Howdy
What do some of you SAA aficionados think about it? Compare it to the Colt.
I have Colts, Rugers, and I even still have an Uberti Cattleman.
Left to right in this photo are a Blackhawk, a blued 'original model' Vaquero, two stainless 'original model' Vaqueros, and on the right are two New Vaqueros.
The 'original model' Vaquero was produced from 1993 until 2005. (I always refer to the original, larger version as the 'original model' just like that, to avoid confusion with the New Vaquero.)
The 'original model' Vaquero was built on the same large frame as a Ruger Blackhawk. The only difference was the adjustable sight of a Backhawk was replaced with a fixed sight with a groove down the top strap, and the contours at the top of the frame were rounded over to resemble a Colt.
Here is a photo of my 45 Colt/45ACP Blackhawk and an 'original Vaquero' chambered for 45 Colt. The frames are identical in size. The cylinder of the 'original model' Vaquero (and a Blackhawk) was larger than a Colt. Because the cylinder was larger, the frame was larger to accommodate it. 'original model' Vaqueros were available in a greater selection of calibers than the New Vaquero. Working from memory, some of the chamberings were 45 Colt, 44-40, 44 Magnum. I believe some were also chambered for 38-40, and 'convertibles' were available with two cylinders for 38-40 and 40 S&W. Working from memory, so don't hold me to that. This 'original model' Vaquero has an aftermarket cylinder pin in it, that is not the standard cylinder pin.
A stainless 'original model' Vaquero and the blued one. Both are chambered for 45 Colt. Note the 'color case' finish on the blued one. This was standard on the blued 'original model' Vaqueros. Not true Case Hardening, Ruger frames are hardened all the way through. The 'color case' finish applied to these revolvers was done with a chemical wash. Also of interest, while Blackhawks have always had aluminum grip frames and ejector rod housings, the 'original model' Vaqueros had steel grip frames and ejector rod housings. I recall the first time I picked up that blued 'original model' Vaquero I noticed how heavy it was because of the steel grip frame and ejector rod housing. The very first stainless 'original model' Vaqueros had a matte finish, but Ruger realized right away that giving them a high polish made them look a lot like a nickel plated revolver. Nickel plating was very common in the 19th Century.
The New Vaquero came out in 2005 and the 'original model' Vaquero was discontinued at the same time.
(Editorial Comment: I always thought it was a dumb idea to call the new revolver the New Vaquero. What were they going to call the next version, New and Improved Vaquero? This also led to never ending confusion because ALL Ruger Single Action revolvers with a transfer bar are New Models, including all the Vaqueros, vs the old Three Screw Blackhawks that did not have a transfer bar. Why Ruger did not call the new ones the Vaquero Mk II, like they have done with their 22 semi-automatics is beyond me. That type of nomenclature has worked very well with the 22s, they are up to Mk IV at this time. I suppose it did not sound cowboy enough.
This photo shows my blued 'original model' Vaquero and a 357 Magnum New Vaquero. Hopefully it illustrates the size difference between the two. As far as I recall, Ruger introduced the New Vaquero because a sizeable number of the public was complaining about how big the 'original model' Vaqueros were. Of course, once the New Vaquero replaced the 'original model' there were an equal number of complaints about it being too small. Notice the different profiles of the hammer spur on the two revolvers. With the 'original', just like with a Blackhawk, the gun could be sighted with the hammer down. With a New Vaquero, just like with a Colt, the taller hammer spur blocks the sights when the hammer is down. The revolver cannot be sighted unless the hammer is cocked. Later, there were different hammer profiles available for the New Vaquero because there were complaints about not being able to sight the revolver with the hammer down. Why anybody would want to sight a single action revolver with the hammer down is beyond me.
This photo shows a New Vaquero at the top and a Colt Single Action Army at the bottom. They are very similar in size. The New Vaquero is about 10% smaller than the old 'original models'. Both are chambered for 45 Colt. Notice the similarity of hammer profiles. Notice this New Vaquero has a blued frame. Ruger discontinued the 'color case' finish on New Vaqueros after a while because of complaints that it rusted easily. New Vaqueros are only available blued or polished stainless. Also because of the smaller cylinder and frame, New Vaqueros are only available now chambered for 45 Colt and 357 Magnum. No 44 Magnum New Vaqueros have ever been produced.
When the New Vaquero first came out, it had a lock in the frame. When purchased the lock was disengaged and the shooter would never know it was there if he did not take off the grips. There was a small divot on the undereside of the right grip indicating where to drill a hole to engage the lock, but if the hole was not drilled, it was not at all obvious there was a lock inside. The revolver came with a key for the lock, but I never used it so I don't even remember what the key looked like. No, I have never, ever heard of the lock failing.
More recently the lock has been eliminated because so many complained about it. They clearly did not understand that unlike a Smith and Wesson, if you did not drill the hole for the key you would never know the lock was there. The dimple is still on the underside of the right grip.
