Ruger Vaquero ain't the same no more!

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Oldjarhead

New member
I was checking out the Ruger website, and saw that the Ruger Vaquero featured in blue finish, did not have the usual case hardened blue frame in the discription and the picture showed an ordinary blued frame.

Really disappointing, so I contacted Ruger by email, and they said it was a "marketing" decision, and they no longer case harden their frames. Well I don't know about you, but a Peacemaker type revolver when blued, should be with the beautiful case hardened frame. If anybody feels the same, write, email or call them and complain. :(
 
My understanding was that the finish was never a true case hardened finish.
Just a coating of some kind that duplicated the case hardening process.
This has been discussed for some time now on the RUGER Forum.
The finsih would wear off quite easily.
Ruger would offer a refinish of the fake case hardening or the traditional blue finish if prefered, on guns the guys would send back.

J.Solo
 
I'd rather have a straight blue finish over a fake color case hardened finish any day. I like Ruger's bluing.
 
Sorry guys, I haven't read the Ruger forums lately. I had a original Vaquero I bought in 1994, that I gave to my son, and the case hardened frame is still good. I guess the newer ones were'nt.
 
I was checking out the Ruger website, and saw that the Ruger Vaquero featured in blue finish, did not have the usual case hardened blue frame in the discription and the picture showed an ordinary blued frame.
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Ruger never, EVER did a case hardened frame in their entire corporate history.

Ever, period.

Every single "case colored" frame was a fake, cheesy mess OR if it was one of the early ones, actually served to ATTRACT rust if you weren't damned careful with it.

It was all fake. OK? Corny, crappy, fake, a travesty.

When they came out with the John Wayne special, they didn't DARE desecrate it with that garbage. The Duke would have shambled from his grave and friggin' strangled 'em in their sleep.

You want an honest gun? Buy a Ruger - and make it ALL BLUE. You want something that looks like a cheap Frisco pimp's gun? Go talk to Uberti. If you want a REAL "old west" look talk to USFA or Doug Turnbull...or if you're smart and want a no-safety SAA clone, just get a Rodeo and take some mild abrasive to it to artificially age it (there are numerous tutorials online for same).

Well I don't know about you, but a Peacemaker type revolver when blued, should be with the beautiful case hardened frame.
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A beautiful case hardened frame is a wonderful thing. Ruger never shipped any. What they did ship looked in comparison like a robot puked on it.

If anybody feels the same, write, email or call them and complain.
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For doing the right thing? I don't think so!

Full disclosure: I own a late-generation fake-case Ruger finish in the New Vaquero. This finish was my only choice at the time. Of three available in the caliber and barrel length I wanted, I picked the one with the most subdued "colors" - no color at all actually, just smoky gray all over. Doesn't look real AT ALL but to their credit, while it looks even faker than a 1994 specimen it blocks rust better than the older formula. So I live with it for now. A total re-blue end to end is in this gun's future.

The good news is, of the three available ALL had rock-solid lockups and actions, so instead of picking the one with the best mechanical fit, I picked based on color because fit was near-perfect on all three and the gun has been a great performer since and my daily-carry (in Tucson AZ) now after some serious modifications.
 
Ruger discontinued the fake case coloring because of complaints and they were constantly being sent back for refinishing. The finish is fragile and prone to rusting. Much less corrosion resistant than the real thing. Now that they've gone to a much more durable all blue finish, folks are complaining about that.
 
Well Jim, I guess I needed to be straighten out about Ruger Vaqueros. I guess I had some serious misconceptions. I appreciate you letting me know about the US firearms guns, also. How do they compare to a genuine blue Colt SAA's in current production?
 
I was checking out the Ruger website, and saw that the Ruger Vaquero featured in blue finish, did not have the usual case hardened blue frame in the discription and the picture showed an ordinary blued frame.

Really disappointing, so I contacted Ruger by email, and they said it was a "marketing" decision, and they no longer case harden their frames. Well I don't know about you, but a Peacemaker type revolver when blued, should be with the beautiful case hardened frame. If anybody feels the same, write, email or call them and complain
Click to expand...

I may be wrong but I think the news the Ruger has discontinued the case color whatever that stuff was will be generally greeted similar to an announcement that S&W was discontinuing frame mounted locks.

I went way out of my way to make sure my New Vaq was of the all blued variety and was on the lookout for the all blue version with the faux ivory grips. Being able to buy all blue out of new stock is great and I can see myself doing just that. Thanks for the tip.

Jim March's response / review was dead on. My only quibble with it is that I laughed hard enough I discovered that Orange Crush in one's sinuses hurts like the dickens. Probably didn't do my keyboard one bit of good either.

Following pic is of a Turnbull Classic. Ruger's version of case color fell well short of that. Their blue is nice though.

attachment.php
 
Oldjarhead, Jim was a bit harsh there, I think. But correct, nonetheless. I have two "case-hardened" finish Ruger Vaqueros. Nothing else I have, up to over 100 years old, has rusted in my gunsafe.

My Rugers lasted 1 week.

The best bet with Rugers is, as someone mentioned above, to send them to Doug Turnbull.

I'm glad Ruger got out of case-hardened coloring. They were not good at it.


I'm a Cowboy Action shooter. I think USFA makes better SA guns than Colt. But they don't have the Colt name.
 
