Vaquero mods

[Irelander]

Hi all. New to the forum but been lurking a bit.

I bought a New Vaquero (one with the smaller frame) last year and just got around to shooting it. Boy, is that a fun little gun! Its the Lipsey's Sheriff model in 44SPL all blued. I can tell that S/A revolvers are going to be a new obsession for me.

Anyway, I'm wanting to do a few mods to this Vaquero. One, is replacing the hammer with a SBH hammer to get a lower spur. The other thing I have been toying around with is replacing the grip frame with a birdshead frame. I really like the look and feel of the birdshead grip. I originally looked for a birdshead Vaquero but I couldn't find one in 44SPL. I wanted 44SPL because I already reload for it.

The hammer swap seems pretty straight forward, but the birdshead grip frame is a little more obscure to me. Have any of you done this? Are there any other parts besides the grip frame and grips that I will need? Is there any major fitting required? Any info you can give me on this would be greatly appreciated.

Shoot straight!

 

[Joe S.]

Take the gun apart and see how simple it is. My guess is if you can handle the hammer swap the grip frame should be a cake walk.

Welcome to the forum but DANG YOU for making me aware the Vaquero came in 44 special!!!

What length barrel is that?

 

[Irelander]

Barrel is 3.75".

http://www.lipseysguns.com/post/Ruger-New-Vaquero-44-Special-Blue-Sheriffs-Model.aspx

 

[Hondo44]

Like Joe said, pretty simple. If you get a used BH grip (preferred, less fitting) the worst case scenario is that you have to fit the grip frame 'ears' around the hammer to be flush with the main frame on the top of the ears and also to be flush with the base of the hammer. So get you replacement hammer installed first. A stainless BH grip is a nice contrast and you won't have to touch up bluing when you fit it. New grip frames for a blued gun come in the white and will need fitting on the sides to be flush with the main frame and will need to blued or just polished out to look like stainless. Then you always have the option to get it blued at a later time.

Some other ideas:

New Vaq 44 Spl Sheriff Model, Colt ejector, Belt Mtn Colt-style base pin. The ugly web on backside of trigger radiused. Replacement Ivory grips and lock elimination so any flat backed grips can be used. Original style Vaquero/Blackhawk hammer.

 

[Irelander]

Nice looking Vaquero there. Where did you get the grips?

 

[Hondo44]

Best place is to bid on E-bay. But expect to pay $250 to $350 and fit them yourself. The ones above came on another gun I bought.
These were $350 on E-bay with medallions installed but oversize and I had to fit them.

 

[gak]

Welcome! And congratulations on a great gun! Good fetch.

Despite what it says on the frame--one of Ruger's oddities--your .44 Sp is a New Vaquero (capital N), the smaller mid-frame. The .44 Sp is unique among NVs in being mis-named on the frame. All others--to date--are properly marked "New Vaquero" on the frame. Second confusing Ruger oddity is that, for three or so years now, they (with vendors following suit) have been calling.all the current production fixed sight guns (centerfires) just "Vaquero" in their literature and ads... which is supposed to be the discontinued (2005 or so) large frame gun only.

The change over to the New Vaquero also brought with it/denotes other design changes aside from the smaller cylinder and cylinder frame--namely the high backswept hammer (except on Montado and SASS models and now the birdshead .45), narrower XR3 gripframe shared now by the Flattops, and cylinder indexing which now aligns the chambers with the loading/ejection port--a feature also shared with the Flattops.

The .44 Sp New Vaquero came only as the Montado-like 3-3/4" "Sheriff" and 4-5/8" in both the blue and polished stainless, and only in the plowhandle grip. It's been out for about three years now as Special distributor only item (Lipseys) - following its Flattop brother by 9-12 months...don't know if any more are available (new from Lipseys) or not.

 

[Irelander]

New Vaq 44 Spl Sheriff Model, Colt ejector, Belt Mtn Colt-style base pin. The ugly web on backside of trigger radiused. Replacement Ivory grips and lock elimination so any flat backed grips can be used. Original style Vaquero/Blackhawk hammer.

Love those grips. I was just reading some of Trails Plowed Under by Charles Russell last night and read about a fancy cowpuncher who had ivory grips with a steer head engraved in them. Reminded me of your grips.

