Ruger New Vaquero 45LC

crossada

crossada

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I just purhased a Ruger New Vaquero in 45 Colt. I have been wanting a traditional Colt type gun for some time now and finally pulled the trigger:foot::p Too many Clint Eastwood westerns i guess. I knew it was also chambered in 357 which is more readily available ammo but i wanted the most authentic round. The Ruger on the net had a better reputation for durability compared to the clones like Uberti too.

However, the Ruger i got has the black hard rubber grips and i would like something more traditional looking for it preferably in a wood or maybe stag. Anyone know where i can get something different for it? I'm thinking it would be cool to get something to match one of my bowie handles to make a set.

Also i noticed doing ammo searches that hunters say the new model Vaquero isn't capable of handling the hot loaded rounds like the buffalo bore stuff without damage. Is the New Vaquero strictly for the Cowboy Action Shooting market or is it capable of dropping big game? I'm not a hunter but was just curious if there was a flaw to the gun i should know about.

Thanks for the help.
 
crossada said:
Also i noticed doing ammo searches that hunters say the new model Vaquero isn't capable of handling the hot loaded rounds like the buffalo bore stuff without damage.
Click to expand...

What does the owners manual say about appropriate ammo?
Does Buffalo Bore say anything about their ammo being used in a Vaquero?

Those would be the first two places I'd look.

Bruceter
 
Probably to make it more like the Colt SAA. The Peacemaker was a great piece, but it wasn't very robust. There was no need for it to be in its day.
 
Unless they've changed it in the last few years, the Vaquero should be one of the strongest out there. That's always been Ruger's reputation, over-built. Ironically, I changed from wood to hard rubber grips for more appearence. I see where you want to go with it though. I had found a Bisley grip set and built a Vaquero/Bisley about 2yrs. before the factory started offering them.
Check out Brownell's for accessories. You'll want to change out the alloy ejector spring housing for a steel one.
 
The NEW Vaquero is the small frame gun and is very different from the VAQUERO. The older Vaquero has a much beefier top strap and is capable of handling heavy loads but the NEW Vaquero is the small frame and I believe the above posters are correct that it was built primarily for the Cowboy Action shooting scene.

I keep trying to find just the right grips for my New Vaquero as well. I haven't found the ones I want, or am willing to pay the price for yet. I keep an eye out over on gunbroker. com. There are some nice grips there from time to time.

SDS
 
I am a HUGE Ruger Fan and have several of their firearms. I do have 2 ruger vaquero's. I have a gloss stainless bisley vaquero and a close stainless birdsheads grip vaquero. Both are heavy duty guns. I would stear away from the buffalo bore as those are super heavy loads and were more designed for the linebaugh style guns. If you have any questions about if their ammo is safe in the model in question, just call or email Ruger. They have great customer service liken to CRK. Also, there is a Ruger Firearms Forum ( just like blade forums, you gotta check it out, its awsome ) that I am a member of and its free to join. There are many knowledgable people there that can help answer your question as well.......... As far as using it for a hunting handgun, fixed sites are kinda tough, but with practice, you will be a crack shot. The 45LC is a pussycat of a big bore and recoil is mild and shells are cheap. I took my 45LC bisley deer hunting and shot a doe with it using standard mild cowboy loads. I missed it the first 5 times.......lol, but the 6th shot, I hit it in the shoulder, it took about 10 steps and fell over dead. The doe was about 40yrd from me. I am not a crack shot with a handgun by any means. She just stood there, the had 5 shots to run away......lol. So in my experience, you do not need a max power load to use it for hunting. Just a standard load from winchester or remington, hornady will serve you well for a hunting load. Just do not use hollow points as they blow up too quickly for deer sized game. You want a flat point. I had a friend that was an exclusive handgun hunter and used to take whitetails 70+ yds with a handgun. He was the best I have ever seen and the advise about the hollowpoints came from him, and that was never to use them as your just going to wound the deer and have it run off. It worked for me and I am sure it will work for you as well. If you have any other questions, ask away !! Congrats on purchasing a fine firearm. I have looked at them in the past, but already having 2 of the others, I will be awhile.
 
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