Handled A Ruger New Model Vaquero Today

["DoubleAction"]

I'm sure Ruger answered alot of requests from the Single Action Cowboy Enthusiasts with this one. The size and dimentions of this six shooter is so close to the Colt Single Action Army, it's amazing. The change with the cylinder chambers and the lineup with the extraction slot is a very distinctive click. I compared this new Vaquero to my own old style Vaquero, and the difference is very distinctive, especially with the grip and lower portion of the frame.
I think if Ruger could have positively forecasted the rising popularity of Cowboy Action and their own Vaquero, they would have tooled up for the newer model early on, instead of waiting so long.

[TMan]

Okay, I read your post 3 times, just to make sure...

What are you saying, do you like it better than the old one? Does it fit your hand better than the old one? Do you think the quality is good? Is it something that you want to own?

I noticed that Davidson's still shows them as "allocated". I was leaning toward the NV-35 model, but the NV-45 has the longer barrel. However, the NV-35 would be a lot cheaper to shoot.

["DoubleAction"]

TMan; If I ever thought that Ruger intended on making a Colt clone with the original Vaquero, I would have given them a failing grade. Based on the New Vaquero, it clearly shows their intentions of satisfying a demand for something closer to the Colt. Until I shoot this gun, or get a report from someone who has, it's functional application in comparison to the old Vaquero is yet to be voiced on this forum. The Quality of fit is excellent and the steel is typical Ruger, along with the case colored frame. It seems heavier than the Colt, for some reason, but the one I handled was in .357 magnum verses that of the Colt .45. Based on the price that this gun brought, $450, I think it is a very good price based on an initial inspection. I have to comment that the case coloring is better than that of my older Vaquero.
I have visited Davidson's on occassions and noticed their prices are kinda close to the MSRP on many guns.

[TMan]

Davidson's has two prices. If you do a "Power Search", you will get the MSRP. If you go to one of their dealers, and then do a search, you will get the price that dealer will sell it to you for.

My dealer can get guns from Davidson's, but they are more expensive than they are from other distributors. She claims it is because of their lifetime warranty. I have a couple that came from Davidson's because she couldn't get them elsewhere. However, I mainly use the Davidson's web site to check on availability.

I'm glad you like the case coloring. That was one of the things that was making me a little leery of putting in a firm order. (The case coloring on the Beretta Stampede looks like vomit. I can't figure it out either. Both it and my Navy Arms were made by Uberti, but the Navy Arms coloring is beautiful).

["DoubleAction"]

TMan; The Uberti and Navy Arms revolvers have been known for their case color hardened, which is much deeper than the case colored finishes. For a case colored gun, the New Vaquero is a very attractive gun. The grip size is smaller on the new model because it is closer to the original Colt S. A. than the original Vaquero. The question of buying one would be based on dealer price and the local availability; Quality did not appear to be an issue from my initial inspection, everything is very tight on this gun.

[TMan]

So apparently Uberti uses two different coloring techniques: one that produces the color case hardening look, and the other for the Beretta Stampede. They aren't even close. You can see the difference by the pictures on the web-sites.

I'm a little gun-shy about buying a new version of a Ruger. It is kind of like when a manufacturer comes out with a new car line. Usually the first year models have design problems that are fixed in later years. This is purely hearsay, but I heard some of the early Ruger P345's had problems. I'm a little nervous about being the first kid on the block with a New Model Vaquero.

Am I being silly

["DoubleAction"]

TMan; Your not being silly, just smart. Let's keep one ear around the Single Action Cowboy Enthusiasts with this one; In the meantime I'll try to catch my brother at the range with his.

[somery]

other distinctive features include a moon shaped ejector rod and keylock that sits at the bottom of the mainspring (hidden inside the polymer grip -- and the key is also has a flathead thingy coming off the body of the key so you can remove the grips without a separate tool), smaller front-beveled cylinder and the hammer has a longer reach for the shooting hand to cock. this gun will fit in holsters designed for a colt peacemaker. the improved chamber alignment click is made by the internal plunger in the breechface to prevent rollback. also my .22 doesn't let the cylinders go backwards. this New Model has it reversable, but with two clicks (i couldn't understand the guy beyond that), and uses Wolff mainsprings. and the recommended round for this as far as accuracy is Remington 250 LRN
ps it runs close to $600