Question for Trap,

[Ottawa Creek Bill]

I have a couple of questions for Trap....Or the authenticity committee.

Is a regular size Rugar Vaquero that has had a Bisely hammer added to it NCOWS legal?.

And.....is a Puma Winchester 1892 clone that is stainless and been made to look nickel plated legal?

I have a friend that shoots these at the local SASS club that would like to know.

Bill

[Irish Dave]

Bill:

No, I know I'm not Trap.... , but wanted to chime in anyway.

Is a regular size Rugar Vaquero that has had a Bisely hammer added to it NCOWS legal?

This isn't even SASS legal and I'm sure it's not NCOWS legal either.

The other one, I'll leave for John.....

[Steel Horse Bailey]

Like Dave, I'm not Trap, but there IS a mention of stainless guns being illegal - unless polished to look like nickle plating.  I think it's in the section regarding pistols, but I don't see much difference.  There certainly WERE a few plated rifles around - besides the silver or gold plated/washed ones, that is.

[Trap]

  The pistol, I would say questionable at best. The old model RV is OK but with the replaced hammer I doubt it. I believe the rifle is OK as long as it looks Nickel. Put the regulation hammer back on the RV and have at'em.

[Will Ketchum]

Like Dave said the Bisley hammer isn't SASS legal.  I remember about 10 years ago when changing the hammer was popular.
The Wild Bunch decided to make doing so illegal.  It was a big deal back then.

Will Ketchum

[Deadeye Don]

Makes you wonder why USFA is making the New Rodeo in a Matte stainless.  This will not be "legal" according to NCOWS rules.

[Steel Horse Bailey]

Don, perhaps because it IS legal for SASS or hunting/plinking/etc. which will probably outsell the possible NCOWS customers 25-1. 

And, IMHO, if I WEREN'T an NCOWS authenticty fan, I think brushed stainless looks cool ... and VERY practical.

[Ottawa Creek Bill]

Thanks to you all for the information......But I may need to do a little further digging into this. This fella is one that wants to join our posse and NCOWS.

I talked to him today and relayed the information I got from you here on the forum.  He said he bought them new from a dealer and that this is the way the guns came new from the factory, he didn't have the hammers replaced as I had assumed.

He told me they were a low profile hammer and they are one the older style Ruger Vaquero. I'm now wondering if he isn't confused and that these are probably the standard hammers that come on the vaquero???

I haven't seen the guns and I am no Rugar aficionado so it wouldn't do me any good to see them anyway.

Man I need a Rugar expert

Bill

[Eagle Eyes Jefferson]

Hey OCB,

Why don't you take this over to the RATS forum. I'm sure somebody there could help or point you in the right direction.

EEJ

[Steel Horse Bailey]

Bill I ain't no expert with Rugers ... or anything else.    I DO have one, however, and it has their standard, (slightly) lowered hammer profile.  Someone else is making/SELLING a Colt clone with a slightly lowered hammer, too, that is only visible to Colt experts.  Taylors, perhaps.

Ruger makes a point in their ads that you can sight the guns with or without the hammer cocked, unlike the standard Colts and clones.  His dealer probably just pointed that out as a selling point since it's the standard Vaquero hammer.  It's not a special hammer nor is it as low as their Bisley. (They named it, not me.  )

It's NCOWS legal as is, unless it IS a Bisley hammer - which it prol'ly ain't.

[Capt. Augustus]

Could the revolver be a Ruger Montado?  These were made for the mounted shooters and is illegal for the ground type SASS shooters.

[Halfway Creek Charlie]

OCB,
Even you can tell the difference between a Bisley Hammer and a regular or low profile Colt/Ruger Hammer. The Bisley is way lower and wider.

[Irish Dave]

Capt. Augustus wrote:

Could the revolver be a Ruger Montado?  These were made for the mounted shooters and is illegal for the ground type SASS shooters.

I was thinkin' the same thing myself.

[James Hunt]

Regarding the use of a smaller hammer profile for mounted shooters. That is in vogue amongst some. Supposed to make you faster and easier for small hands. My daughter had the Bisley hammers installed on her Rugers. Unless you have the hands of a 5 year old I can see no advantage to this for either ground or mounted shooters - a fix for a nonexistent problem, ugly to boot. I think it is as much a fashion statement as anything else. Like putting chrome on your 67 GTO so it will go faster. Bill, tell your friend that for a few bucks spent at Midway he can have his rugers "restored" to colt clone status.

The primary value in Ruger ownership is knowing that when your horse steps on it you don't have to feel bad. Been there.

[Lone Gunman]

OCB, you may have overlooked last months brief discussion of the Taylor's Smokewagon where it was pointed out that the old model Vaqueros had a comparatively 'low-profile' hammer that allowed the Rugers to be aimed with the hammer down. Personally I have no experience with either model of Vaquero and I have to admit that the concept of being able to aim an un-cocked single action revolver seems counter-intuitive. To me it makes more sense to make the firearm ready to fire (cocked), acquire the sight picture, then squeeze the trigger rather than acquire the sight picture, then obliterate the sight picture with your thumb while cocking the revolver, then fire.     Of course I realize this thick headedness is likely the limiting factor that prevents me from being a world class competitor...well, there's probably some other reasons too...

I wouldn't make any pre-judgements until seeing exactly what your potential new member had, in all likelihood he has the standard old model Vaqueros since the Ruger Montado is only available in the "New Vaquero" line.