Which would you buy?
- Thread starter USNRet93
- Start date
I'm a Ruger fan, USN, and prefer that make for their good guns and no nonsense customer service policies. l've had a 4-5/8" bbl'd New Vaquero in .45 LC for ten years, that'll shoot 2" groups at 25 yds from a rest, when I'm having a 'good eyes' day.
But be prepared for undersized cylinder throats, if you buy the Ruger,...their kiss of death for accuracy with cast bullets and that's the name of the game with the .45. I had mine opened up by Cylindersmith, no longer doing gunsmith work, but others offer the service. It was $60 to get the work done and it cut my groups in half. Why Ruger has stubbornly clung to their undersized cylinder reamers over the years in spite of numerous complaints to the contrary, I have no idea, but perhaps the newer guns are OK in that regard.
YMMv, Rod
But be prepared for undersized cylinder throats, if you buy the Ruger,...their kiss of death for accuracy with cast bullets and that's the name of the game with the .45. I had mine opened up by Cylindersmith, no longer doing gunsmith work, but others offer the service. It was $60 to get the work done and it cut my groups in half. Why Ruger has stubbornly clung to their undersized cylinder reamers over the years in spite of numerous complaints to the contrary, I have no idea, but perhaps the newer guns are OK in that regard.
YMMv, Rod
Kreyzhorse
New member
If it's an older Vaquero, but still in great shape, that would be hard to pass up. Great triggers and well made with a great customer service team.
J.G. Terry
New member
I think that a past post is where it's at. What do you want to do with this handgun. If you want a gun that will last thousands of rounds it's the old style Vaquero. All the stuff I have seen wrong with Vaquero's had to do with Bubba. The Ruger's are good shooter's in my experience. The old Vaquero's will last the ages. Mechanically, look at the old Vaquero's as a fixed sight Super Blackhawk.
i have had a ruger bisley. strong well made but poor quality control. it shot very bad groups out of the box. checked the cylinder and it was too small a exit holes and too small a loading holes. sent it to a expert in fixing this and he rereamed them and then it shot tight. didnt like the feel of it so sold it to a friend who wanted it. ruger is a toos up as to if they done their cylinders with undersized worn out bits and reamers. uberti isnt. i have a uberti stainless steel cattleman that out of the box loaded and unloaded easily and shoots holes in holes at 15 to 20 yards. better made than a real colt as ive owned them in the past also. ill never buy a bigger ruger again. do love my two small lcr/s though. you may or may not get a ruger that shoots tight. it can be fixed but it will cost you. as to my cattle man i put in a wire spring to replace the flat spring in the bottom of it. i recut the forcing cone which i do with any revolver i buy no matter who makes them. thats my experience with 45 long colt rugers and uberti products. i would never dare take a ruger apart, i can take a uberti colt apart in my sleep and put it back together. very simple and easy.
Take a long hard look at the Pietta , Great Western II , 45 Colt revolver .
Brian Pearce just did a complete review of one in the February 2020 issue (no. 324) of Handloader Magazine and this one is done right , .452 cylinder throats , .451 barrel .
The average accuracy for 5 different loads at 25 yards was 1.20 inches !!!
That's amazing accuracy for 45 Colt SAA that are usually plagued with oversized throats and barrels . Two to three inch groups would be considered good... 1 1/4 inch is fantastic.
The details and care that went into manufacturing is what makes this gun so accurate...they got them right . The quality is there , case hardened frame and one piece ivory like (faux ivory) grips ...it looks good ! MSRP is $580 ...if I were twenty years younger I would be all over this one .
Gary
Brian Pearce just did a complete review of one in the February 2020 issue (no. 324) of Handloader Magazine and this one is done right , .452 cylinder throats , .451 barrel .
The average accuracy for 5 different loads at 25 yards was 1.20 inches !!!
That's amazing accuracy for 45 Colt SAA that are usually plagued with oversized throats and barrels . Two to three inch groups would be considered good... 1 1/4 inch is fantastic.
The details and care that went into manufacturing is what makes this gun so accurate...they got them right . The quality is there , case hardened frame and one piece ivory like (faux ivory) grips ...it looks good ! MSRP is $580 ...if I were twenty years younger I would be all over this one .
Gary
J.G. Terry
New member
Ruger Cylinders: This cylinder problem may be real to some degree but is the subject of gross internet over generalizations. When I get another Ruger revolver this small throat situation is not a concern. All my Ruger have been good shooters. Seriously, if this small cylinder throat is a concern call the Customer Service department for some information.
J.G. Terry
New member
Buying Second Hand Ruger's: There is a difference in "Don't Like" and "No Good." When you are buying a second hand Ruger you may be looking at a gun that's twenty plus years old. My Bisley Model Blackhawk was made in 2002. The oldest is my Super Blackhawk made in 1978. What may have been a problem twenty years may have been corrected in more current guns. My project gun is a 1996 vintage Vaquero in excellent condition except for one thing. Bubba filed on the back of the barrel making an excessive gap. This is an "issue." Butcher work by Bubba is not a factory defect. I repeat myself. Vaquero's are strong, good shooters. Ruger customer service on the website has history by serial numbers.
