Recent content by Hondo44

In 2006 the 'Billboard' message "Read the owner's manual…" moved to the bottom of the barrel. In 1978, Jan.: Barrel warning began on the left side of barrel.

Do a search on Gunbroker for a New Vaquero .45 ACP cylinder. Eventually you'll find one. There's always cylinders that gets separated from the gun. Or call Ruger and see if they'll fit one to your gun.

I hear ya. Been faced with that problem. There’s two choices: wait for Ruger to make it, or turn the closest thing to it that Ruger does make into what you want. Life has always been too short for me to wait for the first choice….

Very cool and handy size. I have a similar distributor exclusive New Vaquero variation in 44 Spl with the 3 3/4" barrel, but with the standard grip frame.

I found myself in the same situation with my Vaquero Montado which is 45 Colt. So I slimmed down a bunch of my full moon acp clips to .020" thickness, fill them with 45 acp and pop out my 45 Colt cylinder to load and unload. It's actually much faster than loading and unloading individual...

The New Vaquero was introduced in 2005 and made on the old model .357 mid-size frame. The exception is the New Vaquero .44 mag which is made on the original Vaquero size large frame. What makes the 2005 model the "New Vaquero" is: the Ruger Indexing Pawl System (RIPS) for easier...

Unless it’s a rare model of course, factory refinished Rugers are the exception to my disdain for refinished guns. Their methods result in a finish virtually the same as the original and can even be a little better; fixing small polishing flaws missed on the original finish. On very poor...

I wouldn’t be surprised if other wranglers and SWs have the serial number on the barrel under the ejection rod housing.

The S&W Kit Gun was the model name for their small ‘I’ size frame 4” .22 with adjustable sights introduced 1935. In those days a bag of belongings was referred to as one’s Kit bag, hunting kit, fishing kit, etc. Today it would be called a camp gun, not necessarily to be carried while hunting...

You can adjust the loading gate tension screw to make it easier to open and close. Just remove the grip frame to access the screw above the trigger guard. Great find!

It's too bad Ruger never cast the bird's head grip in alum alloy. However if you choose an old model or new model alloy or steel grip frame for a replacement, the support tabs are not needed on a .22 because there's almost no recoil. They can be filed off. The latest XR3 steel grip frames for...

Often we'd see these modified Rugers with color case hardened frame that would really look like the Colt single action model 1873 guns.

That’s a great piece of Ruger history even though not supplied by Ruger in its current configuration. Shooters liked the strong action with modern coil springs for their longevity and dependability, but they wanted the traditional Colt single action look. And shooters didn’t need adjustable...

As a rule of thumb, the plunger always goes against the working part; Against the pawl, and on old models, against the trigger, and against the loading gate pivot shaft, and on new models, against the cylinder latch.

The other reason is: to have an all steel Old Army. As I posted above, the early Old Army’s came with the same alloy grip frame as your OM Blackhawk .41 mag and all other Blackhawks.