How long is your barrel? If it is 6 inches or under you will not be able to get the center pin out without taking the ejector rod housing off.
You can remove the pin on a 7.5" barrel like my super Blackhawk but my 4 5/8" barrel Blackhawk Needs to have the ejector housing removed.
I can also get the pin out on my 6" Vaquerro.
Howdy
I discussed this earlier. The New Model Blackhawk had a longer pin that could not be removed from the frame without also removing the ejector rod assembly.
This is an old Three Screw 44 Magnum, Flat Top Blackhawk that shipped in 1958. The Three Screw Blackhawks are the single action revolvers Ruger was making before the current New Models with the transfer bar.
Here is the same revolver disassembled. Notice I did not have to remove the ejector housing to pull out the cylinder pin.
This is my 45 Colt/45ACP New Model Blackhawk convertible that I bought brand-spanky new in 1975.
Here it is disassembled. The cylinder pin is just a little bit longer than on the Three Screw Rugers. Notice the cylinder pin is still in position because I did not remove the ejector housing. Impossible to remove the pin without removing the ejector housing.
When the ' original model' Vaquero came out in 1993 it was built on the same size frame as the New Model Blackhawk, and just like the Blackhawk the cylinder pin could not be removed without removing the ejector housing. I always suspected this was a conscious decision on Ruger's part, so the cylinder pin would not be accidentally lost in the field.
Here is my New Model Blackhawk and an 'original model' 45 Colt Vaquero. Both built on the same size frame, except the frame of the Vaquero has been rounded over on top to resemble a Colt SAA frame. Interestingly enough, when the 'original model' Vaquero came out they had a steel grip frame as opposed to the aluminum grip frame the Blackhawks always had. I realized this the first time I picked it up and noticed it weighed more than a Blackhawk.
This pair of 'original model' Vaqueros have after market cylinder pins installed. These pins are short enough that they can be removed without removing the ejector housing.
Ruger stopped making the 'original model' Vaquero in 2005 and replaced it with the New Vaquero. This is a pair of 357 Magnum New Vaqueros.
The New Vaquero is built on a smaller frame than the New Model Blackhawks and 'original model' Vaqueros. The idea was to more closely mimic the Colt Single Action Army. This photo shows a 45 Colt New Vaquero at the top and a Colt SAA at the bottom. In addition to being smaller than the earlier revolvers, notice the hammer spur is shaped similar to the Colt hammer spur. Compare that to the hammer spurs of all the other Rugers. Just like with a Colt, the New Vaquero cannot be sighted unless the hammer is cocked. Different hammer styles became available later, but this was the hammer style when the New Vaquero was first introduced.
Yes, the cylinder pin can be removed on a New Vaquero without removing the ejector housing. This is one of the 357 Mag New Vaqueros I pictured earlier. It came with an internal lock, which can be seen to the left of the grip frame. So now, if the cylinder pin latch is loose, and the cylinder pin works its way forward during recoil, the cylinder pin of a New Vaquero can jump out of the gun in recoil, just like a Colt. Trust me on this.
At some point, Ruger did away with the internal lock. This is the 45 Colt New Vaquero, it has no internal lock.
Note: I have been using the terms Three Screw, New Model, 'original model' Vaquero, and New Vaquero in this post. In Ruger Speak, ALL Ruger single action revolvers that have a transfer bar inside are New Models. This is as opposed to the Three Screws which had not transfer bar. So any Vaquero, 'original model' or New Vaquero is automatically a New Model revolver because it has a transfer bar inside. It is redundant to call the New Vaquero a New Model Vaquero. I have also been using the term 'original model' Vaquero, just like that, to name the earlier Vaqueros, as opposed to the New Vaquero. That is my own term, that I always use to define the earlier, large frame Vaqueros. In their infinite wisdom, when Ruger introduced the New Vaquero, they decided to call it that, which I have always thought was really dumb. Unlike how smart they were when they named their classic semi auto 22 pistols, the Mark II, Mark III, etc. How much smarter would it have been if they had called the newer, smaller Vaquero the Vaquero Mark II? Not Old West enough sounding I suppose. What are they going to do when they upgrade the New Vaquero? Call it the New Improved Vaquero?
