Vaquero which is best?

[Anonymous]

Want to buy a Vaquero, really want a 44 mag 4 5/8" barrel
Is this the best gun or would a 45 colt be better with new lighter frame?
which barrel length is best?

 

[DGW1949]

Guns are mostly tools. What task do you have in mind?

DGW

 

[gak]

No best, just different...and as the previous poster said, what's your use? If just a nice range and trail companion that can ably defend the camp and bring home just about any game (close in of course), the New Vaquero in the classic .45 is great. If you have the want/need for powerful heavy loads, and especially if you do not reload, the 44 Mag can't be beat, and it can also shoot the milder 44 Special rounds as well. I like 5.5 in that for sight picture, overall balance and felt recoil (muzzle flip) control--but the real world differences are really minimal, and 4-5/8 does carry/pack easier. Yes it is a big heavy gun either way. It also does not have the newer gun's cylinder indexing that aligns (does not overtravel) each charge/eject hole. The New Vaquero (.44 Sp, .45 Colt, .357) does have this nice feature. The two Vaquero variants also have an entirely different grip feel, the newer being smaller and much slimmer--some like, some don't. Doesn't just depend on your hand size but shooting style and just personal preference in grips. Of course , if objectionable, it is fixable with aftermarket grips, as is the large frame Vaquero grips' larger girth if that's a problem in reverse. So, in neither case should that aspect be the deciding factor.

Another choice would be .45 Colt in the larger frame. Vaquero, which can of course take the heavy .45 loads. It is a myth that the New Vaquero can only take "light" or "cowboy" loads. It can take "normal" off-the-shelf .45s, but it is not meant for the super-heavy ("Ruger only") fare reserved for the magnum-class frames (large frame Vaquero, Blackhawk and Super Blackhawk). In these larger guns, .45s can be loaded right up there to meet-or-exceed .44 Mags...but again, if you don't reload, .44 Mag will be easier/more consisent to come by on the shelves.

 

[Anonymous]

Gak,
I do load my own ammo, new and fired brass, so I call it loading as well as making loads better than off the shelf.
Reloading is just filling the case back up fastest cheapest way.

Gak sounds like you load also.

 

[gak]

Gak,
I do load my own ammo, new and fired brass, so I call it loading as well as making loads better than off the shelf.
Reloading is just filling the case back up fastest cheapest way.

Gak sounds like you load also.

Actually, I don't right now cause of my living situation and it'll be awhile yet, which having a large-bore (mostly .44) and small (.32) fetish means I don't shoot a lot these days either. Thankfully, there's the .38s as capable filler in the meantime! But I still love my .44s.
In your situation, hard to go wrong either way. My bias is for the .44 Vaquero if I could "only have one" as it is truly a versatile beast, but it is a beast. (But a lot of that I think is power of suggestion--it's not *that* much bigger). OTOH, I admit as the years go on my "need" to shoot the heavy stuff has diminished greatly. The New Vaq (.44 Sp and .357 in my case) make great--and for the most part more than sufficient--trail companions as well, as mentioned. And I have to admit, once you experience the new indexing it's hard abide the older! Yes there are free spin pawls you can install on the large frames (or small/mid frames for that matter), but still not the same. I'm sure all this has resolved your conundrum

 

[contender]

Well as mentioned,, there is no "best" overall,,, but more of what you intend to do with it.
You mentioned the New Vaquero with the lighter frame. Realize that the NV can not handle the "normal" Ruger only loads.
The 44 mag is a good versitile caliber as well as the 45 Colt. If I were you,, I'd try to find somebody who has one of each type you are considering,, and see if you can shoot them to get a better idea. If you were near me,,,,,,!

 

[VAdoublegunner]

The 44 Mag Vaquero, and its 45 Colt brother are great guns! They are rugged and can handle many tasks. Of course, the Vaquero 45s can take Ruger only handloads without any concerns.

However, since a large part of the Vaquero market was CAS/SASS, some folks felt they were a little overbuilt and heavy for the lighter loads generally used in that activity, especially in the favored 38 Special chambering. Thus, the New Vaquero was born, lighter and shorter in frame and smaller in grip size, more like the Colt SAA. The New Vaquero 45 Colt can't handle the "Ruger only" loads, being designed for standard SAAMI loads (although I imagine it will handle levels equivalent to the 45 ACP+P's 23kpsi just fine). There is a lot the old 45 Colt can do at standard levels pushing a 250gr bullet @ 950fps!

So the main consideration is how much power level do you think you really need to achieve, and which grip/size/weight suits you best.

I prefer the Vaquero, in a 5.5" barrel, but have them from the Sheriff's model 3+ to the Matt Dillon 7 1/2". All are very enjoyable. I don't own any of the New Vaqueros. They just feel too light to me.

