By Dave Workman
Editor-in-Chief
When Ruger introduced the New Vaquero 20 years ago, the lineup got my immediate attention because it originally appeared with three barrel length choices: 4 5/8-inch, 5 ½-inch and 7 ½-inch, and it was the latter which came home to roost, as it were.
Downsized from the original Vaquero, which was based on the Ruger Blackhawk design, the New Vaquero, as noted in a short history at Wikipedia, “incorporated a smaller frame, based on Ruger’s XR-3 grip frame, making the pistol closer to the size of the Colt Single Action Army Revolver of 1873.”
The Colt SAA always got my juices flowing, for its balance and graceful lines, decent action and that great big round hole at the muzzle which said whatever came out was going to be impressive and capable of stopping a fight. Alas, the Colt was always way out of my budget, but the New Vaquero, well, that was another story. By the most remarkable of coincidences, the MSRP matched the sum of cash in my wallet! Whaddaya know about that?!
Available in several caliber choices, the New Vaquero in my sights was chambered for .45 Colt, a cartridge that has always fascinated me because it sends a big piece of lead downrange with manageable recoil and decent trajectory. I’ve managed to hit targets out to a hundred yards; not bad from a gun with fixed sights.
Over the years, I’ve experimented with various propellants, including Trail Boss, HS-6, CFE Pistol and HP-38, and haven’t been disappointed with the results.
I’ve also found a bullet I really like, the 255-grain Hornady flatpoint/roundnose lead projectile. It flies true, and ahead of 6.9 grains of HP-38 out of the 7 ½-inch barrel, it clocks right around 900 fps on average when crossing over my chronograph, set about 30 inches ahead of the muzzle. The barrel twist for the .45 Colt is 1:16-inch.
I had to gently stone down the high front blade sight about 0.001-inch to bring up the impact point at 25 yards, but windage has always been good enough to smack a tin bean can.
There is a wide selection of loads available for the .45 Colt, and a decent selection of bullet types, including traditional roundnose lead, lead semi-wadcutter, jacketed soft points and jacketed hollowpoints, so for the handloader, this cartridge has all kinds of possibilities. Commercial ammunition manufacturers offer loads ranging from hunting and defensive energy levels down to ammunition loaded specifically for Cowboy Action shooters. I trim the straight-wall case to 1.280-inches and use standard large pistol primers from Remington, Winchester or CCI, all with good results.
While there is no question that a shorter-barreled sixgun has the advantage of quicker swing, easier packing (especially in the bucket seat of a truck) and faster draw from a holster by at least a fraction of a second, in some situations, the mere appearance of a “big iron” on one’s hip can be a huge deterrent to unpleasantness.
I quickly knocked together a holster and 30-round cartridge belt, which has been with me on several outdoor adventures. With some assistance from my brother, I personally crafted a set of dark walnut grip panels, and later added a set of Eagle elk antler grips. This particular smoke wagon has also earned its keep as a photo model for a couple of different grip makers, Eagle and Ajax.
The .45 Colt is a proven black bear and deer stopper, and I feel not at all under-gunned in the rare event I might cross paths with something bigger and/or nastier.
As for the Ruger New Vaquero, thanks to its transfer bar mechanism I can safely carry this gun with all six chambers loaded. This is a proven safety feature which is present on all of my Ruger single-action revolvers, and I swear by it.
A few years after acquiring my 7 ½-inch New Vaquero, I purchased a second one with the 4 5/8-inch tube. While my loads lose some velocity coming out of the muzzle, they still go where I send ‘em, Ruger discontinued the 7 ½-inch barrel option some years back, but I’m hopeful one day it might come back. In my not-so-humble opinion, the longer barrel lends itself not only to slightly better bullet performance, but it also appeals to my nostalgic side. After all, as a kid growing up in the 1950s and 1960s, my television viewing included a healthy diet of Marshal Matt Dillon, that guy Paladin, Marshal Jim Crown (“Cimarron Strip”), and other small screen heroes, all wearing long-barreled Colts. I’m a product of my viewing habits.
Meanwhile, I’ll remain content to pack this “hogleg” up in the high country for as long as my legs can make the trek, reasonably certain that it will handle whatever challenge might come along. For an “old sixgunner,” the New Vaquero has what it takes.
