Howdy Again
Regarding the choice between a Blackhawk and a Vaquero, personally I believe most folks put a whole lot more store in adjustable sights than they deserve. Beyond sighting them in the first time, most shooters do not adjust them again. Most just keep the sights set without adjusting them. I own lots of revolvers with fixed sights. I own lots of revolvers with adjustable sights too. Perhaps there are some shooters who shoot many different loads, and have the need to be continually adjusting the sights for the load. I am not one of them. Once I adjust the sights on a Blackhawk or S&W, I never touch the sights again. Just don't need to.
Regarding filing down the front sight on a Vaquero: be real careful. Once you have filed it down, it's tough to add metal again. Be real sure you have settled on your favorite load. In truth, I only once filed down the front sight on a Vaquero, my first one. After that, I just did not see the need.
My first Blackhawk, 45 Colt/45ACP convertible. Bought it brand-spanky new in 1975. Pretty sure I only adjusted the sights once back then, never touched them again.
My first Vaquero, 45 Colt, the old large frame style. Bought it around 2000 when I first started Cowboy Shooting. If you look carefully, you can see I flattened the front sight slightly. If you are going to do this, go slowly. Bring a lot of ammo with you and take a little bit off the sight every few cylinders full until you have it regulated where you want it. Be sure to wrap the muzzle with tape to protect it when, not if, the file slips.
A pair of Stainless 'original model' Vaqueros. 45 Colt. Looks like I filed down the front sight on the top one, not the bottom one.
A pair of 357 Mag New Vaqueros. I bought these in 2006, soon after the New Vaquero was first available. Note that Ruger was still doing the fake 'case colors' at this time. No modification to the sights.
Three Screw Blackhawks. Left to right, 44 Mag Flat Top, 1958; 357 Mag Blackhawk, 1962, 357 Mag Flat Top, 1962. Only adjusted the sights on each of them once. Have not touched the sights since.
My latest Ruger, a 45 Colt New Vaquero. Made in 2013, I picked it up used a couple of months ago. Notice the fake case colors are no longer done. Sorry, the photos are not great.
Ruger has done away with the lock, it used to be at the base of the hammer spring strut. Interestingly enough they are still using the original grips, with the dimple for drilling a hole for the lock key. No reason not too, you can't see the dimple from the outside.
Size comparison of the 45 Colt New Vaquero and a Colt Single Action Army chambered for 45 Colt. For some reason the standard barrel length for Ruger has always been 4 5/8" for Colt it has always been 4 3/4". Even so, the Ruger is slightly heavier than the Colt. 2 pounds 9 ounces vs 2 pounds 7 ounces. I can tell difference in heft when I pick them up. For some reason the New Vaquero has always had very thin grip panels. Noticeably quite thinner than a Colt or Uberti.
Cylinders. Ruger on the left, Colt on the right. The Ruger cylinder is slightly larger in diameter, 1.673 vs 1.650. Also, there is slightly more metal beween chambers. About .043 vs about .041 at the smallest section. However, like all Ruger single actions, the locking slot for the bolt is slightly off from centerline, so there will be a little bit more metal between the bottom of the slot and an adjacent chamber. For what it's worth, when a cylinder blows up, the rupture usually starts at the locking slot because that is the thinnest and weakest part of the cylinder.
I must also confess to not have kept up closely so this may have changed, but MOST of the Blackhawks have, or at least had an aluminum alloy grip frame and the Vaquero's are all steel. On some guns aluminum is just fine. But it just doesn't seem right on this gun.
That is correct. Blackhawks have aluminum grip frames, Vaqueros have steel grip frames. That gives Vaqueros a little but more heft. In fact, when I bought that first Vaquero back around 2000 as I hefted it I was surprised. I could tell it was heavier than my old 45 Blackhawk, even though they were the same caliber and same barrel length.
The Blackhawk has nice big adjustable sights, instead of the tiny hard to see rear notch of the Vaquero. Also, IIRC, the Vaquero is slightly smaller.
Uuuummm...........excuse me, but that statement about 'tiny hard to see rear notch' on the Vaquero is simply not true. While the overall size of the rear sight blade of a Blackhawk is large, the actual notch is about the same size on a Blackhawk and a Vaquero. And the rear sight notch on a Vaquero is larger than the rear sight notch on a 2nd Gen Colt. I have really, really, poor eyesight, always have. I have no trouble at all seeing the rear sight on a Vaquero or a Colt.
Colt on the left, New Vaquero on the right.
Better photo of the rear sight of a Vaquero.
Blackhawk rear sight.
You want a tiny, hard to see rear sight, try a 1st Gen Colt rear sight.