Need advice on a lemon Ruger Vaquero.

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Drifter721

New member
Ordered this Ruger Bisley Vaquero through a local dealer about a week ago, new, obtained from his distributor.

Upon arrival, the dealer called in the serial number and registered the revolver to the Calfornia Department of Justice, before I had a chance to physically inspect the piece. So, it is now registered to me.

Upon inspection, and to my surprise (being a Ruger fan for years), there were a few glaring problems with this item.

The grip stocks were grossly oversized to the frame backstrap, with as much as 1/8" overhang in some areas. Very noticeable. The triggerguard screws were ALL buggered up by a sloppy assembler. The polished stainless finish was one of those late Friday looking jobs that left many machine marks and looked like the final polish expected from Ruger was disregarded.

As if that weren't enough, the trigger, when drawn back into battery, was very rough.

I am a range officer and passed this revolver around to the other range officers who have lots of daily experience with firearms, just to verify that my expectations were not too high. Every officer that looked at the piece said "this is not right at all, send it back!"

What should I do here? Should I return it to the distributor for a replacement, or should I contact the factory for their assistance?

The distributor will probably just send a replacement from the same lot. Will the factory be a better option?

I've never returned a factory production firearm, but this one really stands out in the crowd as a lemon. I just want it right, as is with my Super Blackhawks and other Vaqueros. What is the best approach? Thanks in advance!
 
I am a range officer and passed this revolver around to the other range officers who have lots of daily experience with firearms, just to verify that my expectations were not too high. Every officer that looked at the piece said "this is not right at all, send it back!"
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From your statement above it looks like you took delivery of the revolver.If you were unhappy with it you should have told the dealer,"No thanks".If he registered it with the CDOJ, I`d say it`s his bad and it would be up to him to contact CDOJ and fix it.He should not have assumed you would buy the gun.

Since you apparently took posession of the gun,you could ask the dealer to exchange it and he might do it,but if he`s disinclined to exchange it I`d say you have to deal with Rugers warranty department.
 
Agree with FmjCafe
Shouldn't have left the dealer's with it.
But, since you did. Try the dealer first. Then, if necessary, call Ruger.

Sam
 
If the dealer wont take care of it no older than it is Then tell the whole world about the way he mistreates his customers, and let him know you're doing it.:mad:
 
Thanks for the input. I didn't actually take posession of the revolver.

One of my fellow range officer's has his FFL and acts as a dealer. That's how I was able to inspect it while in my California required 10 day waiting period. I just called him and asked if I could return the piece for an exchange and he said he would take care of it. I had falsely assumed the registration could not be voided once initiated, but appearantly it can be. Thanks for the help guys!
 
Somethings running afoul at Ruger. - A dealer I know in town also has had a few problems with Vaquero's he's gotten in - mostly similar grip problems you've described, but on the smal side instead of overlarge. He's contacted Rugar and they've asked for them back and want to make it right - immediately. They recognize this stuff is below thier standard and will fix it.

Sounds like someone in the machining shop's gonna hear about all those mistakes! Hopefully not too many other such poorly finished products escaped the company's doors...
 
I'd call Ruger for a new set of screws. The grips I'd strip with liquid paint stripper and file/sand them until they fit the frame and my hand just right. Ruger triggers are very easy to work on. I do them myself and am not a gunsmith by any stretch of the imagination.

If you refinish the grips with several coats of boiled linseed oil they will darken and look much prettier in my opinion.
 
Another sage once told me: don't start restoration work before you've finished the piece. That Ruger should never have left the factory with its buggered up screws.

BTW, I prefer using a scraper to remove the extra wood.
 
Based on my one experience with a bad Ruger, I say send it back. I bought one of the early 22/45s and it was a jamming piece of junk. I took it back and fast-talked the dealer into giving me another one.

It was worse. It jammed, it was beat-up ugly and 2 or 3 other things I don't remember too clearly. The main problem was splitting the bullets on the burrs on the lip of the ramp.

I sent it back after calling Ruger first. They replaced the bolt, polished the burrs off of the ramp and generally cleaned up the action.

AND, they threw in a 40-ounce trigger job and picked up the shipping. :D

John
 
Lesson learned on this one!

