Vaquero?

[Festus]

Howdy all. Hey I was over at our local gun shop today wrestling with the idea of buying a Vaquero. The nice fella back of the counter said all the 44s were sold at the moment. I wasn't aware the Vaquero was offered in .44. Also,are they (Vaqueros) as strong as the Blackhawks? Thanks a bunch everyone.

 

[BlkHawk73]

Okay, ahh...there's Vaqueros which were built on the large frame and the New Vaqueros which are built on the medium sized frame. many will call the lg framed ones "Old Models" yet they are indeed of the New Model transfer bar design. There are no "Old Model" Vaqueros. Okay, that said... There's been none of the large framed Vaqueros built for some time now. The current New Vaquero models are available in .44 caliber but they're chambered for the .44 special cartridge, not the .44 magnum. The later is simply too high of pressure for this model. Likewise, the 45LC models built on this medium frame are also limited to loads within SAAMI specs and should NOT be used with the "Ruger only" loads.
An easy way to distinguish between the two if there's no comparison nearby...the New Vaquero (medium frame) will have a 3 digit prefix for the serial number, either "510" or "511".

 

[LuckenbachTexas]

44mag or 44 special?

The old style vaquero 44mags are discontinued and the weak little new vaquero is now sold in 44 special.

I could be wrong

 

[ndcowboy]

44mag or 44 special?

The old style vaquero 44mags are discontinued and the weak little new vaquero is now sold in 44 special.

I could be wrong

:lol: :lol: :lol: :lol: :lol:

The New Vaquero isn't "weak" or "little," but won't takes the loads the originals will. However, the new ones will take all standard loads.

 

[Festus]

I was in the 44 mag frame of mind and we didn't make a distinction between the 2 at the counter today. He was surely refering to the special. They sure are sweet handling little revolvers 8) . I'm currently all geared up for 44 mag,but I guess it wouldn't be too hard to get into a long colt.

 

[Festus]

I see ndcowboy and I were typing together. I don't mean anything derogatory in the little reference. I just fell in love with the rounded more classic lines of the Vaquero. I've had the BH Hunter in the past and one of the older Redhawks. Beefy comes to mind when talking about those guys. I still love the B-Hawk. I may end up with another here soon as I'm a 44 mag lover. Still..........those were some sweet wheelies.

 

[BlackEagle]

I think the .44 magnum Vaqueros are still being made in small batches every now and then. They are great guns!

 

[Hugh]

Hi Festus,

Welcome to the Ruger Forum. I have two .44 Magnum Vaqueros. The cartridge envelope for the second one, which I purchased last April is dated March 2011. This one was received through Davidson's Gallery of Guns. I just checked Davidson's and they don't have any listed right now. Nor does Lipsey's.

If I recall correctly, you can view a large frame Vaquero as a New Model Blackhawk with fixed sights. Somebody may correct me, but that's my view.

Just be patient and keep your eyes open here and there, one will probably turn up for you; new or used.

 

[BlackEagle]

...and yes they are as strong(and probably as accurate) as Blackhawks.

 

[EDK]

RUGER did a "clean up run" of Original Size VAQUEROS in 44 magnum during the last year or so. These latest guns supposedly have the warning billboard under the barrel as do the NEW VAQUEROS...I haven't found one to look at yet.

There are used guns available...you have to apply yourself a little and start checking various internet auctions daily...I've bought several off gunbroker and auctionarms, as well as rugerforum and sassnet...and even locally.

You'd love the last one I found. Someone took a blue/cch 44 magnum Original Size VAQUERO...had it cut to 3.5 inches, mag-na-ported, custom barrel crown, and a super re-blue like an older SUPER BLACKHAWK. The best part was $375 out the door...less than the cost of the gunsmithing!

There ain't no flies on the 44 specials. Elmer Keith loaded his heavy loads in the COLT SAA platform for a lot of years...same size as the mid-frames, but not near as good metallurgy as now. The RUGER 44 special will handle everything that most of us need. I could live very happily with the new guns except for a couple of minor reasons...My leather is all for the larger frame guns; I'm 63 and have used the larger frame guns for almost 40 years; AND I already have the larger frame guns.

 

[BlackEagle]

I haven't owned a New Vaquero yet but I have handled them. They are nice. If Ruger would make a 6 1/2" .44 Special New Vaquero I would probably buy one (or more likely two.)

 

[Hugh]

.44 Magnum Vaqueros. The one on the left was made in March 2008 and the one on the right March 2011. Billboard is on bottom on both.

