.45 Woods Gun - Ruger New Vaquero or Ruger 1911?

.45 Woods Gun - Ruger New Vaquero or Ruger 1911?

  • Ruger New Vaquero

    Votes: 78 75.7%

  • Ruger 1911

    Votes: 25 24.3%
  • Total voters
    103
  • Poll closed .
D

Dragline45

New member
Looking to pick up a woods gun for when I go camping and am stuck between two .45's, specifically the Ruger New Vaquero and the Ruger 1911. I am on the east coast so I don't have to deal with brown bear just blackies, which I know the .45 Colt will do well with, and am confident that a hot and heavy .45acp will do unless one of you convince me otherwise.

Now I have wanted both a 1911 and Vaquero about equally for as long as I can remember, and will eventually end up with both at some point. I currently have full size to compact autos, but no longer own any revolvers as I traded or sold them off, which is why I am leaning towards the Vaquero. If you had to choose between these two handguns for woods carry which would you pick?

Before anyone says it a Blackhawk convertible is out of the question, not only do they not come in stainless, but I am not a fan of adjustable sights on a single action.
 
I got a NEW model Vaquero 45colt about a month ago and it will be going camping with me for what its worth,i carry a 1911 every day but see the Vaquero being the woods gun for me.
 
My choice is a Ruger Blackhawk .45 Convertible. Alloy grip-frame for lighter weight and easier packing. Adjustable sights for easier sight acquisition. Large frame for greater strength when choosing .45 Colt loads. Oh, and 4 5/8 inch barrel for me but that's just preference. I have a couple New Vaquero convertible .45's and like them but choose the Blackhawk for the scenario you described.
 
Got the new Vaquero in .44 special and it makes a dandy woods gun.

Can put first shot a bird shot for snakes and the rest heavy SWC loads.

Cock the gun once and set the hammer down and you skip the bird shot.

See an automatic will force you to eject the live round (and maybe damage it from it's repeated loadings) while a revolver you don't harm the ammo at all.

Yea yea I pack a Glock or S&W 340SC every day and I do have my 629-2 4 inch .44 magnum but the Vaquero is a handy gun I tell you.

So the .45 Vaquero would be the better woods gun.

Deaf
 
My choice is a Ruger Blackhawk .45 Convertible. Alloy grip-frame for lighter weight and easier packing. Adjustable sights for easier sight acquisition. Large frame for greater strength when choosing .45 Colt loads.
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I am just really not a fan of adjustable sights on a single action revolver, it just seems wrong to me, kinda like a lever action with a scope just never seemed right to me either. The extra weight of the Vaquero is not an issue for me and I actually prefer it since I wanted this gun to be all stainless anyway, the only enticing thing to me about the Blackhawk is like you said it can chamber the .45 Colt heavy loads from companies like Buffalo Bore. Although since I wont be encountering any Brown bear I feel confident enough with a hot standard pressure .45 Colt load.

Can put first shot a bird shot for snakes and the rest heavy SWC loads.
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This was actually another reason I was leaning towards the Vaquero, if I ever happen to be in snake country I was planning on doing like you said and keeping the first shot loaded with snake shot. Fortunately though on the east coast we don't have much in the way of poisonous snakes. Correction, North East coast.
 
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I see a toss-up.

The snake shot option would be a plus, but your working familiarity with semiautos shouldn't be overlooked either.

Which one can you get a better deal on sooner?
 
If I was going to get another six shooter it would NOT be the new vaquero.
The old vaquero or blackhawk/redhawk would be a much better choice. Then you could load the 45 colt to equal 44 mag.
 
I am just really not a fan of adjustable sights on a single action revolver, it just seems wrong to me
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That reason makes perfect sense to me.
I feel confident enough with a hot standard pressure .45 Colt load.
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And, so does that one. Good luck with your choice and have fun!
 
I am somewhat prejudiced so will refrain from answering.

You've picked two good choices, and neither are my preference, so .............

Bob Wright
 
Funny question, for me. 99.999% of the time, I'm a 1911 guy - for concealed carry, home defense, pretty much you name it.

But on a camping trip? I'd be in a more traditional frame of mind and somehow a wheel gun just seems "righter". No rhyme or reason to this, just a different context.
 