 

[Hondo44]

Good ole' Charles Russel. Have that in my library, read it years ago. I'll have to re-read it. I have a few copies of his scultures. I always liked how he gets the details right even on the guns. My favorite is his "Shootin' Up", his first sculpture I believe.

 

[Joe S.]

haha, if you do a google search for charles russel shooting up, the first thing that comes up is NOT a sculpture!

 

[Hondo44]

haha, if you do a google search for charles russel shooting up, the first thing that comes up is NOT a sculpture!

Sorry Joe! It didn't look quite right when I typed it...it's "Smokin' Up"!

http://www.remingtonsculpture.com/chruresmup.html

 

[Joe S.]

haha. no worries man! just thought it was funny!

 

[Irelander]

Well, there is a birdshead grip frame on its way to me care of a generous forum member. Planning to trade my plow handle frame for it. Let you know how it turns out.

 

[Joe S.]

Sweet! Id like to do that swap myself one day.

 

[Irelander]

New Vaq 44 Spl Sheriff Model, Colt ejector, Belt Mtn Colt-style base pin. The ugly web on backside of trigger radiused. Replacement Ivory grips and lock elimination so any flat backed grips can be used. Original style Vaquero/Blackhawk hammer.

Hondo44,

Where do you get your Colt ejectors from?

 

[Hondo44]

Hondo44,

Where do you get your Colt ejectors from?

Hi Adam,

I get everything I can from Brownells. They are speedier and more efficient than dealing w/Colt or Ruger for parts.

A Blue Colt rod and head assembly (they thread together, not riveted/peened like Ruger) is #160-205-003AD, $32.84. You can also get one by MK Technologies from Brownells but they are a little more money and not quite the same. But they offer it in stainless, Colt does not. I had to get the MKT for my stainless Montado:

As you can see it's flat on the edge but that was easy to fix by polishing to a nice Colt curvature like the one on my blue Vaquero above.

MKT also makes an ejector housing with a curved slot so the head tucks up tight agianst the barrel but their housing doesn't fit well and both their's and Colt's are expensive. So I use the stock Ruger straight slot housing. But I grind and polish a 'cam' curve in the end of the Colt head as shown below. The curve must 'nest' or align with the curve of the housing attachment screw when the head is up tight against the barrel.
The curved surface of the end of the rod contacts the screw under tension of the return spring which will "cam" or turn the rod and head to nest on the screw and up tight against the barrel.

Colt ER with cam grind curve in the end of the head to hold it up snug to the barrel in a Ruger straight slot housing.

The cylinder pin in the background has had another cannalure added near the back end so the pin is retained when making cylinder changes in the field and you don't have to worry about it dropping in the dirt.

Hope that helps,

 

[Irelander]

Cool thanks. I will have to order one and fit it. I like the idea of the crescent shape of the rod button instead of the small knob button that came on my New Vaquero. Seems like it would be much easier to eject rounds.

Looks like the Colt one is out of stock at Brownells but the MKT one (737-400-001WB) is instock. I might just spring for that one. Will I have to fit the length of the rod to my short 3.75" barrel?

 

[Hondo44]

Cool thanks. I will have to order one and fit it. I like the idea of the crescent shape of the rod button instead of the small knob button that came on my New Vaquero. Seems like it would be much easier to eject rounds.

Looks like the Colt one is out of stock at Brownells but the MKT one (737-400-001WB) is instock. I might just spring for that one. Will I have to fit the length of the rod to my short 3.75" barrel?

You might try Midway or Colt for the Colt rod. Yes, you will have to cut it for the 3 3/4" barrel.

The regular production New Vaqueros with standard barrel lengths come with a small crescent ejector knob, but not the Sheriffs' Models. However they are skimpy in my opinion and do not tuck up against the barrel well.

 

[Irelander]

Ok. I think I'll order the rod and a SBH hammer from MidwayUSA.

 

[wproct]

The Sheriff's model was also sold by Davidson's Distributors, mine is the new midsize frame model in polished stainless steel, but it doesn't say "new model Vaquero" on the frame. They still list the blued steel model but not the stainless steel model last time I looked.