Talk me out of a Ruger Vaquero...

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wrench

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I love pistols, but I'm basically a semiauto kind of gal...:p
I have this weird desire for a Ruger new Vaquero, 5.5", case colored, in 45LC.
Why?? Why oh why?
Who has one, tell me pros and cons.
This would mostly be a range toy, with maybe occasional carry out in the woods.
I can reload the ammo, so not an issue there.
 
Ruger Vaquero ?

I have a Ruger 45LC in the Stainless Blackhawk Model and I love it.
I sold my Freedom Arms as I found it too annoying as a reloader , it was so tight I could not use Lead Bullets.
What is it about the Vaquero you like ?
I find that the lack of decent sights is not to my liking, in a Ruger I have got to go Stainless as their use of an alloy frame and ejection housing doesn't look very "classic" to me.
This said Rugers are a great deal for the money to me, you can pay a lot more as in Colt or Freedom arms but I haven't had any more fun shooting them !!!
 
This is totally personal preference. I love my blackhawk .44, but I just traded a .45 LC new model vaquero for a CZ 85. After one trip to the range, the vaquero was just not any fun to shoot for me. First, it was not regulated to any reasonable POA, so that was a deal breaker all by itself. Subsequently, it always got left behind & became a really pretty safe queen. I actually shoot the CZ & love it--Have not missed the ruger for an instant.
 
wrench,
OK ... I'll try ... as much as I like Ruger revolvers (I have four) I think that Vaquero's are a dime a dozen. :neener: I'd prefer an Old Armory Bone Case™ and Dome Blue™ finished USFA from Longhunter in .45 Colt with all of his excellent upgrades. I have a pair of USFA Rodeos from him that are outstanding. My only wish is that they were stainless but it wasn't an option.

http://www.longhunt.com/usfa/sa-revolver.htm

Are Vaqueros available with a case color finish?

:)
 
I'm guessing this really isn't going to help talk you out of a Vaquero but since you said a 5.5", Case Colored, in 45 Colt I thought you might like to see this. Now I know it's not a New Vaquero but it is everything else you talked about and will shoot heavy loads suitable for woods carry. This is one of my favorite revolvers. I also have 2 New Vaqueros, one in Color Case and the other Stainless. Sorry, I didn't take pictures of either yet.

Vaquero-2.jpg

Vaquero-3.jpg
 
Didn't Ruger drop the case-colored finish on the New Vaqueros? I'm sure you could find a new .45 in CC out there but I don't think they are offering that finish anymore.
 
I won't try to talk you out of it because I couldn't talk myself out of it.

I bought a new New Model Vaquero (blued with CC frame, 4-5/8", .45 Colt) a couple of months ago on a whim. It's the only "cowboy" gun I have. I added the rosewood checkered grips (from the Ruger store). Aside from the high cost of .45 Colt ammo, it's fun to shoot. POI is about 6" low to POA with 200 LFP cowboy loads. I don't plan to file the sight down to bring POI to POA - I might want to sell it sometime and I'll let the new owner do that if he wants to.
View attachment 106815
 
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Not an easy task, but possible

I managed to talk myself out of the exact same dilemma by going with a Beretta Stampede, which is a wonderful piece

My reasoning? I have too many Rugers already and wanted to "spread the wealth around"!:)
 
You guys are not that much help....:p
Actually, I haven't even held one of these yet, the decision will be made on the frame size, and trigger reach for my relatively small hands. The old Vaqueros are not out, but I thought I read that the 'new' ones had a smaller grip frame??
archangelcd, that looks exactly like what I'm thinking of, and skeezix, that shorter barrelled one of yours is great, too.
1858, I went to your link, and wow, those are some beautiful revolvers-probably too rich for my blood right now, but wow.
I'm going to the store....wish me luck.:)
 
Well, it ain't a Vaquero, but it's pretty and it's a heckuva shooter! Yeah, I'll talk you out of the Vaq. Get the Blackhawk! :D

attachment.php
 
I love the Vaquero's, but I think you will find that a Blackhawk suits you better. Same gun with adjustable sights.
The NV is on a mid-size Colt size frame and therefore is smaller overall and the current BH is on a large Magnum size frame, BUT if you can find one, try for a Lipsey's .44 Special Ruger 'Flattop' Blackhawk. Great gun
Unless you can can find a used one one, Ruger no longer makes the CH, only blue in the NV.
 
the decision will be made on the frame size, and trigger reach for my relatively small hands. The old Vaqueros are not out, but I thought I read that the 'new' ones had a smaller grip frame??
Click to expand...

You are correct. The New Vaqueros are XR3 grips and the Vaqueros were XR3-RED grips. In addition to being slightly smaller and shaped slightly differently, the new hard rubber grips on the New Vaqueros are slimmer than the Rosewood grips that were offered previously. Some people don't like that but, like you, while my hands aren't exceptionally small, they are not large either, and the XR3 grips and even the hard rubber, slimmer XR3-REDgrips on the current Blackhawks feel much better in my hands than the earlier models. The 50th Anniversary models are XR3 grips also, and I believe the Flattop .44 Special is also, but am not sure.

There is not a lot of difference, but it is a telling one, IMO.
 
Actually, I haven't even held one of these yet, the decision will be made on the frame size, and trigger reach for my relatively small hands. The old Vaqueros are not out, but I thought I read that the 'new' ones had a smaller grip frame??
Click to expand...

Yes , the new Vq. does have a smaller grip BUT --- with my small "GirlyMan" hands , I found that the Ruger BISLEY Vaquero's were just the right size for me to "get on the hammers" when I first started shooting "Gunfighter" class in SASS/Cowbot Action.

Try to handle a Ruger Bisley if you can , before you buy anything. Some love it and others hate it BUT it really does handle/redirect recoil better then the trad. "plow grip" on the Blackhawks/Vqs. etc.
 
Warning: this is not a low-budget proposition. However, it's not overpriced for what you get.

http://usfirearms.com/cat/flattop.asp

Order what finish you want, grips, your initials, etc. You pay for CCH, but it's a lot nicer than Ruger's simulated CCH finish.

Fixed sights =/= range toy
 
Since others are plugging other options, I might as well too. :)

Uberti Cattleman. Just this last weekend I was putting rounds dead-center in the middle of the bottoms of soda cans at fifteen to twenty paces. Of course, this was with a .357 Mag version, shooting .38's, but you can get the Cattleman in .45 Colt as well as other calibers. I was worried about POI/POA issues, but this one is pretty accurate right out of the box.
 
The Blackhawk fit my hand better, so I went with it. That's just a preference thing. MCGunner and gb6491 are getting me all stirred up... now I think I may need one in stainless!
 
To address the prompt of the original post, the lack of a adjustable sights is a big drawback, albeit less so for the .45 Colt than for something like .357 magnum.
 
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