Ruger Vaquero .44mag - Weakness?

That Vaquero is built on the large frame, and can handle real .44 Mag loads for breakfast, lunch and dinner.

Just opinion, as I have a .357 Vaquero, and 44 Blackhawk. First, I'm not familiar with that barrel length in any .44 SA type pistol,
sounds like bait, for a scam. Second, the Vaquero(new) can easily handle 357 loads, but the reason I got the .44 Blackhawk is because it looked like it was beefy enough to handle .44 loads. But even that has a 7.5 inch barrel.

I'd err on the side of caution. If it sounds too good to be true, it usually is.

Have you been able to find any information, straight from Ruger, stating they manufactured a .44 vaquero, with a 3.5 inch barrel?

They made one with a 3.5-inch barrel and a birdshead grip. I have one and it’s a slick little revolver. One of the best triggers I’ve encountered from a factory Ruger.

The original large frame Vaquero was one well designed and solidly built single action. I have a stainless one in .45 Colt with a 5.5" barrel and a friend of mine had a stainless .44 Magnum with a 7.5" barrel. Either gun can handle any full house loads you care to come up with.

MaxP said:

That Vaquero is built on the large frame, and can handle real .44 Mag loads for breakfast, lunch and dinner.

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MaxP said:

They made one with a 3.5-inch barrel and a birdshead grip. I have one and it’s a slick little revolver. One of the best triggers I’ve encountered from a factory Ruger.

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What he said ^^^^^

If the one you are looking at has a square butt frame ask the seller if they have the birdshead frame and if that comes with the gun. Even if you don’t use the birdshead frame it’s worth some money. You can install a square butt frame if you don’t like the birdshead, if that is what it is, but it takes some ‘smithing to do so.

The Vaquero, as opposed to the New Vaquero, is a large, stout, strong frame SA revolver. I have one in .45 Colt and another in 10mm. They will shoot the hot stuff with aplomb, so .44 mag will be fine. Post photos if you get it.

All Ruger single action .44Mag's are built on the large Super Blackhawk frame. The weakness of that particular gun will be the grip frame. Bisley's for me.

Did they put the original XR3 gripframe on the Vaquero, or did that start with the New Vaquero? At any rate, a .44 Mag Vaquero is akin to a "custom" Super Blackhawk. Short of a double charge of fast powder, you can't really hurt 'em to bad with shootin'.

Birdshead .45ACP New Vaquero for me with the shorter barrel (3-3/4?), and a .45 Colt with standard butt and 4-5/8 barrel. Both shoot great, but the .45ACP has tight throats. I'll have to fix that soon.

XR3 started in 2005 with the New Vaquero and 50th anniversary .357 (2005) and .44Mag (2006) Blackhawks. Which is a shame because I prefer it for all my Ruger plowhandle needs.

DR505 said:

The Vaquero, as opposed to the New Vaquero, is a large, stout, strong frame SA revolver.

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The New Vaquero in 44 magnum is made on the same frame as the original Vaquero. Identical revolvers, with the exception of the RIP assembly.

Anything which can be loaded into an original large frame Vaquero in 44 magnum can be loaded into the new production New Vaquero in 44magnum.

Varminterror said:

The New Vaquero in 44 magnum is made on the same frame as the original Vaquero. Identical revolvers, with the exception of the RIP assembly.

Anything which can be loaded into an original large frame Vaquero in 44 magnum can be loaded into the new production New Vaquero in 44magnum.

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But the "Ruger Only" loads for the .45 Colt should NOT be used in the New Vaquero, according to several reloading manuals I have on hand. So the strengths across the board are NOT the same between Vaquero and New Vaquero.

DR505 said:

But the "Ruger Only" loads for the .45 Colt should NOT be used in the New Vaquero, according to several reloading manuals I have on hand. So the strengths across the board are NOT the same between Vaquero and New Vaquero.

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And when you have your own thread which is not specifically about the 44mag New Vaquero, your point might be relevant. Here, it isn’t.

The new Vaquero .44 Magnum, regardless of “New” Vaquero or new Vaquero, is built on the ORIGINAL Vaquero frame. Not the smaller New Vaquero frame.

The .44 Magnum is the only New Vaquero, or Vaqueros made in 2005 and later that are on the original large frame size. Just as @MaxP and @Varminterror stated.

Varminterror said:

And when you have your own thread which is not specifically about the 44mag New Vaquero, your point might be relevant. Here, it isn’t.

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Be nice.

Pat Riot said:

The .44 Magnum is the only New Vaquero, or Vaqueros made in 2005 and later that are on the original large frame size. Just as @MaxP and @Varminterror stated.

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And consequently, the .44Spl version is the only mid-frame New Vaquero marked "Vaquero". Thanks Ruger.

Howdy

I may sound like a broken record, but it is not the frame that determines how strong a cartridge a revolver can take, it is the cylinder.