 

[gak]

In the past two years, Ruger itself, and its distributors and many vendors, have inexplicably taken to calling all the smaller "mid frame" New Vaqueos just "Vaqueros" in their online literature and ads. Not only inaccurate but very confusing to folks new to the fixed-sight scene. ALL factory fixed sight .44 Specials are mid-frame New Vaqueros. (Adding to the confusion, the .44 Special NVs actually say just Vaquero on them--but they are an anomaly (so far) among the mid-frames. All other (calibers in) New Vaqueros say so on the frame, again so far. ALL factory .44 Mag fixed sights are Vaqueros (as in large frame like the "regular" NM Blackhawks). Any of the latter Vaqueros--of any caliber--built after 2005 or so were "clean up" or reportedly even new runs requested by distributors like Davidsons, and in the past few years the "warning" has been on the underside of the barrel. So that 2008 mentioned above was another one of those "special runs" as they otherwise had been decommissioned from the regular Ruger catalog three or four years earlier.

+1 on the comments about the New Vaquero not being a weak gun. They're very tough just not large enough for "magnum level" loads in either .44(M) or.45...but otherwise have other quality improvements/features like the aligning-indexing pawl. I own and enjoy several of both models. Both "generations" are great guns.

Edit: someone's going to pick on this for overgeneralizing fixed versus adjustable sight models. By factory fixed sight I'm referring to the "cowboy"/Colt SAA-style smoothed and grooved top strap (versus the typical Blackhawk) and rounded "Colt SAA" style fixed front sight configuration.

 

[Festus]

Thanks for all the input folks. I appreciate it. Sheese! I had no idea there were so many different variations on the Vaqueros. I guess I need to either just go full blown Super Blackhawk,or relax a little and enjoy a little more conventional piece and saami spec ammo. I'll be shaking the trees here and there in search of an "old model" to pick up though. All I need now is a bigger fun money pile,lol.

 

[gak]

Thanks for all the input folks. I appreciate it. Sheese! I had no idea there were so many different variations on the Vaqueros. I guess I need to either just go full blown Super Blackhawk,or relax a little and enjoy a little more conventional piece and saami spec ammo. I'll be shaking the trees here and there in search of an "old model" to pick up though. All I need now is a bigger fun money pile,lol.

If we weren't clear the .44 Mag Vaquero IS effectively an all-steel, fixed sight Super Blackhawk. (Unlike the SBH, all barrel lengths sport the same regular Blackhawk's XR3-Red gripframe size, only in steel. We're talking non-Bisleys of course. Only short barreled SBHs have that XR3-Red gripframe size. Others have the longer SBH handle.). You can shoot the same loads in the large frame Vaquero as you can the SBH.

As someone(s) mentioned, gently used (or even NIB) are out there--keep an eye out--just getting scarcer as we get further from regular production, the recent years' "special runs" notwithstanding.

 

[LuckenbachTexas]

"The RUGER 44 special will handle everything that most of us need"...Except 44magnum

"They're very tough just not large enough for "magnum level" loads in either .44(M)"

I just love you fella's spin on WEAK

Festus, If you want the 44mag then you can find some on Gunbroker or GunsAmerica right now. Pay the price and be done with it. Then you'll have what you'll need to shoot the 44 mag and the "38" or what some call the 44 special. Face it, for a few dollars more, you are getting multiple caliber capability and a hell-fer-stout gun.

There is a nice 6 1/2" Stainless on one site right now.

 

[mattsbox99]

There is the Flattop Blackhawk .44 Mag if you like the grip size of the New Vaquero but want the full strength. It was only made 1 year and in a 6.5" barrel length, but there are plenty around.

 

[Hondo44]

The 44 Special mid-frame "New Vaquero" labeled only "Vaquero" anomoly is not really an anomoly at all.

There were only 'original' Vaqueros in 357, 45, 44 Mag, 38-40/10-MM and 44-40 There were no 'original' Vaqueros in 44 Special. So there's no "New" 44 Special Vaqs, only current 44 Specials that ARE JUST Vaqueros.

 

[Cedar Creek]

I recently bought the .44 Special Sheriff's Model in bright stainless. I also had a Vaquero .44 mag with 5.5 inch barrel. I'm tickled with the .44 Special and sold the .44 mag to a hunting partner. The .44 mag was a little big and heavy to carry and I really never shot full-throttle loads in it anyway. The .44 Special is my all-around carry gun now loaded with the Skeeter Skelton load of a 240 grain XTP bullet over 7.5 grains of Unique. I plink & target shoot with cast bullets.

Cedar Creek

 

[Hondo44]

I recently bought the .44 Special Sheriff's Model in bright stainless. I also had a Vaquero .44 mag with 5.5 inch barrel. I'm tickled with the .44 Special and sold the .44 mag to a hunting partner. The .44 mag was a little big and heavy to carry and I really never shot full-throttle loads in it anyway. The .44 Special is my all-around carry gun now loaded with the Skeeter Skelton load of a 240 grain XTP bullet over 7.5 grains of Unique. I plink & target shoot with cast bullets.

Cedar Creek

Same here! I have 3 Vaq 44 Mags, 4 5/8" blue/CC. I got a 44 FT and 44 Vaq over a year ago and have shot the 44 Mags since.