Ruger New Vaquero Sheriff 44 Special

[shoot-n-lead]

As some of y'all know, I am a 44 Special fanboy...no excuses or apologies...I like'em. Back in 2010, when Ruger and Lipsey's got together and started the 44 Special guns, they did a run of 510 New Vaquero Sheriff's 3.75" in 44 Special. I was able to get one after a lot of searching and being willing to pay what I thought was an outrageous price...and after living with it for the intervening time...I think that it was not such a bad buy. However, it came to me in what was proved to be, less than perfect functional condition. After only 250rds the gun started locking up while being shot...I initially thought this was ammo related, but when it did it the second time, I knew this was a mechanical issue as it locked up tight. So, off to Ruger, it went...after a roundabout on the phone with them wanting to act like Taurus and expect ME to pay for shipping. It was returned, on their dime, was back in my hand in 10 days and has been perfect for a lot of rounds, since.

This is a great sized little gun, having fixed sights, it is not a target gun...but it is more than "working gun" accurate and a pleasure to shoot. It, like a lot of short barreled Ruger's, has a short front sight and therefore shoots heavy bullets about 4" high at 25yds. So, I actually decided to keep the clean lines of that low front sight and just shoot lighter bullets which it puts to the sights, with no problem. I have actually settled on shooting 200gr full wadcutters as I have been around long enough and done enough of my own rudimentary penetration testing to realize that a 200gr full wadcutter at about 925fps is not something to be trifled with...it is a rather effective load from a small gun and capable of doing most anything that I will do with the gun. I carry it some when out in the woods and at times I carry it concealed in a Mernickle holster...places the gun high and tight and out of the way. Also, I would have no qualms about engaging a 2 legged threat with those big wadcutters...no qualms, at all.

It is a smooth, slick handling little revolver that has found a permanent place in my safe. I have been seeing these on GB lately, but I am not sure if they are special runs or if they have become catalog items. I would encourage you to give one a try, if the opportunity presents itself as I think they are pretty nifty little guns.

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[dubber123]

I have a 3-3/4" SS BH in .45 Colt. After a little tinkering, it's a good shooting little gun.

[Blackwater]

A friend of mine recently got one of those shortys in .44 mag. and sold it because he couldn't get the 200's to shoot as well as he demanded. He wanted the lesser recoil and muzzle blast of the Special, since it'd do anything he intended to do with it. But he's a very demanding fellow when it comes to accuracy. It'd do cloverleafs at 20 yds. with the adj. sights that came on his, but only with the 240-250's, and he just didn't want those, so .... he traded it off. He's very demanding of his guns, and really liked that little shorty, but I think he just got "trading fever" (he's owned more guns than anyone I know for many, manny years) and let 'er go. I was really impressed with how it handled and how it shot with the heavier bullets. VERY accurate! And it was very quick to point and get out of a holster. He was going to carry it in a manly shoulder bag for self defense, or intended to, until he traded it off. I hate to admit it, but he got my "want one" up with that neat little gun! Great report, BTW. When Bill Ruger died, things at Ruger just haven't been the same since.

I remember back when I think it was Len Brownell was designing their stocks for the 77's, and finally quit because he and Bill couldn't get along with some of the compromises Bill wanted/needed to make to Len's designs. Both very fine gunsmith/designers, but Bill was more into ease of production than Len was, and more willing to go with "close enough" than Len could live with. Two fine men, and both uncompromising when it came to their respective aims, and in manufacturing, Bill's view pretty much HAD to take precedence to keep prices manageable. I'm sure Bill hated to see Len go, but when you're in charge, you sometimes have to do what's best for the company rather than what you'd really LIKE to do. Intelligent compromise has led them to become (IIRC) the most profitable and stable gun company in the world, or at least they were.

Lipseys and others who've been putting out the "special order" guns are REALLY a great friend to the more exacting and experimentally bent among our ranks. I'm not sure who or what promoted the production of the New Vaquero/Blackhawks, but I have a .357 and .44 S. with 4 5/8" barrels, and I really like these guns significantly better than the std. Bhk's. It's not much difference, but to my sensibilities, it's just enough to make them handle and balance enough better that I prefer them to the larger framed Bhk's. I also have two SBH's, one SS with 4 5/8" barrel and the other a std. 7.5 incher. Love them all.

The SA's are some of our very best "field guns" for any time we're knocking about in the woods. They just carry so easily and conveniently, and come out of the holster so readily, and are SO very reliable and accurate, that it's hard to carry anything else for me. And in any of the .44 calibers, and with good loads in the .357, they'll handle anything in our neck of the woods, except maybe those pesky sasquatches. lol!