The 7.5" 44-40 Vaquero is an awesome gun and one of the rarer models in that caliber. I got a stainless model with the same barrel length and had to get CAS (cylindersmith.com), a member of this forum, to open up my throats so it would shoot. My throats came .425 and after his work, it shoots like a champ. I think he opened them to .4305. You will definately enjoy that caliber and don't believe all the junk you read about hard to reload. The case walls are thinner so you have to be a little more careful but it works just fine. I use RCBS dies and a Lee Factory Crimp die to finish it off.
Where do you live in the Panhandle? I love that part of the world. Went to Adobe Walls, Canyon and Dalhart a couple of years ago.
Dan