You asked for suggestion so here it is

Based on what you said the obvious choice would be the Ruger Catalog # KNV-44X-C Model#:5144 in 45 Colt with Extra .45 ACP Cylinder.http://www.ruger.com/products/vaqueroDE/specSheets/5144.html

This will let you shoot mid level 45 Colt loads (NOT for Ruger Only loads) and 45 ACP. Hint: its a good way to shoot anything the 1911 doesn't like.

I currently have the Blackhawk in 45 Colt/45 ACP and love it. It's setup for hunting so the Ruger Only loads was a major part of the decision.
 
Let's just say gents that even the 'New' Vaquero can be loaded to 250gr SWC at 1000 fps.

Now not a .44 Magnum, but that is plenty for anything you would encounter with a revolver.

And, yes, I have 3 .44 magnums but normally I load 240s at 1000 fps. Just don't need bear class loads 99.99 percent of the time.

Deaf
 
Let's just say gents that even the 'New' Vaquero can be loaded to 250gr SWC at 1000 fps.

Now not a .44 Magnum, but that is plenty for anything you would encounter with a revolver.
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This is pretty much my sentiment. Like I said before there are no brown bears where I go camping, standard pressure .45 Colt is enough for any black bear IMO.

Here are a couple rounds offered by Buffalo Bore with tested velocities from 5.5" barrel SA's - Perfectly safe to use in a New Vaquero.

- 45 Colt ANTI-PERSONNEL Std. Pressure Low Flash - 225 gr. Hard Cast Wadcutter @ 1050 fps

1057 fps - Ruger Vaquero 2006 large frame 5.5 inch barrel

- Standard Pressure Heavy .45 Colt - 255gr. Gas checked soft cast bullet (1000 fps M.E.566 ft. lbs.)

Custom Ruger Bisley (5.5 inch Pac-Nor bbl) 1047 fps
 
First off, having grown up in the Adirondacks, the northeast if above about 40 degrees is snake country. ;)

I have Blackhawks, Vaqueros and a New Vaquero in .45 Colt. The New Vaquero is safe to handle a 250gr bullet at 1000-1100fps (depending on barrel length, 1050+/- is fine). This is the max load for the Colt SAA in the old loading manuals. You can get hotter with the Vaquero or the Blackhawk, but there's no real need to do that for critters in the NE.

The New Vaquero isn't going to be as flat as a 1911, but easily throws a heavier slug faster.

Soft cast bullets are fine for paper and plinking, HARD cast is the way to go for hunting and bear defense (and shooting a bear in defense should always be your LAST option).

Forget expansion, its not needed, even for black bear. A hard cast solid at speed will do just fine if you put it where it needs to go, and is more likely to get in where it has to than a soft bullet. Bear vitals are much smaller than the bear appears, and its very worthwhile to study this a bit. Disrecommend shooting them in the head, unless the muzzle is in the bear's mouth. The curvature of the skull makes a glancing hit much more likely.

Personally, I prefer adjustable sights on my handguns, when I can get them. Tradition is fine, but I always liked being able to zero my gun for what I am shooting, rather than finding just the right load that shoots to the fixed sights. For short range bear defense, not that big a deal, but for general utility and accuracy, I like adjustable sights.

The New Vaquero has a built in lock, if that's important to you. And its not obvious, so you can ignore it entirely if you wish (as I do).

The 4 5/8 or 5.5" barrel is the best for packing.

one thing to note, make sure of the ammo you carry in the woods. .45 Colt COWBOY loads are inferior to the .45acp. Not saying the bear will laugh at cowboy loads, but if you have to give them something, it should be what they deserve.

Situational awareness is your best bear defense. Black bear are curious moochers, but rarely really aggressive, unless there are cubs in the vicinity, or they're just out of hibernation and really hungry.
 
There's something about a big bore single action! I love the .45 Colt anyways, but really both are good choices.

The 1911 can still be loaded with 250-255gr hardcasts and achieve close to 1,000 fps with those. Then you could also shoot .45 Super, which depending on how it's loaded is very formidable.

My 5.5" Bisley convertible will throw a 330gr hardcast at 1,300 fps, but my 5" KKM barreled Glock 21 will throw a 275gr hardcast at 1150 fps with the .45 Super. Not .45 Colt level, but darn impressive from a 14rd capacity handgun!
 
I am just a bit .... well, ummm. what's the word .... Can't think of it.... Anyway .45 Colt for the woods, hiking, fishing, camping.... A Single Action is just 'it'... One that shots to POA that is :) . Even here, I wouldn't feel outgunned with my Tier 2 loaded .45 Colt on my hip.
 
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