One of my complaints about the 'original model' Vaquero, and New Model Blackhawks too, is that when loading, if one rotates the cylinder ever so slightly too far, the hand would click into the next tooth of the cylinder ratchet teeth. This prevented the chamber under the loading gate from being loaded, and the shooter had to go all the way around again to load that particular chamber. My 'original model' Vaqueros have after market hammers in them that allow the cylinder to be cocked at a half cock position keeping the chambers nicely lined up with the loading gate, just like a Colt. Anyway, the New Vaquero has a spring plunger in the frame that holds the cylinder with the chambers lined up with the loading gate. With this feature, accidentally rotating the cylinder slightly too far went away with the New Vaquero. The spring plunger can be seen in this photo, it is the small button near the hole for the cylinder pin.
The after market half cock hammer on this 'original model' Vaquero has been set at half cock and the chamber is perfectly lined up with the loading gate.
Of course, all Vaqueros, 'original' and New, have a transfer bar making them completely safe to load all six chambers with a live round under the hammer. The transfer bar is the long thin part pivoting on the trigger in this photo. And there are a lot more parts inside any modern Ruger than a Colt style revolver, so they are a bit fussy to get together again. Trust me on this.
The rear sight of a New Vaquero is very similar to the rear sight of a 2nd Generation Colt. The Colt is on the left in this photo , the Vaquero is on the right. The squared off groove of the Ruger sight is a little bit wider than the Colt rear sight.
It used to be you could always tell a New Vaquero because the frame said so.
The 'original models' simply said Vaquero on the frame.
This has changed very recently, there are some Distributor Exclusive Vaqueros on the market that are chambered for 44 Magnum. They are actually built on the 'original model' Vaquero sized frame, but in their infinite wisdom Ruger has stamped New Vaquero on the frames. See what I mean about what a bad idea it was to call them New Vaqueros?
I have never been a fan of the Ruger version of the Bisley grip.
It does not much resemble an actual Colt Bisley grip.
The other thing I will mention about New Vaquero grips is they are not very 'hand filling'. The grips of a Blackhawk or 'original model' Vaquero were just as 'hand filling, as Colt grips. The injection molded grips of the New Vaquero are thinner and do not fill the hand as much as a similar sized Colt.
I do consider myself to be a Colt Single Action Army guy.
What you will hear all the time about Rugers is they are 'Built Like Tanks'. Some take that to mean you can fire them with hotter ammunition than you can with a Colt or clone. Ruger expressly states in their owner's manuals that the New Vaquero should only be fired with standard, SAAMI Max pressure ammunition, which is 14,000psi for 45 colt. Lots of guys claim Rugers can take higher pressure than that, but Ruger will not honor the warranty if you manage to blow up a New Vaquero with hot 'Ruger Only' loads. Of course, the cylinder walls are plenty thick on a 357 Magnum New Vaquero and they can be fired with any standard SAAMI spec 357 Magnum ammunition.
What makes a Ruger 'Built like a Tank' is the fact that many years ago Bill Ruger replaced all the leaf springs, that were prone to break, in his revolvers, with coil springs, which are almost indestructible.
Here are a broken split trigger/bolt spring and a broken bolt from one of my 2nd Gen Colts. The break on that trigger/bolt spring is typical of the way they break, right at the base of one of the legs. Not saying the spring is guaranteed to break, but it can. The same with a hand spring. The broken bolt is a bit unusual.
Here is one of my 2nd Gen Colts completely disassembled. You will notice I replaced the split trigger/bolt spring with a wire spring. Again, not saying the leaf springs in a Colt (or a clone) are guaranteed to break, but I always bring a pair of 'original model' Vaqueros with me to a CAS match just in case a spring breaks in one of my Colts.
There are only four parts in a Colt style lockwork. Hammer, trigger, hand, and bolt. The lower arrow is pointing to the tip of the trigger called the sear. The upper arrow is pointing to the so called 'safety cock notch' on the hammer. I NEVER, EVER trust the safety cock notch. With a live round under the hammer and the hammer cocked in the 'safety cock notch', if the revolver should happen to fall to the ground and land on the hammer spur there is an excellent chance the sear will break off and the revolver will fire. It has happened countless times. Also visible in this photo is the hand spring. It is a leaf spring peened into place in a slot in the hammer. These can break too.
Way back in the 1950s Ruger replaced all the leaf springs in the Three Screw Blackhawk single action revolver with almost indestructible coil springs. Adding the transfer bar in the mid 1970s made them safer. Here is one of my New Vaqueros completely disassembled. Yes, there are more parts than in a Colt. I can almost take a Colt apart blindfolded, I need to see it to put it together again. Rugers have a lot more parts, and can be a bit fussy to put back together again, so I don't like taking them apart very often.
But from a Colt SAA guy, Ruger New Vaqueros are an excellent revolver. Nope, unless you install an after market hammer you will not get all the clicks, even then only three clicks, not four. But the design is terrific.
I have not checked prices recently, but I suspect the price of a New Vaquero is not a whole lot different than an Italian replica of a Colt. And a heck of a lot less than a Colt.
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