 

[tek4260]

Once I realized I could get 1000 fps with a 270gr in my New Vaquero, that became my fixed sight choice. Any more power, and I want adjustable sights. With that being said, my New Vaquero is sighted in perfectly, but I consider that a bonus. I am usually not so lucky and tend to walk on past Vaqueros at shows.

 

[maxpress]

I can tell you only of what did me best. If I was in your situation And bought the NV first I would always wonder what I was missing.
My best all around Vaquero is an original 44 In SS with a 5.5 barrel.
The 4 5/8 carries alittle better but I don shoot as well with it. The inch dosnt affect carry to much. I dont notice the weight difference until I have an original and new side by side. I ussually carry 240gr SWC at 1000fps which is plenty for my purposes.
The grips on the new models are to small for my taste.
Anyhow thats just me.

 

[BlkHawk73]

Handle both and go with which feels best in YOUR hand regardless of chambering. Gotta feel comfortable first.

 

[flatgate]

One must not forget that the Vaquero has been Out of Production since 2005, so, at least around here, you just don't see them very often.

flatgate

 

[Driftwood Johnson]

Thanks Flatgate

I was wondering when somebody was gonna mention that the 'original model' Vaquero is not made anymore and if you want one you are going to have to find a used one. So if you want 44 Mag, you're gonna have to find a used Vaq.

 

[gak]

I don't entirely disagree with comments praising the original .44 Mag Vaquero--I have two 5.5s and love 'em. BUT, I also feel I should reiterate that 40% of the gripes over the NV's/midframe is stock grip size--especially their super-slim nature--and 40% the "cheesegrater" aspect of the "hard rubber" (plastic) grips..or for many the combination of these factors. Both factors easily rectifiable with aftermaket/custom grips--many nice ones <$100--from a number of fine makers including some of the best right here. ....And therefore this aspect of the gun should not be the basis of evaluation for a long-term gun purchase (or no) in this instance. And, many folks change 'em out just because anyway. Heck, the first thing I thought of with the large-frame was to change out the plain-jane rosewoods--or whatever the stock Rugers were. Partially because they were a bit chunky for my smallish hands, and partially just because I wanted to dress the guns up a bit to my liking anyway. The point here is, many folks personalize in the geip depaartmebt anyway.
(Btw, those are unscientific % for informal discussion folks, before anyone starts challenging numbers ferch..)

That leaves the rest that either truly need the more powerful mag class frame, or STILL find the combo of gripFRAME and custom grips too small or mis-shapen for their hands or shooting style, or just for some reason like the heft regardless of load, etc, etc. My experience has been that, overtime, most of my shooting with the mag guns has gravitated toward specials. That I just don't "need" the whompum any more. If you do, then that (often) suggests a hunting application in which case you'e probably going to orient yourself toward an aadjustable sight BH/SBH anyway.

All that said, my .44 Mag Vaqueros stay with me! Mostly cause I have them, they were my first big bores, and while seldom pistol-hunt I DO apprecoate the versatility for that 5% "need"...but I also have the luxury to feel that way as, again, I already have the guns. Starting afresh , unless primarily hunting specifically in mind--not "back up" hunting--especially if oriented to the fixed sights (as I am) I'd get one of the midframes and be plenty happy...and I am - with two of 'em

 

[Tommy Kelly]

I have mostly new model full sized frame guns and like them. I only have one vaquero and it's a original full sized 357 and I like it. my son has a new vaquero in 45 I have handled it and don't really care for the smaller framed gun. To me it feels like a single six instead of a 45 colt. I personaly don't want the smaller framed gun because I keep a lot of ammo loaded up and I don't want to have to keep the ammo seperate for the different guns. In my opinion the 45 colt in a blackhawk is a awesome gun. I like shorter bbl's and have 2 4 5/8" 45's and 1 7.5". I also have quite a few 44's but out of the 2 I would go for the 45 probably 2 to 1 over the 44. With the 45 colt you can buy cowboy loads fairly cheap and reload them back to whatever load you prefer I use mostly 300+ grain bullets over a fairly heavy charge of h110 for my 45 loads. They are probably too much for the new vaquero but are awesome from the blackhawk. Also the blackhawk's are cheaper to buy new and come with adjustable sights. I'm not that into the cowboy looks especially when giving up the option to fine tune the sights with adjustable available cheaper.

 

[JimMarch1]

The NewVaq is on average better built than the OldVaq. Not in terms of strength, but in terms of action feel and uniform cylinder bores, and out-of-the-box accuracy, the NewVaq wins.

One really cool combination if you can afford it and need the horsepower is to start with a NewVaq357 and have it converted to 41Magnum. They can handle that. 44Mag wouldn't leave enough cylinder beef. But now you're looking at a $1,000 gun with labor. Damned good gun though .

If you want a NewVaq45, there's a distributor special run available of convertible 45LC/45ACPs at Davidson's. Get 'em while they last!

 

[Tommy Kelly]

My son has a vaquero that is now a 480 ruger. Talk about stretching the envelope.