Pair of Vaquero .357s ... which should I buy?

[winterwood]

I want a pair of Vaquero .357s with the 4 5/8 bbl in stainless. I have several options: the SASS set (I don't currently shoot in any events and do not care for the grip inserts); also, they are selling for about $150.00 over a consec pair of the standards. If I do not go with the SASS set, one local dealer feels he can get a pair with consec numbers, but he is about $100.00 dollars higher than another dealer who says he is not able to order consec pairs.
These guns will get plenty of use. They will not be safe queens. I am thinking that there are fairly large nmbers of the SASS sets and they may not be any more valuable than a regular consec pair. If that is true, is the consec pair worth the additional $100.00 over a non-consec pair? How good is the action job on the SASSs? :? :? :?
Your thoughts will be most appreciated.

 

[Silent Sam]

Can't speak to the SASS Vaquero's. I have two 357s just as you describe (not consecutive). I do not shoot SASS either. Mine have slicked up nicely and I am more than happy with them. They are the closest thing I have to Bar-B-Que guns and I use and carry them whenever I can. I am contemplating engraving the backstraps or butts with "Hope" on one and "Change" on the other. (That is not meant as an endorsement of those that coined the phrase btw. If you don't 'get' it, I won't try to explain.) The only extra value of consecutive serial #s will be to you personally. I would not pay extra for consecutive #s. Mine can be seen on Klamath River Woodworks site on pg 6 of the customer page with the grips he made for me (flag background).

 

[contender]

Well, the SASS set is a nice set,, and if you don't care for the SASS inserts,, swap off the grips for a couple of sets of customs. Heck,, I'd make a couple of walnut sets to swap in a trade for the SASS sets. I can't do medallions as I don't have those tools,, but I do a pretty good job of woodwork for the Ruger SA's.

 

[Driftwood Johnson]

Howdy

There is no intrinsic value to consecutive numbers in Rugers, other than bragging rights. Paying extra money for consecutive numbers is a waste of money. The idea behind consecutive numbers in the old days was that both guns would have been assembled by the same worker, so they would be close to identical.

In the old days, at companies like Colt or S&W, one assembler would work on a batch of 10 or 20 revolvers at a time, fitting the parts to each frame and keeping track of which parts went into each frame. This was called soft fitting. Then the guns would be disassembled and the parts hardened. Once hardened, the batch of frames and parts would be mated up again for final fitting. This was called hard fitting. Hard fitting may or may not have been done by the same worker who soft fitted the parts.

Ruger does not operate that way. One worker does not assemble the entire gun, Ruger operates by piece work. One guy does the same thing all day long, like soldering on front sights for instance. Any gun that is assembled will have been touched by many hands, but no one guy builds the entire thing, and certainly no one guy is building up matched pairs.

 

[ADP3]

One benefit, at least to me, of the SASS set is that they come with the Montado wide spur hammers. That alone might tip me towards buying them over a standard pair of Vaqueros.

Best Regards,
ADP3

 

[Terry T]

Not so sure where the numbers on the SASS will actually land. They are a big part of the 2010 catalog, yet my dealer seems to have a hard time getting a set.
The SASS comes as a consecutive ser. no. set of two guns.
I really like the Montado hammer and I like .357 so I'm trying to get a set. (Some folks gave me a gift certificate to the shop so I'm kind of stuck with this dealer - I've seen sets on Gunbroker for reasonable prices).

I think special ser. no. are available for the SASS so final production numbers may be hard to figure out.

Terry T

 

[KWYJIBO]

One benefit, at least to me, of the SASS set is that they come with the Montado wide spur hammers. That alone might tip me towards buying them over a standard pair of Vaqueros.

I agree. Besides the wide hammer, I think the SASS models also have a wider rear sight notch, which is a nice feature. I'm not sure it's worth a lot of extra money, though.

I find the SASS medallions to be ridiculous, because I think the SASS Cowboy logo looks amateur and cartoonish. I would want a special edition set of guns to look classier than their run-of-the mill counterparts, and to my eye, these look silly.

As far as consecutive serial #s go, I agree with those who say it has no value or benefit.

Were I in your shoes, I'd just buy any two Vaqueros with the desired finish and length.

 

[Driftwood Johnson]

because I think the SASS Cowboy logo looks amateur and cartoonish.

As a long time SASS shooter I sure agree with that statement.

 

[winterwood]

Thanks for the information and insights. I learn from this forum nearly every day. It is really good to have a resource like this for those of us who are not so well informed. 8)
I checked with another dealer and he was able to offer the SASS set for only about $100.00 over the price of two singles. Discounting any potential advantage of consec numbers, that increase seemed worth it to get the afore mentioned Montado hammers and the factory slick-up on the actions. :wink:
They should be here in about three weeks and I will deal with the decision for grips then. Thank you Contender for your kind offer and I will get back to you when I have the guns in my hands.

 

[Terry T]

"Winterwood"
Who is your Dealer's Distributor? My Dealer's Distributor seems to be having a problem getting the SASS sets.
Thanks,
Terry T

 

[Driftwood Johnson]

Howdy Again

There is something all wrong here. Buying in bulk, a pair, should result in less cost, not more. And I doubt very much if the 'factory slick up' is worth a hill of beans. If you really want the Montado hammers, then go for it. Other wise, seems like a waste of money to me.

 

[Tx gun runner]

Cons # are easy to come by . Davidson's and large company get them like 6 cons # in a row and don't charge 10 cents more . I like cons # guns they are easy to sell in pairs . There are ones that have the same # with a l and R at the of the end for left and right and they bring more money and are very hard to get . I sold con# 357 Vaqueros sheriff model not pics .

 

[JimMarch1]

My understanding is that the SASS specials also have slightly improved sights - fatter rear channel at a minimum, possibly a more square-trimmed (fatter?) front. I don't know all the details.

 

[dougader]

Very cool revolvers. I prefer the Montados for the excellent hammer and the shorter barrel. You pay a premium for the Montado, too, but I expect it'd more difficult to find them in con serial numbers.

If I got con #'s in a New Vaquero I'd see about getting Bisley or SBH hammers installed.