Vaquero Lites" or Vaquero II's?

[Trailrider]

Howdy, Ladies & Gents,

Guess I qualify as a RAT!   Shoot two .44-40/.44 Magnum convertibles, depending on what ammo I've got loaded on a given day.  (I prefer the .44-40!) No, I'm not a DIRTY RAT.  Seldom have time to clean up after a match. Clean the smokeless once or twice a year, whether they need it or not! 

Now, there has been some confusion, and some discussion over on The Other Wire about how best to distinguish between the mid-frame size Vaqueros, which have just come out, and the "old" Vaqueros.  I am in favor of calling a Vaquero a Vaquero, and the mid-frames, "Vaquero Lites" or Vaquero II's.  Any thoughts on this?

BTW, speaking of the Vaquero Lites, if you have leather already, you can probably make do nicely with holsters that fit the OM Vaquero. The Lites sit a little deeper in most of my holster line, but just enough to compensate for the longer, higher hammer spur (most of my holsters cover the hammer spurs completely).  I'm waiting on some dummy guns to use in forming holsters for the Vaq Lites, so I can adjust my patterns if necessary for new orders.

Another thing...anyone got any more information on the one incident involving the blowup of a Vaq Lite?  Seems the thread got deleted or buried on TOW. I do NOT fault the guns, nor do I think the Vaq Lite is as weak as the Colt's or the clones. The mid-size guns are NOT as strong as the Blackhawk/Vaqueros, but they can stand any SAAMI-standard loads you can put in them, with margin to spare.  But you can blow up ANYTHING if you mess up badly enough in handloading.  I never got enough data to give any clues on this one.

Ride easy, pards, but stay alert! Godspeed to those in harm's way in the defense of Freedom! God Bless America!

Trailrider
Capt., Cavalry, Detailed Ordnance,
Dept. of the Platte,
Grand Army of the Frontier (GAF)
Owner/President
Trailrider Products

[Mustang Gregg]

Trailrider:
It's damned confusin'!  Ain't it, Jim?
PM me with your thoughts on a colorguard or whatever for GAF activities at HOW.
A GAF posse maybe?
You are a-goin'....I hope!
MG

[Trailrider]

Howdy, Gregg,
How do you PM on this forum? Don't see a button...

I think we've done pretty well on the past two HOW, but it would be kinda nice to have a "patrol" (posses are for civilians ).

BTW, I just got a pair of Vaquero Lites.  One is a stainless 7-1/2" and the other a blued/case colored 5-1/2".  I can't cock either one, the triggers don't move, the loading gates won't open, and there's no hole in the barrels (or at least not near the muzzles). No mainsprings or locks, but the grips are mint!  I don't much care since they are not .44-40's. Guess I'll use them for forming holsters!   They sure do balance neat! If I could bust a few welds, I'd see if the grips would fit on my regular Vaqueros.  I actually got a chance to handle a "live" "Lite" in a toy store. Love to try shooting one, even if it is in the "wrong" cartridge.

Ride easy, Pard, but stay alert!

[Four-Eyed Buck]

Glad you guys are finding them. I've been to shops in three county's here, NADA. Keep getting the song and dance that their distributors don't have them. What the heck? Are the distributors in N.E. Ohio on Ruger's sh&% list? Or are these guys just not getting any till they sell off the Big ones? I've been to Ashland, North Canton and Canton and not a one to be seen/handled. Seen a bunch of RVB's and RV's, but no NRV's. Oh, yeah, forgot Strasburg too. saw a couple Uberti Schofields today, two SAA Colts, a Rodeo, and a few mixed importer Uberti Cattlemen. Pickin's is really slim around here! ................Buck

[Four-Eyed Buck]

An update to the above post. Found two of The NRV's today at Hot Rod's in Akron, .45Colt, 5 1/2" blued. I bought one of them. Feels pretty good, I'll know more when I get it cleaned tonight and do some checks with the trigger guage. took awhile, but I finally found one. Now, I've got an ORV in .45, 5 1/2" to sell. Any takers?.........Buck

[Joyce (AnnieLee)]

Trailrider, under Mustang Greg's name on his message, you should see a little cartoon looking balloon that has "IM" inside it. If you click on that balloon a message window will open up for you to send a private message to Mustang Greg.


Hope this helps,

AnnieLee

[Ornery Orr]

There are Vaqueros, and New Vaqueros.  Ruger doesn't call it "NEW" because it is the latest version.  That is what it is called, New Vaquero not Vaquero Lite or Vaquero II.  Don't mean to be a harda$$ on the subject, but  distinguishing between the two or paying attention to printed ads isn't exactly rocket science.  NCOWS hasn't approved them yet, and I've been reading a couple or so folks have had some trouble with them locking up on them.  If they get the bugs worked out, and NCOWS approves them, I wouldn't mind owning a pair.

[Mustang Gregg]

Trailrider:
I reckon the PM is the blue button below the avatar image.

