45 Colt up grade?

P

poline

New member
Looking to up grade from my Abertia Cattlemen to a 45 Colt that is stronger.
Right now it is between the Ruger Vaquero and the New Ruger Vaquero.
I lean toward the New Ruger Vaquero, because I like the feel of the revolver.
I'm asking for forum's opinion! I reload and want a 45 Colt revolver that will take more than just a target rd or cowboy load! 900fps to 1000fps and I want it to be a single action like the 1873.
Any reply or response from is greatly appreciated, THANK YOU.
 
Right now you are at around 14k psi max. The New Vaquero will go to 20pk psi which is more gun. New Vaquero has shorter cylinder than a Blackhawk so you will be limited to around 280 grain bullets. The Old Vaquero is a beast, just like the Blackhawk. I had both new and old Vaqueros in .45 Colt, and I liked the new Vaquero more. My next gun will be a Blackhawk in .45 Colt.
 
Yes ... They are all Single Actions BH, SBH, Vaquero, New Vaquero, BH flattops, etc. :) ... The only way to shoot :D .
 
Every Colt Clone on the market is capable of shooting a round at 900+ fps. My 'Cowboy' Load is a 200 gr bullet at 930 fps.
 
I'd get the Lipsey flattop .45/.45.
Good for heavy but not magnumized loads, adjustable sights, not much bigger than Colt.

If you want to magnumized, get the bigger regular Blackhawk.

I can't see much point in a fixed sight gun like Vaquero except for CAS
 
If I may suggest..............

101_0009.jpg


Ruger New Model Blackhawk .45 Colt built up with Super Blackhawk grip frame.

Grips are ebony from Lett, now defunct.

Bob Wright
 
I would definitely get a regular Blackhawk. The X Frame will take 20k loads, but the Blackhawk will go out to 25k. I have a 45 Bisley and just love it.
 
If you want something with fixed sights, go with the Vaquero. Personally I like the original Vaquero which is a little bigger and a little stronger.

If fixed sights is not an issue I would go with the Blackhawk and get the one with the duel cylinder in 45 acp.
 
I had a blackhawk and really liked it, but I don't reload so the .45 colt was expensive and I decided to let it go. I'm thinking I'll eventually get a SBH to replace it.

The blackhawk will handle some seriously hot loads and so will the Vaquero (not to be confused with the smaller framed NEW Vaquero)
 
There are many of us out here who like/prefer the fixed sights and don't CAS. I'm not a rangemeister, so I like them for camping/hiking/woodsin'. For these purposes "minute of two, four or no legged critter" at the distances most likely is fine. Don't ask for more of them. I don't hunt with them (rifle for that) so that's not an issue. I like the "tradtional" form/smoother lines, like how they clear leather, etc, etc.

As suggested, the Vaquero (as in the original/large frame) IS basically a Blackhawk with fixed sights, smooth top strap and steel gripframe and ejector housing. Between the V and the NV, have both. Like both. Don't have .45 (just .44s-Special and Mag. and .357s), due to my smallish hands, I prefer the New Vaquero, except do also have an affection for a pair of .44 Mag Vaqueros.- which only came in the large BH/SBH-based frame. They were my first "big bores." They handle the hypothetical "bear country" duty (black bear here, and yes there've neen some scary campsite intrusions and a few "attacks" recently) but truth be known, for anything south of the 40th or so parallel the lesser calibers/cartridges are probably fine. Wouldn't be super comfortable "just" with a .44 Mag around bears of the brown variety north of that anyway, so... :) For that it's .454+ time, pepper spray and prayer! I'm around 33 degrees and a brownie hasn't been seen anywhere near that in a hundred years or so.

For a few years now Ruger (and distributors/vendors) have also confusingly been calling all of the New Vaqueros just "Vaquero" in their literature/ads, though the Vaquero ceased regular* production almost ten years ago.(* other than occasional special distributor only runs).
One other oddity (at least) - Ruger mislabled the .44 Special New Vaqueros saying only "Vaquero" on the frame. All other NVs say "New Vaquero" on the frame - to date.

Want a .45 and like to shoot "hot," get the large frame Blackhawk or Vaquero. Otherwise the New Vaquero or Flattop are fine. .357? IMO, the smaller "mid" frame NV or Flattop are more than adequate--can handle virtually anything "you can.". But, if you want adjustable sights in the .357, it's limited to the large frame Blackhawk or semi-rare (limited production) mid-frame 50th Anniversary .357 flattop. .44 Special? - no choice, the mid-frames. .44 Mag? - also no choice - but it's the large frames, with one exception - the 50th Anniversary .44 Mag flattop is an anomaly - a hybrid of sorts, marrying the midframe flattop's/New Vaquero's smaller XR3 gripframe with the large Blackhawk/Super Blackhawk cylinder frame (but with flat top strap vs the "regular" Blackhawk's contoured topstrap).
Voila!
 
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