Posted: 1/10/2014 7:15:55 PM EDT
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Any Ruger vaquero owners here? I am eyeing a basic vaquero after years of watching westerns and wanting a new range gun. All the reading I do I am a little worried about accuracy and the fixed blade front sight. I am definitely no bullseye target shooter but minute of tin can is fine with me. I do know handguns are more accurate than I am. I do enjoy shooting handguns at longer distances just for the fun of it.
I am a 357 fan and enjoy the 158 grain rounds. Any comments on the ruger vaquero and accuracy. |
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I have a twin set of stainless 5.5" Ruger New Bisley New Vaquero's in .45 Colt, a 4 5\8" blued Ruger "old" Vaquero in .45 Colt and searching for another! I also have a 5.5" blued Ruger Blackhawk Convertible .45acp/.45 Colt which is the equivalent of an "old" Vaquero but with adjustable sights.
The Ruger Vaquero's are the best you can buy. Obviously the Colt SAA is the big cheese just because it's a Colt SAA but the Vaquero is stronger and is able to hold six rounds instead of Colt's five due to Ruger's transfer bar safety. I would love to get a Colt SAA someday but I'll always have Vaqueros as my primary single actions. The only thing you have to be careful about is keeping track of which ones are capable of "Ruger only" loads which can get confusing since the "Vaquero's" were capable but the "New Vaqueros" were not except now Ruger has renamed the "New Vaquero" the "Vaquero" so yeah.... Anywho you really can't go wrong with the Ruger Vaquero... My biggest mistake was buying the first one because after the first cylinder of shots I realized it is incredibly fun to shoot! They are addictive so just know that after your first you will most likely want more. My preference is the .45 Colt but they are all great calibers for a single action. |
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I currently have six Ruger New Vaqueros. Used to own a pair of Old Model Vaqueros.
All of them have been very accurate. The six I have now are .357. They have all come from the factory with perfect point of aim in the horizontal axis. The vertical axis always shoots low on a new Vaquero from the factory. This is done intentionally so that the end user can regulate the gun to his particular ammunition. So, the guns come with enough sight height to accommodate the .357 magnum with a heavy bullet. Most of the people I know, however, use light .38 special loads in their Vaqueros. So, most of us have had to file the top of the front sight to regulate the pistols for our lighter loads. This is as Ruger intends it to be. Summary, they are very accurate and will shoot to point of aim once the vertical axis is regulated to your loads. |
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Quoted:
Thanks for all the replies. This vaquero will also be worn while walking around my property. Does the one inch in barrel length make much of a differnce in accuracy with this model? Is your intent to use the pistol for defensive purposes? If so, you should consider the old and not the new vaquero. The older style can handle the heavy loads in .45LC. The new model is for cowboy loads only. I'm not sure if this applies to the new vaquero chambered in .357mag but you should check. |
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Quoted:
Thanks for all the replies. This vaquero will also be worn while walking around my property. Does the one inch in barrel length make much of a differnce in accuracy with this model? Most find that they shoot the 5 1/2" barrel better than the 4 3/4" barrel. This is because of the sight radius and not because of any inherent accuracy differences. The longer barrel comes out of the holster just as fast as the short one, it's a little bit slower in re-holstering however. |
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love mine
she shots 158 xtpsdead on and I have to dope her to shot the lead rounds of 180 grain I have been shooting lately. Love it with bearpaw grips she is a looker and a shooter. I only had to file a tiny bit off the front sight to be dead on at 25 yards. She is a .357 with 5 1/2" barrel some mothers mag polish makes her shine like a mirror 
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I have a set of the stainless, 4.62" barreled new Vaqueros in 357. I also like 158 grain bullets for the 357 magnum. The new vaquero 357 can handle any 357 load. It's the 45 caliber new model that you cannot use ruger only loads in as they made the new models with a smaller frame than the originals to match the colt SAA more closely.
As for accuracy, mine were both dead center but low at 10 yards with 158 grain bullets. The front sights are made deliberately high for you to file to your liking. I slowly filed the front sights down at the range until I got POA, POI at the 10. I then finished them off at home with 1500 grain sandpaper and mothers billet polish (not the mag cleaner, the billet works better on stainless). I also used the Mothers on the whole pistol to get a really deep inner glow to the glossy finish. I also switched the original grips out to white pearl gunfighter grips. I reload so I don't bother with 38's in my 357's. I found that for the tightest groups for with them using 158 grain XTPs and titegroup was 5.6 grains and CCI primers. For practice and warmups I use a Ruger single six convertible. The grip is of the Blackhawk I believe (about 1/8" longer then the Vaquero) but it works well. |
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Quoted: Is your intent to use the pistol for defensive purposes? If so, you should consider the old and not the new vaquero. The older style can handle the heavy loads in .45LC. The new model is for cowboy loads only. I'm not sure if this applies to the new vaquero chambered in .357mag but you should check. Quoted: Quoted: Thanks for all the replies. This vaquero will also be worn while walking around my property. Does the one inch in barrel length make much of a differnce in accuracy with this model? Is your intent to use the pistol for defensive purposes? If so, you should consider the old and not the new vaquero. The older style can handle the heavy loads in .45LC. The new model is for cowboy loads only. I'm not sure if this applies to the new vaquero chambered in .357mag but you should check. New Model 45 Colt loads are plenty for SD/HD. They do at 255 grains what the 45ACP does at 230 grains. I don't know of anyone who feels short shifted with a 230 grain 45ACP. A 255 LSWC over 7.5 grains of W231 gets you 890 fps. 7.7 grains of Titegroup under a 200 grain LRNFP gets you 1050 fps and you're inside of "safe" for the new Vaquero. I don't know of much that will walk away from either one of those loads. |
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My "Birdshead" .357 in Stainless, loads of fun to shoot and a looker.................
