A little help

[captainkirk]

http://www.rugerforum.com/phpBB3/viewtopic.php?f=41&t=181160

This ad in the classifieds shows a Vaquero on the cover of a 1993 catalog. Sure looks like the serial starts with a 47- prefix which would be correct for a Blackhawk of that era. Did they build some early Vaqueros with Blackhawk serial#s? (Vaqueros started with a 55- prefix.)

Thanks

captainkirk

 

[hittman]

That pictured gun, by looking at the size of the holes in the cylinder, appears to be a .22. You're right however, that the s/n 47- guns were .41 Mags.

 

[rugerguy]

I agree with hittman, and a normal quirk of "print media" all too often a picture is used, that is NOT "correct" ,sometimes not even 'close" to what in writing, context.......heck you will even see pictures "reversed" and shown "backwards"...........its one thing when the "error" is just in an "advertising",,,, its "fraud" when done in a 'sales' context, such as 'ebay' or any auction, sales site.

 

[captainkirk]

I agree with hittman, and a normal quirk of "print media" all too often a picture is used, that is NOT "correct" ,sometimes not even 'close" to what in writing, context.......heck you will even see pictures "reversed" and shown "backwards"...........its one thing when the "error" is just in an "advertising",,,, its "fraud" when done in a 'sales' context, such as 'ebay' or any auction, sales site.

I guess I understand that, but unless the photo has been "shopped", that is a colour-cased frame with fixed sites (grooved topstrap), serialed to the 41 mag blackhawk range. I am curious how that could happen.

captainkirk

 

[chet15]

I guess I understand that, but unless the photo has been "shopped", that is a colour-cased frame with fixed sites (grooved topstrap), serialed to the 41 mag blackhawk range. I am curious how that could happen.

captainkirk

captainkirk...your eyes do not deceive you. That is one of the rare cases where Ruger uses the pic of an actual prototype of one of their models. The gun you see on the cover of the '93 catalog is probably a concept model prototype, used to show Ruger's Board of directors for approval. Why did Ruger use a 47- prefix? Because the model series had not yet been established for a fixed sight Vaquero, so Ruger simply used the current serial number sequence of the .45 Blackhawk series (Remember that .41 Blackhawks and .45 Blackhawks were both merged into the 46- prefix in 1980...probably to not only eliminate confusion between the .41 and .45, but also that they really use the same set of internal parts anyway). When it was decided to make the fixed sight concept a production model, a higher up at Ruger finally decided that the series would be assigned the 0550 model series (and a 55- prefix to match).
Most folks don't know that there are approximately 25 prototypes that precede even this! Known from 47-45013 to 47-45601 these "Vaquero" prototypes have a case color frame and adjustable sights (but are rollmarked Blackhawk). At least one of these was on Ruger's 1992 NRA show display. And three of the six known have "VAQUERO PROTOTYPE" marked on the box.
Chet15

 

[captainkirk]

I guess I understand that, but unless the photo has been "shopped", that is a colour-cased frame with fixed sites (grooved topstrap), serialed to the 41 mag blackhawk range. I am curious how that could happen.

captainkirk

captainkirk...your eyes do not deceive you. That is one of the rare cases where Ruger uses the pic of an actual prototype of one of their models. The gun you see on the cover of the '93 catalog is probably a concept model prototype, used to show Ruger's Board of directors for approval. Why did Ruger use a 47- prefix? Because the model series had not yet been established for a fixed sight Vaquero, so Ruger simply used the current serial number sequence of the .45 Blackhawk series (Remember that .41 Blackhawks and .45 Blackhawks were both merged into the 46- prefix in 1980...probably to not only eliminate confusion between the .41 and .45, but also that they really use the same set of internal parts anyway). When it was decided to make the fixed sight concept a production model, a higher up at Ruger finally decided that the series would be assigned the 0550 model series (and a 55- prefix to match).
Most folks don't know that there are approximately 25 prototypes that precede even this! Known from 47-45013 to 47-45601 these "Vaquero" prototypes have a case color frame and adjustable sights (but are rollmarked Blackhawk). At least one of these was on Ruger's 1992 NRA show display. And three of the six known have "VAQUERO PROTOTYPE" marked on the box.
Chet15

Awesome, thanks for the history lesson on this model. I don't guess any of these have left the factory?

captainkirk

 

[T.A. WORKMAN]

I believe that our own Weaselmeatgravy owns one of the (Rare) adjustable sight models and wrote an article on it for the RENE a few years back.
Terry