New Vaquero .44 Special 4.62 thoughts

[Malpaso]

A friend just got a New Vaquero , blued, 4.62'' in .44 Special. It was an impulse buy for him and he already wants to move it. He wants $800 which looks like a good deal.

I have two Montados for mounted shooting and the only reason the above caught my interest was the 4.62'' barrel and blued finish. I should have got one of the .44 Special Bisley's years ago.

Does anyone have the above Vaquero?

Do you recommend it?

How does it shoot?

Does it have the common Ruger issues ( incorrect throats, barrel pinch/gap that needs to be fire lapped etc? ) I recall the Seyfired article on the .44 Special Bisley's that needed to be fire lapped. A friend had to fire lap his Bisley.

I thought I saw a thread on here that someone said the 3 3/4'' New Vaquero in .44 Special shot poorly.

Any advice is appreciated. Thanks in advance.

 

[needsmostuff]

I have yet to find any centerfire Ruger single action that did not benefit from adjusting chamber mouths to a proper size or at least uniform followed by firelapping.
But I like fidgeting with stuff anyway so I always plan on doing the steps.
Out of the box they can be fine ,,,,,,,, but they can always be better .

 

[G2]

The last that sold on GB $763 & $1199. So there is your range.
Keep in mind sales tax, shipping, GB fee, and FFL fee on top of that.
So I would say $800 sounds like a win/win deal,,, friend gets what he wants and you pay a good to fair price… and what's a few bucks amongst friends.

Now as for the rest of your questions, IMO, your going to get great to,,,,,, WELL ,,, and that's a deep subject….

Sad to say you win some and loose some, but Ruger does stand behind their product, and usually tries hard to make it work. … probably not what you wanted to hear,,, eah?

EDIT TO ADD; needsmostuff makes a very good points, especially the "fidgeting".

 

[Timbo23]

Since you say you already own two Montados, New Vaqueros with 3 3/4" barrels and wide checkered hammers in 45 Colt or 357 S&W Magnum. You already know about the basic platform. So no surprises there.
The only consideration would be getting a new caliber (44 Spl) if you don't already have another. It can be hard to find some times and expensive.
If you already reload, no real problem, a set of dies, shell holder, enough brass for your needs, correct bullets, and you would be set. You probably already have a gun powder that would work and the right sized primers.
I have Montados in both calibers (357 & 45 Colt) plus a SS NV Sheriff (3 3/4" barrel) in 44 Spl, and a SS NV Birds head (3 3/4" barrel) in 45 ACP, so I like the short barrel set-up too.
I have been considering changing the long spur hammer on the 44 with a wide Super Blackhawk hammer to match the other three. It should be a drop-in fit.

 

[Mobuck]

No opinion on the price.
A medium weight 44SP is nice to shoot and nicer to carry that a heavier mag frame gun.

 

[crash1987]

I have one. Before I even shot it, I sent it to Jim Stroh for some modifications. I dont recall what the throats were, but i did not ,nor did I have Mr. Stroh do anything with them. I did lap the barrel though. But then again I do that with all my firearms that will shoot cast. They can all benefit from a little smoothing. I can check the throats if you'd like. But I'd pay $800 all day long for one or two. Its a Vaquero now in name only as I had Mr. Stroh install an adj sights plus his front sight, fitted a bisley hammer to it, along with an action job that even my Clements guns dont compare too. And, yes it is a very easy to shoot and accurate revolver. It has accounted itself well with one whitetail, numerous coyotes and a lot of lesser game in my travels through the wilds.

 

[Base Pin Maker]

When the New Vaquero was introduced, I got the first 357 that I could find and sent it to Ben Forkin for conversion to 44 Special. Upon completion, it was sent to John Taffin for evaluation, and John gave it a thumbs up. The gun was later sent to Dustin Linebaugh for a drift adjustable front sight and a beautiful set of walnut stocks. It is a beauty.