If something is going to let go from too much pressure, it will be the cylinder, not the frame. Of course, if the cylinder bursts, it may take the top strap of the frame with it.

Study this photo. From left to right, the cylinders are Ruger 'original model' Vaquero, Ruger New Vaquero, Colt Single Action Army. All three are chambered for 45 Colt.






I have answered this question so many times that I wrote down some dimensions and saved them in a Word file.

Ruger Blackhawk----------------------- Length 1.700, Diameter 1.726, Distance Between Chambers: .060
Ruger 'original model' Vaquero-------Length 1.701, Diameter 1.728, Distance Between Chambers: .060
Ruger New Vaquero-------------------- Length 1.610, Diameter 1.673, Distance Between Chambers: .042
Colt Single Action Army 2nd Gen----Length 1.608, Diameter 1.652, Distance Between Chambers: .045
Uberti Cattleman------------------------- Length 1.618, Diameter 1.672, Distance Between Chambers: .043

The point is, the large frame 'original model' Vaquero had a large cylinder, with about .060 between chambers at their narrowest point. Since this discussion is about a 44 Mag, the chambers are slightly smaller and the distance between chambers will be slightly greater. Notice the Blackhawk and 'original model' Vaquero cylinder share the same dimensions. Their cylinders are the same size, and their frames are the same size too.

Now, notice the New Vaquero, Colt SAA, and Uberti Cattleman all have almost the same amount of metal between chambers. The frame of the New Vaquero is a bit smaller than the 'original model' Vaquero, approximately the same size as a Colt SAA. That is why the New Vaquero is only recommended to be shot with SAAMI max loads, no Ruger Only loads. The same with the Colt and the Uberti Cattleman. The New Vaquero has never been chambered for 44 Mag because even though there would be a little bit more metal between chambers than a 45 Colt, it is not enough for the pressure developed by the 44 Magnum cartridge.

If a Ruger says 44 Magnum on the frame, it is safe to shoot with factory 44 Magnum ammunition. With the Vaqueros it can be confusing because they recently started stamping Vaquero instead of New Vaquero on some of their frames.

Things used to be simple when Ruger simply stamped VAQUERO on the frame of what I call the 'original model' Vaquero






When they started making the smaller New Vaquero, that is what was marked on the frame.





Recently they have started stamping VAQUERO, on some of the New Vaqueros, which does not help at all.

Of course, when they came out with the name New Vaquero I thought that was a dumb move in the first place. What will the next one be called? New and Improved Vaquero?

Major dumb move instead of doing the smart thing that they did with their iconic 22 semi-automatics. Mark I, Mark II, Mark III, and now Mark IV. You pick up a Ruger 22 and all you have to do is look at the frame and you know exactly what you have.

Indeed, it should have been called Vaquerito, Nuevo Vaquero or Vaquero Marcia Dos or something like that to continue the Spanish lineage used in the name Vaquero.

IMHO if they dropped the “new” on the smaller frame, making two dissimilar-frame guns with one common name is gonna be a mess someday. I’m glad mine is an original stainless .45 Colt, It’ll eat almost anything .

Stay safe.

Since the BH gripped version was recommended above. A Note about the Vaquero in .44 Mag with the Birdshead Grip:

Some, not all owners of the older Vaqueros stated that the birds head grip was an awkward proposition on that frame due to weight (muzzle heavy) and smallish grip. I have never held one.

Commenters on the new model Vaquero (lighter frame/non .44 mag version) with bird head grip generally remark the gun feels better balanced.

Regardless of that issue I’d lean towards the BH .44 Mag version if I was in the market for one. I believe currently they’re a TALO exclusive release.

Couple of .45 Colt 'New Model’ Vaquero's.

Driftwood Johnson said:

I may sound like a broken record, but it is not the frame that determines how strong a cartridge a revolver can take, it is the cylinder.

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Thank you Driftwood.
I knew this, I learned it from you, yet I keep forgetting to bring it up as a major factor in the discussion of Rugers. Glad you don’t mind being a “broken record”. Thank you.

The currently offered Talo editions have 3.75” barrels...

That BH grip model looks like a sweet concealed carry piece.

Seems pretty simple to me. All factory Rugers are designed to handle ammo manufactured to SAAMI specs. In some cases, as listed in the instruction manuals, they can also handle +P ammo.

The only confusion comes with Rugers chambered for 45 Colt. There is no established SAAMI standard for higher pressure 45 Colt ammo ("+P"). But reloading component manufacturers, and a few ammo makers, provide recipes or ammo loaded to higher than SAAMI pressure. So the source of confusion actually lies with users and those providing "+P" ammo or recipes.

Assuming all mid frame Vaqueros chambered in 45 Colt are marked "NEW VAQUERO", Ruger has provided a marking distinction to help those considering operation outside SAAMI specs.