http://s882.photobucket.com/user/jscheel1/media/DSC00471_zpsf250405d.jpg.html? http://s882.photobucket.com/user/jscheel1/media/DSC00472_zpsf86c52f9.jpg.html? |
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That whole notion that New Vaquero .45's are just for weak ammo is completely false. Standard pressue .45 Colt ammo is pretty damn stout and will easily put the hurt on most critters. The New Vaquero is capable of shooting the new Hornady LeverEvolution ammo which is designed to put the hurt on hogs, deer and other big critters. While the large frame Vaquero and Blackhawk have the ability to shoot a much wider variety of ammo including Buffalo Bore high pressure ammo, it's not necessary for most things you do with your SA.
With the exception of the slow unload and reload the New Vaquero will do very well for home defense or self defense, although I'd have another loaded revolver instead of trying a reload. There are obviously better choices but it's definitely possible with an SA. |
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Quoted:
That whole notion that New Vaquero .45's are just for weak ammo is completely false. Standard pressue .45 Colt ammo is pretty damn stout and will easily put the hurt on most critters. The New Vaquero is capable of shooting the new Hornady LeverEvolution ammo which is designed to put the hurt on hogs, deer and other big critters. While the large frame Vaquero and Blackhawk have the ability to shoot a much wider variety of ammo including Buffalo Bore high pressure ammo, it's not necessary for most things you do with your SA. With the exception of the slow unload and reload the New Vaquero will do very well for home defense or self defense, although I'd have another loaded revolver instead of trying a reload. There are obviously better choices but it's definitely possible with an SA. Hi Brandi, Yes, that's the point of why it had been previously mentioned. The original "Vaquero" could handle any 45 load but the "New Vaquero" in 45 cannot. They really should have dropped the name entirely when they changed it out. |
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Quoted:
I have one in 45LC and love it. I need one 357/38 so I can shoot cheaper That's the reason I bought a Blackhawk Convertible, I can shoot .45 Colt or the MUCH cheaper .45acp. It shoots very well with the .45acp which is a plus now I just have to find a Convertible Vaquero. |
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I have 2 vaqueros, both 5.5. One is the older (bulkier) vaquero that was actually a Bisley vaquero that I converted to a regular plow handle type and the other is new model vaquero. The new model has a way better balance and fun to just handle. the old model vaquero is a heavy piece of steel that is a work horse! Since I can load heavier/hotter rounds in it, its usually the one I have on my hip when i go stomping in the woods. both are in .45 Long Colt
Both shot a perfect center of aim but low with 200gr bullets. Problem was quickly remedied by going to 255gr bullets. I roll my own field loads with Hornady XTPs' |
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Quoted:
Is your intent to use the pistol for defensive purposes? If so, you should consider the old and not the new vaquero. The older style can handle the heavy loads in .45LC. The new model is for cowboy loads only. I'm not sure if this applies to the new vaquero chambered in .357mag but you should check. Quoted:
Quoted:
Thanks for all the replies. This vaquero will also be worn while walking around my property. Does the one inch in barrel length make much of a differnce in accuracy with this model? Is your intent to use the pistol for defensive purposes? If so, you should consider the old and not the new vaquero. The older style can handle the heavy loads in .45LC. The new model is for cowboy loads only. I'm not sure if this applies to the new vaquero chambered in .357mag but you should check. This is not true. The new vaquero will handle any 45 colt loading other than those listed in loading manuals for strong actions only. Those loads surpass most 44mag loads!! The new vaquero is not a delicate gun and is not meant "solely for light loads" or "just for cowboy shooting". |
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I had a new model 45 and sold it. I just like adjustable sights. As far as strength, I used to shoot 18.5 grains of 2400 with a 255 grain hard cast semi wadcutter in a Colt single action, not all the time but a good bit. I believe the New Vaquero is superior to the Colt with the exception of the trigger.
A fixed sight gun that shoots one load to point of aim is good if that is the load you like. As has already been pointed out the standard 45 Colt load is a very good and powerful round. The .357 will shoot 38 and 357 to different points of impact so that should be something to consider. For me with my old eyes the wider front sights on adjustable sighted guns seem to work best. |
| I have an old one I got back when they first came out. .45 Colt, 5 1/2 bbl, blued, case hardened, white 'Ivory' grips. Had to have the case coloring redone, but it looks great. It was accurate enough with 250gr bullets. Being a reloader, I was able to tweak the load to shoot to point of aim. I wish I would have picked up a matching mate for it back then. Now, finding one of those original ones in .45 is tricky. I don't take it to the range much, but that's more cause I'm an Auto kind of guy. But, when I do break out the revolvers, it usually goes along. |