My dealer called his distributor to exchange this revolver. The distributor told him that he would have to pay the return shipping, plus shipping on the exchange. My dealer then called and informed me that I would have to pay those charges. That adds up to about $50 total, on top of what I've already paid! With no guarantee that the exchange would be any better.

When I asked for my money to be refunded, I was told the refund would be "minus two way shipping, plus a 10% restocking fee".

I told my dealer I wasn't going to pay for returning a factory defective revolver I never took posession of. I was then told my ONLY other option would be to go directly through Ruger to have them fix or exchange the defective handgun.


I called Ruger and was told that I would have to pay the shipping back to them for the repairs. That did not sit well with me, mainly on principle.

I finally got to a manager (mind you all these calls are costing me because Ruger doesn't have a toll free customer service line) who said that Ruger will send me a call tag for the firearm once I have received posession of it, and that they will work with me to get a resolution.

So, I now have to register the revolver into my name and take posession of the factory defective item, before I can get the situation rectified, plus, I'll have to wait for Ruger to fix it, which could take 30-60 days.

I'm about ready to pay the return shipping and restocking fee ($65 total) and never deal with my dealer, or the distributor (Simmons Gun Specialties) again.

Lesson learned: The next time I buy a firearm, even though brand new from the factory, I want it in my hands for an inspection before I lay any money on the table. NO MORE pre-paid, sight-unseen firearms for me.
 
Defective Ruger

Interesting. I bought a Bisley Vaquero 45 Colt about 2 years ago. The only problem was one grip panel was split on the inside only. I called Ruger, they said to send the grips back, & they promptly sent me a new pair. I've heard about Vaqueros not shooting to P.O.A., but mine does & also shoots into the same hole at 50 feet & consistently hits 4" steel plates at 50 yards.
 
Thank you everyone for your input. I appreciate the help and suggestions by all. Hopefully all will be well that ends well. I'll give Ruger the chance to fix it, and find myself a new dealer/distributor in the meantime. I don't have the time or the inclination to make this a big ongoing issue any more than I have to.


hitnthexring,

You just made a very good point. I should shoot this revolver before I send it back for repairs. If it turns out it won't shoot to point of aim, like others you noted, I'll save myself another trip back to the factory. Thank you for your input.
 
This thread doesn't exactly give me a warm fuzzy feeling.
As I write this, I've got a Vaquero on order.
I wanted a stainless, 4 5/8 in, .357.

One local dealer sold his last one, and ignored repeated requests to order me one.
Another dealer said she would get me one as soon as her distributor got one????

I found a "work from home" FFL on Gunbroker.com, called him, and he says he deals with the largest Ruger distributor in the south, should have no problem getting one.
When the gun comes in, I will have saved around $100 over big dealers.
Only problem, I couldn't see it before paying.

I ordered a SAR 1 last year, and it was a train wreck.
I ordered a Ruger P95DC and a Kahr MK9 a few months ago, and both of them are gems.

I would much rather buy a weapon that I can look at, even if it cost me another $30 - $40.
Hopefully, Ruger won't let me or you down.
:)
 
As we speak, I got a bisley vaquero on order.
I should be shooting it this weekend. (If all goes well.)
Let's all keep our fingers crossed that ruger has a good week this week.
 
Ruger will make it right for you, they have a rep for great customer service. I would send it back to you, you might even get a few extras thrown in, they're known for doing that.


7th
 
7th Fleet,

You are right about Ruger customer service.

Last year I sent them a beat up old M77 rifle owned by a local police officer I regularly hunt with, because the integral scope base was cut off center and it could not be zeroed at 100 yards. All I sent them was the barreled action because I had refinshed the stock with a hand rubbed oil finish and didn't want that to get messed up. The barrel had most of the blueing worn off from years of hunting use.

They fixed the problem with the scope base. They repolished and deep blued the barreled action. They even threw in a used, but almost new looking stock! This old 1981 production rifle looks almost brand new now!


I'm willing to give them the chance to make the Bisley Vaquero right. I'm sure I just got a lemon - I was about due for one anyhow. It happens with just about any commerical manufacture. I sure don't mean to be a hothead and assasinate Ruger over one slip up, we all make mistakes.

The Ruger manager named Shirley was very nice, and she offered to issue a call tag for the item, so I don't have to pay the shipping back to them. I'll buy from Ruger again.
 
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