EAA v. Ruger

[Moe Skeeter]

Howdy Gents...and you Ladies!

Looking into revolvers and have been looking heavily at either the EAA Bounty Hunter Revolvers or Ruger Vaqueros.  I've owned a RV before and liked it alot.  I liked the bigger frame and the fact it would damage me before I damamged it.  the problem being the prices of RV's in my area have gone up, and nobody really stocks them and since they really don't sell it is hard to find a deal.  I have had experience with EAA shotguns and have nothing but glowing reports about them.  I hear their semi-autos are rugged, but nothing fancy.  What about their SA revolvers?  Anybody had experience with them?  These I could get ordered from a Gander Mountain in the area. 

I'm not looking for "Ruger all the Way" type stuff.  I am after a fair comparison.  Not to step on toes, but I know discussions can get about pistols...kinda like discussing Chevy vs. Ford .  Thanks in advance...

Regards,
Moe Skeeter

P.S.- I'm kinda partial to Ford trucks myself.

[Four-Eyed Buck]

So am I ,Moe.( F-150). I have experience with four of the EAA's. One in .45Colt( my first CAS pistol) and three in .357.  The .45 has a 7 1/2" barrell and the .357's are 4 1/2's. They are built tough on the old Sauer/Hawes tooling. when Weirauch bought it, they contracted with Ruger for rights to a T-bar system. This system could be caled it's Achilles heel as the pin/rivet on the side of the hammer does break occassionally if the shooter isn't careful. they are heavily sprung averaging about 6lbs on the pull. They can be tuned using springs for the Colt revolvers from Wolff. My .45 is on it's seventh season with only problems of my own making, didn't have to even trim the front sight for my loads( 200g). The .357's had to have the fronts shortened. Only problems with those have been the ejector rod buttons breaking off if you let it snap back, especially during cold weather. They're made of pot metal, at least the earlier ones. The last replacement sent to me was different from the others so they may have addressed the problem. Accuracywise, they have been realy good, using .452's in the Colt and .358's in the .357's. You will have to be careful at the loading table as they have recessed cylinders, ie: the case heads are covered and the loading table person won't be able to see them. IMHO, they are the best bang for the buck for an entry level gun. Finish can be had in blue/CC, all blue, or nickled. Grip wise, they're more like the Colts than the Rugers. The action has three clicks, ala the Colt. each gun is persona unto it's own as far as light springs go, my .45 and my partner's two .357's took the lighter springs okay, but the one .357 I have didn't. We had to work pretty hard to get it reliable. There were two ways to go, extend the T-bar, or remove it and build up the hammer face. The bar doesn't cover the whole pin and the difference in kinetic energy wouldn't pop all brands of primers reliably. We extended the .357 and removed the bar on the Colt. Both work quite well now with any brand of primer. Hope this helps you some and this wasn't more info than you wanted..............Buck ;DJust thought of something, if you look at my avitar picture, I'm shooting the .357 Bounty Hunter duelist and I shot that match clean.........Buck

[Moe Skeeter]

Buck~

Thanks for the wuick reply.  I have a Ruger Vaquero on hold at a local gun shop.  Only one they had in months with a 7 1/2" barrel in .45LC.  What is the going price for the EAA Bounty Hunter pistols?  Would one of them be a decent mate for the Ruger I am purchasing already, or would I be better off just picking up another Vaquero?  I'm immensely fond of the longer barrels, but no one carries them in my area, so it is kinda catch as catch can.

Thanks in advance.  EAA always tends to get lost in the mix of all the different brands out there.

Regards,
Moe Skeeter

[Four-Eyed Buck]

I believe they're in the $300 range now what with the difference between the dollar and the Euro. when we got ours, the .45 ran a little over $250 and the .357 a year or so later was $265. they're a good low price alternative to the Rugers. forgot to mention the rear sight is pretty generous, makes it easier on older peepers. The grips are sometimes a little muddy loking with the finish they put on them, but I've seen a few that weren't too bad............Buck

[Boston John Doucette]

Moe...

Take a look on www.gunbroker.com
Click on Modern Firearms then Cowboy Action Shooting... there's usually some very good prices on Rugers there.

Usually an FFL dealer is willing to receive guns for you for a nominal fee...

BJD

[Mule Clanton]

I do not want to offend anyone but---IMHO---What is the cost of a Vaquero vs. an "equivalent" foreign made gun? I am sure not a lot of money---here in NY the Vaquero 5.5"SS .45 Colt cost $419 @ + Tax. What advantage do I now have owning the Ruger: (1) American Made (Most Important to me) ; (2) Finely constructed; (3) Good factory service and repair available; (4) You don't have to deal with the importer (EAA ain't exactly the nicest or easiest bunch to deal with when you have a problem) for questionable repairs by questionable "technicians".)  5) Call Ruger with a problem and you have the solution right there. 6) Parts availability doesn't depend when the next shipment from Russia arrives in San Francisco and you wait until the repair service gets the part from customs. Yeah, you guessed it, I am a flag waving Ruger fan.

[Four-Eyed Buck]

Mule, I haven't had too many problems with EAA so far. The only weak spot we found was the ejector rod button, believe it or not. Between my partner and I, we've broke two on each short barreled .357 we own( total of three guns). seems the buttons were a pot metal of some sort and during cold conditions, if you let it snap back, bingo! Gone. I did some inspection at work and had my tool room guys check things. Turns out the housing had some really sharp edges around the slot for the button. Combined with the pot metal, instant problem. Every time we had one let go, they'd send us a new one NC! when I discovered the edges, I called them and talked to their repair guy giving him a heads up on it. got thanked at least. The new rod they sent the last time had a different shape and the material seemed different, so maybe they addressed it. My long barreled gun has given me zero problems. They are made in Germany by the way, on older J.P. Sauer&Sohn tooling. Direct decendants of the Hawes guns, save for the T-Bar which they got a liscence from Ruger to use. For an entry level gun, they are pretty sturdy. If you have to send one for repairs though, the same thing goes as with Ruger. Better take any after market stuff out, or it'll get replaced. I believe they are a best bang for the buck( no pun intended) if you can't afford the freight on the Rugers. Vaq's are going for between $ 409 to $419 around here at the moment, depending where you look. Have seen BH's in the $300 to $329 range...............Buck