L_Killkenny said:
"Now if you/she is dead set on a cowboy gun look no farther than Ruger. IMO a .22lr (Single Six) makes about the most sense but as much as I like SA's I don't like loading .22's thru a loading gate I find SA rimfires kinda boring at the range. So stepping up to centerfires the New Vaquero's are nice handling guns but I can definitely say, without a doubt, my country girl minded wife loves one gun and one gun only...... My (yes, it's still mine not hers) .32H&R Single Six.Size, weight, grips, looks, power, versatility, etc, my wife would kill me if I sold this gun. They are no longer made but hardly a gun show goes by that I don't see one for sale and they are still out there to be had."
LK has it right - there is
nothing more fun (firearms wise
) than a Ruger SS .32 H&R Mag. Just the right amount of everything. The larger-than-.22 bore lightens it up significantly, but still in the same good ol' .22 sized package...and when you shoot even mild factory loads enough pop (and utility for small game and even for SD) you know you're definitely not shooting a .22--anything. They were made in four gripframes. The first "era" adjustable sight guns (80s-90s) and some later fixed sight "Vaquerito" guns (my choice here for her or the same size/configuration birdshead) had the XR3 Red plowhandle shared with other Single Sixes, large. Frame Blackhawks and original Vaqueros. Many of the fixed sight guns then started to be made with a "short" XR3 Red powhandle grip, presumably for the growing lady and youth market at the time. Then the Birdshead like LK's - which would probably be great for her. Early on (adjustable sight era) there was a Bisley model (long handle/different shape) not needed and probably not desirable for this purpose (rare-ish and pricey anyway)
Yes, .32 H&R ammo can be hard to come by locally and never at Wallyworld, the only detraction for this purpose (that and gun availability). The gun is so fun, so right in size, pop, recoil, everything, that to me those features trump the ammo situatuon, unless you/she are a rangemeister. Buy a a couple hundred rounds or case-worth from Georgia Arms and don't worry about it.
That said, if she wants a larger size/caliber gun--which along with .22s does open up the ammo availability picture--it's up to the New Vaquero...I'll +1 that of the larger choices. IF getting the .357, keep the barrel short. My gf thinks my .357 Montado (Ruger's shortest) is a monster. It is heftier than you'd think. Yes, heft can be good to tame muzzle flip/recoil,
within reason. but in a smaller bore like .357--for a general purpose SA they can get barrel heavy in a hurry, in addition to the weight of all that metal left with the six small cylinder bores. This is where the .45 Montado suggestion someone had is a good one (as well as a currrent special distribution .45 birdshead), and the .44 Sheriff which is essentially a Montado with standard New Vaquero (long spur) hammer. With the larger (.4_) calibers, you can "get away with" longer barrels...but I'd keep them down to the 4-5/8" or 5-1/2" at most for a general puprose sidearm.
Warning: Ruger--and hence most vendors and distributors--in its ads and literature is oddly calling all of the midframe New Vaquero line just "Vaquero" (which
should instead signify the original large frame, no longer made except occasional special disteibutor runs). Always ask if that gun advertised as a Vaquero is the large frame "original" Vaquero OR the smaller/midframe New Vaquero.
The local store or you can usually tell by what's said on the frame. The one anomaly is, again oddly, Ruger is stamping their .44 Special New Vaqueros just "Vaquero."
So far, among the midframe guns this exception is unique to the .44 Special.
The Colts and clones are great guns (have had them all) as well as the smaller Stallion type, but you've
got to remember to only load five, with the empty chamber under the resting hammer. If she's not prone to really get into her "cowgirl" thing with verve, ie far enough or often enough to learn to/want to be diligent about that aspect, skip those and go straight to Ruger (or the Beretta Stampede, made by Uberti) which also has a transfer bar permitting loading a full "six up" safely.
