Who wants the Old Vaquero back?

[tuckerllc]

I bought four old style stainless Vaqueros brand new in the boxes from my gun dealer (before the new ones came out).... two 5-1/2" & two 7-1/2". I bought the two sets because I was hoping that my little brother would get interested in CAS and shoot with me with no cost to him, he could just use mine!

Needless to say this didn't happen and I now own 4 old styles that have each had aprox 2 boxes each run thru them... that's right around 100 rounds each...

Are they worth what I paid for them new? I figured I'd just get rid of em and add some different guns to my collection...

[Angel_Eyes]

Mr Tuckerlc, sir,

If you could kindly smuggle them into the UK for us, I feel confidant I could find you a small fortune for them!!!

Your VERY good friend, UKshooter.

(Who would lurve to have OMV's back)

[Leo Tanner]

Are they worth what I paid for them new? I figured I'd just get rid of em and add some different guns to my collection...

     They should be.  If ya paid around a grand per pair, which I don't imagine they cost back before the new models even came out.  I'd keep 'em


Leo

[Beauregard Hooligan]

I really appreciate and enjoy the Old Vaquero, and with one exception (that being the click when the cylinder aligns with the loading gate), prefer it over the New Vaquero. I like the weight of the Old Vaquero, which gives stability, and the grip frame just fits my larger than normal hands. And, I have a bunch of Old Vaqueros to play with. My main match guns are a pair of blue/case 7 1/2" .44 Mags with genuine stag grips, I shoot them with a Marlin 1894 in that caliber. If I am not shooting those Vaqueros, and especially if I am shooting BP, I go to a pair of polished SS 5 1/2" Vaqueros in .45 Colt to go with a Marlin Cowboy in the same chambering. I hate to prosper on the misfortune of others, but a friend went through a terribly messy divorce and before heading off to live in Canada, offered me his pair of blue/case 7 1/2" .44 WCF and a 30" bbl Pedersoli Winchester '73 Sporting rifle in the same caliber. The .44 WCF Vaqueros are very accurate, and with a tang sight and globe front, the '73 Winchester is a snipers rifle. I gave him $100 more than he was asking, and promised to not resell them to anyone, but will sell them back to him for what I paid. Also, when the end of the Vaquero was near, I bought a pair of the short bbl blue/case Birdshead Vaqueros in .45 Colt with black micarta grips and a pair of SS 5 1/2" .44 Magnum Bisley Vaqueros; all four are unfired and sitting in the safe for a time when the Old Vaquero may have better resale value. At the same time I poicked up a true wierd bird; a 5 1/2" SS New Model Blackhawk (marked as such on the frame) with a Bisley grip frame and a Bisley roll marked .45 Colt cylinder, and a second fluted cylinder chambered for .45 ACP. My dealer thought it might be one of a lot of custom guns that Ruger periodically make for major distributors in the mid-west. Have any of you seen a similar Ruger?

     Adios amigos,

                                       Deputy Beauregard Hooligan

[Austin Justice SASS #68709]

Me, Me, Me
Bring them back, PLEASE!
I need a matching Stainless 5.5" 357 Bisley in .357
I would love to get a brace of Stainless Birdshead 357's to match my 45's.

My 5.5" Bisley in 45LC/45ACP is great and I would love another one of those...

Yep there is only one cure for Old Modelitis.  Buy more when they make em!

Austin Justice

[Grey Beard]

I lucked out again, our CAS group puts a couple display tables into various gun shows to promote the sport.  While we were setting up for the Saskatoon Show this afternoon one of the fellows showed me a pair of OM Vaqueros in 45LC.  They are the case hardeened model with 4 5/8 barrels and look like new.  He told me they have less than 100 rounds through them and if I would shoot them he would sell them to me for what he had in them, $850.00 (Canadian $) for the pair.  He shoots a Beretta stampede and likes the stampede better.  Once I got my chin back up of the floor it took about 2 or 3 seconds to decided what to do, I now have a pair of OM 45's to go with my OM 357's. My wife was excited as well because it means she gets the 357's to shoot.  That makes 8 Vaqueros for me now 4 OM's and 4 NV's.       

[Harley Starr]

Either by chance or by design, I was at Cabelas when I noticed an Old Model Vaquero blue/cch 5 1/2 inch barrel with fake ivory grips and gold leaf inlays on the cylinder. I inspected it up close and ya'll, I just had to jump off the deep end with this one. I had the cash on hand so I put it on layaway! I plan to send this beaut' on down to Joe Perkins at Outlaw Grips! Make this one look like the gun used by the Man With No Name.

[The Connemara Kid]

I prefer the Old Models..I own 3.
A 4 5/8" SS Model with real Ivory grips with a steerhead carving on the right side I bought in 1996
A 3 1/2" SS Sheriff's model with a Birdshead grip in 45 Colt I bought in 1999
A 4 5/8" CCH Blue 44 Magnum I bought this afternoon for $400...with the factory warning under the bbl.  I got it cheap because the store selling it had been robbed and this (along with every other Ruger in the place) was damaged when they came through the roof and destroyed the display case.  I might go back for a Bisley in a few weeks!  I plan to turn this one into a replica of the "Hand of God" from 3:10 to Yuma.
Also just sent an Old Model 3-screw Flattop Blackhawk in 357 off to Gary reeder this morning to convert it into a "Doc Holiday" model!

