Anyone own a 44Mag Vaquero?

[daveb]

Found one for a decent price that would pair with my new Marlin 1894. It's a 5 1/2" with decent colors still.  I have been tempted by the old ones before, but this is a true temptation,  even overriding for a SS 5 1/2" Bisley 44 to go with the 45 version. 

Dave

[Jamey Worrell]

I've got one I used as a donor for a TGW project...no complaints...mine started life as a 44 mag Bisley with 5 1/2" barrel, blued/faux color cased...ended up with a 7 1/2" oct barrel, dovetail front sight, RW Wells #9 grip frame and relief carved grips by Bob Leskovec...shoots like a dream.

[jeffh]

I bought one new years ago, but it was a 5.5" Bisley version. I'd driven an hour to buy a Glock 21, got to the counter and showed the guy the gun I wanted in their ad. He brought me back a Ruger box. Once I opened it and looked at it, the Glock idea evaporated and I took the Vaquero home for $308.

It shot to the sights and shot very well. My mainstay load was the 429421 over ten grains of Unique. I never warmed to the Bisley grip and ended up trading it on a like-new 94 Swede. The old fell with the Swede knew what it was worth, but he really wanted that Vaquero, so we traded even up.

Overall, the Vaquero was a very nice gun - a solid working-gun kind of thing that you couldn't help but like. It was superfluous to my needs at the time, and my other Rugers were all OMs and I preferred to stick with one manual of arms for a given action-type. Nothing against NMs, in fact, I eventually switched over to all NMs as my needs were more accurately fulfilled through experimentation/trading.

Still kicking myself for not jumping on a $400 NEW-Vaquero in 4.625" barrel in 44 Special a few years ago from Kentucky Gun. JUST before prices really started going nuts. Adjustable sights are great, but for a one-load, working gun that's a pleasure to carry and use, I like the Vaqueros/NEW-Vaqueros.

[jeffh]

Apr 14, 2024 12:27:03 GMT -5 Jamey Worrell said:

I've got one I used as a donor for a TGW project...no complaints...mine started life as a 44 mag Bisley with 5 1/2" barrel, blued/faux color cased...ended up with a 7 1/2" oct barrel, dovetail front sight, RW Wells #9 grip frame and relief carved grips by Bob Leskovec...shoots like a dream.

...

Not to offend anyone's tastes in revolvers, but I've never liked the octagon barrels on revolvers.  To me, it looks very out of place.  Maybe because I associate octagon barrels with BIG, HEAVY, long-range-type rifles and see the SA as a more more svelte, portable arm.

THAT ONE, looks "right" to me.  I don't know if it's just smaller across the flats, maybe has a light taper, or what, but it REALLY looks nice.

[Jamey Worrell]

Apr 14, 2024 12:38:03 GMT -5 jeffh said:

Apr 14, 2024 12:27:03 GMT -5 Jamey Worrell said:

I've got one I used as a donor for a TGW project...no complaints...mine started life as a 44 mag Bisley with 5 1/2" barrel, blued/faux color cased...ended up with a 7 1/2" oct barrel, dovetail front sight, RW Wells #9 grip frame and relief carved grips by Bob Leskovec...shoots like a dream.

...

Not to offend anyone's tastes in revolvers, but I've never liked the octagon barrels on revolvers.  To me, it looks very out of place.  Maybe because I associate octagon barrels with BIG, HEAVY, long-range-type rifles and see the SA as a more more svelte, portable arm.

THAT ONE, looks "right" to me.  I don't know if it's just smaller across the flats, maybe has a light taper, or what, but it REALLY looks nice.

Thanks...it scratched an itch...it's one of two octagonal barreled revolvers I have (other is a bearcat converted to 32 s&w long with no ejector rod)...I like the heft on this one and it balances well.

As Poppa used to say, there's a reason Publix carries apples AND oranges in the produce section...everyone's tastes are different.

Jamey

[fm027]

I've got one. 5.5" 44mag cased & blued from the 90's.. Ruger fit those first ones very well, they were given steel grip frames that nicely match the frame contours compared to standard Blackhawks with the alloyed ones, 44 Vaqueros had steel ejector housing too, all finished with a nice blue (and) were etched under the grips with the last digits of the serial mating each grip frame to its particular gun.

I like mine alot. Guy before me cut the front sight down to uselessness and it wears an ugly screw on dovetail front now. That's the only blemish. I just finally got a donor barrel to replace it and dovetail a proper sight directly into the barrel instead. Clean the sights up. Wish it hadn't been dicked with by the previous owner, they were the nicest built single actions Ruger turned out since the old models went tits up as far as my opinion goes.

[hypervisor]

Yes

Attachments:

[hypervisor]

Apr 14, 2024 12:27:03 GMT -5 Jamey Worrell said:

I've got one I used as a donor for a TGW project...no complaints...mine started life as a 44 mag Bisley with 5 1/2" barrel, blued/faux color cased...ended up with a 7 1/2" oct barrel, dovetail front sight, RW Wells #9 grip frame and relief carved grips by Bob Leskovec...shoots like a dream.

Beautiful  

[bigmuddy]

Apr 16, 2024 19:00:18 GMT -5 hypervisor said:

Yes

I like the unfluted cylinder.

Dan

[bigbore5]

I much prefer the fluted

[daveb]

Beautiful specimen!