruger Vaquero" I take it that means its a old model?

[ArmedBear]

Yes.

The Old Vaquero is a Blackhawk with rounded edges and integral fixed sights.

The New Vaquero is a smaller-framed gun, designed specifically for CAS, to handle and look like an old Colt.

[jim in Anchorage]

Thanks all.

[MT GUNNY]

The only things that are Different is the Grip is slimmer on the New model, Action on the new Model is more like the Colt SAA( same feel ) Big Difference over the Old Model.

[ArmedBear]

Not true. The frame is smaller on the new model.

If you want to shoot "Ruger only" loads, you can do it safely in the old model, but not the new model.

[raveneap]

Here's one of each - top is original Vaquero, below is New Vaquero. I've since replaced the "hard rubber", (read 'plastic') grps on the New Vaquero with wood Ruger grips to match the Vaquero. They are both excellent revolvers.

http://img.photobucket.com/albums/v77/raveneap/DSC03850.jpg

[Gary A]

I like 'em both but it depends on your needs and intended use. The New Vaquero also indexes better for reloading than the Vaquero. The New Vaquero seems to have a somewhat less hefty mainspring and cocks easier (some like that, some not). The XR3 grip frame is somewhat different and the hard rubber grips are slimmer.

My New Vaqueros are all .357s and the smaller frame is ideally sized for that cartridge and plenty strong for any commercial load or any load I'll ever want to shoot from one. Some who like to shoot the heavy .45 Colt loads in their fixed sight revolvers need the original Vaquero because its larger cylinder and .44 sized frame can handle heavy loads. The New Vaquero in .45 Colt is a strong gun but is in the same class as other Single Action Army-sized .45s and is not safe to shoot the very heavy, 44 Magnum-class powered .45 Colt loads.

Note that the Vaquero was offered in .44 Magnum also. The New Vaquero is not. Cylinders on the New Vaquero are noticeably smaller with less meat.

I like the New Vaquero for most of my uses but I wish I had kept a couple of Vaquero 45 convertibles that I had at one time...sheesh.

I use Blackhawks these days for my .45s. New Blackhawks have a slimmer hard rubber grip which feel better to my not overly large hands but are still built on the .44 frame, with the exception of the .357 50th Anniversay Flattop which is on the smaller frame.

[Redhawk1]

The only things that are Different is the Grip is slimmer on the New model, Action on the new Model is more like the Colt SAA( same feel ) Big Difference over the Old Model.

Wrong answer.
The new model is built on the smaller frame and can only handle the standard light loaded 45 Colts.

The old Vaquero is built on the same frame as the Blackhawk and can handle the same hotter loaded 45 Colts. Also the cylinder in the older Vaquero is bigger and can handle the hotter loads.

The New Vaquero's are marked New Vaquero.

CSA 357 , if you are looking to shoot heavy loaded 45 Colts, also look at the older Vaquero Bisley model, the grip helps with the recoil.

[MT GUNNY]

I said; The only things that are Different is the Grip is slimmer on the New model, Action on the new Model is more like the Colt SAA( same feel ) Big Difference over the Old Model.
I am Right acording to Ruger;

http://www.ruger-firearms.com/Firearms/FAProdSpecsView?model=5108

The only thing I left out was the FRAME is Smaller also

Caliber: .357 Mag.
Capacity: 6 Rounds
Finish: Gloss Stainless
Grip: Black Checkered
Barrel Length: 5 1/2"
Groove: 8
Twist: 1:16" RH
Overall Length: 11 1/8"
Weight: 44 oz
California Approved: N/A
Massachusetts Approved: Yes
Front Sight(s): Fixed
Rear Sight(s): Fixed
Other Features: Transfer Bar Operating Mechanism / Loading Gate Interlock.
Suggested Retail Price: $ 659.00
Miscellaneous: The Ruger New Vaquero features a smaller grip and frame, crescent-shaped ejector, reverse indexing cylinder pawl, beveled cylinder, longer hammer spur and improved hammer springs.

[Claude Clay]

and the price:what: larger

[MT GUNNY]

That is suggested Retail, Around here they are about $550.

One thing i keep seeing is the New Model cant handle standard store bought Rounds. I would like to see some Proof of this.

[Matt-J2]

It can handle em fine, unless that store happens to sell only Buffalo Bore and the like!

Even then, standard pressure ought to be just fine.

[Gary A]

One thing i keep seeing is the New Model cant handle standard store bought Rounds.

??? Of course it can handle "standard store bought rounds". It is not meant to handle the uber-rounds that bring the .45 colt into .44 magnum territory, i.e. not the Corbon, Buffalo Bore, and some other heavy hunting loads. "Normal" .45 Colt loads are fine in the New Vaquero. In a New Vaquero chambered in .357, I'm not aware of any commercially manufactured ammo it can't handle.

