Anybody want to try to talk me out of getting a Vaquero?

M

mini14jac

New member
I've got cash burning a hole in my pocket, and a gunshow tomorrow! (Could be the makins' of a country song.:D )

I would have bought one already, but the dealer didn't have a stainless, 4 3/4" barrel, in .357 when I went up there last Friday.

I don't shoot Cowboy Action, though I would probably like it, and my club has a shoot each Sunday.
I figure the .357 would be a good "woods" gun, but will it be too heavy to carry?

I think it would be a hoot at the range, but burning more ammo will just eat up more $ that I could spend on other guns, or ammo for my 9s.

We keep some .38s around, because my wife has a S&W 646, but I want to score another 1000 if I get a Vaquero.

If I get one, I'm afraid I'll want a .357 Rossi carbine to go with it.
(I already do. :( )

Somebody save me! :eek:
 
Ditto here. I love my 4 5/8" SS 45 colt so much, I'm planning on adding a 7 1/2" and a 3 1/2" birdshead model soon.

IMO, the most beautiful gun I own.
 
Buy 2 of them, decide you really don't NEED 2 Vaqueros, and give me one :D

Actually, I think my Vaquero .357 is the most "fun gun" I have. There is just "something" to blazing away with a good single action.........:cool:
 
I will.
If you are not planning on serious CAS competition in the Traditional (fixed sight) category; don't buy a Vaquero. Single action revolvers very seldom shoot where they look. CAS targets are large and close and a little error doesn't matter. There are SA specialist gunsmiths who file and bend sights and turn and even bend barrels to zero the guns if they are way off.
Avoid all that with adjustable sights. Get a Blackhawk if you want a single action. And you can still enter it in Modern category if you do give up on those silly 9mms and want to shoot a real gun.

Tamara, CANIS, prisoner6, I will be interested to hear if your Vaqueros are zeroed. Many if not most of the ones I have seen in action are not; or needed work to get there. But maybe Ruger is doing better these days. My Colt SAA is close, my Cimarron Model P was pretty far off until tweaked, the Cimarron Schofield I had was so bad they actually gave me a refund.
 
Can't help either...

I have a "matched" pair of 45s: one with the regular SAA style grip and a 4 5/8" barrel, the other is a birdshead with the 3 3/4" bbl. Both are polished stainless, have matching imitation stag grips and aftermarket springs.

I'm getting better with learning to hit what I'm aiming at with them -- when I started out my groups were way large, some as much as 6" at 25', but my last trip to the range I got my 25' groups down to under 1.5" (with a couple of called flyers). Snatching the trigger definitely affects them worse than with my Kimber 1911 (so I guess shooting them should have a beneficial effect on my form).

They are also somewhat more susceptible to variations in ammo: I notice that I'm generally more accurate with, for example, full-power Blazers (despite a change in point of impact), than I am with the MagTech Cowboy loads.

Interestingly, my birdshead seems to be slightly more accurate for me than the longer gun, which I attribute to the change in grip ergonomics. I will also note that my Uberti '58 Remington blackpowder revolver with the Taylor's R&D cartridge conversion cylinder in 45 Colt is more accurate than either of my Vaqueros, but can't say how much of that is the gun (8" bbl vs sub-5" bbls) and how much is just me.

I do know they're all great fun to shoot!

- Aion

aka:

Jack Whitesides, Scout
SASS #44650
SBSS #890
 
Sorry mini14jac, no can do.

Jim, most, if not all, of us didn't buy a Vaquero for Bullseye or serious competition events. IOW, zeroed sights are not all that important. Therefore your point is a moot one, at least it is for me.
 
Mine is accurate enough. It shoots as well as I do out to 10-15 yards, and shows a tendency to shoot a hair low beyond that. I could file the sight to fix it, but honestly havent been motivated to do so. I use it mostly for fun, or put it in the truck when camping. I imagine it would shoot even lower with .38s but I only shoot .357 with it. If I were serious about target shooting, I would get the Blackhawk for the adjustable sights, but just for fun and a little connection to the past, the Vaquero is great for me.
 
sorry guy , I bought one and am looking to get another as soon as I get some funds together .mines the case hardened blued one in .357 w/5.5 pipe I also bought the rossi carbine too . nice choice of a set if you ask me . you'll like it .
 
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I like Vaqueros and Blackhawks, but if you aren't going to get into CAS i would go with the Blackhawk. This would offer better results in my opinion when using 38 Specials or the heaviest 357 Mag. loads. If you reload you can brew a load that will give very good results for the fixed sights. The bottom line is do you want to be able to adjust the point of impact to the point of aim.
 
Run, don't walk, to the show, before the cash burns a hole in your pocket and goes for something lesser.

I've got two Vaqueros in .45 (4 5/8 and 3 1/2) and want two in .44mag, two in .357, and a pair of "Vaqueritos" in .32 H&R mag.

Besides, your current one needs a mate.
 
Don't look at me.

I got 2 in .44, 5 in.45 (one a Bird's head) and one in 32. At least. I think I need to buy another one.
 
That's what I was afraid of.
I'm not gonna get any help from this crowd.
You guys, (and gal) are useless!
:rolleyes:

All hope is lost.

Must go to show.
Must spend money.

(I've already been browsing the grip makers boards, looking at stag, buffalo horn, imitation ivory. Um, just for reasearch purposes.)

As far as accuracy, I don't plan on hunting with it.
Probably carry while hiking, lots of plinking.
I had worked myself into a sweat over a stainless Blackhawk, then I read a Louis L'AMour book, started looking at pictures of SAA-type guns.......
Well, the damage was done.

Knowing how fickle I am, I woudn't be surprised if I start wanting to add a Blackhawk later though.

Oh, and by the way gang......
Thanks for nothing! :D
 
Vaqueros YES!

Far be it from me to disade you as I have 5 or more of them myself! 4(One is a bisley Vaquero & one I had birdsheaded) in 45 long colt and another in 357. The 357 is currently undergoing some "changes" Stainless Superblackhawk grip frame as well as a stainless SBH hammer/trigger as well. Wolf springs too. Nice set of foux ivory scrimshalled. Its lookin better and better. Still to come are the bullseye ejector rod and Belt MT Keith # 5 basepin.
When finished its gonna be sweeet!
 
Don't want to knock anybody's favorite 6-gun, but, since you asked, here's what I don't particularly like about Vaquero's:

TOO BIG & TOO HEAVY !!!

You can call this "rugged" or "over engineered" if you want, but the fact is; all NEW MODEL Ruger single actions (except those in .44 Magnum) need to go on a diet. Especially if you plan on using them as "woods/walking around" guns. You'll be limping after a couple of miles or hills. And the .357's are the worst! Too much metal left over after only drilling out those small holes in the barrel and cylinder. If you really want even more weight-lifting exercise, get one with those fake ivory grips. Then you'll be pushing 3 pounds in a .357!!! If you just stand around at SASS shoots it probably won't matter, plus you can brag about how soft the recoil is.

NEW MODEL Rugers don't index on the loading gate/ejection rod during loading/unloading. That's what the half-cock notch was made for. Who wants to keep positioning the cylinder with your other hand while trying to load/unload?

All that "Lawyer-Speak" permanently engraved all over the side of the barrel !!! Yuck !!!

There's just no substitute for a REAL Colt Single Action Army!

Remember, YOU asked.
 
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