Just to put TxFly and Terry's comments in perspective: I've owned over a dozen Ruger SA's over the past 50+ years, all new, add to that number, add my two son's half dozen. The ONLY Ruger SA we collectively had problems with was that aforementioned New Vaquero in .45 Colt...for undersized cylinder throats. Read 0.450"-0.451" throats matched to a 0.452" bore. I'll repeat, if you're going to shoot lead alloy bullets in any caliber, throat size must be compatible to groove dia., i.e. same size or at most 0.001"- 0.002" larger. Rod
Just to bring this full circle..below is what I bought. Nearly new, no rotate marks on the cylinder, GREAT $(Gunsport Colorado here in the republic) BUT 38/357(45LC tough on my wrist/thumb).
BirdsHead and although 'labeled' 'Beretta', made by Uberti.
And 3.5 inch barrel..a GIGGLE to shoot..
BirdsHead and although 'labeled' 'Beretta', made by Uberti.
And 3.5 inch barrel..a GIGGLE to shoot..
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arquebus357
New member
That's a beauty. Those are much more like the original Colts than the Ruger offerings. Love the 3" barrel and the old time birdshead grip. The Ruger birdshead grip is more of a modern version.
Enjoy
Enjoy
Hope it works well for you. I don't see how you are having a problem with .45 Colt recoil, if you let the gun roll in the hand like you're supposed to. Especially don't understand how its tough on your thumb, BUT, I don't have your hands/wrists, so...
.38s through that gun should be great. REAL .357s might not do so well in your hands. And tis not impossible for there to be a significant difference in point of impact between .38 and .357 in the gun. Shouldn't be, but I've seen it happen, so be aware it might.
Don't know where the Ruger bashers get their experience, mine have all been excellent. I've got 7 Ruger .45 SAs, my first bought new in 1983. None of them have ever had problems, all shoot well, none have ever had the cylinders touched or needed to. Not saying there aren't poor Rugers out there, but I've never seen one...
Seems like some folks buy a Ruger, because its not a Colt, then complain about it, because its not a Colt.
Enjoy your gun, keep the loads light. The birdshead grip is comfortable (though I don't care for the style) until you get around 200gr/1000fps (or equivalent) recoil, then, not so much, for most of us, anyway.
Enjoy!
.38s through that gun should be great. REAL .357s might not do so well in your hands. And tis not impossible for there to be a significant difference in point of impact between .38 and .357 in the gun. Shouldn't be, but I've seen it happen, so be aware it might.
Don't know where the Ruger bashers get their experience, mine have all been excellent. I've got 7 Ruger .45 SAs, my first bought new in 1983. None of them have ever had problems, all shoot well, none have ever had the cylinders touched or needed to. Not saying there aren't poor Rugers out there, but I've never seen one...
Seems like some folks buy a Ruger, because its not a Colt, then complain about it, because its not a Colt.
Enjoy your gun, keep the loads light. The birdshead grip is comfortable (though I don't care for the style) until you get around 200gr/1000fps (or equivalent) recoil, then, not so much, for most of us, anyway.
Enjoy!
stinkeypete
New member
Used Ruger would be my first look because a good one is great and being used you can ask the owner how it shoots or maybe even test fire it if it’s a club situation. On the other hand, if you are buying sight unseen... I’d probably still go for the Ruger as next year you can sell it for what you paid for it.
For CAS stuff those Italian clones are a bargain.
For CAS stuff those Italian clones are a bargain.
Lotsa arthritis in my RH wrist and very poorly repaired dislocated RH thumb(thanks USN docs)..mostly my wrist but some on my thumb since when it 'wraps' around grip, it's trying to do something related to being essentially, still 'dislocated'..
I've had issues with lotsa guns..
Ruger LCP and LC-9, Glock 43, son's S&W 686 revolver in 357, other son's revolver in 45LC, a 45acp 1911, a S&W 642....
None with this revolver or my G42, 26 and G42...
Some others like wee, light snubbies in 357 or 44mag makes my hand hurt just lookin at them.
arquebus357
New member
That explains a lot. Glad that you found something comfortable for you to shoot.
Just to set the record straight...I don't dislike Ruger firearms. Right now, I have a Security Six, a blued, half lug, GP100, a 357 Match Champion, and a 9mm Ruger American compact. I just don't care for the design of their single action offerings.
Just to set the record straight...I don't dislike Ruger firearms. Right now, I have a Security Six, a blued, half lug, GP100, a 357 Match Champion, and a 9mm Ruger American compact. I just don't care for the design of their single action offerings.
You was lucky then
. My original Vaquero had way undersized throats.... Shrunk the target groups by half after reaming. The only revolvers that 'might' have passed was the medium frame flattops and New Vaquero. Still they wouldn't pass a .452 bullet with finger pressure. So reamed them all. Now all consistent ... and correct. BTW, I really like Rugers and have quite a few... But there is always room for improvement! All of them came with ultra 'heavy' triggers with lots of creep for example. I've had that corrected on all my goto Ruger shooters. Now they break clean with a 2# trigger pull.