[ArmedBear]

People have long bought Ruger single actions because they will handle the hottest rounds you can buy or that handloaders might load. They are used to develop handloads without worrying that a little extra pressure in a test load would cause damage or injury, and to use a caliber at the upper limits of its potential.

The New Vaquero was introduced specifically for Cowboy Action Shooting, and is not intended to be so overbuilt. In a sport that requires quick guns, the Blackhawk's heft is a liability. CAS shooters wanted a gun with Ruger durability but SAA handling -- not a beast to try out their hot handloads in.

I wouldn't be too excited to buy a New Vaquero for knockaround use. I like the Blackhawk family.

However, I wouldn't be at all concerned about shooting any hot load in the New Vaquero that I'd shoot in a good Smith and Wesson of the same caliber.

[Big Bill]

Original Vaquero is my vote. They just cheapened the new one, IMO.

[ArmedBear]

The new one is easier to load.

But like I said, I like Blackhawks. For all-around shooting, fixed sights are a real liability in my book.

[RippinSVT]

Original Vaquero is my vote. They just cheapened the new one, IMO.

Cheapened? It's built on the same XR3 frame as the original flat-top Blackhawks to serve an entirely different purpose than the larger Old Vaqueros.

[Big Bill]

Cheapened?It is cheaper (thinner, etc.) and uglier to me. I liked the old choices better also. They are trying to make it look like a Colt for all the SASS people (I won't even call them cowboys, as nothing would be further from the truth.). I hate the black plastic handle instead of the wood. (See post #13)

[1911Tuner]

The New Vaquero has a niche and serves a purpose. Smaller and not as brute strong as the original Vaqueros and New Model Blackhawks, for sure...but they're also lighter and easier to pack on a long hike. They're also stronger than one might think, given their close approximation of the original SAA's dimensions. I know this for a fact.

The .357 version is fully capable of handling anything that is within SAAMI specs, and even a little more...though overloaded/hot-rod ammunition is never recommended in any gun...including the massive Super Redhawk. Limit this sort of thing to need-based useage and proceed with caution. Don't fall into the belief that any of'em are indestructible. To date, I've seen three Blackhawks and one Super Blackhawk blown to smithereens. If you start to think that they can't break...you just haven't been trying hard enough.

The .45 New Vaquero should be approached with the same limitations in mind as the Colt SAA or any of its Italian clones...even though it's much more durable. Ruger has long had a rep for marketing strong revolvers...and they haven't changed that over-engineering habit with the New Vaquero, likely because they're well aware that there are handloaders out there who very often push the envelope.

[ArmedBear]

If you start to think that they can't break...you just haven't been trying hard enough.


No doubt.

When I wrote that about handloads, I didn't mean stupid handloads. Right now, though, I'm working up the ladder towards the maximum charge in a particular .44 load. The testing is happening in the Super Blackhawk, not the 629. Slight over-spec pressure isn't going to blow up the SBH -- probably not the Smith, either, but the SBH is less likely to be any worse for wear, because I put a couple of rounds in it for testing.

[Gary A]

I've always thought the Vaqueros were over-sized and bull-strong simply as a a result of Ruger using their existing frame size to build a fixed-sight revolver, not because they were trying to build a super SAA that could safely fire "uber-loads". I've also believed that Ruger settled on one frame size (the 44) back in the 70's for all their Blackhawks to save costs on manufacturing efficiency. If that is so, then re-introducing the smaller frame for the New Vaquero and the 50th Anniversary .357 doesn't seem to me to be "cheapening" anything but more tailoring the frame to the task.

For my purposes and uses, the New Vaquero is actually a better fit for me than the Vaquero though I like them both.

I do wish they still offered the larger Vaquero also in .45 and .44, not so much for me, but because there is obviously a market for it. They could call it the Super Vaquero.

[B BRI]

Both !!! :evil:

[flat top]

I like em both...but, I was looking for an old Vaquero in 44 mag (never did find one), and came across the new Vaquero "Birds Head" with the short barrel. WoW!!! Did that ever trip my trigger!!! I had an old New Model Super Blackhawk, but, it was really in need of a facelift (a great gun, that had served me well, had no business being treated so poorly). My only beef with the Vaquero's was the lack of an adjustable sight...anyway to make a long story short, I got the hacksaw and files out and went to work on my old reliable 5 1/2" NMB............ Now I have everything that I want....short barrel (4"), adjustable sights, Birds Head grip....short, light, and handy. It will be the perfect back up gun for rifle hunting, sitting in a cross draw holster. Life is sweet!!!!...............By the way, photo's in another thread..."For Ruger SA fans", if you want to see the results.