Another new revolver for the Authenticity Committee to review...

[Lone Gunman]

I haven't seen one up close, but my guess is these will be considered to "not markedly resemble" original Colt conversions and so will be placed beside the Ruger Bisley and Henry Big Boy on the NCOWS unapproved list.  The absence of a wedge is probably enough to base that decision on. What does everyone else think?

http://www.ruger-firearms.com/Firearms/OpenTopVaquero.html

[Delmonico]

Looks like someone blew the top stap off a Vaquero with an overload and then replaced the cylinder but forgot to weld the topstrap back on.    

[River City John]

"The Ruger Open Top Vaquero is an entirely new, fixed-sight single action revolver destined to exceed even the legendary performance of the original Ruger Vaquero. It closely resembles the look and feel of classic metallic cartridge conversion revolvers of the 1800's, but with the most modern internal mechanism and Ruger reliability. The Ruger Vaquero is often referred to as "the gun that won the New West" because of its widespread popularity among single action shooters and cowboy action competitors."

It's telling that Ruger would go and butcher their Vaquero in a misguided attempt to try and compete for the hefty portion of the market that wants historical cartridge conversions. But even they point out that it is a new design with modern internals aimed at today's shooter. It's an awkward looking thing that looks more reminiscent of accidents that have blown cylinders and taken the top strap with it.

What's going to be even more awkward, though, is when Ruger submits their full-page color ad for the Ruger Open Top Vaquero to The Shootist.

RCJ
 

[St. George]

Damn it, George - think of the advancing age of some of these guys before you post this sort of thing.

Some of 'em can't handle a trip to Hooter's without hyperventilating - so showing them something that they might actually be able to bring home to play with could stop their hearts...

Vaya,

Scouts Out!

[O.T. Buchannan]

I don't know, perhaps there are 'possibilities'?

We would have to actually get an example in hand for consideration before making a determination.....

[Montana Slim]

I thought it was a joke...even after visiting the link to Ruger 

I'd vote NO...........IMO, this is no-way near an "open-top" Colt.
Looks exactly like a Vaquero that blew it's top.
Pretty absurd.

Slim

[Judge Roy Bean]

It is April 1st or fool's day , an't it feller's ?

[Dutch Limbach]

I don't know, perhaps there are 'possibilities'?

We would have to actually get an example in hand for consideration before making a determination.....

O. T. are you referring to the gun or a Hooter's girl?

[Delmonico]

It is April 1st or fool's day , an't it feller's ?

No it's the 32nd of March.

[gw]

Think I'll have to side with the Judge on this one. If it ain't an April fools joke, then it's just a joke....period.   Actually, if they had a little imagination, scooped flutes ala Merwin-Hulbert would really improve the looks of this thing. All I see is an answer to a question nobody asked.

[O.T. Buchannan]

Yeah Dutch, I've seen a few possibilities at Hooter's....

[French Jack]

That's nauseating.  It looks like someone forgot to put the top strap on a "New Vaquero".......  Bleeaaahhhh-yuucctch!

[River City John]

George, that's a pretty neat April Fool's joke!
Had me suckered in there for a moment, for sure!

[W.T.]

Oh, Man, we been had...

[Delmonico]

I wasn't sure either way so I played my hand for either way.

[44caliberkid]

Huzaaa! George.  Loved it, tried to explain it to my wife, who refers to us as "gun talkers"  but I guess you have to be a gun talker to get it.

[Sod Buster]

That Lone Gunman is one crazy SOB (Sender of Bunk!) 

[Lone Gunman]

I'm glad everybody enjoyed that.   
I actually had the idea of spoofing an Open Top Vaquero (which Ruger would never produce)  as an April Fool's joke over 3 years ago but never remembered to post it on April 1st. As it turns out that was a good thing because the early versions were pretty primitive. I happened across Ruger's webpage for the New Vaquero a couple of months ago and realized how easy it was to create a parody page that looked legitimate. The whole thing only took between 10-15 minutes, all it took was saving a copy of the official New Vaquero page, erasing the top straps from the photos and doing a "find & replace" of "Open Top" for "New".  A few other word changes and it was complete.

[Grizzle Bear]

George, you should have printed that in the magazine.  That would've started a lot of conversations!

Grizzle Bear

[St. George]

He printed it here - on STORM and on RATS - and the hooks are still being bitten.

It's like watching Bass fishin' on TV - and you 'know' guys are on the phone to their dealers and are breaking into piggybanks as we speak - proclaiming that they saw it online - and 'somewhere' - I bet somebody's trying to figure out a holster pattern...

Vaya,

Scouts Out!