The New Models do nothing for me...I own 1st generation Colts and USFA's.

[Harley Starr]

Howdy Connemara Kid!

Thinking of turning a Old Model Vaquero into a "Hand of God" replica?
Check out this link: http://www.bowenclassicarms.com/NEW/RugSAoptions.htm

"No. B402 Provide/install Power Custom two-piece grip frame"

I'm only suggesting this as an option if you want the inlay for both sides.

Many happy returns.

-Ridgway

[Jbar4Ranch]

I could live with the New Vaquero if they would chamber it in .38-40 and .44-40, but there's no real advantage to me in bringing back the Vaquero if they don't chamber it in these two again either.

[smokin6]

Got  one of each, but I do like the old style better.

[The Connemara Kid]

I prefer the Old Models..I own 3.
A 4 5/8" SS Model with real Ivory grips with a steerhead carving on the right side I bought in 1996
A 3 1/2" SS Sheriff's model with a Birdshead grip in 45 Colt I bought in 1999
A 4 5/8" CCH Blue 44 Magnum I bought this afternoon for $400...with the factory warning under the bbl.  I got it cheap because the store selling it had been robbed and this (along with every other Ruger in the place) was damaged when they came through the roof and destroyed the display case.  I might go back for a Bisley in a few weeks!  I plan to turn this one into a replica of the "Hand of God" from 3:10 to Yuma.
Also just sent an Old Model 3-screw Flattop Blackhawk in 357 off to Gary reeder this morning to convert it into a "Doc Holiday" model!

The New Models do nothing for me...I own 1st generation Colts and USFA's.

[Ten Wolves Fiveshooter]

Nice gun Kid, I like the black trigger and hammer, I wish they would do this to all there blued guns, it just looks better.


                          Regards

                       tEN wOLVES 

[Eloy Santa Cruz]

I have never shot a New Vaquero but I would'nt trade my two Old Vaquero's for anything. I have large hands and they are a better fit. Also as Boss Spearman says " I like a gun with a bit more heft". I picked up my Old Vaquero's on 11/14/99. They are stainless steel, 5 1/2" barrels in .45 cal. I also special ordered them with consecutive serial numbers an engraved gold inlaid cylinders - an option that was available back then. As I said, I picked them up in Nov 99 but I ordered them almost two years prior. The gun shop told me at that time that Ruger was really slow to fill orders for consecutivly serial numbered guns. In order to fill the order, someone had to grab the matching frames as they came off the line and zip tye them together before they went on for completion.

[Capt. Jack McQuesten]

I prefer the original Vaqueros too.....I have three of them in .44 magnum, a 4-5/8" and two with 7-1/2" barrels.......I would love to add a 5-1/2" to round out the group:

[Tall Dark Slim]

I believe there is room for both guns in Ruger's line up. The Old Vaquero was a great gun and so what if it wasn't the same size and heft as an SAA, it had guts!  The new model I have while incredibly smooth out of the box pales so much in comparison that I now only shoot it with my left hand gunfighter style because it feel so much different. I'm currently seeking grips that are checkered to fatten it up a bit. I say they bring it back without a lock and offer it in all the chamberings it used to have and the ones that Colt just dropped.

[mattbowen]

I wish they would, I would love to have one in 45

[Trailrider]

{snip}
As a post script...  It was my understanding that the new models were built strong enough to handle the same heavy loads as the old models.  Am I wrong on this?   

When the New Vaqueros were being introduced, I talked with a Ruger engineer. (No, Ruger, I don't remember his name!) What he told me was that the New Vaqueros are made with the same "margin of safety" as the old model.  In order to get these margins, they had to thicken the metal across the bolt cuts and the chambers.  Do do that in the reduced size, they had to decrease the "index circle", which is an imaginary circle drawn through the center of the six chambers, with the center of the radius at the center of the cylinder.  The result is that the chambers are closer together. So much so that the only thing preventing interference between the rims of the cartridges is the narrow rim of the .45 LC cartridge.  That is why you cannot/will not see .44-40 or .38-40 New Vaqueros. With the smaller head and rim diameter of the .44 Special, it has been done to chamber VMV's in that caliber, but due to the shorter cylinder, hotrodding the .44 Special into .44 Mangle-em's is NOT prudent nor practicable!


As to whether using the OMV loadings for .45 LC in the NMV, I WOULD NOT DO IT, if for no other reason than the factory does not recommend it!

Personally, I would prefer the Old Vaquero with the XR3 gripframe!

[santee]

Wonder how many of the New Vaquero's have sold since their inception. It must be a good seller. Is it a better seller than the Old Vaquero? From a business standpoint, that's the question.