 

[JackBull]

Waiting for Ruger to reissue the Vaquero in 44 Spl. Hopefully in 3 & 4 inch barrels

 

[Rclark]

Hopefully New Vaquero in 5 1/2" .

 

[crash1987]

Hopefully New Vaquero in 5 1/2" .

Before that can happen Ruger needs to listen to the minority. Hopefully they can hear us?

 

[gak]

I got one of them as well as the 3½ "sheriff" when they came out. Actually quite the big deal. Like the shorties, I understand this 4+ model is one of only 500 made each trim/combo, and all of these likely Lipseys or some such special runs.. The first thing I did who was to swap out the silly New Vaquero long high swept longhorn (my term) hammer, first for a Super Blackhawk then, to revert it back to a little bit more cowboy look/feel, the Blackhawk/old (original) large frame Vaquero hammer. My stainless 3½ got a Montado hammer transplant so now is the otherwise identical twin of the first year .357 Montado that I have. Regarding the 4¾", it is now one of my favorite guns.

Odd factoid: If yours is like mine (both barrel lengths) and all the others I've seen, you will notice that the side plate on the cylinder frame says "Vaquero" and not "New Vaquero." You'll find a lot of archival duscussion on this forum regarding the efficacy of the naming scheme.. but be assured that it is the mid frame and not the large original Vaquero frame.and thus it really is a New Vaquero, despite what Ruger said at the time or what it says on the frame. For quite awhile after this .44S's introduction, distributors and even Ruger purveyed (in print of specs!) the idea that this was the large frame.. and that of course got propagated by many others. Back to the naming scheme, the odd reasoning Ruger has given is that since there was never an "old" Vaquero discreetly chambered in .44 special, there can be no "New Vaquero" in 44 special! Most of us have just equated the mid frame fixed sight to being New Vaqueros, and that the caliber should be irrelevant. Now, with the recent decade (+) run of the LARGE frame .44 Mag in the fixed sight, with New Vaquero stated on the cylinder frame (although these days has probably been simplified in ads to just Vaquero), Ruger now says so-named because it has the RIPS "Reverse Index Pawl System" introduced with the mid-frame guns about 2005, and that is what makes it a New Vaquero, and again that is what you will find it named on the cylinder frame. When faced with that inconsistency regarding the .44 Special, they revert to the other argument! Nevertheless, the current "official" position or at least corporate line is that any (big bore/centerfire) fixed sight with the new (2005+) pawl system is a "New Vaquero," based on the internal mechanicals. It would be interesting to see if another run of 44 Special was made what it would be called!

 

[Timbo23]

Thanks GAK for your thoughtful post. I started collecting Vaqueros when they came out and have a representative example of each finish, barrel length, and caliber. I couldn't get one of each. Who has that much money?
As the line expanded with additional calibers (38-40/40 S&W, 32-20/32 H&R) and barrel lengths (Sheriffs and shop keepers) and grips (Birdheads and Bisleys) I was able to get an example of each. I wasn't able to find a 45 Colt/45 ACP combo though.
When the New Vaqueros came out I bought a few to include a couple of 357, 45 Colt, and 44 Spls. I also bought the Montados and Sheriffs.
I have stayed away from the Vaquero/New Vaquero discussion as I found the reasoning behind the arguments unconvincing. For me, if the example has the large frame and a two digit serial number prefix, then it's a Vaquero, a medium frame with a three digit prefix, it's a New Vaquero, regardless of the caliber.
I would love to find one of the 44 Mag Vaqueros shown on Ruger's web catalog. It's supposed to have the Reverse Index Pawl and a very late serial number. It would make a fitting bookend to my collection.

 

[Malpaso]

Thanks for the replies

The one I have a lead on has .431 throats. Is that too big?

 

[crash1987]

Thanks for the replies

The one I have a lead on has .431 throats. Is that too big?

No, it is not to big.