By Dave Workman
Editor-in-Chief
Marshal Matt Dillon. Marshal Jim Crown. Paladin. Shane.
They all had something in common, and it was a single-action sixgun with a 7 ½-inch barrel, with which they were capable of clearing leather in the blink of an eye, and dispatching bad guys right into the final credits.
Steve McQueen’s gunslinger “Vin” in “The Magnificent Seven” carried such a wheelgun, and he was remarkably fast on screen. Maybe this is what Marty Robbins was singing about in his hit “Big Iron.”
I could never afford a genuine Colt Single Action Army revolver—too many bills to pay supporting a family—so when Ruger announced its “New Vaquero” revolvers which are remarkably similar in dimension to the SAA, at a very competitive price, I jumped in with both feet and checkbook in hand. I have not been disappointed.
Unlike the Colt, Ruger’s rendition of the classic western wheelgun may be carried with all six chambers loaded, thanks to the frame-mounted firing pin and transfer bar mechanism. If there is one thing I might criticize about this particular model—Ruger also builds them with 5 ½- and 4 5/8-inch tubes, and I own one of the latter—it’s that I just can’t sit down in my truck with that hogleg on my hip!
But, of course, I’m willing to live with that because my particular specimen has proven itself to be reliable, reasonably accurate to the point of being able to bounce a tin can around at 25 yards or more, and capable of accompanying me off the pavement.
I’ve had this gun for well more than a decade, built a few holsters around it when I was operating a one-man gunleather company, and used it in several different photo shoots with various after-market grips from at least three different companies. I crafted a set of walnut grips for this revolver several years ago, and now it wears a set of elk antler grips from Eagle Grips.
Being a fixed sight handgun, I was immediately concerned with windage and elevation adjustments, but some years ago while figuring out a consistent handload, experimenting with such propellants as Hodgdon’s Trail Boss, CFE Pistol, Titegroup and a couple of other powders, behind either at 250-grain JHP or Hornady’s 255-grain lead pill, I settled on 6.9 grains of HP-38 for the lead bullet, which sends it across my chronograph screens in the 850-900 fps range consistently.
It’s not easy to explain, this fondness for the long-barreled single-action smoke wagon. They are visually stunning, very impressive even when holstered, and in my personal experience, impressive enough to attract stares from other people encountered in the back country. Worn with a full cartridge belt and hand-rubbed holster, Ruger’s New Vaquero is pure eye candy, especially with its color case finish on the frame and deep blue finish on the grip frame and barrel.
Chambered for .45 Colt, with the front sight carefully stoned down maybe .001-.002 inch, I can usually put ‘em where they count. The 255-grain RNLFP bullet Hornady markets primarily for the cowboy action crowd is pretty much exactly what I was looking for to fit my particular needs, and I have not experienced any leading in the bore. I’ve also tried 250-grain LSWC bullets from other sources, made from a harder lead mix, and they performed rather well, but the Hornady bullet has so far never disappointed me, and that’s pretty much the bottom line. Early last year, I happened to stop at a reloading shop and spotted a box of 500 of those bullets for a decent price, so I slapped down some greenbacks and probably won’t need to make another such purchase for a while! I also have a supply of Hornady 250-grain XTPs on my loading bench, and I can load them over 8.8 grains of CFE Pistol to produce roughly the same velocity I get with the lead pills over HP-38, so all that’s really left for me to do is shoot straight.
Some folks have complained about the New Vaquero’s hammer, but I’ve never had a problem with it. Frankly, in a fast draw, I’ve been able to clear leather and have the revolver cocked in one fluid motion, bringing my thumb down on the grip in a satisfyingly quick presentation.
From the moment it came out of the box, this New Vaquero had a very nice action, with a coil mainspring rather than a leaf spring. I have never felt the need to slick it up. While I don’t always hit exactly what I’m shooting at, the misses have been so close as to have convinced me of their lethality in a genuine emergency. A great big piece of lead scooting along at 900 fps is going to make an impression.
Maybe the neatest thing is the muzzle flash. Trust me on this, the flash from that 7 ½-inch barrel at dusk gets one’s attention.
All things considered, the New Vaquero with its longer barrel isn’t what anyone would pick for concealed carry, but for cowboy competition, and wandering around in the High Lonesome, it’s been a great companion for a long time, and if it could talk, it might tell some interesting campfire tales.