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Oldjarhead

I have a Colt SAA 2nd Generation manufactured in 1959 and a USFA SAA.The Colt is a .38 Special and the USFA is a 45 Colt.I bought both used.The case hardening on the Colt has faded to a greyish tone,but the revolver is a beaut when it comes to fit,finish,and perfromance.I feed it just the standard 158 grain lead rounds.The USFA has a much crisper trigger-almost too light,but it is strictly a range gun,so no sweat.The USFA is better than the 3rd Generation Colts I've seen/handled.Both revolvers shoot like pipes at 30 feet,which the distance I usually shoot them at.Both are 5.5" barrels.
I am not a Cowboy Action shooter so I can't compare them in that arena.
I love 'em both.:D
 
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I had an original-design Bisley Vaquero with the fake case-hardened finish and that sucker rusted inside of four days, even though I cleaned it and thoroughly oiled it the minute I brought it home. I still don't understand why all the ones on gunshop shelves weren't rusted solid. Fortunately for me, a buddy of mine wanted that Bisley so desperately he took it off my hands for what I paid for it, rust and all.
 
I have had my NV two years with no problems. The fake case color is not particularly convincing, but mine is by far not the worst I've seen. I know, faint praise--but it really has been a non issue. My "4th gen" (yeah - know, late 3rd, but you at least knew what I meant right?) Colt is great--nicest they've made in years. Great fit and finish. I would stack it up against most 2nd gens I've had and seen. Only thing I don't like is it's too new"--afraid to scratch it; I hate that! i like the naturally aged look of most 2nd Gens!! Still, no complaints at all. Very nice CCH. (subdued, not Turnbull's nice but IMO somewhat over done colors -- ever see a like new 2nd gen or even "pristine" 1st as vibrant?)

I am also a big USFA fan but their "apples to (Colt) apples" model (I.e., non Pre War) didn't make for a competitive choice 'til their price drop(s) a year + ago...likely when they sensed Colt (finally) becoming more competitive, relatively speaking. Some say the USFA Pre War's another matter and ones I've seen have been outstanding--but has not seen nearly same price drops as its stablemate--USFA typically not "negotiating" on those...and usually still go for more than a "regular" new Colt--or never less than the same. Some say "worth it," and that's their choice if they've got the jingle.
 
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Yeah, look, sorry if I got snarky. This has been a sore point for me. Ruger did a special run of distributor-only all-blue with white micarta grip specimens a year or two after I bought mine. Dang.

The deal with USFA is that around...hmmm...five to seven years ago or so and prior, Colt's quality control was at a low point. USFA's best variants were so much better it wasn't even funny.

Colt has mostly caught up. By some accounts, narrowed the gap to a point where it's hard to tell which is better. USFA is still very highly regarded.

Personally, if I wanted a true no-safety Colt SAA clone with a good finish, I'd go USFA, esp. in 45LC or a similar size cartridge (44-40, etc.). That's because USFA started out as an "Uberti upgrade shop" and to this day retains one key Uberti feature: the cylinder is very slightly oversize from Colt spec. Not a lot, not enough to notice in terms of handling, but enough so that you have a leetle bit of extra strength margin.

If on the other hand you want a 357, Colt are your guys - USFA does 38Spl instead. But most people doing this price level go big-bore anyhow.
 
Jim March, you make some good points, and especially at USFA's very newly competitive pricing well below $1,000 on their "regular" SA model hard to beat--and makes a particularly strong case. USFA Pre Wars notwithstanding, if you're going to spend any more Colt's still the best "investment" IMO --as they can be had now just over $1k, and "never"--even in this climate--sell for under. Never have, never will, including used (Quotes are for the odd duck price-leader or (hopefully) rare family/business emergency, must sell now sale at $999.)

Although on paper you can get Colt's custom shop to trim your gun however you please, USFA makes it much easier to "have it your way," cheaper and sooner, and I like that every model from low to high comes standard with the "black powder" cylinder. Also, whoever said to get a Rodeo and rough it up (my term) a bit more hit it right on, as the best, most economical way to get a top quality clone that looks the part of the Old West. I posted this point in a recent thread (not mine) on the Beretta Stampede's 'old west' finish.
 
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In terms of resale value, yeah, nothing beats a Colt SAA - although DO note that as a "luxury item" value will vary with the economy. In economic down-turns like the one we're liable to see soon (see note below), "working guns" will hold more value than "safe queen eye candy".

(I know it's a topic veer from hell, but the BIG housing crisis hasn't shown up yet: the peak wave of adjustable rate mortgages are going to start in around 6 to 9 months and peak in late summer of '10. Obama and the Fed Bank and the rest have been trying to loosen credit ahead of that wave to give those folks some chance to re-fi and it's seriously not working. The numbers actually dwarf the first round of housing-related financial horror. Some are talking "great depression in a year" and that's not a good time to be sitting on thousands of dollars in luxury goods of any type. Good basic working guns (and ammo for same) would however be worth it's weight in at least silver....)

Back on topic: the USFA Rodeo is a fantastic bargain for what it is: mechanical fit'n'finish matches everything else by USFA, beats Colt by a smidge at Ruger prices. That finish can later be upgraded in several ways, some home-brewable (the artificial aging esp.) or there's Doug Turnbull...
 
It should be noted that for a genuine Colt SAA to count as an investment, timing is involved. If one bought an SAA a decade or so ago when they were retailing for 1,700.00 in base configuration, that individual will be skeptical of claims of resale.

Doug Turnbull looks to have raised the prices some on his in-house USFAs but he's evidently doing enough Rugers they rate their own page.

https://secure.cazbah.net/store.asp?pid=27260

Ruger_NMBH_Rdetail.jpg


Yummy.
 
I like the case hardened finish but as said that on the Rugers was more of a chemical treatment. If such a finish is so important to have, spend the money and have it done properly by Doug Turnbull.
 
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