I have been signed up on the CAS CITY for quite sometime but never really used it until now.
The "New" SASS Wire is down.  So I reckon it will increase traffiic here.
You goin' to HOW again?
It'd be good to parleyover a beer & march with you again.
MG

[Micheal Fortune]

There are Vaqueros, and New Vaqueros.  Ruger doesn't call it "NEW" because it is the latest version.  That is what it is called, New Vaquero not Vaquero Lite or Vaquero II.  Don't mean to be a harda$$ on the subject, but  distinguishing between the two or paying attention to printed ads isn't exactly rocket science.  NCOWS hasn't approved them yet, and I've been reading a couple or so folks have had some trouble with them locking up on them.  If they get the bugs worked out, and NCOWS approves them, I wouldn't mind owning a pair.

Ruger Vaquero or Ruger New Vaquero, I got two Ruger New Vaquero's (RNV) and for a write up follow this link as it will help explain lock up and leather problems.
http://home.bresnan.net/~michealfortune/RNV.htm

[Four-Eyed Buck]

Michael, Has Ruger contacted you yet, or your shop? I talked to them Monday and they are sending me a prepaid UPS label to ship mine back for the rework..........Buck

[Micheal Fortune]

Michael, Has Ruger contacted you yet, or your shop? I talked to them Monday and they are sending me a prepaid UPS label to ship mine back for the rework..........Buck

Buck, haven't herd a word, was just out shooting them, sighting them in a bit on Monday.  Time to get the file out and get them closer. 

They shot great, I see no reason Ruger would want them back.

Do you know what they are reworking Buck??

Happy Trails!

[Four-Eyed Buck]

It wasn't exactly specified, but I believe it has to do with the riveting for the locking device on the main spring rod. Not clinched correctly...........Buck

[Four-Eyed Buck]

Michael, Went to our match yesterday. I used my 38-40's, but took the .45's as back up. Hoped i could sell the ORV, but no bites. I took the new one as well so some of the pards could get a look. By the end of the match I just couldn't resist the temptation to fire it. So, I loaded five, stepped up to the line, aimed high on the targets since I knew the 200's would shoot low without the sights being trimmed. five shots, five beautiful clangs on five targets! It felt good in my hand, shot duelist. Observer said they were pretty well centered and had hit about three or four inches below the top of the targets. So, I believe I won't have to take a lot off to get to POA/POI. Less, I believe, than on my ORV. felt good enough that I just might not send'er in, lower that front, and go shoootin'..........Buck

[Micheal Fortune]

Buck, I shot mine at their first match today and am I happy.  I got the two new pistols and a new Marlincb (drew 5 Queens on a poker machine)

I only missed 2 targets all day,  :)that's a big drop from my usual 10-12 or more.

They were pistol targets, but I know what I did wrong.

I just love them RNV's!   

[Four-Eyed Buck]

had it to the range today and put it on paper. Left and low, about what I expected. My partner put five through it and hit about dead center! What the heck! He pointed out that he didn't have his little finger under the grip frame, I did. tried it his way, centered and all in the black. Hmmm, grip on the gun changes POI! Went through over a hundred rounds with it today, no problems so far. The recrimped rounds had sooty cases( normal), but there wasn't the big pile of unburned powder in the front area of the frame like at the match ( pre- recrimping). Not overly happy with the crimp die on that Dillon SDB, can't get a tight crimp without having the top edge flare back out. GGGrrrrrrrr! All rounds will now have an extra step, through the LEE Factory Crimp Die. Now I see the wisdom of those five station presses. wish Dillon would rethink that SDB crimper!.............Buck

[Four-Eyed Buck]

Heard from Ruger today. They called me about sending my NRV back in.Told'em I already had a shipping label, but since it was workin' okay was a little hesitant to send it in. They said they'd mark it down that I was contacted and I wasn't going to send it in unless I had trouble with it..............Buck

[Crooked River Bob]

Well, there are Vaqueros and there are New Vaqueros, in Ruger terminology. 

I've often thought there might be an entry-level market for a "light" Vaquero, though; use the original steel Vaquero frame, cylinder, and barrel, and mate it up with a Blackhawk-style alloy grip frame and ejector rod housing, and make the whole thing blue, without the fake case color.  The crescent-head ejector rod, as on the New Vaquero, would be a practical addition.  Ruger has all the tooling and patterns, so it should be no trouble to make these.  The cylinder diameter would be large enough that they could resurrect the .44-40 and .44 Magnum chamberings, and the cost should be a lot less than the all-steel guns with case-colored frames.  Considering that some people actually pack sixguns on a regular basis, this revolver should be appealing due to its lighter weight, in addition to its lower cost.

Maybe "Vaquero Packer" might be a name for it.

Crooked River Bob

[Cyrille]

Michael, Went to our match yesterday. I used my 38-40's, but took the .45's as back up. Hoped i could sell the ORV, but no bites.

Mr. Buck;
  I realize that it has been over a year since you've posted that your ORV was for sale do you still have it? Would you like to sell it? I know of someone who is looking, if the price is right you may have a sale.

[Four-Eyed Buck]

Been gone over a year, Cyrille.....

[RRio]

What Ruger calls them ...      ...Ruger New Vaqueros.